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's breath came in sharp gasps as she stumbled backward, away from the suffocating presence of Victoria. The room no longer felt like her space. It was theirs. Hers and Ben's. The living and the dead, tangled in a bond she could neither break nor understand.

Victoria's presence crackled in the air, the temperature plummeting. The shadows on the walls stretched, curling toward Ellie like fingers waiting to grip her.

"You really thought you could win, didn't you?" Victoria's voice was a venomous whisper, slipping under Ellie's skin like a needle. "That Ben was yours now?"

Ellie clenched her fists, refusing to show fear. "He is mine."

Victoria smiled. "Then why does he still dream about me?"

Ben's sharp inhale betrayed him. "Victoria, stop—"

"Tell her about the dreams, Ben," Victoria cooed. "Tell her how I come to you every night, whispering in the dark. How you reach for me without even knowing."

Ellie turned to Ben, her vision blurring. "Ben…"

His jaw tensed. "Ellie, it's not—"

"Oh, but it is," Victoria purred, her ghostly form gliding between them. "And it's why I'll never leave."

Ellie snapped. "You're DEAD!" she screamed. "You're supposed to be GONE!"

Victoria's form twitched—just for a second.

The walls shook. The air crackled.

"Oh, sweetie," Victoria sneered, "if you want me gone…" She leaned in, her icy breath curling around Ellie's ear. "Make me."

She needed something stronger than anger.

And she knew exactly where to get it.

The old woman sat at a round table, the candlelight flickering against her wrinkled skin. Her milky-white eyes stared through Ellie, reading the fear that sat coiled in her chest.

"You invited her in," the medium murmured, voice low and rough. "Whether you meant to or not."

Ellie shuddered. "I didn't invite anything. She just came back."

The medium tilted her head, her bony fingers gliding over the wooden table. "Spirits don't return unless they're called, child."

The old woman nodded slowly. "His grief kept her tethered. His love.*" Her cloudy eyes locked onto Ellie's. "But you… You made her angry."

A chill ran up Ellie's spine. "What does that mean?"

The medium placed both hands over Ellie's. "It means she's not just haunting you, girl. She's fighting you.*"

Ellie swallowed hard. "How do I stop her?"

The medium exhaled, long and slow. "You won't. Not without him."

"Ben?" Ellie's voice cracked. "I don't even know if he wants her gone."

The medium squeezed her hands. "Then you have one choice, child."*

The medium's eyes darkened. "You make him choose."

Ellie stood outside Ben's apartment, the wind whipping around her. Inside, she knew Victoria was watching. Waiting.

Chapter 25: The Medium and the Message