Three years after I died, nothing grew around the estate where I'd lived. Anyone who got too close ended up seriously sick within days. People said I was a curse that would last forever. The rumors spread like crazy, and eventually, the media tracked down Winslet Hayes. She caved under the public pressure and brought in a medium to perform a ritual at the estate and stop me from causing more trouble. When they arrived, the place looked expensive but completely dead. Only cold wind cut through the empty rooms. She quickly pulled Leander Blackwell behind her and rolled her eyes. "That bastard Matthias. Can't even stay quiet when he's dead. Should've dumped him on some island in the middle of nowhere and let him rot." But she doesn't know this—my ghost is standing right beside her, watching her every move. My cursed body is trapped in the ground under her feet, rotting beneath the soil. *** The house that trapped me for three years sits there dark and empty. It's noon right now, but sunlight can't get inside. The whole place just feels wrong and makes your skin crawl. The medium Winslet brought, along with her apprentice, looks around the property. Their frowns just keep getting deeper. "There's way too much resentment here. This is gonna be tough to fix." The medium remains silent for a moment before finally speaking, "We need to find the body first. Then we'll use a blade made from a cursed gemstone to grind the bones into dust. That's the only way we might be able to get rid of this energy." The method sounds horrible and completely inhumane. Even this medium, who's seen death plenty of times, struggles to say it out loud. But Winslet doesn't even hesitate. She immediately orders someone to find cursed gem right away and tells the best craftsman to forge it into a blade as fast as possible. Then she leads everyone toward my grave. "Leander's been having nightmares every single night. That bastard's definitely behind it. So what if we dig up his grave and crush his bones? He deserves it." They buried me in a rush, and it takes the group some time to even locate my grave. When they finally find my tombstone, waist-high grass surrounds it, wild and overgrown. The stone has toppled over long ago, its surface webbed with cracks. The ground is uneven, so Winslet has someone move the tombstone right under Leander's feet, creating a level surface for him. Then she calls over two workers to dig up my grave. They only dig down about three to five feet before they hit a broken, rotting coffin. Everyone in town knows Winslet is coming here today to do an exorcism, and a bunch of people from the neighborhood show up to watch. They all think I'm the reason their lives have been so messed up. "You worthless bastard! Even death couldn't make you behave!" An old man rushes up and spits at my grave. "They should've just thrown you in a ditch and left you to rot!" Another person steps forward and kicks the coffin hard. "Ms. Hayes was so good to you when you were alive, but you didn't appreciate it. Now you're dead, and you're still causing trouble every day. How can someone be such garbage?" Yeah, everyone in Ridgemont knows Winslet "loved" me the most. Winslet waves her hand and tells everyone to back off. She's about to signal the two workers to pry open the coffin lid when someone suddenly hugs her from behind. "Winslet, Matthias was still my brother," Leander sighs. "Whatever he did wrong, I've already forgiven him. Can we just let him rest in peace?" Winslet wraps her arm around Leander's waist and pats his back like she's trying to comfort him. "Honey, you're way too good to him. He stabbed you in the back, remember? Did you forget all those nights you woke up screaming from nightmares? I had him confined to this estate years ago, and I can kick him out today, too!" Leander nods, but cold sweat breaks out across his forehead. His anxiety is showing. The medium places a talisman on my coffin and tells her apprentice to open it up. The workers fear the dead too much to curse at the coffin like the others. They carefully break open each lock. After a whole lot of clanging and banging, the workers finally lift the coffin lid. But what's inside isn't my rotting, stinking body like they all expected. Instead, the entire coffin is filled with blood-soaked medals. Everyone just stares at all those medals in confusion. Only the medium steps forward and picks one up. The medal has tons of scratches all over it, and the blood has turned black with time. The medium searches through the coffin for a while, and then she suddenly says, "This is a dark ritual." She pulls a pendant from beneath the medals. The gem is dark green, nearly black, with intricate patterns carved into its surface. Winslet lets out a mocking laugh. "How twisted. He died but he still left behind a ritual to mess with Leander's sleep. We need to figure out what the hell he was trying to do." The medium pulls out her dowsing rod, and the tip points straight at the house. The house is filled with extremely malicious energy, so the followers set up a protective circle outside before anyone goes in. Once they're inside, the dowsing rod completely stops working. It just starts spinning like crazy and won't stop. The medium tells everyone to search the house for my personal belongings, but they were all cleared out and burned the day after I died. Nothing of mine remains. The moment Leander steps into the house, cold sweat breaks out across his skin. He wants nothing more than to grab Winslet and leave. "Winslet, can we go? Please? I feel really sick." Leander holds Winslet's hand, but he can't stop shaking. Winslet immediately tries to leave with Leander, but the medium nervously blocks their way. "Ms. Hayes, you can't leave! To break this curse, the person who was closest to the deceased has to stay. If you leave now, the ghost will become way stronger!" No one's ever dared defy Winslet, and now this medium actually has the nerve to stop her? Still, this woman is from the most prestigious spiritual order in the country, so Winslet can't touch her. She forces herself to swallow her anger. Then she waves one hand sharply. An antique vase in the center of the hall topples over. The vase shatters on impact, and a notebook falls out from inside. Winslet picks it up and flips through it. There's nothing written inside, which makes her even angrier. She's about to rip the blank notebook to shreds when the medium snatches it away. Winslet glares at the medium like she wants to tear her apart. The medium ignores Winslet and starts chanting over the blank notebook. The apprentice came back empty-handed, but when she sees her teacher chanting over a notebook, she and the others form a circle and join in the chanting. The blank notebook slowly begins to show signs of use. "It's the deceased's diary!" "Read it!" Winslet's expression darkens. "I want to see what kind of tricks you've got up your sleeve. And I want to know how that piece of trash Matthias even learned about this dark magic!" The medium opens the first page.
