Half a month ago, the killer appeared out of nowhere and found my boyfriend.They had snatched Nancy Lewis, the girl he had never gotten over.“Hey, Green, the great artist, recognize this one?”Nancy was ghost-white, clinging to hope like it was a lifeline. Tears streaming down her face, she begged for rescue. “Patrick, please save me! I’m terrified! Can you take me home? Please?”I had never seen Patrick lose his composure before. His eyes, usually so calm, were filled with worry—something rare for him. Patrick was always the stoic one, his emotions carefully hidden behind a mask of calm. The only other time I had seen him so rattled was when I threw him a surprise birthday party. That day, the rooftop was battered by fierce winds, and he was overwhelmed with work at the station, completely forgetting his own birthday. I waited for him until well past midnight. When he finally returned and saw the spaghetti I had made, his eyes filled with gratitude.However, with Nancy in d
I never expected to linger on as a ghost.I watched Patrick—maybe a cop, maybe a detective—calmly examining my remains as if they were just pieces of trash. He didn’t even spare me a second glance before turning away, completely emotionless.“Hit me up if anything comes up. Got plans tonight, gotta head out.”His friend, the forensic medical examiner, was with him. As they walked away, his friend pulled out two boxes of candy, a grin lighting up his face.“Just tied the knot with my girl, got some sweets for you and Yasmine. Yasmine’s been hounding me for candy, but I haven’t seen her around. Could you pass these on to her? It’s our way of sending good vibes.”The moment the words left his mouth, Patrick’s expression darkened. The smile froze on his friend’s face, and he asked awkwardly, “Man, you still haven’t patched things up with Yasmine? It’s been over half a month?”Patrick stopped in his tracks, his breaths coming out in heavy gasps.“Don’t talk to me about her.”It wa
Patrick was sitting by Tracy’s bedside in the hospital when a soft knock echoed at the door.He opened it to find a delivery man, who whispered, “Hey, your flower order is here. Mind leaving a good review?”Staring at the flowers in the delivery man’s hands, Patrick’s face froze in shock.That’s when it hit me—I had ordered those flowers by phone, worried that Patrick might see me at the hospital. They were meant to be a sign of my feelings. I had even asked the florist to include a note: “Wishing Mrs. Green a speedy recovery.”However, as Patrick read the note, his anger erupted. He tossed the card straight into the trash.“Yasmine, you think a couple of flowers will settle your debt to my mom? No way! Forget it! Unless you come and apologize to my mom face-to-face, I’ll never forgive you!”In a fit of rage, he threw the flowers into the trash can next to him.I instinctively reached out to stop him, but my transparent, ghostly hand passed right through the flowers, touching no
Back at home, Nancy’s drunken state didn’t stop her from holding onto Patrick with unwavering tenacity.Nancy’s voice was tinged with hurt. “Patrick, you haven’t answered what I just said.“Why won’t you admit you have feelings for me when you obviously do?”Patrick, looking like he wished he could be anywhere else, gently set her down on the couch. He smoothed out the creases in her skirt, looking down at her.“Nancy, you’ve had too much to drink,” he said softly.However, Nancy clung to him, tears streaming down her face.“I can’t let go! If I do, you’ll end up with someone else!“I was the one who met you first.“Please, just give me a chance. Forget her and be with me. I can’t stand the thought of losing you again.”Nancy was right—they had been inseparable since they were kids. If Nancy hadn’t decided to go abroad for high school, I probably wouldn’t have been part of his college life.Patrick had told me all this after we got together, and I remember teasing him about i
When Patrick arrived at the station, there it was—the body on the autopsy table.The medical examiner had pieced the face back together.The captain clapped Patrick on the back, concern in his voice. "Maybe you should continue this tomorrow. You're not looking so hot."However, Patrick shook his head. "Better to get this done sooner, for the family's sake. I'm okay, really."That was Patrick—always all business when it came to work, returning to the icy persona everyone knew. The captain didn't have much of a choice. He had to let him have the room.Nobody could question how good Patrick was at his job. Even I was blown away when I saw him work his magic, turning a pile of bones into a face from the past.Patrick holed up in that room for a full day and night, barely pausing for a four-hour break. By the end, his eyes were red, and his hand clutching the brush shook uncontrollably. Sweat dotted his forehead.Then he saw the face he had drawn and freaked out. He chucked his pen a
When he kicked me out, did he really think I would just crawl back to him?Too bad for him. Even my foster mom was in the dark about where I was."Yasmine hasn't reached out to me in weeks, and here I am wondering the same thing—where is she?" my foster mom said, her face clouded with disapproval.She never did like Patrick much. She always said he was too pushy, too sure of himself. That it would only be a matter of time before he hurt me.Turns out, she was spot on. Patrick had left me without so much as a backward glance.However, he would not take her word for it. He clutched at her sleeve in desperation.He implored, "Mrs. Brown, I swear I won't upset her again!"Just let me see her, will you?"Just one look!"All I need is to see that she's okay, and I'll be out of your hair!"Deep down, Patrick had his suspicions. However, he refused to believe them. He was clinging on in the hope of a clear answer.My foster mom, livid, chucked her slipper at him. "How dare you com
"Patrick, you need to swing by the station. There's something you gotta see."Looking like he'd been through a storm, Patrick showed up at the station.The detective chief handed him a newly arrived package."No clue who sent it, but it's got a portrait inside," the chief said. "It's got your style written all over it."Patrick's eyes widened in surprise as he finally took in the sight of the painting before him. He was utterly dumbfounded."Where did this painting come from?"The team leader shook his head. "No clue. We've grilled the delivery guy, but he's just as clueless about the sender. No return address either. We think this painting might be tied to the killer's motive."However, our digging turned up nothing. We've got photos of Yasmine as a kid, but that's it. No information about her parents. So, I kicked it upstairs and put in a request to pull the classified files."When they hit a dead end on the parents in the files, it usually meant one of two things: either the
Tears hit the floor in silence as Patrick clenched his jaw, fighting back the emotion."Mom, I've got a mission with the detective squad tomorrow. I'll drop you off at home before I head out."I won't be able to stay with you. Will you be mad at me?"Tracy snapped out of her thoughts on the news broadcast and gave Patrick a reassuring smile."Of course not. I know you are the finest out there. Since you joined the force, you've always put the nation first. "And then, you're my son."With that, Patrick wrapped his arms around Tracy in a tight embrace.A few days later, Patrick walked into the police station to face the captain. Without being asked, he confessed that he had assisted the criminal by sketching a portrait.The decision from his superiors was swift and harsh.Patrick was dismissed from the force, never to be reinstated.The scandal exploded online, causing a frenzy. The public's words were cruel, branding him as cold-hearted and disloyal.Patrick felt like an out