“How dare you speak to our lady like that,” the guard growled. “Do you even know who this is? Mrs. Verne owns this estate. Crawl back into whatever gutter you came from before she really gets mad.”

The drunk didn’t react. He just lay there, laughing like he’d lost his mind, completely unfazed by the blow.

“So tragic,” he slurred, grinning through cracked, bleeding lips. “Pushed off that tall balcony... blood everywhere.” 

“But he wasn’t satisfied. He sent thugs, had him chopped to pieces. He was still alive when they started. Then they scattered the pieces all over the land.”

Nadia’s face twisted with disgust as she stared down at him like he was something scraped off her heel. “Who the hell are you?” she snapped. “Where’s Patrick?”

But the drunk just kept laughing, face streaked with god-knows-what—booze, tears, maybe both. His bottle had spilled all over him, soaking his dirty shirt and face.

And then, out of nowhere, he staggered forward and clung to her leg.

“He was a good man. Very kind,” the drunk cried. “He gave me food. Fed me when I had nothing. If it weren’t for him, I’d have starved to death.”

Nadia recoiled and kicked him off like he was a bug. He went flying, landing hard on a small, messy mound of dirt nearby.

The moment his back hit it, the drunk sobered up like someone flipped a switch. He scrambled up, brushing the soil with shaky hands, muttering apologies over and over.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”

Nadia frowned. “What the hell is that?”

The drunk reached for the marker like it was made of glass, gently setting it upright and patting the dirt like he was tucking someone in for the night.

“It’s his grave,” he said hoarsely.

She narrowed her eyes and sure enough, there it was—a crude little wooden plank sticking out of the dirt, tilted sideways, with crooked letters carved into it:

RIP.

Nadia rolled her eyes. “What a joke.”

She shoved the drunk aside, gave a snort of disbelief and raised her heel—then crack—snapped the little makeshift headstone in two.

“Three years and this is what he comes up with? A tragic story and a cheap little trick just to avoid me?” she scoffed. “He really thinks this pathetic performance is gonna make me feel guilty?”

She wasn’t done. She barked at one of her guards, “Get me a shovel. Flatten this damn thing.”

They did as she said—like they always did. With each strike of the shovel, the grave disappeared, just a pile of loose dirt now.

“I wanna see just how long Patrick can keep playing dead.”

The drunk looked like his soul got ripped out. “What are you doing? Please don’t,” he wailed. “Stop it! I told you—he’s dead! God, Mr. Carter was a good man. He didn’t deserve this.”

But Nadia had already turned away, completely done with him.

She paused, then said loud and clear into the wind, “Patrick. I know you’re listening.”

“You’ve got three days. Show yourself. Volunteer that damn kidney for Eric and I’ll lift your punishment. I’ll even let you come home.”

Her voice rang out, steady and unflinching, the edge in her tone daring him to test her resolve.

“But if you’d rather keep playing ghost—keep hiding like a coward—then forget about ever seeing your son again.”

With that, she turned on her heel and walked off.

Before she left, she gave her guard a nod.

The man stepped forward, raised his metal baton and slammed it into the drunk’s leg with a sickening crack.

He screamed.

“Fucking beggar,” the bodyguard spat. “That’s what you get for getting in her way.”

I hovered nearby, watching the whole thing unfold.

My heart ached. I wanted to cry—but no tears came. 

Leo, my son…

It had been three years since I last saw him.

Nadia knew how much I loved him—that's why she used him to lure me out.

Of course I would have run to him. I would have done anything.

But now… I couldn’t anymore.

Once they were gone, the villa fell silent again. Still. Dead.

Only the drunk remained, curled beside the ruined grave, sobbing softly into the dirt.

He was mourning me.

Seeing him beaten and bloodied like that twisted something inside me.

Very few people even knew I had died. But the drunk—he was the only one who never left me, even after death.

He was just a homeless guy who once got caught stealing and was beaten half to death for it. I paid for his treatment and gave him a few warm meals. That was all.

