She Loved Me Beyond Death

For the first three years after my death, I would hold Sena Stilton as she slept, openly sneak peeks while she soaked in the hot springs, and steal kisses when she was absorbed in her work. I thought I'd stay by her side forever. But in the fourth year, she brought home another man. His name was Yves Larkin. The tenderness in Sena's eyes when she looked at him was something I'd never seen in all my time as a ghost. It was like sunlight melting a snow-covered mountain. Just as I approached them, Sena suddenly stopped and told her servants to take Yves to his bedroom. Then, she turned, looking straight at me as she said icily, "Jon Whig. You've been clinging to me for four years. Even death hasn't cured your shamelessness. Isn't it time you left?" Chapter 1 The accident four years ago really came out of nowhere, and I died protecting Sena Stilton. Even as life drained out of my veins, I could feel her clinging to my blood-drenched body, refusing to let go. Soon, my ghost hovered by her side, yearning to wipe her tears and tell her that I wasn't hurting anymore, only for my fingers to pass through her body entirely. I knew then that I had shuffled off this mortal coil. However, I wasn't going to heaven or reincarnating, as an angel informed me that my spirit's obsession was too strong and bound me to Sena and thus this mortal realm. And so, I stayed as a ghost, persistently hovering around Sena. Over those four years, she never became involved with anyone else. She often shut herself away in her study. But whenever I started to lecture her, telling her to eat and sleep properly, she would do exactly that. I was starting to think she could hear me, but she would walk through my ghost without even looking at me, not even reacting when I hid in the dark to give her jumpscares. That was why I grew bolder as I was sure now that she couldn't see me—I'd caress her cheek in her sleep, blow on her food so it wasn't too hot, and scold her for not looking after herself well if she worked long hours. I was under the impression that I could stay with her forever, even if she couldn't see me… only for her to tell me now that she had been seeing me for four years. As a ghost, I shouldn't have feelings and should definitely not get hurt, but Sena's sharp words left my heart clenching. My silhouette seemed to fade a little as I turned. "Why didn't you tell me that you could see me?" "I just wanted to see how long you'd stay," she replied flatly. So I was just… bothering her. "I'm sorry," I said very softly as my ghost drifted further from her, all while feeling cold all over as if my heart was just ripped apart. She didn't argue further and turned to leave, while news of her engagement spread everywhere in just thirty minutes. I hovered outside her bedroom, afraid to get too close. Even so, I could hear Sena's giggles from inside, while Yves breathed words of affection. I was shocked as I felt like I was tearing up, while also seeing my ghost turn fainter. I was really leaving—not fading into oblivion, but moving on. At that moment, everything made sense. Sena was my obsession. I was convinced she still loved me, and I didn't want her to be alone and sad and wanted to stay with her even after I died. But she had Yves now and didn't need me… "It's early, but I wish you a blessed marriage…" I smiled wryly and moved, lurking in the shadows to avoid Sena's eyes. The next day, she headed to church like she always did. She had first gone there with my ashes the day after my cremation. Unable to stray too far from her, I'd had no choice but to follow. But some unseen force kept me from entering the private room where she met the priest. I had never known what she did inside. This time, she came with Yves, even asking for a blessing from the priest. I remembered asking to do the same with Sena for a blessed marriage, but she told me, "I don't believe that stuff… Only that I love you." But now, she was doing just that with Yves, and I had to wait until sunset before Sena finally returned. She didn't even look at me as she walked past me, and I saw that my fingers were fading too. It seemed that I didn't have much time left with her, but I wished her a long, happy life. However, as she got home, she didn't even sit down as she quickly told her servants, "Clear the east bedroom on the second floor. Yves needs a study." My eyes widened in disbelief. That was my bedroom! Everything inside had been personally set up by Sena! She had decorated it with everything that I liked, and we both painted a rose on the wall together. She'd once held my arm and told me that this would always be our home, and my room would always be mine alone. Those times were the happiest times in my life. But now, she was telling the servants to take everything apart herself. I had to withstand the pain of my heart breaking as I stood, but I eventually gave in and went upstairs to look. I had never gone there since I died, as I was