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

The ghostly reflection of Victoria in the window sent ice slithering down her spine. The smirk on her pale lips was not just smug—it was possessive.

The whisper came from inside Ellie's head, crawling under her skin like a thousand spiders.

Ellie staggered backward, knocking into Ben's chest. His hands caught her shoulders, steadying her, but she felt it the moment Victoria's presence tightened around them.

"Ellie?" Ben's voice was distant, blurred by the ringing in her ears.

She clenched her fists. "She's here," she breathed, her voice shaking with something sharp—rage. "And she's laughing at us."

A cold gust whipped through the room, sending papers flying, the curtains billowing like ghostly arms reaching for them.

Ellie spun around, her pulse pounding, her hatred searing through the suffocating cold. "You think this is funny?" she snarled, her voice sharp as a blade. "Do you enjoy watching us fall apart?"

The laughter that filled the room wasn't just a sound—it was a feeling. It crawled through Ellie's bones, soaking into her skin, poisoning the air she breathed.

"I don't want to watch you fall apart, Ellie." Victoria's voice was a slow, sultry whisper. "I want to be the reason for it."

Before she could finish, a force slammed into her chest.

She crashed onto the bed, her breath knocked from her lungs. Cold fingers slid up her legs, tracing a path up her inner thighs.

Her body stiffened as the invisible touch spread over her skin, slow, deliberate. Like Victoria was taunting her.

"Stop," Ellie gasped, thrashing against the sensation.

But as soon as he reached for her, Victoria's grip tightened.

The pressure wasn't just cold anymore—it was intimate.

Ellie's pulse spiked in horror. "Get off me!" she shrieked, kicking wildly.

A breathless giggle ghosted over her ear.

"Now you know what it feels like to be helpless, Ellie. To be trapped. To be drowned in someone else's love."

Ellie's body was shaking with rage and something darker—humiliation.

Ben grabbed her, pulling her into his arms, his warmth chasing the cold away. "Victoria, leave her alone!"

Ellie gasped, her nails digging into Ben's back as she clung to him, her body still trembling.

Ben's hands cupped her face, searching her wide, terrified eyes. "Ellie—"

"She touched me," Ellie rasped. "Like I was just a toy. Like she was proving a point."

Ben's jaw clenched so tight she thought it might crack. "I won't let her hurt you again."

Ellie wasn't sure he could stop it.

Victoria's voice slithered back into the room, taunting and full of ice.

Chapter 8: Drowning in Her Shadow