My body was found in an abandoned building.The construction workers, struggling to hold back their nausea, called the police.My parents rushed from my brother Matthew Lambert's celebration banquet to the crime scene.The crime scene investigator, Chester Ford, frowned and motioned for them to put on masks.My dad, David Lambert, was one of the top investigators the police brought in for special cases, and my mom, Stella Zimmer, was the leading forensic pathologist in Jasper City. Even though they had seen countless crime scenes, they still flinched when they saw my body.In the sweltering summer heat, my corpse had bloated significantly. My face was smashed beyond recognition, a bloody mess with no identifiable features. My entire body was covered in wounds, and only a sliver of skin still connected my head to my neck. The overwhelming stench of decay filled the air.Mom closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and put on her gloves to begin a preliminary examination. Her gaze held a ra

As she gently told Matthew to rest, my mom received a call from Amy."Amy, when does your business trip end? Your brother is waiting for you to watch his match!" Before Amy could even respond, she rushed to ask.The day I was brought home, Mom and Dad stayed with a sobbing Matthew. Only Amy held my hand, brought me inside, and told me not to be afraid. The only warmth I ever felt in that house came from her.On the other end of the phone, Amy paused in surprise. "Is it Ethan's math competition? Isn't that next month?"Mom cut him off angrily. "Oh my, not Ethan again! Matthew is the brother you've known for years! How many times do I have to tell you? Ethan was raised outside and filled with bad habits. He doesn't deserve to be part of the Lambert family."I could hear Amy sigh, as if she could not understand Mom's hostility toward me. "Mom, sometimes you shouldn't believe everything Matthew says. Ethan is kind and hardworking. If you paid more attention to him, you'd see that."I just

My mom seemed to sense something was wrong. She grabbed my dad's arm, her nails digging deeply into his skin."The victim is your son, Ethan."She collapsed to the ground, repeating in disbelief, "Ethan? How could it be him?"My dad held her up tightly, preventing her from falling completely.One of the officers whispered, "Mr. Lambert, we found the crime scene. It was located in a privately-built house near the abandoned building."My dad immediately responded, "Let's head to the scene. The forensic lab must have made a mistake."In the police car, my mom kept dialing my number over and over. My dad focused on driving, his eyes fixed on the road.He tried to reassure my mom. "Don't worry. Maybe Ethan went to the station and is in on this prank with the forensic team."But deep down, he must have known this was not the kind of thing anyone could fake.I could not describe how I felt. It was as if a venomous snake had wrapped itself around me, squeezing tighter and tighter until I coul

Amy dropped everything when she heard the news of my death and rushed back, leaving her unfinished business trip behind.When she got home, our parents were sitting on the couch, their faces heavy with pain. Matthew was beside them. His eyes were red and swollen from crying, his nose tinged with pink."Amy, you're finally back. Ethan was murdered!""The killer hasn't been caught yet. Ethan had a habit of offending people. Could this be because of—"Suddenly, my dad's voice broke, hoarse and filled with anger, "Enough! The killer has already been identified, and the police are closing in on him! Ethan had nothing to do with him."As he spoke, he exchanged a pained look with my mom. When they learned that the killer had been seeking revenge for the arrest of his brother, both of them collapsed under the weight of the revelation.Their least favored son had lost his life because of them.Hearing this, a flash of nervousness crossed Matthew's face. He clenched the hem of his shirt tightly