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

Ben's body twisted beneath the water, his arms flailing weakly as the dark abyss pulled him deeper. His lungs screamed for air, his chest tightening as panic set in.

He was drowning. Drowning just like Victoria had.

Above him, the surface rippled with a distorted image of Ellie. She was on her knees at the edge of the abyss, her hands gripping her own throat as if she could feel the invisible hands of Victoria squeezing the breath from her, too.

"Victoria, stop!" Ellie sobbed, her voice cracking. "You've punished him enough!"

But Victoria didn't even flinch. She stood at the water's edge, her spectral form flickering, her eyes locked onto Ben with nothing but disgust.

"Enough?" she whispered, her voice razor-sharp. "Enough?"

Ellie felt a sudden force slam into her chest, knocking her backward.

"You think drowning for seconds is enough?" Victoria's voice was laced with venom, her form shifting between a vengeful shadow and the girl she used to be—the one who loved Ben. "I begged, Ellie. I fought. I screamed for help while the man I loved turned his back on me."

Beneath the water, Ben's movements slowed, his eyes wide with terror. His hands reached up, silently pleading, his mouth opening in a desperate attempt to speak—only for more bubbles to escape.

Victoria's expression twisted into pure, unfiltered disgust. "Why should I give him what he never gave me?"

Ellie scrambled forward, her hands grasping at nothing, tears spilling down her face. "Because you're better than this!"

Victoria laughed—a sharp, cruel sound that sent icy chills through Ellie's spine. "Am I?"

Ellie's breath hitched. "Victoria, I know you loved him once. I know you still feel it, even under all the hate. If you kill him, you'll never be free of this."

Beneath the water, Ben's lips turned blue. His body twitched, weaker now.

And for the first time, Ellie saw it—hesitation.

For just a second, Victoria's anger wavered.

But then her face twisted into something horrible.

She stepped closer to Ellie, lowering her voice into a deadly whisper.

"Do you love him, Ellie?"

Ellie's heart slammed against her ribs.

"Y-Yes," she choked out. "Even after everything, I—"

Victoria's lips curled into something cruel. "Then watch him die."

With a flick of her wrist, Ben sank deeper.

Chapter 38: Ben’s Plea for Mercy I