Chapter 2

In his villa, I saw the gilded cage he'd built for me.

I was shaking all over.

He held my face in his hands, his tone obsessive. "Corinne, don't hate me for being cruel. There are just too many people out there trying to steal you away from me.

"Whether it's your brother or anyone else, none of them love you the way I do. One day, you'll understand."

I begged him to let me go.

But Matt completely ignored me. Right in front of me, he agreed to go abroad with Deborah for a magazine shoot.

That very night, Harper Heights was suddenly engulfed in flames.

I jolted awake, coughing and choking on thick smoke, my eyes burning so badly I couldn't even open them. Matt had taken my phone.

The fire was fierce. The maids and butler downstairs managed to escape in time.

I was trapped alone on the third floor, screaming for help, but it was like shouting into a void. No one could hear me.

The fire seared my skin, and the pain was excruciating.

I wanted to cry out for help, but before I could even open my mouth, a stabbing pain tore through my chest.

Little by little, I felt my mind slipping away. It was like I was floating out of my own body, turning transparent.

And Matt, the guy who always claimed he loved me, was off with Deborah when I needed him the most.

The day after the fire, the butler called Matt.

But Deborah answered instead.

Matt's voice in the car pulled me out of my thoughts.

Matt asked, "How is she now?"

Of course, he meant me.

Apparently, Matt still didn't know I was already dead.

Frank looked a bit taken aback, but said, respectful as ever, "Everything's taken care of. We're waiting for your next instructions."

Frank was talking about my remains. Truth was, there wasn't much left of me.

The fire that night was so massive, it didn't feel like an accident at all.

Frank asked again, "Mr. Watkins, are you sure you want to go back to Harper Heights?"

Matt leaned back in his seat, rubbing his temples, exhaustion clear in his voice.

He said, "Yeah, let's go there. What else do you suggest then? Why can't Corinne just admit she messed up? If she did, I might forgive her.

"Seriously, what guy would go this far for her? Her brother? Please, he's just pretending to be some big shot.

"Corinne has no idea his company is barely hanging on. I just don't care enough to take him down. Otherwise, he'd be out of the picture."

Frank finally realized something was wrong and spoke up, a bit uneasy. "Mr. Watkins, Miss Weaver is already—"

Before he could finish, a pickup truck came speeding right toward us.

Frank tried to swerve, but it was too late.

Just as the two vehicles were about to collide, I saw Evan behind the wheel of the pickup.

"Evan, no!" I screamed.

But in the very next moment, I was flung out of the car.

It seemed, at the last second, Evan had a change of heart.

Both vehicles swerved away from each other at the same time, narrowly dodging a crash.

Before Frank could step out, Evan hit the gas and disappeared.

As I got back in the car, I heard Frank say, "Mr. Watkins, I think the guy in that pickup was Miss Weaver's brother, Evan Greene."

"Evan?" Matt's face turned stormy. "I haven't gone after him. How dare he show up now?"

I was panicking, not even caring if Matt could hear me or not.

I shouted, "Matt, if you dare hurt Evan, I swear I'll haunt you for the rest of your life.

"Evan and I are completely innocent. I already died because of your stupid jealousy. What else do you want from me?

"Matt, say something!"

I kept punching him, but Matt didn't even react.

I couldn't do a damn thing now.

Why was I a ghost now? Was it just so I have to watch all this happen?

Matt didn't end up going to Harper Heights after all. Deborah suddenly fainted.

The moment he got the call, he had Frank spin the car around without hesitation.

My mind wandered back, and honestly, it had always been the same story.

I knew Deborah had always liked Matt, and she'd even come over just to rub it in my face.

She said, "Matt and I grew up together. We've been through everything. Someone like you, who just came along, could never take his place.

"Matt is mine, and you'll never steal him from me."

On Matt and my very first Valentine's Day together, word got out that Deborah was acting like a diva, treating her staff like dirt.

She caused a huge scene, even threatening to slit her wrists. The moment Matt heard that, he ditched me at the theater without a second thought.

On our anniversary, Deborah fell off a horse while filming. It was just a minor sprain, really. But Matt stayed by her side at the hospital for an entire week.