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

Her body felt frozen, like she was trapped in the space between waking and a nightmare that refused to end.

Ben was still gasping, his body trembling from Victoria's invasion, but Ellie didn't reach for him this time.

Not after what she had just seen. Not after what she had felt.

Victoria had been inside him—again.

And Ben hadn't fought her.

Not until Ellie had made him.

"Ellie..." Ben's voice was hoarse, wrecked. "Please, just—"

"Just what?" she cut in, her tone sharp, raw. "Pretend I didn't see what I saw?"

Ben ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident. "I'm not choosing her over you."

Ellie laughed—a cold, bitter sound. "Aren't you?"

"Fair?!" She turned on him, eyes burning. "Fair would be me not waking up to find my boyfriend moaning for his dead ex-girlfriend!"

Ellie felt the shift before she heard the whisper.

"Oh, you're being so dramatic, darling."

Victoria's voice slithered through the air like poison, sending an icy shiver down Ellie's spine.

The lights flickered. The walls groaned. The room breathed.

"Leave," Ellie spat. "Now."

Victoria laughed. "And miss all the fun?"

A gust of cold rushed past Ellie. She jerked, heart racing as invisible hands skimmed over her arms.

"Don't touch me!" she snarled.

"Oh, don't worry." The air thickened. "I don't want you."

And saw Ben's head tilt back, his lips parting in a silent gasp.

"No—" Ellie reached for him, but—

And then—his hands curled into the sheets like he was gripping something.

Like he was gripping her.

"Get out of him!" Ellie lunged, but an invisible force shoved her back.

"You're in the way, Ellie," Victoria whispered. "You always have been."

The sound sent rage spiraling through Ellie's chest.

She clenched her fists. "*You bitch—"

"Careful," Victoria purred. "He likes me like this."

Ben twitched. His breath came ragged, his body trembling—

A force ripped through the air—

And then Victoria was screaming.

Ben gasped, collapsing forward, his body heaving.

Ellie didn't hesitate this time. She grabbed him, fingers digging into his shoulders. "Ben?!"

His eyes were dazed. Unfocused.

Ellie's stomach twisted. "Tell me you didn't feel her."

Ben's throat bobbed. "Ellie, I—"

Victoria's whisper curled around them like smoke.

"You already know the answer, darling."

Chapter 20: Ghost of Desire