The Wedding of a Dead Girl Chapter 1

My mother was in end-stage kidney failure.

To save her, my father emptied his life savings. My brother donated a kidney without a second thought. Even my elderly grandmother dragged her frail body to the hospital to care for her day and night.

But on the day she was discharged, my mother picked up a kitchen knife and hacked my father, brother, and grandmother to death.

I survived only because I was away at boarding school.

After killing them, my mother vanished without a trace. The police searched everywhere but found nothing. The case went cold. No one could understand why my mother, who had always been gentle and kind, would slaughter the family that loved her so dearly.

Until my wedding day.

My mother walked into the ceremony, knife in hand...

* * *

"Elara, I know this is hard for you, but you don't have to drop out."

"You're the top student at the Police Academy. Giving up now is a waste of your talent."

Professor Thorne looked at my withdrawal form, his voice filled with concern.

I didn't hesitate. "As long as my mother's case remains unsolved, I can't focus on anything else."

Thorne sighed. "The department has prioritized this case. A special task force was formed, but there are simply no leads."

"I've been analyzing it myself. I've consulted on hundreds of cases, but this one... it makes no sense. Your family was known for being close. Your mother had no history of violence. Why would she do this?"

Professor Thorne was a legend in criminal psychology. He had helped solve impossible cases for decades. Yet, even he was stumped by my mother's actions and disappearance.

"I'm quitting school to investigate this myself," I said.

"Elara, don't be impulsive. She's your mother, yes, but she killed three people. She's dangerous. Investigating alone is reckless."

Tears welled up in my eyes. The image of the mother who used to brush my hair, now a wanted fugitive, broke my heart.

"If she comes for me, good. Then I can ask her why."

My mother, Grace, had always been the heart of our home. She preached that family was everything. I couldn't reconcile that woman with the monster who destroyed us.