Chapter 2

1

I have been dead for three years, and my daughter and I are still just wandering ghosts.

Our regrets are too heavy to let us move on to the next life.

My husband, Caleb, had transformed from a struggling student into a powerful billionaire with more influence than he knew what to do with.

I had supposedly “betrayed” him when he was at his lowest point. Because of that, he hated me with every fiber of his being.

He wanted to tear me into a thousand pieces.

Three years ago, he forced me to undergo a dangerous procedure to save Brielle. The extraction process was brutal and left me shattered.

Maybe the doctors made a mistake, or maybe I was just too weak from the illness I was already fighting.

A week after they took what they wanted, my body gave up. I died in a feverish haze in that cold, empty house.

My four-year-old daughter, Lily, followed me shortly after because there was no one left to care for her.

For three long years, Caleb never set foot in this place. He never even sent a single message.

Now, I held Lily’s tiny, translucent hand as we watched him kick the front door of our old home.

He looked different after all this time. His eyes were colder, and his jaw was set in a permanent line of cruelty.

Brielle stood behind him, looking pale and fragile, though she was dressed in expensive designer clothes.

Lily trembled and hid in my embrace as the sound of the kicking echoed through the yard.

She looked up at me with a mix of hope and terror in her bright eyes. “Mommy, did Daddy finally remember us? It’s been so long.”

“But he looks so angry,” she whispered. “Did I do something wrong? And who is that lady with him?”

I stroked her hair, my heart aching with a pain that death couldn't numb. My throat felt tight, and I couldn't find the words to comfort her.

“Avery, get out here right now! Stop playing dead!” Caleb roared at the empty house.

The noise drew Mrs. Higgins out from the house next door. She squinted at Caleb and asked, “Who are you looking for? No one has lived there in years.”

Caleb straightened his suit and tried to look composed. “Avery lives here. Where did she move to?”

Mrs. Higgins’ expression darkened. “You mean Avery? She passed away three years ago.”

Caleb froze for a split second, his eyes flickering with something unreadable.

“They say she was dragged off for some medical thing while she was sick,” Mrs. Higgins continued. “It’s a damn shame. She died just days after she got back.”

Brielle’s face turned white, and she immediately started acting like the victim. “Ma’am, you shouldn’t spread lies. Donating plasma is a kind act; it doesn't kill people.”

“If she didn’t want to help me, she could have just said so,” Brielle added loudly. “She shouldn’t curse herself like this. It’s bad luck.”

She spoke as if I were hiding behind the curtains, listening to every word.

Caleb snapped out of his daze, a mocking smile spreading across his face. “She’s always been a drama queen. She should have come up with a more believable lie.”

Mrs. Higgins didn’t understand what they were arguing about. She just repeated, “That poor girl was dead for days before anyone found her.”

Caleb’s face turned to stone. “I don't know how much she paid you to lie, but tell her this: she has three days to show up for Brielle’s treatment.”

“If she doesn't,” he added coldly, “I’ll cut off every cent for that bastard child she’s raising.”

Mrs. Higgins gasped, shaking her head in disbelief as she turned to walk away.

“Remember! Three days!” Caleb shouted after her. “I won’t give her a dime this month. She can watch her brat die right in front of her.”

Mrs. Higgins had tears in her eyes as she muttered to herself. “That poor baby starved to death years ago. If only I had checked on them sooner, maybe I could have saved her.”