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 mind raced, her pulse a relentless drumbeat in her ears. There was a way—finally, a way to save Victoria, to end this nightmare. But as the realization settled in, so did the weight of its cost.

The words felt wrong, heavy in her chest.

Victoria studied Ellie with an unreadable expression. "You've figured it out, haven't you?"

Ellie swallowed hard. "Yes… but this isn't right."

"Right?" Victoria let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Did you expect salvation to come without sacrifice?"

Ellie shook her head, her throat tightening. "There has to be another way—"

Victoria took a step closer, her dark, hollow eyes searching Ellie's. "You said you wanted to help me, Ellie. That you'd do anything."

Ellie's fists clenched at her sides.

That's what she had promised.

"You mean…" Ellie's voice wavered. "A newborn? Or… an abandoned soul?"

Victoria's silence was answer enough.

A suffocating dread crept over Ellie, wrapping itself around her like a noose.

"Or someone forgotten, someone without a path," Victoria corrected, her voice eerily calm. "A soul that has nowhere else to go. I take their place, their body. I live."

A sick feeling churned in Ellie's stomach. "That's not saving you. That's stealing."

Victoria's expression darkened. "Call it what you want, Ellie. It's the only way."

He stood at the threshold, his face pale, his eyes filled with something Ellie had never seen before—pure fear.

"No." His voice was hoarse, desperate. "Ellie, you can't do this."

Ellie turned to him, guilt clawing at her chest.

"I don't know what else to do, Ben!"

He rushed forward, grabbing her hands, gripping them like a lifeline. "Please—please don't let her make you do this."

Victoria's gaze flicked to him, amused. "Oh, Ben." Her lips curled into something cruel. "Now you care about morality?"

Ben ignored her, his grip on Ellie tightening. "You're better than this, Ellie. You have to be."

Ellie's breath hitched, tears burning in her eyes.

Victoria crossed her arms. "Well? What's your choice, Ellie?"

Ben dropped to his knees before Ellie, his voice breaking. "Please, Ellie. Don't become like her."

There was no winning here.

Chapter 45: Finally Found a Way