The hotel lobby shimmered, bustling with people moving in and out.

Jack and Seraphine stood side by side with smiles on their faces as they looked toward a man across the room.

It was the lobby manager. He was someone I had grown up with and my closest friend since childhood, Zedd Fletcher.

I instinctively tried to run over, wanting to warn him not to get involved. However, my soul passed straight through his body. Only then did it hit me again. I was dead.

He stood tall in a black tailored suit, posture stiff and sharp. His gaze, cold and cutting, landed squarely on the couple standing together.

Zedd sneered, "Ms. Evans, you really know how to play, huh? A man is waiting for you at home, and you have a whole parade outside. You're having the time of your life, aren't you?"

Seraphine's eyes dimmed, but she said nothing.

Jack's smile faded. He stepped forward, instinctively shielding her like a protector. "Zedd, whatever happens between the three of us is none of your business.

"Five years ago, it was Hayden who used his family's influence to force Seraphine into marriage. If it weren't for him, she and I would've never been separated. And look at him now. What's he got left? He's nothing but a man living off a woman."

Zedd's gaze sharpened as he glared at Seraphine. "Living off a woman? Don't talk crap. I've never met anyone like Hayden, who gave up his entire career for a woman."

"Shut your mouth!" Jack's face twisted with anger as he stared at Zedd. "You don't know anything about Seraphine. I won't let you insult her like this!"

"You won't let me? Who the hell are you? A homewrecker?" Zedd snapped.

Jack snapped back, "I knew Seraphine first. Hayden is the one who came between us. He's the homewrecker."

Zedd scoffed. "Funny. I remember how you ditched her to chase some rich lady overseas. You left her first."

Jack's eyes darted to Seraphine, guilt flickering across his face. "If Hayden hadn't stepped in, I wouldn't have left Seraphine.

"You've got the timeline backward," Zedd said flatly.

Five years. Even a dog would learn to wag its tail for someone who treated it well in five years. I gave Seraphine my heart, my soul, and all of me. Still, she never once looked at me like I mattered.

Zedd looked her dead in the eye. "You better hope you don't end up falling for him. Because when you realize what you've lost, it'll be too late for regrets!"

He was the first person to see my body at the hospital, the first to fall apart when the news broke. Now, he was the one still standing up for me. I wanted to tell him to stop, to not waste his breath on someone who didn't care.

However, Zedd looked like he wanted to tear them both apart with his bare hands.

I knew he was furious. He was furious at me for being such a fool and furious at her for throwing everything away.

Seraphine finally looked him in the eye, her voice cool and steady. "I don't love him."

Zedd laughed coldly. "I hope you remember what you said today. And I hope it doesn't haunt you for the rest of your life."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away with his fists clenched tight.

Seraphine returned to the office after her night out, as busy as ever.

The hangover left her with a dull ache in her head. After a morning of meetings, she allowed herself a short break and asked her assistant to bring in an extra-strong coffee.

While waiting, she reached for the private phone that had stayed quiet all night and flipped through the screen.

I floated over to glance at it. Jack had messaged her, asking if she wanted to have dinner that evening. She replied with a simple line, saying she had something on tonight and that they could meet another time.

After that, she scrolled through all her texts and missed calls. It was like she was looking or waiting for something.

Her eyes lowered slightly as she remained silent. Just then, Helen entered the room with a cup of coffee. "Your coffee, Ms. Evans."

"Thanks." Seraphine glanced once more at her phone, then looked up and asked, "Did Hayden call?"

Helen froze for a split second, then quickly replied, "No, he didn't."

Seraphine looked down again and said nothing. Helen seemed confused.

Seraphine probably had never asked about me. After all, I was always the one who showed up.

After finishing the coffee, Seraphine set her phone down and dove right back into her work. At noon, Helen brought her a boxed lunch.

Seraphine took a few bites, but quickly frowned. "Where did this come from?"

"A new restaurant," Helen said, pausing before asking, "Is it not to your liking? I can order something else if you'd like."

"Is it the same place as before?" Seraphine asked again.

"No…" Helen replied hesitantly.

"From now on, stick to the old one," Seraphine said.

Helen gave her a careful look but remained silent.

Seraphine glanced at her. "Is that a problem?"

Helen hesitated, clearly torn, then said the truth. "The previous meals were all brought by Mr. Carter."

