After I Died, My Father Didn't Recognize My Body

When I was cruelly killed, Dad was celebrating his adopted daughter's admission to school.

He autopsied my body. He never recognized that it was me.

Grandma called him and begged him to find me. He looked disgusted.

"Why look for her? I'd rather she be dead!" he said.

He examined the body carefully. He determined that I had suffered multiple beatings and assaults before dying from hemorrhage caused by a miscarriage.

Clues found in my stomach led to another murder case.

He didn't know that the two people who died were his most hated wife and daughter.

...

1

"The victim's face and fingerprints are unrecognizable. The time of death is estimated to be around five to six days ago.

"She was tortured before she died and bled to death from a miscarriage. There were multiple miscarriages..." he said.

Wearing gloves, Dad focused on the body in front of him. He spoke while the person behind him took notes.

Upon hearing the victim's age, the assistant behind him cursed.

"A girl just twenty years old, in her prime. What a jerk!" he muttered.

Everyone was outraged for me. Dad paused for a moment but said nothing, continuing his examination.

He was the best forensic doctor in the state. He had seen many dead bodies and victims' tragic situations. When he heard this, he just bowed his head and carefully continued his examination. After finishing, he wiped his hands and finally spoke.

"Enough. Let's go. We need to conduct further tests tomorrow. Let's see if we can identify the victim first," he said.

He was calm. But when he heard my age, there was a brief moment of distraction.

He muttered something quietly. Then, he picked up his phone.

"She's the same age as my daughter. So pitiful..." he said.

Hearing this, I had some hope. Dad, he...

But my excitement sank the moment Dad made the call.

It was terrifyingly cold. I watched him smile at the person on the other end of the call. His tone was gentle.

"Lillian, how's the new school? You haven't called me..." he said.

I couldn't hear what he said after that.

I only remembered that my name was Sofia Taylor. But now, the precious daughter Dad spoke of wasn't me at all.

"Why? Dad, why didn't you recognize me?"

I had been abducted for eight years. I still remember that night when Dad and Mom argued. I ran out to find her. In the alley, both Mom and I were knocked out.

After that day, I waited every day for Dad to come and save me. Unfortunately, I never saw him until I died.

Now, I was just a victim's body in front of him. But he never recognized me.

Of course, how could he ever think it was me?

Time passed slowly. Suddenly, a ridiculous thought crossed my mind...

"Did he not recognize me, or did he simply not care?"

A question popped into my mind.

In these eight years, had he ever looked for me and Mom?

2

"My daughter went out of town to study. There's a competition in a few days, and I might take leave to watch it. I promised her," he said.

Dad was chatting with a colleague. When he mentioned Lillian, his face was full of contentment.

Lillian was the child he adopted. She was the same age as me this year.

Compared to me, who was trapped in the mountains, Lillian received all of Dad's love.

After Mom and I were gone, Dad gave all his love to her.

...

Dad was skilled. In just three days, he found every injury I suffered before I died.

The old bruises from beatings. The traces of multiple assaults and miscarriages. Malnutrition and illness. The fatal injury from the rolling pin that caused the hemorrhage.

Holding tweezers, he extracted the last clue I left before I died from my stomach.

Wrapped in red plastic was a small note. This was the desperate clue I left at the last moment.

The last clue I bit down and swallowed was finally discovered.

The small piece of paper was slightly yellowed, but wrapped in plastic. The writing was still somewhat legible.

It contained an address. Upstream along the river, there was a remote village. Mom was buried in that courtyard,

"Why is there writing in here? This is a clue, critical information!" he said.

Dad placed the note into a ziplock bag. The assistant hurriedly took it, exclaiming as they walked away with it.

Dad frowned, tiredly pulling off his gloves. He rubbed his temples. His phone began to ring.

An old voice came through, and the image of the person's face appeared in my mind. I knew that voice all too well.

That was Grandma, who had once loved me the most.

"Aaron, have you found Sofia yet?

"I had a dream that Sofia was gone, she..." she said.

