Chapter 1

I'd been dead for three whole years, yet my husband wanted a divorce to be with his first love.

Unable to reach me for so long, he vented on Instagram, calling me heartless and accusing me of being a burden.

My best friend told him I had died.

He sneered at her, convinced I was playing mind games again.

"She's been using this trick for nearly ten years. I'm done with it," he said.

"Tell her to show up. I'm running out of patience," he warned.

What he didn't know was that three years ago, during an escalator malfunction, while he was holding his first love's hand, I fell through the gap in the escalator.

*****

Three years after I died, Lucas Sterling finally called me himself.

"Chloe's seriously ill, and marrying me is her last birthday wish," Lucas snapped. His voice was full of anger.

"Sophia Lane, I've never met a woman as disgusting as you," he spat.

"Holding onto the Mrs. Sterling title won't get you a damn thing," he added.

There was a long silence on the other end.

But he could hear a woman's muffled sobs.

Lucas frowned.

For the past three years, he'd ignored every one of Sophia's calls, just to punish her for never learning her lesson.

Now, keeping him waiting only fueled his anger, but when he remembered Chloe White lying pale and lifeless in that hospital bed, a sharp pang shot through his chest.

For Chloe's sake, he'd grit his teeth and tolerate it for now.

Just as Lucas was about to blow his top, the voice on the other end let out a long, shaky sigh. "Mr. Sterling, Sophia's been dead for three years."

Lucas gave a cold laugh. "Emily Brooks, don't think I can't see right through you. Sophia put you up to this, didn't she? That drama queen is still dreaming I'll crawl back to her, huh?

"Tell her it's not gonna happen.

"Her only value now is to divorce me and get a share of property. Chloe's heart condition is serious. I have to be by her side as her husband."

Emily, my closest friend, gripped the phone tightly and trembled. Even after my death, she kept my number.

She was utterly speechless. Her tears had long overflowed, silently spilling down her face.

Lucas, convinced I was just playing games, delivered his icy ultimatum to Emily. "Tell Sophia that if she wants her family untouched, she'd better agree to the divorce."

How was I supposed to divorce him? A dead woman couldn't sign anything.

My only family was Erin Roth, director of Starlight Orphanage. But to me, she was my mother.

She raised me as her own, and there was no one in this world I loved more than her.

Erin was getting old, and with age came all sorts of problems. Her high blood pressure was especially dangerous.

After I died, Emily often dropped by to visit the orphanage, helping out with the kids and making sure Erin was doing okay.

Back when I was alive, I did everything I could for Erin and Starlight Orphanage—money, time, whatever they needed. But after I was gone, Erin made a clean break with Lucas, cutting off his financial support.

Lucas kept imagining that Starlight Orphanage and Erin were mooching off him, but that was never true.

Sadly, Emily was an orphan herself, just like me. She was working an ordinary job. There was no way she could cover the treatment that Erin really needed.

The day after Lucas spat those heartless words, the doctor who'd been helping Erin suddenly stopped coming.

When Erin woke up after fainting again, she still managed a gentle smile for the kids gathered around her. "I'm okay, sweethearts. You'll all grow up healthy and happy."

Just like I did, growing up here, surrounded by love and laughter.

But the moment she thought of me, her smile faded.

I reached out, wanting to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

But my hand went right through her.

My heart twisted painfully inside my chest.

I hated myself. I was completely powerless.

Three days later, Lucas swaggered into the orphanage again. Spotting Erin too weak to stand, he curled his lips into a mocking smirk.

"Ms. Roth, why torture yourself? Just get Sophia to agree to the divorce, and then I'll set you up with the finest medical team out there," he said.

Erin shook her head softly. "Sophia's been gone for three years, Mr. Sterling. Why do you refuse to believe it?"

"This is all about money, isn't it?" Lucas scoffed, acting like he'd cracked the case. "You and Sophia are always acting like you're pitiful."

Erin slowly looked up, her eyes glinting with an odd, challenging light. "If you're so capable, then go ahead and find Sophia for me."

I looked over at Lucas, my heart throbbing with pain.

It turned out that death didn't spare people from heartbreak. Even ghosts weren't immune to it.

Why did I ever fall for this man?

Just then, Lucas's phone buzzed, and a frail, breathless voice drifted through the line.

"Lucas, Sophia must hate me. That's why she won't show up," Chloe whispered. "I'm not fighting with her over anything. I just want to love you, and that's enough for me.

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have stepped into your world."