MY UNKNOWN HUSBAND - Season 2 Episode 95

At No. 4 West Forest Street

By the time Nina reached the villa, it was seven o’clock in the morning.

Today, it was foggy outside. Nina made her way through the fog. She passed through the small garden and arrived at the front door.

Tom was waiting for her there. He walked up to Nina and followed her inside. He gave his report as they walked in. “Ms. Lu, when Captain Noah went off work, he passed by and knocked on the door. There was no answer so he barged in. That was when he found his aunt’s body. The blood’s dry, and there’s no sign of a struggle. It looks like a suicide. She left a will and two letters on the tea table.”

He paused for a moment. “But Captain Noah doesn’t think it’s a suicide. He ordered me to leave the house alone.”

Nina listened carefully to Tom’s report, but her head was buzzing. Her thoughts were a mess and she couldn’t think straight.

Nina quickened her pace.

As soon as she stepped into the living room, she got goose bumps and she shivered. The temperature inside seemed to be lower than outside.

She could smell the blood in the air, mixed with the scent of burnt wool carpet. It was hard to breathe.

As near as Tom could figure out, it happened sometime last night, and the smell should have dissipated by now.

Surveying the room, Nina could see that everything was closed. The curtains were drawn; the windows were closed. There was almost no fresh air, except from the open door.

“Ms. Lu, our captain is over there,” Tom said in a quiet voice, afraid of disturbing the man kneeling on the floor like a knight honoring the fallen. Tears glinted in his eyes, which were blankly staring at nothing. “It’s the first time I’ve seen him so sad.”

Nina turned to look towards the sofa. Kristina was still wearing the clothes she wore yesterday.

She lay on the sofa with her eyes closed. Her face was pale and bloodless. One of her hands held the fruit knife on her belly, and the other arm dangled limply over the edge of the sofa. The blood stained her belly and flowed to the floor along her legs and feet.

Kristina was dead.

Eyes clouded with tears, Nina trembled and sobbed quietly. She raised her hands to cover her nose and mouth, staring at Kristina motionlessly. Nina’s tears rolled down her face, wetting her fingertips, and her heart felt cold and hollow.

Kristina, who sat next to her just yesterday, was now lifeless and cold. This was a big blow to Nina. She lost her balance and staggered back. Tom was at her side, helping her steady herself.

“Ms. Lu, please take care of yourself,” Tom said in a sad voice. “Our captain has been kneeling there for at least half an hour. He hasn’t spoken. He hasn’t sobbed. I’m so worried about him.”

Nina looked at Noah.

Tall, thin, and lonely, he knelt there. He lowered his head as if he were unwilling to accept the fact.

Noah he was motionless, as if his limbs were bound by an iron chain.

The surrounding air seemed to have frozen, numbing all his nerves, and even his soul.

Noah knew his aunt was dead. The news was an enchantment, enveloping his mind and body. Pain and fear were like two devils escaped from the abyss, holding him there. He didn’t feel anything.

The last time his aunt waved goodbye to him was locked in the moment, replaying over and over in his head.

Noah looked so desperate.

“Noah…” Nina called his name and found that her voice had become weak, as if she lacked the strength to talk.

She couldn’t believe it.

Kristina was dead.

“Nini…” When Noah heard her voice, it was like a light in the blackest night. The moment he raised his eyes, his tears rolled down uncontrollably.

Noah’s voice was hoarse, and sorrow and pain acted like sand in his throat. He could only make a very quiet hoarse sound, and could only feel his lips moving.

“Nini, Aunt Kristina is…”

“Noah, Aunt Kristina is dead.” Nina knelt in front of him and put her hands on his arms. With the slightest touch, his body shook.

“She’s dead…” Noah murmured. His eyes changed from disappointment to expectation, pain and loss, and finally attained a faraway gaze.

His bright eyes lost all color.

Noah was no longer the mature, steady one, nor the sharp-witted cop, but the child who had lost his family.

Noah lost his aunt, the one who loved him most in the world, aside from his late mother.

Nina saw despair in Noah’s eyes.

“Nini, Aunt Kristina is dead.” All of a sudden, Noah held his face in his hands and cried in a quietly. Tears fell through his fingers, like heavy rain flowing through the tile gutter on the eaves, and falling on the cold floor.

Nina and Tom were worried about Noah. Tom couldn’t bear to watch him crying fiercely. He turned and looked away, tears flowing silently.

Nina was only a twenty-year-old girl. No matter how strong she was, she couldn’t resist the mournful atmosphere. She found it hard to breathe.

The smell of death haunted her nostrils, and her tears fell again.

Nina stared at the quiet body resting on the sofa. She was no longer blooming like flowers, but wilting. This morning was as cold as night. The few rays of morning light outside could not penetrate the closed curtains, and the crystal light above her could not warm her heart.

Lying on the floor, Nina touched the pink pearl at her neck. The pearl was given to her by Kristina.

Now, it became the most prominent memory.

After a while, Noah stopped crying. He stared at his aunt with his red, swollen eyes, and glanced at the table. His interest had been piqued by the papers there.

“Aunt Kristina didn’t commit suicide. That was not like her at all.” Noah turned around and shook Nina. “Nina, Aunt Kristina couldn’t have committed suicide.”

He pointed at the fruit knife she held, and said, “She didn’t like pain. Wherever she got hurt, even a tiny scrape, she’d cry for a long time. She was so afraid of pain, why would use a fruit knife to kill herself?”

Noah was animated now. His rough treatment hurt Nina, but this pain was not as bad as losing Kristina. She looked up at Noah. She could see a trace of the detective in him again.

He was forcing himself to calm down. “You know this, right, Nini?” He paused for a moment, and seemed much less vital. “I gotta find the murderer.”

“Nini…” Noah kept calling Nina’s name. It seemed to be the only thing that made him feel better.