Three Years Dead, His Regret

To him, it was simply easier not to be bothered.

If the flood hadn’t destroyed the track, I might have remained underground, unknown forever.

When my name was announced, the crowd erupted in shocked exclamations.

“Ah! It’s her?”

“Wasn’t Ms. Carter the one who supposedly seduced the president for promotion? After he rejected her, she left in disgrace… yet she’s been buried under the athletic field all along?”

“Hmph! I said it back then—Ms. Carter wasn’t that kind of woman. There had to be more to her disappearance. Maybe she was killed by that son-in-law!”

“Shhh! Keep your voice down—you want to get expelled?”

“Expelled, so be it! I can’t stand that Daniel Brooks! Youngest professor? More like a wolf in sheep’s clothing!”

“It must have been him. He killed her so he could marry the president’s daughter!”

My soul drifted away, floating into the research building, to a third-floor office.

There sat my former fiancé, Daniel Brooks, appearing serious at his desk.

But just beyond the desk was a far more scandalous scene—

Vanessa Miller, the president’s daughter, hid beneath it in black stockings and high heels.

“Do you feel good, honey?”

“You little temptress, you love playing with fire! What if someone sees us? Wait until we get home—I’ll show you what happens in bed!”

Daniel pretended to scold, but his tone was playful.

“Hehe, even though we’re married now, I still think sneaking around in your office is the most exciting. Remember back when you were dating Emily? We used to sneak around like this too, back when you didn’t even have your own office. Strangers would walk in—it was such a thrill!”

As Vanessa reminisced shamelessly, Daniel’s face twisted in disgust at the mention of my name.

“Don’t bring up that shameless woman! Makes me sick!”

Overcome with desire, he grabbed Vanessa and pressed her onto the couch.

“I can’t wait until tonight—I want you right here, right now!”

But before their lust could consume them, a knock sounded at the door.

The police had arrived.

“Emily Carter is dead?”

“Her body was buried beneath the athletic field all this time?”

Both were shocked—one with genuine surprise, the other with guilty panic.

After all, it was Vanessa who had killed me.

And while Daniel hadn’t laid his hands on me directly, he was complicit.

Daniel and I had met while studying abroad in the UK. We fell in love, and I had stronger academic achievements than him. I could have stayed overseas with a promising career.

But for love, I returned to the United States with him, and we both applied for teaching positions at the university.

At first, everything seemed fine.

Until I discovered Daniel’s affair with Vanessa, then still a senior student.

Vanessa was lazy, never attending classes, spending her days partying. With her father protecting her, no professor dared fail her.

But she wanted more—graduation, a faculty position.

To make it happen, she needed forged transcripts and a polished thesis.

The easiest path was stealing an unpublished paper.

She set her sights on mine—freshly completed but not yet submitted.

When I confronted her, she wielded her father’s authority to intimidate me.

I refused to yield and threatened to report her academic fraud.

That was when Richard Miller strangled me in his office.

And together, they buried me under the athletic field.