She added nervously, "For the past few years, your lunch was always delivered by Mr. Carter. Rain or shine, he was never late. He even told me not to let you know they were from him, in case you refused to eat. That was why I never told you.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Evans. I shouldn't have kept that from you."

Yes, no matter how hard I tried, she would never touch any food from me. Ever since then, I had been careful when I wanted to do something for her. I never asked for her to love me, only that she would let me love her.

Maybe she had just grown used to it now. Now that the taste had changed, she couldn't get used to the difference.

Seraphine said nothing and only waved her hand for Helen to leave. She stared down at the meal, her expression unreadable. I looked too. It was decent and neatly packed. My meals were never extravagant, but they always felt like home and were made with love and care.

She unlocked her phone again to check, and there was still nothing from me. She set it aside and got back to work. By the time she wrapped up for the day, it was late.

She looked at the time before driving home. The house had been quiet for two days.

The staff kept the villa spotless in our absence. When she walked in, the housekeepers were visibly relieved to see her. "Mrs. Carter, you're back. I'll have the kitchen start on dinner."

Seraphine shrugged off her coat and handed it to a maid. Then, turning to the housekeeper, she asked, "Is Mr. Carter home?"

The housekeeper shook her head before asking in a worried tone, "He drove out yesterday morning. He hasn't come back since."

"Alright. Have dinner prepared, then," Seraphine said.

"Yes, Mrs. Carter," the housekeeper replied.

I had been gone for two days. Did she not notice that?

Seraphine climbed the stairs and headed into our bedroom.

She walked around the room and noticed how empty it was. Everything I owned was gone. My clothes, my shoes, and my belongings were all gone. The man who had waited five years for her to come home every day was no longer there.

Only now did she realize that I had really left this place and her.

She looked at the empty room, and her heart felt unexplainably empty. She sat down slowly on the sofa, her eyes falling on the wedding ring shining under the lamplight, the one matching hers.

She picked it up, her eyes flickering with something unreadable. She held the ring tighter, and she seemed to be lost.

Maybe the fact that I was really gone finally hit her.

The next day, Seraphine returned to the office right on time.

The morning meetings were still ongoing when Jack went to find her.

By the time Seraphine got back to her office, she found Jack already waiting. She was mildly surprised. "You didn't say you were coming."

Jack set down the coffee in his hand and stepped toward her with a smile. "Someone was too busy to have dinner with me last night, so I figured I'd stop by in person today."

Seraphine dropped into her chair, glancing at the mountain of paperwork on her desk. "I might not be done anytime soon," she said in a helpless tone.

"That's alright. I'll wait," Jack replied, ever the gentleman.

Time ticked by. An hour slipped past before Seraphine finally cleared the last file from her desk. Just as she rose to take Jack to lunch, her phone buzzed on the table.

She glanced at the caller ID and hesitated before answering. Very few people had her personal number.

The voice on the other end was cold. "Seraphine, it's Zedd. I need you to come down to the station."

She asked calmly, "What's going on?" There was no reason for them to speak unless it had something to do with me.

Zedd's voice was cold as ice. "It's about Hayden. We need your signature to proceed with the cremation."

Cremation required a family member's consent.

My parents were long gone. Other than Seraphine, I had no one else. Even though we had signed the divorce agreement, we never finalized the paperwork. Legally, she was still my next of kin.

Seraphine narrowed her eyes. "What did you just say?" Hayden? A cremation?

Zedd repeated flatly. "We need your signature for Hayden's cremation."

She clearly didn't believe him and replied, "Do you think this is funny?"

"You'll see for yourself when you get here," Zedd said and hung up.

Seraphine let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. "After hiding for two days, now he's pulling this kind of stunt."

Jack stepped closer and asked gently, "Who was that?"

Seraphine blinked out of her thoughts, then gave him a small, apologetic smile. "Sorry, Jack. Something urgent just came up. I won't be able to join you for lunch."

He froze for a second, then quickly masked it with a smile. "That's alright. Work comes first. Let's do lunch another time."

"Okay," Seraphine replied.

She headed for the parking lot. Moments later, she was on the road, driving straight toward the police station.

At the police station, her expression remained indifferent, clearly assuming this was just another one of Zedd's and my games. She thought it was an elaborate attempt to make her stay. She fully expected to find me waiting there with a smug grin, thinking I had won.