Six months after my death, Liam called me. He cursed me for being unreasonable, ungrateful, and accused me of cheating. Everyone advised me to initiate the divorce and even spoke up for the other woman, urging me to let them be together. “Don’t you all know? Our classmate, Nora, died in that accident.” Crash! The glass in Liam’s hand slipped and shattered on the floor, spilling red wine everywhere. At a reunion, a college classmate revealed that I had died in a plane crash. Liam went mad, but I just laughed. I came from a well-off family and was a firm believer in staying single. Having children was the furthest thing from my mind. But when a rival company dealt a severe blow to our family business, I had no choice but to become a sacrificial lamb in a business marriage. Watching my father’s hair turn increasingly gray, seeing the sudden wrinkles covering my mother’s face, and witnessing my sister tirelessly drinking and negotiating business deals day and night, I finally nodded in agreement. A once-staunch single was about to be forced into marriage. The marriage partner had been pre-selected by my parents. He was the new CEO of Anderson Group. In the past, Anderson Group wouldn’t have been considered a match for us, but now that my family had fallen on hard times, a partnership with the Andersons could revitalize our family business. I met the new female CEO of Anderson Group once before the wedding. It was then that I discovered she was actually Liam, a classmate from my university department. Apparently, after his mother passed away years ago, his father had also recently died, leaving him to take over the entire group. Liam seemed to have known beforehand that I was his intended partner. He smiled at me, and the first thing he said was, “I’ve secretly liked you since university.” Because of this statement, I felt a little less resistant to this arranged marriage.
Our wedding was incredibly grand, mostly funded by Anderson Group. Even the house and car we lived in were bought by Liam, who even made sure to add my name to the property deed. “This will be our little home from now on,” he said, holding my hand with a face full of happiness. Soon after our marriage, with Anderson Group’s help, our family business quickly revived. The two large enterprises complemented each other, developing even better than before. My life with Liam was also very happy. He told me not to worry about business matters and to focus on developing my hobbies. With him at the helm, I felt at ease and tried to enjoy life. Although I wasn’t used to it at first, I gradually adapted. This lifestyle continued for six years. Just when I thought the rest of our days would pass by peacefully like this, Stella returned to the country.
I didn’t know who Stella was, but I had heard Liam’s friends mention her at previous gatherings. They said Stella was beautiful and smart, and had studied at a prestigious university abroad. At the time, I was sipping red wine on the side, listening to them reminisce about the past, finding it quite interesting. Until they started wondering if Stella had found a boyfriend yet, saying she might even be married by now. Liam suddenly spoke up to stop them. The others immediately changed the subject, as if those words had never been spoken. That was the first time I felt something was off. From what I knew of Liam, he was definitely angry just then. Even though his face remained expressionless, I could hear the anger in his voice. He was furious. Was it because he didn’t like the topic? Or because he didn’t like the main character in this topic? I didn’t pay much attention at the time, but today I finally understood why Liam was so angry then. It was because he couldn’t bear to hear that Stella might be married…
Starting last month, Liam began to come home less frequently. At first, he would return home very late at night. Then it progressed to not seeing him for four or five days at a time. This time, he hadn’t been home for a whole week. Every time I called, it would take a long time for him to answer. Sometimes, the call would be directly hung up or go unanswered. Initially, I still believed he was working overtime, but with the same excuse repeatedly, even a fool wouldn’t believe it anymore. Finally, today, I couldn’t stand it and secretly went to his company. Sure enough, he wasn’t there. Then I called his secretary, who hesitantly gave me the name of a couple’s restaurant. I had a bad feeling about this. In the end, I saw Liam and Stella intimately embracing each other at the hotel. They were holding hands, snuggling close and whispering to each other. I walked directly towards them, but I froze when I saw that face that could easily be mistaken for mine. I also ignored Liam’s momentary panic and embarrassment upon seeing me. After what seemed like an eternity, Stella walked towards me with a smile. She extended her hand and said, “You must be Nora. Thank you for taking care of Liam for me all these years.”
