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Micah, my spouse's old flame, accused me of deliberate murder.
In turn, my husband chose "righteousness" over familial loyalty and spearheaded the effort to capture me. He even teamed up with Micah to broadcast my alleged "offenses" live to the entire online community.
However, when he finally tracked me down after much effort, he learned that I had passed away a week earlier.
Crash!
My husband, Denver Watkins, forcefully kicked open the entrance to our home.
"She must be concealed somewhere in here! Inspect every corner!" he instructed the law enforcement officers accompanying him.
Police with weapons passed through my ghostly form as they rushed into the house. After a meticulous search yielded no results, Denver fixed a cold stare on my parents.
"Where's Sheila hiding?" he questioned harshly.
My father, clutching his rapidly beating heart, looked utterly bewildered. "What's this about? Sheila isn't here."
Denver's gaze remained skeptical as he replied, "Stop protecting her. This morning's fire and killing have been linked to her—she's the culprit!"
My parents were visibly stunned. "That can't be true! Sheila would never hurt anyone, much less start a fire! You're mistaken."
But Denver stood firm. "Quit lying for her. Turn her over now!"
I was perplexed. Why was Denver bringing the authorities to arrest me? I had died mysteriously a week ago, with my spirit somehow returning home. How could I have possibly committed arson and murder earlier today?
Denver maintained his severe expression as he continued.
"Micah witnessed it herself—Sheila ignited the fire and then escaped. If you harbor her, you'll all end up behind bars!"
Hearing this, I was filled with shock. So Micah was once again spreading lies about me.
I looked at the man I had cherished for five years with a sense of letdown.
Did he truly believe I was capable of such evil?
As my parents tried to defend me further, Denver pulled out his phone and began filming them.
"Sheila, are you willing to let your parents be imprisoned for shielding you? If you give yourself up now, the authorities might overlook their involvement in concealing you!"
After speaking, he even sent the video to me.
But how could I, a mere spirit, respond?
Enraged by Denver's insensitivity, my father, who already had a weak heart, fell to the ground. The house erupted into pandemonium as someone hurriedly called for an ambulance.
Following emergency care at the hospital, my father regained consciousness. Despite extensive questioning, the police left without any new information.
Denver, however, struck the wall in anger. "That venomous woman Sheila must be hiding because she fears imprisonment!"
Storming out of the hospital room, he turned back to my parents with a cold ultimatum. "Persuade Sheila to surrender and apologize to Micah, or I'll end our marriage!"
Then, without waiting for a reply, he departed.
My mother burst into tears, saying between sobs, "Our Sheila was burned as a child and has been terrified of fire ever since. She couldn't possibly have done this!"
"They've been married for three years. Doesn't Denver know her well enough to realize she wouldn't do such a thing?"
A wave of sorrow washed over me. Everyone, including my own husband, believed Micah's accusations.
Only my parents remained confident in my innocence.
The following day, as my parents returned home from the hospital, they were met with a torrent of abuse.
Someone pounded furiously on the door.
"Zandro! Sunshine! Your daughter really set that fire, didn't she?"
"If the police came for her, she must be guilty! People from rural areas are heartless!"
It was Patricia, our downstairs neighbor, shouting mockingly. She'd always compared her daughter to me but resented that her daughter didn't measure up. Her bitterness drove her to constantly belittle us for our rural background.
My mother, incensed and exasperated, yelled back, "My daughter didn't start any fire! Stop spreading lies!"
But Patricia raised her voice even louder, calling out to the entire neighborhood.
"Listen up, everyone! The Rodriguez family raised a killer!"