7
During the worst days of my battle with brain cancer, I used to wonder what death would be like.
I never imagined that when I opened my eyes again, it wouldn’t be to heaven or hell.
It would be to Adrian’s scowling face.
He looked just as angry and grim as he had in life, his dark eyes swirling with a storm of fury.
I couldn’t help myself. “What’s your problem now?”
“What, does my being dead bother you too?”
The next second, he strode towards me.
But he passed right through my ghostly form.
I turned in shock to see him grabbing Penny’s wrist, his voice a low, guttural snarl.
“You weren’t pregnant?!”
“The miscarriage was a lie? Why would you lie to me?!”
Adrian was truly heartbroken. His eyes were red, shimmering with unshed tears.
Penny avoided his gaze, her guilt palpable. “Adrian, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
Seeing her play dumb only fueled his rage. “The hospital has security cameras,” he threatened, his voice dangerously low. “Do you
really want me to go that far?”
At that, Penny finally broke down, sobbing and pleading.
“I… i just wanted you to see how serious things were!”
“Even if I wasn’t pregnant this time, Rosalie would have found a way to make me miscarry sooner or later!”
“I was just trying to force you to cut ties with her!”
I floated in the air, arms, crossed, a sarcastic smile playing on my lips as watched the drama unfold. I half–expected him to pull her
into a comforting embrace.
But he didn’t. He just let go of her hand, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
For the first time, I saw disappointment in the way Adrian looked at Penny.
“No matter what, she was my sister.”
“I could protect you, I could stand by your side, but I never gave you permission to frame her.”
Hearing that, I arched an eyebrow and muttered, “Idiot.”
For some reason, it was as if Adrian heard me.
He looked up, his gaze sweeping blankly through the air where I floated.
It was just for a second. Then he quickly looked away.
It was also the first time I’d ever seen him and Penny have a real fight.
He stormed out, furious, and got into his car.
Bored, I followed him, drifting into the passenger seat. On a whim, I reached out and gave the ornament hanging from his rearview
Chapter 2
mirror a little push.
I had made that ugly thing myself, a gift for when he first got the car.
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I remembered how he’d held it like it was a priceless treasure. He’d immediately taken down the million–dollar charm that was
there before and replaced it with my clumsy creation.
He’d even driven around for hours, showing it off to everyone he met.
“Hey, my sister made this for me. You don’t have one, do you?”
“Oh, right. I forgot you don’t have sisters.”
Lost in the memory, I pushed it a little too hard, and it swung against the windshield with a soft thud.
Adrian spoke without thinking. “Rosalie, stop messing around.”
The words hung in the air between us.
We both froze.
He pulled the car over to the side of the road. He stared at the ornament, and a strange redness crept into his eyes.
Just then, his phone rang. It was his lawyer.
Frustratingly, no matter how close I drifted, I couldn’t hear their conversation.
All I saw was Adrian suddenly hurl his phone across the car with tremendous force. Then, like a madman, he slammed the car back
into gear.
This time, he nearly stomped the gas pedal through the floor.
Even I, a ghost, was thrown about by the violent acceleration.
I couldn’t help but yell, “What’s the rush, Adrian? Eager to come and see me?”
His lips were pressed into a thin, white line, his hands trembling on the steering wheel.
The thirty–minute drive home, he made it in ten.
He slammed on the brakes, threw open the door, and sprinted towards the hall of ancestors.
Confused, I followed him.
It was only when he pushed open the heavy doors that I finally understood.
So, it was true.
No one had come to claim my body.