That night, I still brought Liam home. We were silent the entire way. After entering, I first asked the housekeeper to rest, then sat with Liam on opposite sofas. The man who once loved to stick close to me now clearly didn’t want to be near me. Why is that? Maybe because I’m just a substitute, a stand-in for Stella. Perhaps because I had caught him red-handed, Liam didn’t try to hide anything and directly proposed divorce. “You don’t need to worry about the company. I’ll set up a fund and give you $20,000 every month.” But I just kept looking at him without saying a word. Liam kept checking the time, not noticing my gaze. Right, he had promised Stella earlier that he would definitely go back to accompany her tonight. He finally couldn’t wait any longer: “Nora, just tell me what you want. I’ll fulfill whatever I can. I just hope you can let me be with Stella. She’s finally back after so long, I can’t bear to lose her again.” I was stunned. What did he take me for? How could he treat me like this? In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to say these words out loud. Forcing myself to stay calm, I asked, “I just want to ask one thing. Did you only agree to marry me because I look like her?” Liam glanced at me. “Yes.” “So when we first met, and you said you had liked me since university, that was a lie too?” I clenched my fists. Liam neither confirmed nor denied it. “I did notice you in university.” So he had only noticed me. Of course, suddenly seeing someone who looked so much like the person you love, anyone would take a second look. So everything, all of it, was fake. The happy life we had, it was all just him projecting his longing for Stella onto my face. Humiliation, anger, at that moment, my heart was filled with a mix of emotions.
I left, before dawn the next day. I moved to a small house I had bought on a whim in the suburbs two years ago. This was a place only I knew about, Liam didn’t know, so he wouldn’t come to bother me. I blocked all his contact methods, and anyone related to him was also blocked. I won’t divorce him, at least not now. Not because I still can’t let go of him, but because I don’t want Stella to move into the house and replace me so quickly. I don’t want them to become a couple so soon. For a whole week, I lived very comfortably, with no one to disturb me. My parents called, but after hearing the truth, they unwaveringly chose to stand by my side. They also comforted me, telling me not to worry about the family, saying that Ning Corporation is now stronger than it was a few years ago. A weight was finally lifted from my heart, but what I didn’t expect was that on the eighth day after I moved out, someone still found me. That person turned out to be my brother, Neil. My relationship with Neil was quite good. In the past, I always protected him, and he would make porridge for me when he drank too much and his stomach hurt. But today, Neil looked at me with a serious face, his eyes carrying a hint of dissatisfaction. I invited him in and asked what had happened. My first reaction was that something had happened to our parents or the family company. Had Liam started to move against the family because he couldn’t find me? “Nora, you should divorce Liam, right?” “What?” I didn’t expect my brother’s first words to be this. “Nora, you don’t know, Stella has had it very hard all these years. She just wants to be with the man she loves now. Can you let them be together? Please? Consider it a favor to your brother.” Neil’s attitude was very humble. He had never said the word “please” to me before, but today he said it, and it was for that woman. I looked at him in disbelief and questioned him: “Neil, do you know what you’re saying? That Stella interfered with my marriage, and now you’re here begging me on her behalf? Begging me to step aside for her? Neil, have you gone mad?!” Neil’s face showed a hint of embarrassment, but he still tried to persuade me: “Nora, I know, I know all of this. Liam is just a scumbag, he doesn’t deserve you. So after you divorce, I’ll definitely help you find a better man. You don’t need this Liam anyway. But Stella only has this one love in her life, so can you please give Liam to her?” At this moment, I felt that the brother in front of me was very unfamiliar. When did my brother stop standing on my side and start standing on my enemy’s side? I shook my head, not wanting to say anything more to him. I pointed at the front door, asking him to leave: “Just go! I won’t divorce now, and you don’t need to say anything more.” “Nora…” “I said go!” Maybe my attitude was too harsh, but Neil finally left. However, when he reached the door, he still said: “I’ll come back, Nora. Think about it carefully.” I have nothing to think about. I’m not doing charity work, voluntarily making way for them.