The medium begins reading from the diary. "Today is my twentieth birthday. Winslet came over to celebrate with me, and I'm so happy." "But my brother Leander kept getting between us the whole time. He wouldn't let me talk to her, and he kept hanging all over Winslet on purpose. It made me kind of upset." "Maybe I'm just overthinking it. My brother would never treat me badly. I keep thinking about the day they found him and brought him home. Mom and Dad held him and cried so hard. I stood off to the side and promised myself I'd protect him too." "But after that day, it felt like Mom and Dad didn't love me anymore. They could only see him." "Later, I went to the police academy, and Mom and Dad completely stopped loving me. Even when I burned my hand trying to make them breakfast, they just looked at me coldly and told someone to throw the food away." "But my brother could bring home some cheap souvenir from vacation, and they'd treasure it like gold. They'd carry it everywhere and brag about it to anyone who'd listen." "Still, he deserves all that love. My brother was missing for ten years, away from our parents for ten years. They can't make up for it enough." "At least I have Winslet. She'll always be by my side." The medium's voice stays flat and emotionless, but it still makes me feel like I can't breathe. Back then, I never imagined that one day Winslet would leave me too. After that, nobody in the world loved me. One day after we got married, Leander hurt himself doing extreme sports. He really loved that stuff. Mom and Dad told me I had to donate my right kidney to him. It was the worst possible timing. The police department was doing retention evaluations right then, and joining the force was my dream. A surgery that big meant I'd need months to recover, and I'd miss my only chance to make my dream come true. I didn't want to do it. But my parents kept pushing me. Sometimes they'd beg, sometimes they'd threaten. They wouldn't let it go. In the end though, it was Winslet who tied me down to the operating table. It was actually Winslet who did it. When she hears this part, Winslet gets even angrier. She grits her teeth and says, "He cheated on me first, and now he's acting like he was so devoted? He's got some nerve! Leander and his parents were so good to him. How could he say shit like this?" Leander lets out a small sigh of relief from his corner. He walks over to Winslet and puts his arm around her waist. "Don't be mad, Winslet. He just got confused for a while. If... if they never found me back then, maybe Matthias wouldn't have ended up like this..." As Leander says this, his eyes fill with tears. Winslet was already furious, and this makes her even angrier. She wipes away his tears and says angrily, "How is any of this your fault? You didn't do anything wrong. Stop making excuses for him. This is all Matthias's fault, that piece of trash!" Everyone watching has never even met me, but they all nod along, just as angry. The medium senses something off and keeps reading. "There's a thunderstorm outside, and my side of the bed is empty. Winslet went to stay with Leander again." "Ever since we got married, she keeps going over to his place. Every time she tells me not to misunderstand." "Today the weather is terrible with thunder and strong winds. She's always been terrified of storms, so I'm really worried about her. But when I tried to talk to her about it, she acted like it was no big deal." "To stop me from following her, she locked me in my room. Then she left to see Leander. Leander called her and said he was scared of the thunder." "Winslet, did you ever think that Mom and Dad might be there with Leander, but I'm here all alone?" "Today is October third. I don't usually write down dates, but I'll never forget this one. I can never be a cop now." "Someone hit me, a car accident. They wanted to take me to the hospital, but Winslet wouldn't let them." "She said I was just using this as an excuse to go see some doctor. She keeps saying I betrayed her, but I don't even know which doctor she's talking about. She locked me in my room and wouldn't let anyone treat my injuries." "Twenty-four hours later, a family doctor finally came. The delayed treatment left my leg permanently damaged." "I worked so hard for the police academy entrance exam, but now, none of that matters. How can someone who can't even stand up become a cop?" "Winslet, you used to say you loved how dedicated I was to serving my country and the people. You said you'd always support me. But today, you clipped an angel's wings with your own hands."
