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

She was there, somewhere deep inside herself, but her body was no longer her own.

Her fingers twitched—not by her own will—and her lips curved into a slow, sultry smile that wasn't hers. She felt the smirk like a foreign imprint on her face, a marionette being played with invisible strings.

Ben stood frozen, his eyes wide with disbelief, his chest rising and falling in shallow, panicked breaths.

"Ellie?" His voice was uncertain, as if he already knew the answer but desperately wished it weren't true.

Her body tilted its head, studying him, amusement dancing in her stolen eyes. "Oh, Ben." The voice that came out was hers—but the tone, the mocking affection, was Victoria's.

Ellie screamed inside her own mind, fighting, clawing, kicking—but it was useless. It was like being locked inside a glass box, watching a nightmare unfold with no way to stop it.

Ben took a step forward, hesitation flickering over his face. "Let her go."

Victoria—wearing Ellie—sighed. "Why would I do that?" she mused, tracing a slow finger down Ellie's own arm. "This body feels so... warm. So alive."

Ben's fists clenched. "Get out of her."

Victoria's smirk widened. "Make me."

Before Ben could react, her body moved—Victoria moved—swift, calculated.

Ellie's hands slid up Ben's chest, pressing against his firm muscles, fingers splaying over the warmth of his skin. A shiver ran through him, though not from desire—from fear.

"Ellie—" Ben's voice faltered as her body leaned in, pressing flush against his.

Ellie screamed from within, but it was like shouting into an abyss.

"She feels everything, you know." Victoria's whisper dripped from Ellie's lips, teasing, cruel. "She's in here, trapped. Watching. Feeling."

Ben's breath hitched, his hands twitching at his sides, as if torn between pushing her away and not hurting Ellie in the process.

"I could make her do anything." Victoria's stolen fingers traced the edge of Ben's jaw, tilting his face toward hers. "I could make her beg. I could make her break."

Ellie burned with rage, thrashing inside her own mind, trying to seize control.

She would not let Victoria use her like this.

Ben's eyes darkened, his voice turning lethal. "Let. Her. Go."

Victoria chuckled. "But why? When I can make her yours again?"

Then—Ellie's stolen lips crashed against his.

Ben stiffened, his entire body locked in shock.

Ellie felt everything. The press of her lips against his, the familiar warmth of his mouth, the way his breath hitched—but it wasn't her doing it.

Ben ripped away, his breath ragged, his eyes filled with something raw—something torn between love and horror.

"You're sick," he growled. "This isn't love. This is obsession."

Victoria's laughter was a haunting melody in Ellie's voice. "And what are ghosts if not the echoes of obsession?"

Then, like a violent rip, Ellie felt herself being thrown back into her own body.

She collapsed to the floor, gasping, her limbs trembling. The sensation of being possessed still clung to her skin, like an oil she could never wash off.

Ben dropped beside her, gripping her shoulders, his touch grounding, real.

"Ellie?" His voice was urgent, terrified.

She looked up at him, her vision swimming, her breath coming in ragged sobs. "She was inside me," she choked out, shaking. "I could feel her—I could feel everything—"

Ben pulled her into his arms, his body warm, safe. "She won't do that again," he swore, his voice trembling with anger. "I won't let her."

A cold whisper slithered through the air, sending an icy dagger of dread down Ellie's spine.

"Oh, Ellie… I own you now."*

Then, just like that, the temperature snapped back to normal.

Chapter 10: The Ghost in Her Skin