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 could still feel Victoria's voice in the room. The way it wrapped around them like a curse, whispering things she didn't want to believe.

Ben sat on the edge of the bed, his body rigid, his face pale. He wasn't looking at her. He hadn't looked at her since she'd screamed at him to tell her the truth.

Because the truth was ugly.

And the truth was that Victoria wasn't just haunting them—she was inside him.

Ellie's stomach twisted. "Say something."

Ben exhaled shakily. "What do you want me to say, Elle?"

Her fists clenched. "That you don't feel her. That you don't want her.*"

She knew the answer, but hearing nothing was worse.

"God, Ben." Ellie felt like she was going to be sick. "She's playing with you, and you're letting her."

"I'm not—" He stopped. Ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what's happening anymore."

Ellie's voice was quiet, but laced with ice.

Ben laughed—a humorless, exhausted sound. "Cursed?"

Ellie stepped closer. "Yes. She's bound herself to you. That's why you feel her, why you can't fight her.*"

His jaw clenched. "And what if I don't want to fight her?"

A sharp, cold fear sliced through her chest.

"What the hell does that mean?"

Ben finally turned to face her. His eyes were dark, his expression unreadable. "What if part of me needs her, Ellie?"

Her breath hitched. "No."

"I loved her, Elle." His voice was rough. "And now she's here. She's real in a way she wasn't before."

Ellie's hands shook. "She's not real, Ben! She's a ghost! A jealous, twisted spirit who wants to destroy us!"

Ben swallowed hard, looking away. "Maybe I deserve to be destroyed."

A sharp gust of wind rushed through the room, swirling around Ellie like unseen fingers. She knew that presence.

"Oh, Ben," her voice cooed, dripping with pleasure. "You say the sweetest things."

Ellie's stomach plummeted. "She's here."

"Of course I am," Victoria purred, the air thick with her presence. "I never left."

The shadows in the room deepened.

Ellie felt something slither along her spine—not a touch, but something worse. A claim.

"You're ruining him," Ellie whispered.

Victoria laughed, cold and mocking. "No, darling. I'm reminding him who he belongs to."

Ellie snapped. "*He belongs to me!"

A deep, shuddering sound that sent a sharp sting through Ellie's chest.

Ben's lips parted. His pupils dilated.

Victoria—inside Ben—smirked. "Oh, Ellie, it's too easy."

Ellie shoved him. "Get out!"

"Why?" Victoria purred, tilting Ben's head. "He doesn't want me to leave."

Victoria—still in his body—grinned. "Am I?"

His hands curled into the sheets.

Victoria wasn't just haunting them.

Chapter 21: Cursed and Confused