I watch Winslet's face, hoping to see even a little bit of nostalgia for what we used to have. That would at least prove she had real feelings for me once. But instead, she just grabs something nearby and throws it. "The proof you cheated is right there in front of us, and you still want to deny it? You're absolutely shameless! Keep reading! Let's hear what other bullshit he has to say!" The medium glances at Winslet, then continues reading. "My leg is broken, and I need to recover. But Winslet hasn't come to see me once while I've been recovering. I've tried calling her but she won't pick up." "My parents did come by though. I thought they were here to check on me, but they just wanted to tell me to stop calling Winslet." "They said Leander failed his police academy application again. He's really upset about it, and Winslet is keeping him company while he clears his head. They begged me not to bother Leander. They said Leander had never asked for anything his whole life and wanted me to let him have it this time." "My parents knelt in front of me and begged. It hurt so much to see them like that. They're my parents, but here they are on their knees acting like they're nothing." "But I couldn't say yes to them. My whole life, Leander took everything from me. First it was my toys, then my dreams, and then even my parents' attention. Now he wants to take Winslet too, the only thing I have left." "When I didn't answer, my parents cried even harder. They were about to start banging their heads to the ground when I finally nodded. It felt like someone was stabbing my heart." "Winslet still pulled some strings and got Leander into the police academy like he wanted. That was fine. Everything would've been fine if I hadn't seen that entertainment news segment." "On TV, a reporter asked Winslet if she and Mr. Blackwell were getting married soon. They didn't say his name, but everyone knew they meant Leander standing next to Winslet. And Winslet and I were already married." "Winslet just smiled and didn't deny it. The media took that as a yes. I didn't understand. I felt so hurt. Another reporter asked if Winslet had pulled strings to get Leander into the police academy." "Winslet said no. She said the spot at the academy was supposed to be Leander's all along, and that I stole it from him." "My hands were shaking when I turned off the TV. I couldn't listen anymore. Everything was gone. Even Winslet left me." "In the end, they took away the one thing I was proud of, the dream that gave my life meaning. I looked down at my useless legs and cried." After everyone hears those diary entries, they all go quiet. Only Winslet speaks up, her voice cold. "Still pretending? Aren't you tired? Is it really that hard to admit you were having an affair?" Leander puts his arm around Winslet and rubs her back. "Winslet, Matthias was just upset because he couldn't be a cop anymore. He was just saying things he didn't mean. Don't take it personally." I watch the two of them being all lovey-dovey. The way they look at each other is so intense. I let out a quiet sigh. I remember when Winslet and I first got married. We were that sweet with each other too. But then Leander kept coming over to see Winslet. One thing led to another, and they ended up in bed together. When I caught them, I asked Winslet to explain. She didn't even bother talking to me. She just said she was pregnant with Leander's baby. Then she kicked me out of her company. She moved in with Leander and wouldn't answer my calls. I had no way to reach her. Winslet gets annoyed listening to the diary entries, so she grabs the journal and starts reading it herself. "Winslet's pregnant. She's staying at Leander's place now. I can't see Winslet anymore, but Leander keeps coming around to mock me." "He says our parents, my wife, and my career all belong to him now. He says I don't deserve anything, that I'm just a pathetic failure." "I didn't want to fight with him, so I turned my wheelchair around and tried to leave. But he walked right toward me on purpose. When he passed by my wheelchair, he pretended to trip and fall to the ground." "Winslet and my parents rushed over. Leander said I pushed him on purpose because I was jealous he could walk. I denied it, but nobody believed a word I said. They all called me ungrateful." "Winslet was so upset that she had a miscarriage. She had people lock me up in this mansion on the estate outside of town." "The house was huge, but I was the only one living there. The servants who took care of me just did their daily cleaning and prepared my meals. They never said a single word to me." "The only company I had was a crow that built a nest on the eaves outside my window." "Everyone says crows sound harsh and awful, but that crow's voice was the most beautiful sound I heard during that whole time."
