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

Victoria's voice still echoed in her mind, her laughter curling around the edges of her thoughts like a snake waiting to strike.

He lay beside her, breathing evenly, his face turned away, lost in his own ghost-ridden dreams.

Ellie wanted to believe this was just some twisted haunting. That Victoria was nothing more than a bitter spirit refusing to move on.

But the look in Ben's eyes—the hesitation, the ache—that was real.

A gust of ice slithered over Ellie's skin.

She knew what was coming.

"Ben," she whispered, reaching for him—

But then—she couldn't move.

A cold pressure wrapped around her wrists, her ankles—pinning her down.

Ellie's breath hitched. "*No—Victoria—"

"Shh," Victoria cooed, her voice whispering through the dark. "You should be used to this by now."

A sharp, strangled gasp tore from his throat, his hands clutching at the sheets.

Ellie's blood ran cold. "Ben?"

But his eyes weren't open.

He was dreaming—but not like normal.

His lips parted, his chest heaved, his fingers clenched like he was feeling something.

"Get away from him!" she screamed.

Victoria laughed. "Oh, Ellie," she sighed, "he's never been away from me."

Ellie struggled against the invisible grip, fury bubbling in her chest. "You witch!"

"A witch?" Victoria mused. "No, darling. Just a better lover than you'll ever be."

A violent force slammed into the room, throwing Ellie onto the floor, rattling the walls, shaking the windows.

Victoria's scream pierced through the darkness—furious, raw, wounded.

Ellie gasped for breath, her skin damp with sweat. She crawled onto the bed, gripping Ben's shoulders. "Ben! Wake up!"

He gasped, eyes flying open—wild, lost.

"Ellie?" His voice was hoarse.

"She was inside you," Ellie whispered, her fingers gripping his arms. "You were reacting to her, Ben. Like she still—"

Her voice caught. She couldn't say it.

Ben's eyes darkened. "I—I didn't mean to—"

"Did you want her?" Ellie demanded, her heart ripping in her chest. "Even for a second?"

A slow, cruel whisper curled around them.

"You already know the answer."

Ben flinched. "Victoria—"

"You can fight me all you want," Victoria purred. "But darling, you felt me. And deep down? You liked it.*"

Ellie shoved Ben away. "I can't—" Her voice cracked. "I can't do this!"

Victoria laughed. "Then don't."

And in the darkness—Ellie knew—Victoria wasn't done.

Chapter 17: Possession of the Heart