MARY_OMONOWA

Modern dating is already a minefield, but nothing could have prepared Ellie for falling into a twisted love triangle with a ghost. When her seemingly perfect boyfriend, Ben, starts mumbling secrets to thin air and even forgets their anniversary, Ellie knows something is horribly off. Her worst fears come crashing down when she discovers that Victoria—Ben’s dashing, dead ex—is back from the grave, haunting him with a toxic mix of unresolved passion and vengeful unfinished business.

Determined not to lose the man she loves, Ellie embarks on a wild, chaotic journey to outwit this lovesick specter. As she digs deeper into Victoria’s murky past, Ellie uncovers a shocking truth: the ghost’s jealousy is only part of the nightmare. Victoria isn’t just stalking Ben—she’s trapped in an eternal limbo, doomed to suffer unless someone frees her from her own bitter chains. And now, Ellie must face the impossible challenge of saving not just her relationship, but a tortured soul from beyond the grave.

In this surreal battle where romance collides with the supernatural and dark humor, Ellie is forced to ask the unthinkable: Can love really transcend death, or is she doomed to become nothing more than an awkward, unwitting third wheel in a paranormal romance that defies all natural laws?

The ghost who stole my man

Ellie's heart hammered against her ribs.

She whipped her head around, expecting to see some deranged ex-girlfriend standing behind her, whispering threats. But there was no one. Just empty air.

Ben, on the other hand, looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Did you—did you hear that?" Ellie whispered, gripping his wrist.

Ben didn't answer. He just stared at the spilled wine like it held the secrets of the universe.

"Ben," she pressed, her voice low and sharp. "Tell me I'm not crazy."

Still, he said nothing. Instead, he shot up from his seat so fast that his chair scraped against the floor. "We need to go."

"Go?" Ellie blinked. "Go where? Who are we running from?"

Ben's eyes darted around, as if he was checking to make sure they weren't being watched. Then, with a quick toss of cash onto the table, he grabbed Ellie's hand and pulled her toward the exit.

As soon as they stepped outside, a gust of freezing wind wrapped around Ellie, seeping into her skin. The streets were bustling with people, but the air felt wrong—too still, too heavy, like a storm was pressing down on them.

"Ben, stop." She yanked her hand free. "You're freaking me out. Tell me what's going on!"

He hesitated. Then, in a quiet, broken voice, he muttered, "Victoria's back."

Victoria. His ex-girlfriend. His dead ex-girlfriend.

She swallowed hard. "Back? As in… metaphorically? Or are you telling me we just had dinner with a freaking ghost?"

Ben didn't answer. But the way his jaw clenched was enough.

Ellie let out a shaky laugh, even though her entire body screamed at her to run. "Okay, you know what? I'm done. First, you stare at nothing all night, then the wine glass does its best impression of a horror movie, and now you're saying your ex is haunting us? Do I look like I have time for this?"

Then, just as she turned to storm off—

The whisper slithered against her ear, warm and teasing.

And worst of all? It wasn't Ben's voice.

She gasped, spinning around, but the sidewalk was empty. Her skin crawled as her breath hitched. She wasn't imagining this. Someone—or something—was right there.

Chapter 2: The Whisper in the Dark