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 way Ben had shuddered beneath Victoria's possession, the way his body had responded to her ghostly touch—it was enough to make Ellie's stomach churn with rage and fear.

But this wasn't just about possession anymore.

"Get out of him," Ellie whispered, her voice trembling.

Victoria—still inside Ben—sighed dramatically, tilting his head like she was admiring her stolen body. "Oh, Ellie, why do you make everything so difficult?"

Ellie clenched her fists. "You're sick."

"No, darling." Victoria's voice turned ice-cold. "I'm undying. And I'll make sure Ben never forgets me."

Ben twitched again, his hands gripping the sheets like he was fighting—like he was trying to push her out.

Ellie took a step closer. "You're hurting him, Victoria."

Victoria laughed—but it wasn't playful. It was bitter. "Oh, now you care?"

Ellie froze. "What does that mean?"

Victoria's smirk widened. "You really think you're the only one who's been betrayed here?"

And then—Victoria's voice shifted.

"Ben never told you about the secret we shared, did he?"

Ben's body jerked, his face contorting in pain—like he was fighting to keep something buried.

"Don't," he gasped, voice strained. "Victoria, don't—"

"Oh, sweetheart," she whispered through his lips. "You don't get to hide anymore."

Ellie's pulse pounded in her ears. "What secret?"

Victoria laughed softly. "Oh, Ellie…"

The air in the room turned frigid.

"You were never meant to be here."

Ellie's breath hitched. "What?"

Victoria grinned. "Ben and I had plans, darling. Forever plans.*"

Ellie's skin prickled. "You're lying."

"Am I?" Victoria tilted Ben's head. "Tell her, Ben. Tell her what we were going to do.*"

Ben groaned, his body trembling. "Stop—"

Ben's eyes snapped open—but they weren't his.

One that shattered Ellie's entire world.

"We were going to get married."

The floor tilted. The air vanished.

Ellie took a step back. "No."

Ben's breath hitched—Victoria was letting him feel the pain, making sure he knew what he had just confessed.

Ellie shook her head. "You never told me."

"Because it didn't matter anymore!" Ben gasped, his voice desperate. "She died, Ellie! It was over!"

"But it wasn't over for her, was it?" Ellie whispered.

Victoria's laugh echoed. "Oh, it was never over for me, darling."

Victoria wasn't just haunting them because of jealousy.

She was haunting them because she had been cheated out of her life.

And now—she was taking it back.

Chapter 22: The Secret Victoria Kept