After I died, I discovered my husband, Caleb Vance, could see my ghost. He wept with joy, saying we could be together forever. Later, he started staying out late. Even later, I saw the girl who followed him around. She looked exactly like I did when we first met. One day, that girl suddenly fell ill with a strange, incurable sickness. The psychic said a "dirty thing" was haunting her. Caleb suddenly turned his gaze to me, the ghost floating helplessly in the corner. 1 I didn't react at first. I shook my head at him desperately. No one else could hear us or see me. "Caleb, it's not me. You know me best." On the bed, Sophie began to whimper. "Caleb... I feel so sick..." Caleb didn't speak. He just stared at me, floating in mid-air. His eyes were filled with suspicion and resentment. I remembered what the psychic had just said: "This young lady is being haunted by a dirty thing." Sophie looked terrified, shrinking into Caleb's arms. "Caleb, I haven't done anything bad. Why is a dirty thing haunting me?" Caleb comforted her. "Sophie, it's not your fault." I didn't understand what that meant at the time. Now I do. It turns out it was my fault. I am the "dirty thing." Sophie asked the psychic, "Is there any way to suppress this thing?" The psychic pulled out several talismans and a wooden sword. Sophie took the wooden sword, waving it around in fear. Whether intentionally or not, the tip pointed straight at me. Almost instantly, I felt my soul tearing apart. I couldn't dodge. I was pinned in the air. Even without a body, the pain made me feel like I would dissipate the next second. Caleb watched me, unmoved. Sophie threw down the sword and looked at Caleb with the talismans. "Caleb, can you help me put these up?" I watched Caleb walk over and take the talismans. Then he smiled and patted Sophie's head. "Okay." When the talismans were placed in the four corners of the room, I was blasted out of the house, exhausted. This was my marital home with Caleb. The home where we lived together for seven years. I crawled up from the ground, trying to pass through the door, but it was useless. The pain from the wooden sword lingered. After failing to enter, I collapsed in the corner. The door opened. I scrambled up in surprise. "Caleb..." Caleb looked at me, his expression complicated. "Haley, don't come in anymore." "Maybe you didn't mean to." "But her health is really bad. Don't hurt her anymore." I didn't know what to say. It's hard to describe how I felt hearing those words. The man in front of me seemed nothing like the Caleb who promised to love me forever. A year ago, when I died, he cried so hard. Why has everything changed? "But this is my home. Our home. Why can't I go in?" "Because you're dead!" "Because you are a wandering spirit now. You aren't afraid of anything, but she is. She gets sick because of you." "Haley, you weren't this unreasonable before." As Caleb turned to go inside, I murmured to myself. "I didn't hurt her." He paused, then closed the door. And I... I'm not afraid of nothing. I wonder if he noticed that my soul has started to fade. 2 I used to watch horror movies where ghosts had cool powers. They weren't afraid of anything. They could scare people. But after I died in an accident, I realized I wasn't one of them. I have no powers. Except for Caleb, no one can see me. In the beginning, I felt like I would disappear at any moment. My body would suddenly turn transparent. Whenever Caleb noticed and cried, begging me not to leave, I would stabilize. Today, he probably didn't notice. I curled up in the corner, laughing bitterly. There are other things in this neighborhood besides me. Strange things. I can barely hold my form together now. I don't know how I'll survive tonight. When did things change between us? Probably when he started staying out all night. Before, I could go wherever he went. That night, I suddenly found I couldn't follow him. Maybe because of what he said when he left: "Don't follow me today." I remember his friends tricked him into seeing a psychiatrist. They thought he lost his mind after my death because he often talked to the air. Later, paparazzi snapped photos of Caleb Vance, CEO of Vance Corp, visiting a psych ward. The reason: talking to himself. It caused a stir. Caleb felt people were laughing at him. I still remember how devastated he was when I died. When he first realized he could see me, he wept with joy. He said heaven was moved by our love and let us stay together. Now, this "earth-shattering" love has become his burden. He doesn't want to be seen as crazy. So he minimized our outings. He even stopped talking to me. Soon, he brought Sophie home. I don't know who she is. I only know she calls him "Caleb" sweetly, and they can talk openly. And I can't. Before she got sick, it had been a long time since Caleb had a real conversation with me. "Well well, isn't this the canary from the big villa?" "Kicked out?" "I told you, the living and the dead don't mix. Come play with me instead—" There aren't many ghosts here, but the few that exist are vicious. I once saw a wandering spirit torn to shreds by him. I stood up in terror, shouting for Caleb. "Caleb! I'm scared!" A pale hand grabbed me. "Your