After that, he saw me as his savior—refused to leave, insisted on staying near the villa to “watch over” me.

Even that day, when Eric came to the villa in secret and pushed me off the balcony, the drunk was right outside the door.

He saw me fall with his own eyes, helpless to stop it.

Falling from the fifth floor should’ve killed me instantly. But it didn’t. I survived—barely.

The drunk panicked. He ran for help like a madman. But while he was gone, Eric came back—furious that I was still alive. He hired a few thugs and they finished the job.

They dismembered me—while I was still alive.

“As long as you’re breathing, you’ll always be a threat between me and Nadia,”

“But if you're dead, I’ll be the only man in her life.”

“Don’t blame me when you reach the underworld, Patrick. Blame your luck for becoming an obstacle in my way.”

That wicked smile of his—that image still burns in my memory. Maybe my resentment ran too deep—so deep, even death couldn’t release me.

I never moved on, never reincarnated. I remained here, bound to this place.

It wasn’t like I’d done something so monstrous that I deserved this—being tortured, torn apart and left to rot like garbage.

Even when I was lying in that narrow hole, as dirt filled my eyes and flooded my lungs, I wasn’t thinking about revenge. I just wanted to see my son one last time.

I married into the Verne Family. My son took Nadia’s surname. But she never loved me—and worse, she never loved our child. Even though he was her own flesh and blood, she treated him with cold indifference.

And who’s to say what Eric might do to Leo now that I’m gone?

Three days passed. And as she promised… she came back.

Nadia showed up at the villa again, this time dragging Eric along. And beside them walked a little boy in a suit—Leo.

My little boy!

I rushed toward him without thinking, desperate to reach him—even if I couldn’t touch him anymore.

But before I could get close, Nadia clamped a hand around his neck.

“Patrick!” she screamed into the air, “This is your last chance! Your three days deadline’s up. If you don’t come out now, don’t blame me for what happens next. I’ll strangle your son with my own hands!”

She really would’ve done it. That’s how much she adored Eric. She’d rather kill her own child than let me keep hiding from her demands.

She even brought an entire medical team—ready to cut out my kidney on the spot.

“Patrick, you can survive with one kidney. But Eric’s dying. His time’s almost up.”

“I’m giving you five seconds. Five… four… three…”

Leo’s face turned purple, gasping under her grip. He struggled, but he was just a kid. No match for her strength. Still, his eyes never wavered. They looked right toward the villa.

And then—he spoke.

“Dad… don’t come out. Don’t worry about me.”

“You already gave Mom one of your kidneys. If you give another… you’ll die.”

He yelled it between breaths, tears in his eyes, but not fear.

Conviction.

Nadia’s hand froze mid-squeeze. She stared down at him, stunned. “What did you just say?”

Leo glared at her. “You’ve been fooled, Mom.”

“It wasn’t him who gave you a kidney when you were sick,” he pointed to Eric, “It was Dad.”

Her face twisted in disbelief.

“He lied to you. He wanted to take Dad’s place, so he made up that story about being your donor. He made you believe he was your savior.”

“And he didn’t fell. He threw himself down the stairs just to frame Dad. Dad didn’t push him. He was innocent!”

I heard it all.

And even though I had no body to cry with, I felt the tears—burning, invisible, never falling.

My son. My six-year-old son… trusted me more than the woman I had loved for eight years ever did.

It all started unraveling five years ago, when Eric came back from abroad and turned our peaceful lives upside down. I remember it clearly—the night Leo turned one. I’d spent the whole day getting the house ready, blowing up balloons, hanging streamers. I was so excited for Nadia to come home and celebrate with us.

She never showed.

Not until ten o’clock that night.

I came downstairs, carrying our sleepy boy in my arms, only to find her in the driveway—wrapped in Eric’s arms.

“I could come back to you,” she said softly, “if you asked me to. I’d leave it all behind. Even my son and husband.”

Eric gave her that smug smile I hated. “I’m not sure yet,” he said. “But for now, I want you to stop sleeping with him.”