It was the first time in days I had heard my name. Grandma still remembered me.

It felt good. I hadn't been forgotten...

Dad had his back to me. His fist clenched, veins bulging at his temple. He interrupted her with an angry shout before she could finish.

"Enough! Don't mention that bitch's child again!

"How many times do I have to say it? Don't bring her up!

"She's not dead! That bitch took her, and who knows how well they're living now!

"When Claire ran away with that man and took the child, their lives and deaths became none of my concern. Stop bringing them up, Mom!

"My only child is Lillian!" he yelled.

Dad's words struck my heart. What was he saying?!

I was stunned by his angry outburst.

That's not true.

Mom never betrayed Dad. She didn't take me away. We...

We were taken to the rural area. Mom was killed, and I was left in the village by traffickers, subjected to endless abuse and torment...

I wanted to cry, but I was already dead. My explanations couldn't be heard by Dad. I couldn't shed tears or speak.

He said I wasn't worth mentioning.

I was nothing compared to his adopted daughter.

Mom and I were both wretches.

3

I couldn't react until the phone call ended.

My outstretched hand passed through Dad's body. I watched as he swept everything off the table onto the floor. When he left, his eyes were full of hatred.

"They are better off dead!" he said.

I couldn't believe such words came from my dad's mouth. He used to be so gentle...

In eight years, I had missed too much.

Dad's words had come true. We were both dead.

He said he only had one daughter, and that his only child was Lillian.

I followed him back to the home I remembered, the place I dreamed of returning to every day. But this time, I hesitated to go inside.

There was nothing familiar in the house. Every trace of Mom and me had been completely erased.

Lillian's photos hung on the walls. She was in a princess dress. She was held in Dad's arms, smiling happily.

There were pictures of their trips together, birthdays, and little crafts the girl had made, displayed on the shelves.

Unwilling to give up, I walked to my room. It had been turned into Lillian's study. Dad loved her. I went to look. Lillian's room was cozy and cute. She liked pink, while I liked warm yellow.

There was no trace of Mom and me ever living in this house. Not even our photos or rooms had been kept.

I found the torn wedding photo in the storeroom. Only then did I truly believe that Dad had given up on Mom and me.

Dad really loved Lillian. On the first day he adopted her, he even took her to change her name.

Grandma kept calling Dad. Every time, he just impatiently hung up.

Then Lillian called. When she said she had a cold, Dad frowned. His face was full of concern. He picked up his coat from the sofa and started heading out.

"You're not in good health. I'll buy you some medicine and send it over. Don't buy it yourself. Some medicines aren't good for you..." he said.

His face was full of worry. The disgust he had when mentioning Mom and me was gone. Lillian only had a cold, and Dad was terribly concerned.

Dad didn't say anything, yet it felt like he said everything.

I started to regret leaving that clue. Dad hated Mom and me so much. All my previous hopes seemed like a joke.

...

When the police followed the address, no one was there anymore.

The courtyard was full of trash. The police found many things, including a stack of photos and bloodstains on the ground, which caught their attention.

The items were taken back. Dad didn't go with them. I watched him pick up the keychain that was put into the bag. I felt nervous.

They were two very old keychains with my and Mom's surnames engraved on them. We bought them from a small stall when the three of us went on a trip. Would he recognize them?

My gaze followed Dad's hand holding the keychain. But before he could look closer, someone patted his shoulder, interrupting him.

I knew this person. He was Dad's longtime colleague and friend, Lincoln Harris.

He was wearing a police uniform. He took the item from Dad's hand and put it back on the table. His expression was serious.

"Aaron, as a friend, let me advise you. Even if you say Claire betrayed you, the child is innocent. In all these years, didn't you ever think of looking for Sofia?!

"Sofia is probably around the same age as Lillian by now!

"Your mom called me yesterday. She didn't say anything wrong, you..." he said.

Dad pushed Lincoln away. His voice was unusually firm. His eyes were cold. He let out a disdainful chuckle, and his tone was icy.