worried I would feel worse being reminded of the good times. Never could I have expected that this was happening to that familiar room instead. The servants were even less sentimental as they opened the closet and threw out the first tailored suit that Sena had given me. Staring at all those watches and neckties dropped carelessly around my feet, I closed my eyes. She would always buy me presents on her business trips, saying that it was a token of our love and how much she missed me. But now, she wanted none of those memories as she no longer cared for me. I watched in dismay as everything in the room was taken apart by the servants, who scraped off the old paint as well. They worked really fast, taking barely a day to refurnish the bedroom into a minimalist study. Sena took Yves's hand and opened the door herself, revealing that everything inside was completely different and devoid of any traces of me. It seemed that she really wanted to erase all of me from her life. I watched as Yves smiled warmly and gathered her in his arms, while she leaned against his shoulder as they talked about the future, never once looking at me while she did. There was no way I could keep watching them. All that I saw left me suffocating, even triggering a flight response—the further I got away from here, the better. But I just turned when Sena's assistant, Bob Smith, came running. "Ms. Stilton? The acquisition of Whig Corp is successful, and the agreement has been signed. We own them now." My body stiffened all over, thunderstruck. Yves was still admiring the interior design while Sena took the papers from Bob and headed to her study. Fighting against the foreboding sensation I felt inside, I followed her. It was not until I saw my father's familiar signature on one of the documents that I learned in no uncertain terms that Sena had just acquired my family company. My parents had worked decades for it, and never did I expect that Sena would come after my parents even if she never loved me! As I stood there, staring fixedly at her, she kept working as if she never saw me. Finally, I couldn't help but ask hoarsely, "Don't you think you should say something? Why did you acquire my family's company? Even if I am at fault for clinging to you for four years, that's my fault and mine alone. What does this have to do with my parents?" Sena paused, but she didn't look at me as she returned flatly, "That's my call to make. You don't get to question me." I was dying inside as I cried, "What has gotten into you, Sena? Why are you doing this to me—" She looked up sharply right then. "Because you're a bother!" Chapter 2 I stared fixedly at Sena's face as my voice cracked, "I'm a bother?" Even after dying, I watched over her for four years in my own way. I could understand that she was moving on, but why would she do this? I stumbled backward, fighting back the bitterness in my chest. "Okay, I get it…" I turned and left through the wall without another word. - The next day, I was still crouching in a corner when I heard a loud noise from the garden. My blood froze when I peered through the window to see the servants carrying several huge boxes to the center. The boxes were opened, all containing the possessions I had when I was alive—the custom-made suits I'd never had a chance to wear and a shirt Sena had sewn for me, all dumped on the ground nonchalantly. Aside from the clothes were stacks of yellowed letters, each handwritten by me to Sena when we were dating. Every word held the joy and love I'd felt back then. In an age of instant messages, handwritten letters had been my clumsy way of showing her my heart. Whenever she received one, she would smile at me tenderly and promise to take good care of it, even buying a safe for those letters. I laughed at her. "Who would steal that stuff anyway?" She shook her head solemnly. "It's your love. I must lock it up so no one can touch it." But now, she watched without a flicker of emotion as the servants piled everything up. Then, she went over, her expression cool and with a lighter in hand. My eyes widened as I got a foreboding feeling in my gut. Snap! As sparks flew, she lit up one of my letters and flung it into the pile, after which everything burst into flames. "No… Don't!" My mind went blank. Forgetting all about staying hidden, I rushed outside. In those letters were the details of our first date, our vow to be together forever, and now, the only trace left of me in this world! "Stop, Sena! That's mine! You can't burn it!" I cried, rushing into the fire to try to rescue my letters, but my ghost passed through the letters and caught nothing. "Argh!" I screamed as I was left watching as the letter with the words 'till death do us part' curled up, charred, and was finally reduced to ashes. I didn't give up and kept trying to reach into the fire to save my clothes and letters, but ultimately, I could only watch as everything was reduced to ashes. Despair overwhelmed me until I