It was 11:00 am, and Hadden was frowning at the dishes on the table. "It's been two days! Why hasn't that bitch come and bring me my food?! She's supposed to send it over before lunch! What the hell?! Just because she's being punished doesn't mean she can slack off!" His assistant froze before replying courteously, "Mr. Rowse, Ms. Lowe is… still… in the swimming pool. She hasn't been let out yet."Hadden froze, appearing shocked as if he were not the person who threw me into the pool himself. Quickly, he blinked the surprise away. Nonchalantly, he shrugged. "Oh, that's fine. She can stay there for a few more days." His assistant glanced at him and pursed his lips hesitantly. "But Mr. Rowse, the pool is starting to smell. I'm worried that… Perhaps you should take a look?" Without putting his cutlery down, Hadden replied, "So? Of course, it's going to smell. It's probably filled with urine and fecal matter. Relax, she'll be fine. She'll do anything to live." His assistant wa
Despite ghosts not needing to breathe, my chest constricted at the sight as if I would be locked in that suffocating space again. At the same time, Hadden continued to comfort Julia with an arm wrapped around her waist."It's going to be alright. Eat more, okay? You've gotten skinnier again. I'm sorry you had to go through that. Look how much skinner you've got. What's a few days of starvation to that fatso anyway? "I can't believe she would dare do such a thing to you! I won't let her out until she apologizes and learns her lesson."I watched silently, heartbroken from where I stood behind him. I wanted to cry, but there were no tears left.The fact that I had suffocated and struggled for my life in the pool meant nothing to him, not when compared to the few gulps of pool water Julia had choked on.I could not swim, and I could not get out. It was ridiculous to think that I was still begging him to let me out until my dying breath, pleading with him to let me live. It was al
Hadden ended his meeting early when he received the call and rushed home. He dashed to the pool and cradled Julia, who was still choking on pool water, in his arms. "Julia, Julia! Stay with me! Come on! Julia, please. I need you…"I remembered thinking how ridiculous it was as I watched the scene from above.I was thinking to myself if it was really necessary. Julia could swim, so why was Hadden acting like she was going to die?It was only when Hadden dragged me to the pool by my hair that I realized how much he truly cared for Julia."How could you be so cruel?! How could you push Julia into the water?! You almost killed her! I almost lost her because of you!"I won't let you get away with doing whatever crap you want to do, Felicia. I'll make you suffer twice the pain and fear you put Julia through. And I won't let you out until you learn what you did wrong!"Even now, Hadden still believed that I was the one at fault, that I should have admitted to everything he accused m
My marriage with Hadden might have been a business arrangement, but for me, it was love at first sight.The first time I saw him was in high school. I was a transfer student, and that made me a target for bullying. I tried my best to defend myself, but I was heavily outnumbered.Just as I was about to give up, he appeared—my knight in shining armor.I was too excited to sleep when my parents told me I would be marrying him, but I didn't know he only agreed as a way to receive funds to save his company's capital chain.Perhaps he only stood up for me back then because Julia was the main perpetrator, and he did not want her to get in trouble.In the years of our marriage, I was always the one taking care of him. I cooked every meal because I was worried he would not like the food outside.Slowly, he warmed up to me as well and would surprise me with gifts. I thought we would have our happy ending, but I was too naive.I remembered telling him excitedly that we would be parents, on
After a while, Hadden seemed to have thought of something. He kicked the cover and shouted at his assistant, "You! You were the one who put this mannequin in here, weren't you? You helped Felicia escape!"His assistant was pretty much vomiting bile at this point, but ignoring Hadden was not an option."I didn't, Mr. Rowse! This has nothing to do with me. I'm pretty sure… that's Ms. Lowe's body…" His words came out in fragments as he continued to throw up.Hadden did not look pleased with his assistant's response and glared at the pool with contempt. Disbelief laced the words he said next."It's fake! This body has to be fake! I know she put that in there because she doesn't want to admit that she did something wrong. I knew she wasn't going to apologize so easily. Just wait! Once I get my hands on her, I'll make her apologize to Julia!"It was hilarious how delusional he was being. Laughing, I even did a twirl in front of him."I'm right in front of you, Hadden. Can't you see?