And just like that, she agreed. Like a loyal little pet.

From that night on, she wouldn’t even touch me. Not a glance. Not a word. If she ever felt desire again, she disappeared into the bathroom for a cold shower and came out like nothing happened.

Two years passed. Then one day, Eric told her, “Nadia… I want a baby.”

She lit up like it was the best news she’d ever heard. Forget the fact that we were still married. Forget the child we already had. She threw herself into getting pregnant with his child like it was her life’s purpose.

It burned. Because I remembered how she’d reacted when she found out she was pregnant with Leo—blank, indifferent, like she’d swallowed a stone.

I confronted her that night. The words just exploded out of me. But she barely looked up.

“Why are you always so dramatic?” she muttered, annoyed, barely sparing me a glance. “Eric’s been living overseas all alone for years. He came back because he’s sick. He’s been my friend since we were kids. I’m just trying to help him a little—is that so hard for you to understand?”

She clicked her tongue, exasperated.

“And don’t forget, you’re the one who begged me to marry you. You get to sit around in this house without lifting a finger. You don’t work, you don’t clean and there are maids to do everything for you. What more do you want?”

Then she grabbed her coat and walked out—just like that. Not a second glance.

Even when Leo woke up crying, loud and scared, she didn’t come back. Didn’t pause. Didn’t care.

That was the time I realized how cold woman could be when she was no longer loving.

Later, I caught Eric cornering one of the maids’ daughters in the hallway. I confronted him, warned him to back off and that same day, he threw himself down the staircase.

Then he told Nadia I pushed him.

She didn’t even ask for my side. Just slapped me across the face—again and again—and had her guards send me to the villa.

“Think about what you’ve done,” she said.

Barely two months later, Eric came back to finish the job.

And now… now she stood here threatening my son, choking him, for the sake of that same man.

Leo’s voice snapped her out of it. But his courage? It infuriated her.

“You little brat,” she hissed, eyes blazing. “You’re just like your father!”

She slapped him across the face—hard.

Leo was only six. He couldn’t take a hit like that. It knocked him straight to the ground—right in front of my grave.

Nadia’s face was cold. Icy.

“How many times have I told you, Leo?” she said through clenched teeth. “He’s your uncle. Your uncle. Who taught you to speak to him like that?” She jabbed a finger at Eric. “Like father, like son. You both drive me insane.”

Then—like flipping a switch—her voice softened. She turned to Eric, eyes warm, tone laced with honey.

Eric, ever the performer, looked like a wounded angel—eyes misty, lip trembling, soaking in the drama.

“I’m so sorry, Eric,” she cooed, brushing invisible dust from his sleeve with the tenderness she never gave her own child. “I promised I’d protect you. I won’t let anyone hurt you… not even my son.”

And then, just like that, she spun back around and kicked Leo while he was still on the ground.

He let out a gasp—more in shock than pain.

“Get up,” she snapped. “Kneel and apologize to him.”

Eric stepped in then, with all the fake nobility of a martyr.

“Nadia… don’t be too hard on him,” he said gently, eyes shining as if he might cry. “He’s just a kid. If he hates me, it’s probably my fault. I must’ve done something wrong. Don’t blame him.”

The more tender Eric sounded, the colder Nadia’s eyes became.

Leo didn’t move fast enough. She kicked him again.

“Are you deaf? Apologize to Eric!”

I couldn’t believe how far she was willing to go to protect him—to worship him.

After Eric was diagnosed with kidney failure, some New Age quack told her it was karma—that his suffering was punishment for all the bad things he’d done.

Nadia lost it. She beat the guy half to death.

Now, just because my son dared to speak up, she wanted to force him to his knees in front of the man who murdered me.

But Leo… my son had my stubbornness.

His little fists clenched at his sides, eyes burning with tears.

“I won’t!” he shouted. “He’s the one who killed my dad!”

Eric’s face went pale. Nadia froze mid-motion.

“What… what did you say?” she asked, voice low and dangerous.