couldn't make another sound. Through it all, Sena stood nearby, watching coolly as everything burned—as if it wasn't our love or my possessions, but pointless trash. Yves stood right beside her, holding her hand as he watched the fire as well. Then, he cleared his throat, frowning as he said, "The smoke is really bad. I think I'm choking." Hearing that, Sena promptly turned, her gaze suddenly warm again—a far cry from her earlier coolness. "Alright, let's go inside," she said and took his hand with one hand, while the other fanned away the ashes wafting toward him. That affection reminded me just then that she had once been just as affectionate toward me, telling me sweetly, "We will be together forever and never be apart." It still applied now, but with someone else. Soon, they turned and returned indoors. Sena leaned against Yves' shoulder, saying something that got a chuckle from him. They were virtually glued together, and Sena never looked at me once the whole time—not even a flicker of a glance, as if I was never there. I sank to my knees beside the fire, watching as they left holding hands, my heart in agony. As the fire crackled, the past I cherished so much was reduced to ashes in the flame. Firelight shone through my transparent body, but I felt no warmth. Only a numbness that spread through me. The woman who used to get so worried when I caught a cold… had now burned every trace of me herself. I didn't get it. I merely stayed with her as a ghost, but that somehow was a cardinal sin in her eyes. How did I annoy her so much that she must humiliate me like this? As the flames cooled, all that was left were black ashes that the winds carried into the distance. I stared blankly at the ashes, my tears raining as I stayed stiff. So this was what happened when the pain became too much. You went numb. Chapter 3 I had no idea how long it took me to gather myself, but with nowhere to go, I eventually returned inside the house. Still, I paused as I passed through the kitchen. In the past, Sena didn't even know how to use a microwave and only brought me a drink from the kitchen at best. Now I could hear a knife tapping against a cutting board. As I paused and looked in that direction, I found her wearing an apron as she chopped some onions. Beside her was a pot of soup wafting with an appetizing sweetness, and though Sena's technique was stiff, she took it very seriously. "Are you really going to cook it yourself?" Yves asked, leaning against the doorway with a smile. "Your stomach's sensitive, and food from outside isn't that clean," Sena replied without looking up, her tone mild. "I'm learning to make something that's easy on your stomach." Yves' grin broadened, and he went over, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Thanks, dear. You're the best." Sena paused, but she soon put down her knife and turned with a charming grin. "That's why you gotta love me more." Just watching them stung my eyes. As it turned out, she could cook, but it also depended on who she was cooking for. I turned away, clenching my fists. I was already convinced she was ruthless, but now… With a bitter smile, I drifted away from the kitchen and huddled in an empty corner. My ghost was itself fading, and I knew that I was going to disappear. But this was fine—once I was entirely gone, Sena wouldn't feel bothered, and the ties that bound us would be gone. As I closed my eyes, quietly waiting for that moment, I soon heard footsteps. I opened my eyes to see Sena walking toward me with a bowl, her eyes cold and her visage impassive. Splash! Before I realized what had happened, she flung its contents at me, and I watched as the black liquid passed through my body and splattered all over the wall behind me. I looked up blankly, not sure what she was up to at all. "What are you doing?" Sena was frowning as she finally looked at me, but there was only disgust in her eyes. "Don't think I don't know what you've been up to—Yves keeps spacing out because he keeps having nightmares. It took a while to check, but it's because you kept hovering around and jinxed him." I was stunned. But I'd always hidden away and never wanted to hurt anyone… "No, I didn't—" "Enough," Sena snapped, cutting me short. "I don't want to listen to any of it." I took a deep breath. "Well, what do you want me to do?" Sena looked at me, her eyes resolute. "Leave. Stay away from me and Yves, and don't let me catch you here ever again." Hearing that, my heart ached so much that I couldn't breathe. As I looked at her bitterly, I finally understood how unseemly I was to her. "Alright, I will…" I hung my head, feeling like my tears would fall, but I forced them back. Without another glance at me, Sena turned and left. I really thought that I just had to hide and keep quiet, and we could stay out of each other's way until I disappeared, but that was when a strange voice rang from the living room. I couldn't resist going down to look and found a priest in a