"Ladies, get the tools we used for the garden renovation from the car."

In no time, they all stood in front of Aria, each holding a shovel or a pickaxe.

Ignoring the pain on my face, I grabbed her pant leg and begged.

"Please, whatever you want, take it out on me. Don't disturb the dead, I beg you."

"Get lost," she snapped, kicking me aside.

A light rain began to fall.

She grabbed the pickaxe, glancing at the sky. "Hurry up, we can't delay my wedding."

I was pinned down by several people, struggling helplessly, sobbing.

The rain, my tears, and blood all mingled together.

I felt angry, helpless, and full of guilt.

The raised grave was slowly flattened, then dug into.

My heart plummeted into despair.

My grandmother's urn was exposed before my eyes.

Aria reached for it. I lost it, biting the bridesmaid who was holding me down with all my strength.

She let go in pain, and I stumbled forward, crashing into Aria.

Aria lost her balance, stepping on her wedding dress. She fell to the ground.

I quickly shielded my grandmother's urn with my body.

"You wretch! My custom wedding dress!" Aria screamed.

Covered in mud, Aria's eyes burned with fury as she grabbed a shovel and slammed it onto my back.

Then, a crowd of people started kicking and punching me.

I held onto my grandmother's ashes tightly as the beating continued, feeling like my soul was being ripped from my body.

"Don't be afraid, Grandma. Even if I die, I'll protect you."

The wooden urn was now stained with thick, sticky blood.

I thought, I might really die here.

With all the strength I had left, I raised my head and glared at each one of them.

"You... you... and you...

"Don't worry. I'll remember all of you. Even if I become a ghost, I won't let you go."

Maybe it was the sight of my bloodshot eyes and the rage in my face that scared them.

They stopped.

But Aria kicked me in the back, sneering.

"Even if a ghost showed up today, it wouldn't stop my wedding or keep me from doing what's right.

"Trying to scare us with ghosts? Why hasn't your mom come back to help you?

"Is she ashamed of you, or just too useless? Want me to ask her for you?"

Her eyes blazing, she stepped forward to grab the urn from me.

I backed up a few steps, then seized a pickaxe and started swinging it wildly at them.

I didn't have much strength left, but I swore the first person who got close would know what happens to those who stand out.

Even Aria hesitated.

But she wasn't ready to back down.

She turned to a red-haired woman behind her.

"Layla, forget the $30,000 you owe me. Today, I want her to kneel and beg for forgiveness.

"Lily, didn't your husband need an investment for his project? I'll talk to Grayson about it later.

"Mila, your kid wants to get into that top school, right? I'll take care of it."

...

She rallied the group one by one, and just like that, they were all fired up again.

I swung the pickaxe, but they seemed to feel no pain.

In the end, during the struggle, Aria snatched the urn from me.

She raised it, ready to smash it to the ground.

I begged her desperately.

"No, please... I'm begging you..."

I dropped to my knees in front of her.

"I'm kneeling. I'll do anything you want.

"Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Please, give it back. I'm begging you."

Aria looked smug.

"Oh? Not so tough now, huh? Where's that fight you had earlier?

"But it's too late now."

She kicked me to the ground, but her phone rang.

It was my dad.

"Aria, you could've at least told me you took my phone.

"Do you even know I've got important news to share?

"Stay where you are. I'm coming to meet you right now."

As soon as the call ended, everyone around her started panicking.

"Aria, let's get out of here! If Mr. Perry finds out what we did to his daughter, he won't let us off easy."

Aria stood frozen, not moving an inch.

"She's just a bastard. A homewrecker. If I let her go, do you think she'll leave me alone? She'll ruin my wedding for sure.

"This wedding is my dream. There's no way I'll let her ruin it."

She stared at me, thinking.

"Didn't you just say you'd give me whatever I wanted?

"Well... I want you to disappear."

Hearing Aria's plan, the group of women hesitated.

Aria scoffed.

"Not going to act? Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Grayson is my husband. If this mistress causes a scene, the worst that'll happen is a postponed wedding. He'll scold me a bit, but it'll blow over.

"As for you all... well, that's a different story.

"If I successfully marry Grayson today, I'll make sure none of you are left out. I'll take care of all of you."

Under her threats and bribes, the bridesmaids started digging, shovelful by shovelful.

My mouth was stuffed tightly, and I couldn't cry out for help no matter how hard I tried.

Before long, they threw me into a pit more than a meter deep.

My mouth was sealed shut.

I could barely breathe, staring at her with all the anger I had.

"Don't look at me like that. Blame yourself for getting involved with someone you shouldn't have."

She brushed the dirt off her clothes and said, "I wasn't planning on doing this, but you just had to provoke me over that urn.

"Since today is such a happy day for me, I'll grant your wish.