man is busy loving that new girl. I saw them making out in the car. Tsk, men." "You're dead. Why bother him? Let him find true love!" I refused to believe him. Caleb swore he would never betray me. But the harder I banged on the door, the louder the music inside became. They were dancing. Sophie was laughing in his arms. Maybe he'll post it on Instagram. Maybe his friends will congratulate him on moving on. Then he'll be a normal person, not the madman haunted by his dead wife. 3 When dawn broke, the things left. I'm not afraid of the sun. But I was so weak I couldn't move. They like to tear souls apart for fun. But I'm different. Every time I'm torn, I miraculously recover. They think it's fascinating. I used to spend every night in Caleb's bed, where they couldn't reach me. But now... I don't know how to survive the nights anymore. The door opened. Caleb rushed out holding Sophie. I curled in the corner, watching him quietly. I felt myself fade a little more. "Hospital! Now!" He didn't look at me. After putting her in the car, he glanced back with a frown. That look held many emotions. Mostly blame. But I didn't even know what I did wrong. I wanted him to ask if I was hurt. Maybe that's impossible now. When Caleb returned from the hospital, I was still in the corner. "Haley, let's talk." My voice was raspy. I laughed softly. "Here?" He didn't invite me in. "Let's talk here. If you go in, she might get sick again." "We need to clear things up." Before he could continue, I interrupted. "I didn't hurt her." Caleb exploded. He punched the wall behind me, his fist passing through my body. "Then tell me why she gets sick every time she stays here!" "Don't tell me it's a coincidence! Haley, I'm not an idiot!" His eyes were red. "You know people think I'm crazy. She risked her reputation to help me." "Only she believes I can really see you." I sat up. "You told her you can see me?" Caleb didn't think that was the point. "If she didn't believe me and stay with me, my reputation and the company's stock would tank!" "Everyone would think I'm a lunatic!" I looked at him calmly. I felt helpless. "Caleb, you love her, don't you?" I just stated a fact. He got more agitated. "Why are your thoughts so dirty?" "I said I would never betray you, and that hasn't changed. Is this why you're hurting her?" I didn't want to repeat myself. "So what do you want me to do?" He exhaled. "Leave for a while. Stay away from me." I asked, "If I leave and she still gets sick, proving it wasn't me, will you let me come back?" He was silent. He didn't speak. I knew the answer. 4 If I'm going to leave, I have to go now. When those things come out tonight, I won't be able to escape. I know begging Caleb is useless once he's made up his mind. I won't beg. Avoiding his gaze, I stood up with difficulty. "Leaving so easily?" "You were bored of me anyway, right? I just gave you an excuse." He wasn't happy that I left without a fight. I didn't want to say more. My soul felt heavy. Every step was hard. But I didn't want to stay another second. I heard footsteps behind me. Then they stopped. Followed by violent coughing. "Mr. Vance? Are you okay?" "We need to go to the hospital to see Miss Sophie anyway. You should get checked too." "Do you think... that dirty thing hurt Miss Sophie and now wants to hurt you?" I wouldn't defend myself anymore. It's useless. I didn't care what Caleb said after that. Since he chose to believe that, nothing I say matters. Leaving the villa, I felt lost. This was my first time being a wandering ghost. I didn't know why I became like this—dead but unable to move on, unable to leave Caleb until he told me to go. Was it really as he said? Did his love move the heavens? Thinking about it now, it's laughable. Where can I go? I don't know. I only know I'm getting more transparent. It hasn't been long since I died. But I've already forgotten so much. Suddenly, I lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes, I was in a temple. I had no memory of it, yet it felt familiar. There was no one else. Just me and a lamp. The flame was weak. The light was dim. But even when the wind blew, the flame didn't flicker. Memories flooded back. "I ask for nothing else. I only hope my wife recovers and returns to me." "If I can, I want to live and die with her." "I don't want to live alone." A man kowtowed every step, climbing to the top. His forehead was swollen and bleeding. I remembered. That was the year Caleb loved me the most. At the company gala, a chandelier fell. I pushed him out of the way and got hit. I was in a coma. I occasionally heard Caleb whispering. He said if I didn't make it, he would die with me. In my unconscious state, I learned that because of Caleb's piety, a Lamp of Eternal Life was lit in the temple. Fueled by our souls. If one soul left the other, the other would die. I thought, I can't let him die. The will to live woke me up. I thought the lamp was a good thing. As long as we loved each other, nothing could separate us. Today, floating here, I learned another secret. I stayed not because Caleb's love moved the heavens. But because I, newly dead, begged the Judge to let me return.
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