Chapter 4

Elliott took Leslie out to check out wedding dresses.

The Gomez family was itching to have Leslie become one of them, and they had started planning the wedding.

After trying on his suit, Elliott settled onto the couch and waited for Leslie to come out.

I sat on another couch, feeling a bit bored, staring at the fitting room.

The fitting room door swung open, and Leslie stepped out, holding up the hem of her wedding dress.

The shop assistants all gasped, gushing over Leslie, saying she was the most stunning girl they had ever seen.

But when Elliott and I saw that dress, we both fell silent.

This was the wedding dress I had commissioned a month prior, for our fifth wedding anniversary.

When Elliott and I got married, I had only rented a cheap wedding dress, and we had had the reception at the most affordable restaurant in town. I had had this dress made to make up for that regret.

But after Leslie came back, I knew I'd never get to wear it.

So I had paid for it in full and told the designer to leave it on display to wait for someone who deserved to wear it to marry the man she loved.

But I never in my wildest dreams thought that person would be Leslie.

Leslie had no idea what was happening. She did a little twirl for Elliott, beaming as she asked, "Elliott, do you like it?"

I couldn't tell if Elliott was feeling guilty or not, but his voice came out rough as he said, "Take off that dress and pick another one."

Leslie had no idea what was wrong with Elliott. She quickly asked, "Elliott, what's wrong?"

Seeing Leslie still in that wedding dress, Elliott raised his voice. "I told you to change!"

Leslie's eyes welled up with tears at his shout, and she ran off crying.

Elliott finally snapped out of it and ran after her. He said softly, "Leslie, that dress doesn't do you justice. It doesn't show off your best features. Let's pick a different one, okay?"

When Leslie heard him say the dress didn't flatter her, she forgave him instantly. She asked the shop assistants to bring her a few more dresses to try on.

Listening to his words, I could only feel bitter irony.

Leslie came out in a new dress. Elliott was just about to speak when someone burst into the shop, walked straight up to him, and slapped him across the face.

Everyone froze, including me.

When I saw who it was, my eyes went red with emotion.

It was my mom, Elena Wilkes.

She was the mother of the girl whose body I had taken over, but she had been nothing but kind to me. After ten years with her, I had come to see her as my real mom.

When Elliott realized who it was, he blurted out, "Elena? Why are you here?"

Then he hurried to explain, "Jenna and I are already divorced. I'm sure she mentioned it."

Leslie, as if staking her claim, slipped her arm through Elliott's.

I noticed my mom looked like she had aged overnight.

Her hair had a lot more gray in it, her face looked haggard and worn out, and the dark circles under her eyes showed she hadn't slept well for a long time.

Today, she was wearing the first custom-made outfit I ever gave her.

I realized what was happening and stepped forward to hug her.

But my hand slipped right through her.

It didn't work.

I couldn't do anything to comfort her.

My mom looked at Elliott and shook her head. "She didn't tell me. She'll never be able to tell me anything now."

Elliott still didn't understand what she meant. He said, "Mrs. Wilkes, Jenna and I have nothing to do with each other anymore. Please don't interfere with my new life."

My mom's eyes welled up with tears at Elliott's words. She raised her hand and slapped him again.

She yelled, "You cheated on my daughter, and you killed her. If her spirit is looking down on us, she'll make you pay for this."

Elliott was furious about being slapped twice for no reason. He was just about to snap when he processed what my mom had said.

His eyes went wide in disbelief, and he stammered, "W-What did you just say? Spirit? What does that even mean?"

My mom's tears started falling.

She said, "My daughter died three days ago.

"I checked the security footage. She had a sudden flare-up of her chronic condition right after you left.

"The doctor said if someone had taken her to the hospital, she could have been saved.

"Elliott, you killed her."

The system showed me the footage.

My mom had come to the house to see me the day before.

She walked in, saw me slumped over the table, and didn't think anything of it at first. She set the groceries down on the table, walked over to the window to pull back the curtains, and chattered away.

She said, "Why are you sleeping at the table in the middle of the day, with all the curtains closed? Did you and Elliott fight again?

"If you're not happy, just get a divorce. I can take care of you.

"Honey, have you checked on him? Is he seeing someone else?"

She rambled on for a long time. She pulled back the curtains and turned around to look at me, still slumped over the table.

The sunlight hit my skin, and she saw the faint discoloration of death spreading across it. That was when she realized something was wrong.

My mom rushed over, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she tried to touch me.

But all she could feel was my lifeless, rigid skin. When she pressed down, it stayed sunken, leaving a scary, unnatural mark that made her shudder.

My mom screamed my name, but there was only silence.

She couldn't accept it. Her legs buckled and she sank to the floor, gazing up at me in utter helplessness.

She murmured, "Jenna, please, stop messing around, okay?

"I brought your favorite sausage. Come on, get up.

"Jenna, my baby girl..."