Chapter 2
I was taken back home, or to be precise, it was my "ghost" that made the journey.
I hovered in the center of the living room, watching my family pack up my things.
No one was sobbing or screaming in agony.
The whole house was eerily quiet, with only my clueless grin stuck in that black-and-white photo.
My mom sat on the couch, slowly turning the pages of a photo album.
It was full of pictures of me, from my chubby baby days all the way through my school years.
Her fingers brushed over my baby cheeks, then paused on that silly picture of me at school, before finally coming to rest on a group shot.
It was a picture of Fabian and me.
Suddenly, a wave of memories crashed over me.
Back in college, Fabian was everyone's favorite senior. He was the president of our student union, handsome, wealthy, the perfect boyfriend every girl dreamed of.
And me? I was just an ordinary girl, lost in the crowd, unnoticed.
It was club day, and I was clutching a stack of flyers, getting shoved left and right by the crowd.
The flyers went flying everywhere, and I scrambled to pick them up, feeling totally flustered.
Just then, someone reached out and grabbed the last flyer. "Hey, do you need help?"
I looked up and met a pair of smiling eyes.
It was Fabian.
I blushed instantly.
"Thank you," I stammered.
"I'm Fabian Watts," he said with a smile, introducing himself. "And you?"
"Elise Holden," I replied.
"Elise," he repeated my name, his smile growing even warmer. "That's a really nice name. Nice to meet you. How about we grab a drink?"
My heart was pounding so hard that I couldn't even think. I just nodded dumbly.
And that was how we met.
Fabian would always show up with breakfast for me, hold a spot for me at the library, and even ditch class just to take me to the hospital when I was sick.
He said, "Elise, you're different from other girls. There's something so genuine about you. Will you be my girlfriend? I promise to love you for a lifetime."
I really thought I'd found my prince charming.
On graduation day, he proposed, giving me a dazzling diamond ring.
He said, "Elise, marry me. I'll make you the happiest woman in the world."
I believed him. I printed out all our photos and filled this album with them. I felt like I owned the whole world.
However, everything changed when Jane walked into the picture.
She and Fabian had been childhood friends. She was adorable and totally irresistible.
The first time she met me, she leaned close and whispered so only I could hear, "So, you're the one Fabian's been seeing behind my back, right?
"Sorry, I'm just very straightforward."
Then she wrapped her arm around Fabian and gave me a sweet smile. "Fabian and I grew up together. He's kind and can't bear to see someone suffer. Don't get the wrong idea. He's just pitying you."
I looked at Fabian, hoping he'd stand up for me, but he didn't.
He just said, "Jane has been spoiled since she was little. She speaks without thinking. Don't take it seriously."
From that day on, everything changed.
A single drop landed on the album, smearing the smiles on our faces.
I glanced up and saw my mom in tears.
These weren't tears of sorrow; her eyes were filled with hatred.
She reached out and tore that photo of Fabian and me from the album slowly.
Then she picked up a lighter and lit the corner of the photo on fire.
The fire flickered, reflecting off her cold face.
"Just wait," she murmured to the air, almost like she was talking to me. "I'll deal with them one by one."
She gently collected the burnt ashes and placed them into a delicate bag.
Once she was done, she picked up her phone and called someone. "Hey, Lucy? It's me. Do you remember those fiercest moves you used back when you were ranting?"