"She doesn't need me. She has a mother who ran off with another man for eight years. Why should I care?

"Even if she died in front of me, it would have nothing to do with me!

"Don't mention her to me. I find it disgusting," he said.

He found it disgusting. Lincoln said nothing more. He sighed and left.

Dad had no interest in looking any further. He left without glancing at the two keychains again.

The photos found in the house were confirmed by the police to be of abducted children.

I watched from the side, feeling anxious. Eight years had passed. It had been too long.

I wanted to beg them to search the courtyard again. Mom was still buried there...

But I couldn't speak.

4

"Please, find my child!" a woman cried out.

"How long have I searched for him?" another woman sobbed.

"Can we still find our children? Please, you have to find our children!" a woman pleaded.

The police station was surrounded by a group of people. These were the parents of abducted children. A middle-aged woman with graying hair looked at the photos, sobbing uncontrollably. Nothing stirred more emotion than the sight of hope.

Everyone's face was filled with excitement. Their choked voices overlapped as they spoke. I stood beside Dad, watching them clutch the police officers' sleeves. Their eyes were full of hope.

My heart was bitter. Even though I felt nothing, my mouth still tasted bitter.

All the parents love their children.

I glanced at Dad, and felt a small twinge of disappointment.

He was looking down at his phone. Lillian had sent him a picture. Dad looked at it carefully, replying with focus. His face was full of gentleness.

Dad hadn't found Mom, nor did he realize that the body was mine.

It had been ten days since I died.

My body was a mystery. No one reported me missing, and there was no DNA match.

As the investigation continued, new discoveries were made in the courtyard that was cordoned off.

After multiple searches, the police found fragments of bone in the back of the courtyard.

Upon examination, they were confirmed to be human bones.

Every inch of the courtyard was dug up. The body had been buried for a long time, and the bones were shattered. They had to be collected bit by bit.

They sifted through the dirt, using tweezers to pick through it. The mud was washed away, revealing the shattered human bones inside.

Those were Mom's...

The day the bones were discovered, Dad unusually took a leave of absence.

"I really can't help it. I promised my daughter I'd go to her competition.

"She'll be disappointed if I don't go. Let someone else take over my work for now. I'll be back in a few days," he said.

After working diligently for so long, Dad firmly insisted on taking leave. He didn't want to break his promise to Lillian.

As he hurriedly walked out, I sighed inwardly.

"Dad, do you know that those are Mom's bones?

She never betrayed you.

She died in that courtyard on the third day after leaving home."

...

While Dad was giving Lillian flowers to celebrate, the police found steel pins in Mom's bones. They were from a surgery she had before, and they had serial numbers that could be used to identify her.

The discovery of a new body made some people anxious and others worried.

After learning that the remains didn't belong to a child, the parents of the abducted children collectively sighed in relief.

Mom's remains were close to mine. I only remembered her being killed, but I didn't know that she was dismembered so brutally after death.

Over the years, every inch of the courtyard had been mixed with Mom's blood and flesh.

Dad returned to work.

He still seemed to be riding the joy of seeing Lillian. When he walked in, he was still on the phone with her.

"I've been busy lately. Take good care of yourself out there.

"You did well in the competition this time. When you're on break, I will take some time off to go on a trip with you.

"I knew it. Lillian is the best!" he said.

His favoritism for Lillian was undisguised. Mentioning her, Dad's face was full of pride and fatherly love.

When passing by Mom's remains, Dad just glanced at them casually, without the slightest pause.

After hanging up, he became the cold-faced forensic doctor again. He put on his gloves and examined the broken bones, occasionally asking the assistant to record information.

"Age between thirty-five and forty. The body was dismembered after death. The bones are too fragmented. The pins inside the body have been sent for testing.

"The identity of the deceased should be confirmed in a few days," he said.

Dad nodded and continued working.

Watching Dad, I felt a bit lost.

If he knew that Mom and I were dead, would he be happy?