Hadden was insistent that I had escaped. He even went through the surveillance footage at the pool to prove himself right.Through the footage, he watched me struggle for my life after I was thrown into the pool… until I stopped moving.Despite this, Hadden still refused to believe that I was dead. Aggressively, he punched the monitor, cracking it."No! I don't believe this!" he yelled, pointing at the footage. "The cameras are frozen! Felicia must've tampered with them. I knew it, that bitch!"Hadden grabbed his laptop and threw it onto the ground.Seeing the laptop break into pieces must not have been enough to vent his anger because he proceeded to grab the cup beside him and throw it at the broken laptop.It took him a while to remember where he was. He turned to look at Julia, who seemed afraid by his outburst, and immediately apologized."Oh, Julia, I'm sorry. It's alright, I'm not angry at you. It's her I'm pissed at. How could she be so irresponsible? She hurt you! And i
"And? Who cares if you die? It's only fair after what you did to Julia! Your parents are dead anyway. So, if you die, you'll get to reunite with them. You should be thanking me instead."The more I struggled and fought back, the harsher Hadden tossed me around and the colder his glare."You pushed Julia into the pool. So now, I'm pushing you into the pool. An eye for an eye."I refused, so he broke my wrist and kicked my abdomen. Then, he tossed me into the pool."Die, you horrible woman!" I did not remember my last moments, but I figured I felt regretful. I should not have agreed to marry Hadden, and I should not have allowed myself to believe that I could make him fall in love with me. He was right about one thing, though. I was dead. I should be reunited with my parents.Yet, I did not see them anywhere.The next few days passed similarly, and Hadden had yet to find any leads on my whereabouts.However, he was also busy with Julia's concert—pre-ordering flowers, hiring ba
Sparks landed on the stage and on the audience, but none landed on me. Underneath the stage, I watched as Hadden gently wrapped Julia in his arms and slowly walked her to the limo. The engine started, and he tightened his hold on her."Thank you, Julia, for always being by my side."Julia smiled happily and hugged him back. Then, she turned her head to peck the tip of his ear."If you'll have me, Hadden, I'll always be by your side."…A long time passed after the concert before it crossed Hadden's mind to continue looking for me again.He spent a lot of manpower and resources to look for me, even going as far as to spread the word to all his employees that anyone who found me or found leads on me would receive a cash reward. Anyone who managed to bring me to him would receive a house in the city center.It was ridiculous, considering I was right here. I made my way to stand behind Hadden and huffed a breath at his neck. It was starting to get frustrating how invisible I was
When we arrived at the police station, I tried to follow them inside. Somehow, I could not pass through the doors no matter how many times I tried. I had no choice but to wait outside the doors, hoping that someone would discuss any updates in my vicinity, but it was all too vague.I managed to conclude that Hadden had admitted his crime and was going to prison, but no one said how long he would be there.Julia was not completely innocent either. A police investigation found her guilty of tax evasion. They were both going to prison.I continued to wait outside the police station for days until it was the day of their trial. I followed the police car to court, and that was when I saw the two of them again, sullen and lifeless.They were staring out the window with a look of yearning.When we arrived at the courthouse, I tried to pass through those doors again. I failed, unsurprisingly, but after numerous attempts, I somehow managed to pass through them.I quickly made my way t
Julia quickly got up from Hadden's body with a yelp and wrapped herself in the discarded clothes around. Hadden also snapped to reality and stood up to straighten his clothes, only to realize that the policemen were ignoring him and making their way to the pool.Likely remembering how he had left my body in the pool, Hadden quickly went to stop the police."Even if you're the police, you have no right to just barge into my house! Which precinct are you from? I'm going to lodge a complaint against you." The policeman he approached said nothing, and another policeman, likely the director, walked over."Mr. Hadden Rowse, correct? My name is Gerard Annable. We've received a call accusing you of the murder of your wife, Felicia Lowe. The informant also claimed that her body was still in your pool. We've come to confirm if the information we received is true."Hadden's knees buckled. He grabbed onto the couch beside him and forced a smile."You must be mistaken, officers. My wife pu
Sparks landed on the stage and on the audience, but none landed on me. Underneath the stage, I watched as Hadden gently wrapped Julia in his arms and slowly walked her to the limo. The engine started, and he tightened his hold on her."Thank you, Julia, for always being by my side."Julia smiled happily and hugged him back. Then, she turned her head to peck the tip of his ear."If you'll have me, Hadden, I'll always be by your side."…A long time passed after the concert before it crossed Hadden's mind to continue looking for me again.He spent a lot of manpower and resources to look for me, even going as far as to spread the word to all his employees that anyone who found me or found leads on me would receive a cash reward. Anyone who managed to bring me to him would receive a house in the city center.It was ridiculous, considering I was right here. I made my way to stand behind Hadden and huffed a breath at his neck. It was starting to get frustrating how invisible I was