cassock, holding an incense burner and circling the room while chanting a verse. Sena stood at a corner, watching as the priest worked. I stared at the dancing flames, feeling cold all over. Did Sena hate me so much that she'd do anything she could to erase me from her world? Even if I wasn't affected, the exorcism ritual was still endlessly humiliating, and it lasted over three hours before it was finally over. It was already late at night when the priest packed up and left, while Sena went upstairs after freshening up. Yves was on her bed looking unwell. He gently took Sena's hand, his face looking weary. "I think I still feel a little sick…" "Don't worry," Sena assured him softly as she threw herself into his arms. "The priest has cleansed the house. Nothing will bother you anymore." Yves' eyes were closed as he rested his head against her shoulder, sighing hoarsely. "But that noise… I was so scared. It's such a creepy room…" Sena smiled as she gave him a peck on the cheek and told him, "Then I'll stay here with you for the night. I won't go anywhere." "Really?" Yves asked, his brow raised. "Really," Sena replied, nodding without hesitation as she lay down with him. "I'll be right here with you, and we can go on a vacation when you get better." Yves nodded as he pulled her closer. "Okay." Sena leaned against his chest, and there was no hiding the love and bliss on her face. I watched them in turn, whatever reluctance to leave I felt fading instantly. Perhaps it really was time for me to leave. Chapter 4 As I drifted aimlessly through the night, I ended up at the kennel, where the dog Biscuit lay sprawled. Sena and I had found it by the curb, and though she complained about how filthy it was, she let me pick it up and get in her car. After bathing it, she bought it the best dog food and said at the time, "You brought it back. It's family now." It could still sense me after I became a ghost, and it'd roll over adorably whenever I visit, which made it one of the few comforts I had in four years. And now, sensing that I was close, it barked into thin air, wagging its tail. I dropped to a crouch, patting its head. "Good. At least I'm not a bother to you," I murmured with a faint, wry smile. - As Yves woke up early the next morning, he felt the urge to take a stroll in the garden. Sena went with him, smiling affectionately like she always did for him. Though I hid in a corner and tried to not be an eyesore, a cry of shock suddenly rang. "Argh!" My heart skipped a beat, but Sena dashed over to Yves before I could catch on. The man was sitting on the grass, his face pale and his fingers trembling. Biscuit—who was always mild-mannered—had come dashing out, wagging its tail as it intended to greet the unfamiliar face. Somehow, Yves was scared. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Sena asked anxiously as she helped him up and studied him from head to toe. Yves shook his head, his face still pale. After taking a deep breath, he said, "I've been scared of dogs since I was a kid, when a really big one bit me, so…" Biscuit seemed to realize it had caused trouble too and whimpered as it stood there, looking at a loss. Sena frowned, her eyes cold as she turned toward the dog. "Get it out of here!" she bellowed at the servants. "Put it in a car and drive as far as possible!" I flinched at her outburst and dashed between her and Biscuit, yelling urgently, "What are you saying, Sena?! Biscuit has been with us for years! How could you abandon it?! It will die!" Sena, however, held Yves' hand, their fingers interlocked. "Don't worry. It will be gone soon." Even as I tried to stop it to no avail, I seemed to see something like reluctance in Sena's eyes. However, it wasn't there when I looked again, and I laughed wryly. Why would there be reluctance? All she felt toward me now was disgust. With that, two servants promptly put Biscuit on a leash and led it away. It kept yelping, its paws dragging trails through the grass while it gave me helpless looks. Sena completely ignored that, however, and led Yves upstairs. "Come on, let's get you rested." "Sena! No! This is Biscuit we're talking about…" Even as I reached out in despair, I could only watch as she and Yves returned indoors, and Sena never once looked back even as she faded from sight. Meanwhile, Biscuit was shoved into the car trunk, which was forcefully slammed shut. "No! Stop!" I cried hysterically and tried to stop the servants, but my ghost kept passing through them. There was nothing I could do as I watched Biscuit being taken away, my vision blurred by a redness. I reached up to touch it and realized that it was tears of blood. As I looked down, most of my body was transparent too. In the evening, the servants finally returned and reported to Sena, "It is done, Ms. Stilton. We've left it very far away so it'll never return." Sena nodded, her expression calm. "Good." At that moment, the last shred of hope I had faded completely. The woman who had once