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 air thickened, pressing down on Ben's chest like a weight he couldn't shake.

Ellie's body stood before him, but it wasn't Ellie—not her soft, warm presence, not the woman he loved.

Her eyes—once filled with warmth, fear, humanity—were now dark pools of nothingness, as if the soul behind them had been ripped away. She tilted her head, blinking slowly, as if testing the motion for the first time.

"Ellie?" Ben whispered, his voice barely holding together.

The figure before him let out a breathy laugh—cold, empty. "Is that who I am now?" The voice was Ellie's, but not quite. There was something distorted in the tone, something detached.

Victoria's ghostly form flickered violently, her face twisted in fury. "This—this wasn't supposed to happen!" she hissed. "I was supposed to take the body—I was supposed to live again!" Her rage crackled like static in the air. "Who are you?!"

The thing inside Ellie's body turned toward Victoria, smiling—but there was no warmth, only mockery. "A wanderer. A forgotten one. And now?" She—it—ran a hand down Ellie's own arm as if testing the skin. "Now, I am… Ellie."

Victoria's scream shattered through the room, sending waves of energy rippling through the walls. The lights flickered, shadows twisted unnaturally, and an eerie humming sound filled the air.

Ben pressed his palms against his ears. His mind was spinning. This wasn't Ellie. This wasn't Victoria. Then—who?

"Where is she?" His voice cracked as he turned toward the thing in Ellie's body. "Where is Ellie's soul?"

The thing tilted its head, smiling in a way that made Ben's skin crawl. "Floating. Lost. Somewhere between the living and the dead."*

"Send her back!" he shouted, fists clenched. "Take yourself out of her—take Victoria instead—just give her back to me!"*

The thing sighed, bored. "I can't. The exchange is done. The body chooses, and I was chosen. Ellie's soul… well…" It trailed off, tapping its chin in thought. "Let's just say… she's nowhere you can reach her."

Victoria lunged, her ghostly form flaring with rage. "This wasn't the deal!"

"No," the thing agreed, "it wasn't."

Victoria's fury crackled around her like a storm, but she was powerless. This wasn't Ben or Ellie—this was something else entirely. A nameless soul, one that had waited too long in the in-between, desperate for a body to claim.

"What… what do you want?" His voice was barely a whisper now.

The thing in Ellie's body grinned. "Oh, I don't know yet." It stepped closer to Ben, running a finger up his chest, sending a wave of wrongness through his skin. "But I have this body now, and I think I want to… play."

And somewhere out there… Ellie's soul was lost.

Chapter 50: Ellie’s Soul Exchange