After Neil left, the more I thought about it, the stranger this whole thing seemed. I unblocked the number of one of Liam’s good friends from my phone’s blacklist. This person was his childhood neighbor, and maybe because she was a woman, she was the one I got along with best among Liam’s circle of friends. She also seemed to dislike Stella. I dialed the number, and it was quickly answered. “Nora, you finally showed up. I was heartbroken for a long time after you blocked me,” Tina’s wailing voice came from the other end of the phone. But I had no time for jokes with her. “Tina, do you know if anything happened between my brother and Stella?” “Your brother? Neil?” “Yes.” I told her about Neil coming to ask me to divorce Liam to let Stella be with him. Tina on the other end of the phone burst into laughter, “Hahahahaha, I didn’t expect that after so many years, your brother is still such a lovesick puppy. He’s really good at self-delusion!” “What do you mean?” “Actually, your brother and Stella met at a competition once. It seems your brother really admired Stella’s talent and fell in love with her at first sight. Liam found out about this later and wanted to go beat up your brother, but Stella stopped him. After that, the two of them just stayed out of each other’s way. Stella went abroad after high school graduation. I don’t know if she kept in touch with your brother during that time. But your brother is quite a few years older than you, right? He’s never had a girlfriend and never showed any intention of getting married. Looks like he’s still waiting for someone~” Tina teased on the other end of the phone. I was shocked. I never expected that my brother would like Stella, and even stayed single for so many years because of her. How charming must Stella be to make my brother say such things to his own sister even now?
After hanging up the phone with Tina, I realized I couldn’t stay here anymore. I immediately packed my luggage and changed my residence again. I never thought there would come a day when I would be forced to run around by my own brother. I decided to go to another state. Coincidentally, one of my college classmates was working there. Although we weren’t in the same department, she was one of my few good friends. But because I got married, we gradually lost touch. The last time we met was several years ago. I felt quite sorry towards her and prepared to go find her and apologize properly. After contacting my friend, I boarded a plane to the other state that evening. But I didn’t expect that trip would become the last journey of my life. The next morning, news of a major plane crash was everywhere, almost all news media were devoted to this news, and social media was also flooded with it. In an instant, all the families of the victims rushed to the scene. Because I had lost my ID, they couldn’t contact my relatives for a while. Only my friend Tina, who knew about my whereabouts, came to the airport after seeing the news. It was she who helped identify my body remains, and she who helped retrieve the only phone fragment that could be found.
So I floated in mid-air, watching Tina secretly wiping her tears. Even though it was because of me that we hadn’t met for so many years, seeing her like this now, I really felt very guilty in my heart. But now I was already dead, just a soul floating around, with no way to give her a hug or comfort her. Soon a ghost official came. I thought he was coming to take me away, but unexpectedly, he told me that the karma of this life hadn’t been resolved yet, so he wouldn’t take me to reincarnate for now. I asked him how to resolve it? He said it depended on my own fate, then he patted me, saying he would send me to the side of the person with whom I had the deepest karma. My vision went black, and when I opened my eyes again, I found myself in the house where I had lived for nearly seven years. At this moment, Liam, who should have been at work, was at home, holding Stella, the two of them entwined on the sofa. I felt a bit sick instantly, but more than that, I felt they were desecrating the expensive custom-made sofa I had ordered. They cuddled for a while, then Liam let go of Stella. Stella seemed a bit unsatisfied and pounced back onto Liam, asking somewhat pitifully, “Liam, can’t we yet? Don’t you love me anymore?” Looking at her like that was really disgusting. Liam was also stunned for a moment, but in the end, reason seemed to overcome emotion. He comforted Stella, saying he would divorce as soon as possible, and then immediately marry Stella. So it was because Liam was still married, and he didn’t want Stella to be labeled as the other woman. How considerate and gentle. Maybe it’s because I’m dead now, in a state of a wandering soul, my heart doesn’t seem to hurt as much anymore. I just find all of this very laughable. “Okay, then when the time comes, we’ll start from the living room to the bedroom, from the bedroom to the kitchen…” “Alright, whatever you like,” Liam smiled and hugged her, using the tone he used to speak to me to tease Stella.
