Chapter 129 This Is Not My Wife

Chapter 129 This Is Not My Wife

The white sheet slowly lifted, revealing a face beneath, bloated from days in seawater, features too swollen to distinguish.

The body had clearly been submerged for some time. Bite marks of varying sizes dotted the remains where fish had fed.

Preston's stomach lurched violently. He couldn't suppress a dry heave.

He'd barely eaten these past few days. The sudden confrontation with this horrific sight sent acid churning through his empty stomach.

But he recovered quickly.

Preston stood, his expression blank. "This isn't my wife."

A corpse whose face was unrecognizable, how could it possibly be his Sophie?

The officer frowned at his certainty. "The clothing on this body matches your description of what your wife was wearing that day. We believe this is her."

"No!" Preston's gaze turned icy as he faced the officer. "Just because the clothes match doesn't mean anything. You can't even see her face. There's no proof whatsoever that this is my wife."

The officer could see it now, Preston was refusing to accept the truth.

He sighed and murmured instructions to a colleague.

The man left, returning moments later with something in hand.

When Preston saw what the officer held, his entire body went rigid. All the strength seemed to drain from him at once, his eyes locked on the object.

Seeing his reaction, the officer knew he'd recognized it.

"This ring was recovered from the body. I assume you know it."

Preston's eyes squeezed shut.

Of course he knew it. This was the engagement ring he'd given Sophie. She'd treasured it so carefully, threading it onto a chain around her neck, never once taking it off.

His hand trembled as he accepted the ring. His voice came out hoarse, strained. "How did you find it?"

Something so small could easily have slipped off during the struggle in the water. Yet somehow it had stayed.

A suspicion formed, could Sophie have arranged this deliberately? Perhaps she wanted him to think she was dead.

But the officer's next words shattered that fragile hope.

"The deceased was clutching this necklace in her hand. Even in death, she held it tight. You can imagine how important it was to her."

"Stop." Preston's voice dropped as he cut the officer off, his fist closing around the ring. He couldn't bear to hear more.

The officer watched him struggle with grief, sighing softly. "Mr. Davis, you have my condolences. Now that we've recovered your wife's remains, we can close the case."

The wind off the water was fierce, the waves rough, but neither compared to the chill spreading through Preston's chest.

He carefully pocketed the ring. When he turned back to the officer, his face had smoothed into calm. "Can I take my wife home now?"

The officer blinked, surprised by how quickly he seemed to accept it. "I'm sorry, but we can't release the remains yet. We still need to complete the formal statements. Don't worry, once we've finished the procedures, you'll be able to take your wife home."

Preston nodded and strode toward his car, leaving his assistant to handle the details with the police.

The officer watched Preston's retreating back, frowning slightly.

This Mr. Davis was a strange one. First he'd seemed so devoted to his wife, and now he was accepting her death with such eerie calm?

Back in the car, Preston pulled out the ring, studying their engraved initials. His finger traced over them slowly.

The assistant returned shortly after. Seeing Preston staring at the ring, he ventured carefully, "Mr. Davis, once we finish giving our statements at the station, we can bring Sophie home. Should I... should I have my people start arranging a burial site?"

Preston raised a hand, cutting him off. His gaze fixed straight ahead, his tone hard. "No rush on the burial."

The assistant looked at him uncertainly. "Mr. Davis, I know you can't bear to let Sophie go, but her remains are already deteriorating. It would be best to lay her to rest soon..."

"Who said that's Sophie?" Preston suddenly turned to face his assistant, his eyes glacial.

The assistant forced himself to continue. "Mr. Davis, I know you can't accept this, but they've found the body, "

"I want a DNA test." Preston cut him off again, impatient.

A sliver of doubt remained in his heart. The body's face was too damaged to identify. He couldn't be certain it was Sophie.

The assistant froze. "You still don't believe it's Sophie?"

The height, build, and personal effects all matched. Aside from the unrecognizable face, there was nothing to question.

"Just do what I'm telling you." Preston wasn't interested in further discussion. It was an order.

The assistant knew Preston wouldn't rest until this was done. He nodded. "I'll make the arrangements."

Preston's fist tightened around the ring, something dark flickering in his eyes.

Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance that body wasn't Sophie, he wouldn't let it slip by.

Besides, he refused to believe Sophie could really be...

---

"He wants a DNA test?"

Hearing Bailey's words over the phone, Sophie felt a flash of surprise.

The truth was laid out plainly before him, yet he still refused to believe it.

Bailey's tone carried a trace of exasperation. "The man's stubborn as hell. He won't accept that it's not you."

Or rather, Preston was searching for an answer that matched his predetermined conclusion.

He refused to believe Sophie was dead, so he was desperately trying to prove otherwise.

Sophie frowned. "We can't let him get those results."

"My thoughts exactly," Bailey said, fingers drumming on the desk. "I've arranged for someone to interfere, but Preston's meticulous about everything. He has his own people handle things personally. It'll be difficult, I haven't figured out how to get someone inside yet."

"I can help with that." Matthew pushed through the door as he spoke.

Sophie looked up, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Matthew pressed his lips together, managing a faint smile. "I'm flying back tomorrow. I wanted to see you before I left."

He paused, then added quietly, "I overheard your call with Bailey, not intentionally, but I can help with the DNA situation."

Sophie's frown deepened. Matthew had already done so much for her. She didn't want him getting involved any further.

Seeming to read her thoughts, Matthew spoke gently. "You don't want everything you've worked for to fall apart. If he finds out you're alive, he'll turn over every stone looking for you. That'll be far more troublesome than dealing with a DNA test."

Bailey's voice crackled through the phone. "Matthew's right. You know what Preston's like, completely unhinged. You barely escaped him. You can't let him drag you back."

Sophie considered this, lifting her gaze to meet Matthew's dark eyes. She smiled helplessly. "Then I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you again."

"We don't need to talk like that." Matthew smiled back.

Sophie's head dipped slightly. Preston's relentless interference was making her restless.

But the man was sharp. Could they really deceive him?

Even if the DNA results came back as expected, what if he still refused to believe it?

What would they do then?