The Shadow from His Past

Following my instructions, my mom erected a gravestone for both me and my child.

The problem was that she did not have the right to claim my body.

I had signed a trial agreement during my life that after the experiment failed, my remains would be returned to the lab for sample analysis.

Only after the analysis could I finally rest in peace.

Thus, my soul drifted alongside my corpse to the lab.

Chandler was the person responsible for the sample analysis.

“The sample showed excessive drug use. We need to compare it with the advanced database,” he said, his brow furrowing slightly.

“The body is almost entirely decayed. We should check whether there was improper use of the experimental drug.

“This is unusual…even with a failed trial, it shouldn’t be this severe.”

His assistant, Ben Fallon nodded and began taking notes, but Chandler did a double take as he steadied himself against the computer.

“She… was pregnant during the trial?” he asked softly.

“Yes! You’re right! The tests show she was pregnant!” Ben cried out in shock.

“We need to confirm which group this sample belongs to. This is a violation of protocol!”

Ben was about to flip through the records when a knock at the door interrupted them.

Outside the glass window, Pauline smiled brightly and mouthed, “Look what I brought you!”

She held up a small cake in her hands.

Chandler’s serious demeanor suddenly shifted and softened into a gentle smile.

"This seems to be Pauline—” Ben began but Chandler silenced him.

“The other data doesn't show any significant issues. Confirm the details, and then you can inform the family to come and collect the body. I have things to attend to.”

Ben swallowed his words as Chandler opened the door and took a bite of the cake Pauline had spooned for him.

He smiled. “It’s delicious.”

It was a stark contrast to the man I remembered who claimed to dislike deserts.

I loved making cakes. The birthday cake for our wedding was one I had baked myself.

We met through an arranged marriage.

Although we had little emotional foundation, an exceptional man like him always drew attention, and I fell for him at first sight, fully dedicating myself to him.

But on our wedding day, Chandler threw out the cake I had made.

He had even scrunched his brow in distaste.

“Don’t make these anymore, I don’t like deserts. They’re always too sweet for my taste.”

I never baked again.

He was a man of rules and everything had to align with the standards in his mind.

To accommodate him, I sacrificed many of my desires, constantly reassuring myself that it was just who Chandler was.

I believed that once we had decided to walk through life together, we needed to learn how to tolerate each other.

Who would have thought that all these years, I was the only one practicing tolerance?

Pauline’s return shattered all of his rules in an instant.

At first, I felt jealousy and anger. I even shouted at him during our arguments.

What I received in return was his irritation and impatience.

“Are you ever going to stop?” he had asked.

“Just because I married you doesn’t mean I love you. I just needed someone to settle down with. So can you stop taking yourself so seriously?”

His words shattered my bruised heart.

I had initially planned to file for divorce, but at that critical moment, I discovered I was pregnant.

For the sake of our child, I forced myself to endure every grievance. But fate had other plans, and I was diagnosed with cancer.

For a long time, he cared for me meticulously. I thought I was witnessing true love through adversity.

I believed he had genuinely fallen for me.

But now, as I reflected on it all, I realized that I was nothing more than a tool to him.

I was merely a means for him to appease his parents.

I was also the instrument he used to help Pauline secure the recognition she desired.

He had never loved me.