"And? Who cares if you die? It's only fair after what you did to Julia! Your parents are dead anyway. So, if you die, you'll get to reunite with them. You should be thanking me instead."The more I struggled and fought back, the harsher Hadden tossed me around and the colder his glare."You pushed Julia into the pool. So now, I'm pushing you into the pool. An eye for an eye."I refused, so he broke my wrist and kicked my abdomen. Then, he tossed me into the pool."Die, you horrible woman!" I did not remember my last moments, but I figured I felt regretful. I should not have agreed to marry Hadden, and I should not have allowed myself to believe that I could make him fall in love with me. He was right about one thing, though. I was dead. I should be reunited with my parents.Yet, I did not see them anywhere.The next few days passed similarly, and Hadden had yet to find any leads on my whereabouts.However, he was also busy with Julia's concert—pre-ordering flowers, hiring ba
Hadden was insistent that I had escaped. He even went through the surveillance footage at the pool to prove himself right.Through the footage, he watched me struggle for my life after I was thrown into the pool… until I stopped moving.Despite this, Hadden still refused to believe that I was dead. Aggressively, he punched the monitor, cracking it."No! I don't believe this!" he yelled, pointing at the footage. "The cameras are frozen! Felicia must've tampered with them. I knew it, that bitch!"Hadden grabbed his laptop and threw it onto the ground.Seeing the laptop break into pieces must not have been enough to vent his anger because he proceeded to grab the cup beside him and throw it at the broken laptop.It took him a while to remember where he was. He turned to look at Julia, who seemed afraid by his outburst, and immediately apologized."Oh, Julia, I'm sorry. It's alright, I'm not angry at you. It's her I'm pissed at. How could she be so irresponsible? She hurt you! And i
After a while, Hadden seemed to have thought of something. He kicked the cover and shouted at his assistant, "You! You were the one who put this mannequin in here, weren't you? You helped Felicia escape!"His assistant was pretty much vomiting bile at this point, but ignoring Hadden was not an option."I didn't, Mr. Rowse! This has nothing to do with me. I'm pretty sure… that's Ms. Lowe's body…" His words came out in fragments as he continued to throw up.Hadden did not look pleased with his assistant's response and glared at the pool with contempt. Disbelief laced the words he said next."It's fake! This body has to be fake! I know she put that in there because she doesn't want to admit that she did something wrong. I knew she wasn't going to apologize so easily. Just wait! Once I get my hands on her, I'll make her apologize to Julia!"It was hilarious how delusional he was being. Laughing, I even did a twirl in front of him."I'm right in front of you, Hadden. Can't you see?
My marriage with Hadden might have been a business arrangement, but for me, it was love at first sight.The first time I saw him was in high school. I was a transfer student, and that made me a target for bullying. I tried my best to defend myself, but I was heavily outnumbered.Just as I was about to give up, he appeared—my knight in shining armor.I was too excited to sleep when my parents told me I would be marrying him, but I didn't know he only agreed as a way to receive funds to save his company's capital chain.Perhaps he only stood up for me back then because Julia was the main perpetrator, and he did not want her to get in trouble.In the years of our marriage, I was always the one taking care of him. I cooked every meal because I was worried he would not like the food outside.Slowly, he warmed up to me as well and would surprise me with gifts. I thought we would have our happy ending, but I was too naive.I remembered telling him excitedly that we would be parents, on
Hadden ended his meeting early when he received the call and rushed home. He dashed to the pool and cradled Julia, who was still choking on pool water, in his arms. "Julia, Julia! Stay with me! Come on! Julia, please. I need you…"I remembered thinking how ridiculous it was as I watched the scene from above.I was thinking to myself if it was really necessary. Julia could swim, so why was Hadden acting like she was going to die?It was only when Hadden dragged me to the pool by my hair that I realized how much he truly cared for Julia."How could you be so cruel?! How could you push Julia into the water?! You almost killed her! I almost lost her because of you!"I won't let you get away with doing whatever crap you want to do, Felicia. I'll make you suffer twice the pain and fear you put Julia through. And I won't let you out until you learn what you did wrong!"Even now, Hadden still believed that I was the one at fault, that I should have admitted to everything he accused m
Despite ghosts not needing to breathe, my chest constricted at the sight as if I would be locked in that suffocating space again. At the same time, Hadden continued to comfort Julia with an arm wrapped around her waist."It's going to be alright. Eat more, okay? You've gotten skinnier again. I'm sorry you had to go through that. Look how much skinner you've got. What's a few days of starvation to that fatso anyway? "I can't believe she would dare do such a thing to you! I won't let her out until she apologizes and learns her lesson."I watched silently, heartbroken from where I stood behind him. I wanted to cry, but there were no tears left.The fact that I had suffocated and struggled for my life in the pool meant nothing to him, not when compared to the few gulps of pool water Julia had choked on.I could not swim, and I could not get out. It was ridiculous to think that I was still begging him to let me out until my dying breath, pleading with him to let me live. It was al