Chapter 9

I swore I'd bring them down before leaving this awful city, severing ties forever. Everything was falling into place until Chase walked out on the wedding, and Nicole didn't even bother to appear. What was the point of my big reveal without the bride and groom?

I had to postpone my plans and wait for another opportune moment. However, I never imagined that night would be my last, or that I'd be a ghost, watching Chase and Nicole's betrayal unfold. I lost, completely and utterly.

How can a ghost fight the living? I couldn't win Chase's heart, nor avenge my child. This love affair was a disaster. Even in death, Chase couldn't care less about what happened to me.

I trailed him, watching him carry on as if my presence never mattered. Years of devotion were wasted. I regretted ever falling for him. That night, the Kennedy family held a dinner party. Nicole arrived in a soft pink dress, all smiles, sweetly calling out to Chase as she linked her arm through his. Chase, uneasy with their closeness, gently pushed her away. "Nicole, stop it. Amanda would be jealous." Our parents chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood. "She's always so petty, even jealous of her own sister. Who knows what she's thinking?"

My brothers playfully ruffled Nicole's hair. "Yeah, she's not as pure and sweet as Nicole."

Listening to them praise Nicole while belittling me felt absurd. Who ever heard of a girl seducing her brother-in-law on her sister's wedding night being called pure and sweet? Too bad they couldn't hear me, and all my evidence vanished with my phone. Chase scanned the room, asking, "Where's Amanda? Hasn't she come back?" All day, he thought I'd simply gone home. How would he know my family treated me like an outcast? Home wasn't home anymore, and why would I return when I was hurt? Mom looked puzzled. "Is she still sulking? I thought she was back with you."

No one cared about the trip to the police station. It was heartbreaking how little my death meant to them, despite never having wronged them.

My eldest brother, uneasy after speaking with the police, suggested, "Maybe Amanda did something drastic. Should we check with the police for clues?"

Nicole sniffled, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have called Chase yesterday. I didn't mean to ruin their wedding. I didn't think she'd disappear in a huff."

They all fussed over Nicole, treating my absence like a childish tantrum, quickly forgetting any concern they had for me. Chase's brow furrowed, for once not participating in the blame game. After dinner, he wandered into my room, a shadow on his face. Did he remember me at all?

He lit a cigarette, dialing his assistant through the haze. "Any news? Did you find Amanda's body?"

Chapter 10