Time flew by, and more than a week had passed. I didn’t know why I always followed Liam; I couldn’t leave his side on my own, I could only go wherever he went. During these six months, I saw that apart from eating, sleeping, working, and coaxing Stella, he was frantically calling me, but without exception, my phone was unreachable. I heard him cursing at the busy tone on the phone. He cursed me for being unreasonable, ungrateful, said he shouldn’t have married me in the first place, shouldn’t have helped my family, and even accused me of having another man outside and not coming home. But what he didn’t know was that when he was cursing me, I was right across from him, watching him, watching his handsome face reveal a fierce expression, spitting out the most vicious words. Maybe it’s because I’ve really become a ghost, my heart seems to have disappeared along with it. Hearing these words, I wasn’t very angry, I just thought he was too noisy. After that, he went to find everyone who might have had contact with me, including my parents and my brother Neil, but everyone said they didn’t know my whereabouts either. Because Tina initially thought I had run away from home, and she didn’t have my family’s contact information, in her anger, she didn’t tell my parents that I was already dead. And Liam didn’t know about my relationship with Tina, so he didn’t go to her to find out what had happened. Now everyone probably thinks I ran away quietly to avoid divorce, right? No matter what they think, I don’t care anymore.
Recently, Stella’s mood doesn’t seem to be very good. She started frequently asking Liam when he could divorce me, where I had gone, when they would get married. At first, Liam would patiently comfort her, coax her, promise her that he would resolve these issues as soon as possible, but as the frequency increased, Liam’s patience was also exhausted. The last time was yesterday. When Stella asked again, Liam yelled at her, saying he was very troubled, that he had many things to do, and couldn’t always spend time looking for me. “So can you calm down? I said I would marry you and I will definitely do it. Now we can’t find Nora anywhere, and if I don’t divorce her, I’m still married. At worst, after two years of separation, I’ll file for divorce. So can you stop asking?” Stella probably never dreamed that this man who always said he loved her, who even forced away his legal wife for her, would one day yell at her too. At this moment, I was floating behind Liam, watching all of Stella’s expressions. It was quite funny, but I have to say, Stella is indeed beautiful. Even when she’s this angry, she’s not ugly. Liam realized his mistake and quickly went to hug Stella, softly coaxing her, but Stella just kept a cold face. One was coaxing, the other wasn’t accepting it. This scene was really boring, but I had no way to leave, I could only float in place watching this pair of “star-crossed lovers”.
Today I finally got to go somewhere new because Liam brought Stella to attend a banquet. It was originally a reunion for our university department, but Liam still brought Stella along. He really didn’t care about my face at all. The moment he entered with Stella, the originally lively crowd suddenly fell silent. Everyone unanimously looked at them. Some people were full of curiosity, some felt disgust, some were thinking about how to curry favor with Liam, but there was also a group of men whose gazes were on Stella. However, these people were all glared back by Liam. He really was protective. When everyone had arrived, the student union president from university days raised his glass and said some words to liven up the atmosphere. Everyone else also raised their glasses. After three rounds of drinks, the people at the scene had basically loosened up. Everyone was chatting in their own groups, it was quite lively. “Hey, do you know about that plane crash half a year ago?” “Who doesn’t know? It dominated the headlines for a whole week.” “My distant uncle’s whole family was on it. It’s really tragic. My uncle was quite good to me, it’s such a pity…” “Yeah, a whole plane full of people, it’s too tragic.” “But I really didn’t expect this kind of thing would happen to one of our classmates…” The topic was led to the plane crash that caused my death, but unexpectedly, a classmate suddenly came out with this sentence. This statement made everyone very concerned, and they hurriedly asked what he meant. “Don’t you all know? Our classmate, Nora, died in that accident.” Crash! The glass in Liam’s hand next to me slipped and shattered on the ground, making a crisp sound. The red wine inside spilled all over the floor.
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