Winslet continued reading. "But later, that crow who kept me company died in Ridgemont's first snowfall." "Winter in Ridgemont hits hard and fast. One night passed, and everything outside my window was covered in white. I struggled against the freezing wind to check on the nest, but all I saw were a few twigs barely hanging on." "The cold wind had torn the nest apart. I looked down and saw the crow frozen and dead on the lawn below." "The crow died, and I was alone again." "I wanted to die, but they had the whole place locked down tight. Every sharp object was gone. The top floor of this mansion didn't have elevator access, and I couldn't get my wheelchair up the stairs." "The only thing I could do was stop eating, but they figured out what I was doing pretty fast. So the servants stopped preparing meals and started giving me nutrition injections every single day instead." "I couldn't live properly, and I couldn't die either." "My mental state just kept getting worse. Pretty soon, I could only lie in bed, kept alive by the machines filling my room." "Winslet didn't want me, but she wanted to keep me alive." "One day, a servant came into my room, turned on the TV, and then left." "On the screen, Winslet stood in front of a crowd of reporters and personally denied every single achievement I'd earned at the police academy. She said all those awards were actually won by Leander, who just happened to look like me." "The media goes absolutely crazy. I don't even need to look to know how everyone is judging me." "Sure enough, everyone says Leander was cursed to have a brother like me, and that the Blackwell family should be ashamed to have a son like me." "Public opinion sweeps through the entire city like a tidal wave, and when it reaches its peak, my parents come out to respond. 'We're sorry, everyone. We didn't raise our son properly,' they said. 'But we hope you can forgive Matthias for our sake. We spoiled him too much. We're truly sorry.'" "Every single word they say just confirms those lies that were never even true. I'm lying in bed right now, and I don't even have the energy to be angry anymore." *** "I keep thinking about a few years ago when I was still a student at the police academy. Back when Leander hadn't been found yet, and I was the only son in the family. Back before Winslet married me, when she was completely focused on me. Scene after scene flashes through my mind like a slideshow." "Am I going to die? Maybe that's better. Please let it be quick. I can't take this suffering anymore." "But I don't get what I wish for. Ever since Leander came back, I haven't gotten what I wished for even once." I'm lost in these memories when a loud thud snaps me back to reality. Leander drops to his knees in front of Winslet. I guess Winslet just finished reading those diary entries and asked Leander if everything in them was true. Leander doesn't try to defend himself. He just shoots back a question. "Winslet, is that really what you think of me? "He's my own brother! I've always protected him! Why would I ever frame him? If you don't believe me, just ask any servant in this house." Winslet's sharp gaze softens. She realizes she's wrongly accused the person she loves. She carefully helps Leander back to his feet. "I almost got fooled again. I said those things, but I also ordered them to buy out all the media outlets. How did some reckless reporter still manage to publish that story?" After she says this, she opens the diary again and keeps reading. "A group of men broke into the house. They were stumbling around like drunk homeless people." "The servants disappeared like they couldn't see anything. Those men walked straight into my room. My leg was broken, and I'd been bedridden for so long. I couldn't fight back." "Their mouths reeked of alcohol and decay. They crawled all over me, breathing hard against my skin. And then they finished all over me." "After that first day, someone came every day. Always drunk men." "The servants only showed up when they needed to change out my IV. They never even bothered to clean me up or wipe away the filth on my body." "Help me. Someone please help me. Or just kill me. Anyone, please." "Leander came to visit, but Winslet didn't. He said I looked disgusting now, like a dried up corpse. He said even those men didn't want to come anymore because I was too dirty." "He told me he wanted to preserve my best appearance, so he forced a bowl of medicine down my throat. The medicine tasted bitter, but not as bitter as my heart felt." "He didn't need to force me though. I would've drunk it on my own. I could finally die. "Winslet, I never want to see you again. Not in this life or the next." The diary entries stop there. Everything after that is just huge dark red bloodstains covering the pages. Leander immediately speaks up. "That's complete bullshit! What did I do wrong? Why is he lying about me like this?" Winslet, who usually treats Leander like he's the most precious thing in the world, doesn't move. When Winslet doesn't answer, Leander starts to panic. "You don't believe me, Winslet? He's lying!" Winslet finally hugs him back. "I believe you, Leander. I believe you." She turns to the medium. "This is ridiculous! Burn this journal right now!" Someone immediately moves forward to grab the diary. But the medium slowly lifts her head. "No, wait! Something's wrong!"
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