loved every part of me was such a stranger now… I took a deep breath, the dried blood on my face making me look gruesome and miserable. That was when Yves came and hugged Sena, saying softly, "I'm bored… How about a movie?" As Sena took his hand, her expression softened. "Alright. How about a rewatch?" "Sure." Yves nodded and suddenly scooped her up in his arms, nuzzling her nose. "Let's get you inside." I watched stiffly as they happily headed indoors and turned, slowly floating to the floors above. Chapter 5 I was strangely silent the next few days, refusing to talk while also staying well away from Sena, hiding in my corner and feeling my ghost thinning. Once I faded, I would truly be gone… But one day, Sena suddenly entered a room, taking an urn from the highest shelf. It was my ashes, which she had kept there in a quiet corner for four years, along with her thoughts of me. But now, she was carrying it out of the house. That was when she turned and walked up to me with a cool look. "Come with me, Jon." I was stunned, unsure as to what she was up to. But there was nothing to lose at this point anyway, not to mention that I couldn't get too far away from her. As such, I quietly floated behind her, following her out of the mansion. Before she got into her car, Yves came rushing out of the house. Seeing the black box in Sena's hand, he asked in curiosity, "Where are you going?" Sena paused, her expression softening as she turned to him. "Just getting rid of something that shouldn't be here." She was looking at Yves as she said that, but I had the feeling she meant me. I clenched my fists and turned away—that was what she thought of me? A burden? Yves nodded and gave her a peck on her head, smiling as he said, "Make it quick. Let's have dinner together." "Okay," Sena replied, giving him a brief hug before getting into her car. I turned away again, pretending I saw nothing. Soon, the car sped to a graveyard far outside the city, and just seeing the gravestones stretching across the hill gave me a foreboding feeling. To no surprise, Sena picked up the urn containing my ashes and started climbing the hill, eventually stopping under a huge tree. A new gravestone was already erected and had my photo on it, and beneath was an inion that read: Here lies Jon Whig. Sena dropped to a crouch and gently put the urn into the hole, while I stared at everything unfolding, my mind blank. I didn't get it. She had always been in denial of my death, so when did she arrange this? Many had advised her to bury me, but she would persistently refuse, no matter who it was. She even carried the urn around and held it in her sleep for a month, as if someone would steal it and bury it. She kept saying that I wasn't dead—that I was just sleeping, so she had to carry me around. Yet now she'd arranged a grave for me and placed my ashes inside herself. For a split second, her expression softened. It caught me off guard, as I thought I was seeing the Sena from four years ago, who would be worried sick if I caught a cold. That was when she stood up, dusting her fingers before turning to me. "I've consulted a fortune teller, and he recommended this place. It's peaceful, with the hills behind it and water in front." I watched her in silence as she paused, lowering her eyes. Then, she said quietly, "Yves is suffering from insomnia and nightmares, and his health is suffering from that." I see—so it was about Yves again. Because her current lover was feeling uncomfortable, she must drive me far away from their world. At that moment, the man in that photo who was smiling so warmly was no more than a joke to her. Sena then looked up, weariness showing in her eyes. "The fortune teller also said that you'll bring bad luck if you stay, building up gloom over the living. This is where you should be buried, and it's time you rest after so long." As I smiled wryly at her in turn, I felt like my heart hurt so much that it would be torn asunder. Even then, I refused to let her see it, even if she seemingly really didn't want to see me again. As she stared at me silently and coolly, she eventually asked softly, "Can you leave now?" The question was a knife that sliced through all the delusions I stubbornly kept over four years. It was true that I shouldn't stay sentimental anymore—this place was peaceful and beautiful. Yves wasn't here. Once Sena left, there would be no one here to remind me that she no longer loved me. For us, it'd be a good thing if I rested here forever. Nodding, my tears of blood flowed gruesomely again down my cheeks. "Yeah. I'm leaving." Just as I finished, my ghost felt even lighter as I started to fade from my toes, turning into countless tiny points of light that drifted through the air. Even as my vision blurred a second before I faded away completely, I thought I saw a single tear fall from Sena's usually icy eyes. But at the very next moment, I couldn't see anymore. Everything was dark, as stillness consumed my world.