"You want this urn? Fine, I'll give it to you."

She laughed as she opened the urn.

Then she scattered Grandma's ashes all over me.

I curled my body up, trying to shield Grandma's ashes with my body.

But the ashes mixed with the rain and slid down beside me.

She ignored my muffled cries of pain.

Shovel after shovel of dirt was thrown on my face.

"I worked hard to climb up to Grayson. No one's taking him from me.

"I'm willing to do anything for him.

"Even if it means... killing.

"In your next life, be a good person. Don't try to be the other woman again."

The dirt slowly piled on top of me.

My vision grew darker and darker until there was no light left at all.

I was starting to suffocate.

Moments later, the sound of screeching brakes came from nearby.

Aria gave instructions.

"We're all in this together now.

"You all know what can and can't be said, right?

"Don't worry. If anything happens, I'll take the blame."

I could hear my dad's voice getting closer.

"You're about to get married. Why are you here?

"What's with the headstone? Did you break it?"

Aria stammered, "Why would we break it? It was like this when we got here."

My dad's tone grew anxious. "Where's my phone?"

Aria quickly caught on.

"Oh, don't we have the same phone? I got a message telling me to come here but then realized I had mistakenly grabbed your phone.

"But no one was here. It must've been your competitor trying to mess with you."

Everyone chimed in, agreeing.

"So awful! Who makes you come to a cemetery on your wedding day? That's insane!"

"Yeah, Mr. Perry, let's go. Aria's shivering from the cold."

My dad stayed silent for a moment. After failing to reach me, he asked Aria, "Are you sure you didn't see anyone when you came here?"

Aria feigned ignorance.

"No, I didn't. You can ask the girls if you don't believe me."

The bridesmaids behind her all denied it immediately.

"There's no one else here but us, Mr. Perry. Don't scare us like that."

"Whoever brought you here to the cemetery is really awful."

"Grayson, there are so many guests waiting at the wedding. Time's almost up. Let's not keep them waiting."

Thunder rumbled in the distance. My dad told Aria and the others to get in the car first, then looked around.

But he didn't notice anything suspicious.

He called over his assistant.

"Nathan, I don't know whose headstone got struck by lightning, but send someone to clean it up.

"Oh! I can't reach Gianna. She probably called me here as some kind of prank.

"She's probably at the house. After you finish, go check on her. You two were close when she was little. If she doesn't want to attend the wedding, that's fine. But try to calm her down."

"Got it."

Just then, lightning flashed. A torrential downpour began, pounding the ground.

The rain slowly seeped into the pit, mixing with the dirt.

The rain soaked through the towel in my mouth. I squirmed, pressing it against my lips.

I started choking, unable to stop coughing.

"Nathan, did you hear coughing from beneath us?"

"Mr. Perry, don't scare me like that."

"Maybe it's just my imagination.

"The wedding is about to start. Aria and I are heading back to change. I'm counting on you to check on Gianna."

My dad left, and I was filled with despair.

The bodyguards, given the rain and the fact that they were in a cemetery, worked quickly.

They cleaned up in a hurry.

Nathan shouted that the rain was getting heavier, and everyone should get in the car.

I heard someone laughing nearby.

"These women are all middle-aged, still wearing bows like they're young. How ridiculous."

I felt the same way.

It was the bow that had fallen off during the struggle earlier, now buried under some rocks.

"Wait a minute.

"Why does that bow look so familiar?

"Didn't Gianna wear one just like this this morning? Why is it here?"

Nathan's voice grew closer.

"Maybe one of the bridesmaids wore the same kind of bow?"

"Who has bridesmaids wearing bows this big?"

The pouring rain mixed with the mud and seeped into my mouth.

I whimpered loudly.

"Holy shit, there's a sound coming from the ground!"

Just as I whimpered, the thunder suddenly stopped.

In the brief silence, my weak voice became crystal clear.

"Holy shit, is this a ghost rising from the dead?"

"Look at this dirt! It's all soft from the rain. Looks like it was just dug up."

"Nathan, I thought it was strange earlier. If the bride was tricked into coming here, why does she have dirt all over her and in her hands?"

"Exactly, even the bridesmaids were covered in dirt."

"Could it be they came to bury something?"

Nathan quickly made a phone call.

"Help me track Ms. Perry's phone to its last known location.

"What? Her phone is less than two miles away from me?"

Nathan moved around, finally getting closer to where I was buried.

"How about now?

"It's right on top of me?"

Nathan's voice turned hoarse as he knelt on the ground.

"Gianna, are you down there?"

I hummed as hard as I could to respond.

"Oh my god, no way. Oh my god."

Nathan's hands trembled as he dialed 911. With a sob in his voice, he then began frantically digging.

"Guys, come help! There's a good chance Ms. Perry is buried here!"