Chapter 8

Upon learning that I hadn’t been imprisoned, Evelyn was furious. She kept coming to the mental hospital to see me.

“Miria, look at this. So what if Julia is dead? Antonio, to comfort me, has given me all of Amy’s shares.”

She flaunted Amy’s shares in front of me. Antonio’s signature on them stabbed at my heart like a knife. Evelyn stood there, savoring the expression of discomfort on my face. She smiled as she pulled up a video for me to watch.

“Take a look at this.”

The video showed footage from the cemetery. Someone had poured waste on Amy’s gravestone. Evelyn stood in front of the tombstone, cursing and insulting Amy.

“Evelyn, you’ll get your comeuppance!”

My face changed, and I screamed, lunging toward her. The staff rushed in from the door and quickly restrained me. They dragged me into the treatment room. Evelyn stood at the door of the room. Her eyes sent a chill through my spine.

“Miria, just enjoy it.”

She said, then turned and left with satisfaction. The staff came in one by one, holding electric batons, thick ropes, and syringes…  But Evelyn had overlooked one thing. Money could make the impossible happen.

I had already arranged everything here. Sitting up on the bed, I gave a disdainful glance at the props the doctor was holding to play along with my act, then smiled.

Next, it was time for Evelyn to face the consequences. As the days leading up to visiting the cemetery, Evelyn often couldn’t sleep at night. Half–awake, she would faintly hear someone crying.

At first, she thought it was some cat in heat and boldly went to check from the balcony.

“Evelyn, give me back my life.”

A sorrowful voice came from behind her. It startled her so much that she nearly fainted. She turned quickly, only to see a white figure drifting across the balcony.

“Ah, a ghost!”

Evelyn fainted from the fright. When she woke up, she became paranoid. She saw that floating figure with Amy’s face. Whether she was walking on the street or shopping in a mall, every time she turned around, she would see a strange shadow darting by.

Terrified, she decided to call the police. But after an investigation, the police found nothing. Thinking she had made a false report, they criticized and lectured her. In the end, it was Antonio who came to take her back.

“Evelyn, what’s going on? The neighbors are saying you’ve gone crazy, screaming in the middle of the night.”

Antonio had been busy traveling for work recently. He looked tired and thinner as if the stress had taken a toll on him. With Evelyn causing him more trouble, his tone grew impatient.

“No, there really is a ghost. Amy has come back to take my life.”

Evelyn hadn’t bathed or groomed herself for days. Her unkempt appearance and strange, mystical demeanor made Antonio feel disgusted.

“Stop talking nonsense!”

His body trembled involuntarily, and he quickly snapped at her to stop.

“You need to rest. The company’s busy, so I’ll stay at the office for now!”

He didn’t even bother to coax her. Antonio quickly packed his things and moved out of her place that very night. Soon, it was Amy’s birthday. I called him from the mental hospital, crying and begging.

“Antonio, today is Amy’s birthday. Could you please take me out to visit her? I’ve always been with her on her birthday. This year, if I’m not there, she’ll be sad.”

“…Fine.”

After a moment of hesitation, Antonio gave in. I hung up the phone, secretly mocking myself. After I left, the person who came in next time wouldn’t be me.