When my body is sealed behind a wall, he's busy celebrating his true love's birthday.

Everyone says Jayden Stone and I are a match made in heaven, but he hates me to the bone.

When news of my death reaches him, he kicks over my corpse with a sneer. "Officer Austen, your revenge is complete…"

Later, someone finally tells him that I was the one who saved his life. He shows up at my grave, his eyes swollen from crying. He begs like a madman for me to come back...

Jayden Stone was busy celebrating Vivian Sommer's birthday while someone was sealing my corpse into the wall. With a doting smile, he wiped the frosting she'd smeared on his cheek, then gave her forehead a light tap. "You're such a troublemaker."

I remembered Jayden was a germaphobe. Back then, if I cooked for him, I had to wipe myself down with alcohol before he'd even let me touch him. He said the smell of cooking oil on my skin made him sick.

One time, I bought myself a birthday cake to celebrate with him. But he threw it straight in the trash just because I'd set it on the floor for a second while unlocking the door.

"Trash is where filth belongs, and that's where you belong, too."

Then, why did all his rules go out the window when it came to Vivian?

My eyes stung. I tilted my head back, blinking hard at the sky to hold back the tears. But then it hit me—the dead couldn't cry. I was a spirit trapped between worlds, maybe because my attachment ran too deep to let me move on.

The phone's ringtone shattered the warm, fuzzy moment.

Jayden checked the caller ID, his brow furrowing at what he saw. I peeked over to find my name flashing on the screen. Without a word, he declined the call.

"Is that Kat calling, Jay?"

"Don't mind her. She's probably being dramatic again because I didn't come home."

The moment Jayden stopped talking, the phone rang again. He hung up again. After five or six times of this, he got fed up and finally answered.

"Katherine, what is your problem now? Listen—it's Vivi's birthday today. Call back trying to make trouble, and I swear, I'll end you!"

The line went dead. Of course, the person on the other end stayed silent. I was already dead, and whoever was calling Jayden from my phone definitely wasn't me. One word would've given it all away.

Jayden's expression darkened. He clearly hadn't expected me to hang up on him.

Vivian grabbed his arm, her face tense with worry. "Jay, did something happen to Kat?"

Jayden's face softened as he looked at her. But the moment he brought me up, his voice turned icy, dripping with venom.

"What could possibly happen to a ruthless person like her? Things might happen to anyone else, but never her."

"Jay, come on. She's still my sister." Vivian bit her lip. "Things are really tense in the gang right now, and with the cops keeping such a close eye on Kat, I'm worried about her."

Jayden's eyes darkened. He felt helpless, and he ruffled Vivian's hair.

"You're always putting everyone else first, Vivi. I'll never get how someone as cold as Katherine ended up with a little sister as kind as you."

In the end, Vivian got through to Jayden. He hit the gas and sped to my villa, frantic behind the wheel.

Everything in me knew his panic was for his colleagues, not me. But my heart? It fluttered anyway, clinging to the foolish hope that some small part of it was meant for me.

If Jayden hadn't been an undercover cop and I hadn't been a criminal boss' daughter, he would've walked away the moment he saw me. But in the end, the only thing that made him stay was my last name.

That idiot actually thought he was hiding his identity well, but I saw right through him the second I laid eyes on him. I always had the feeling his superior must've hated him. Why else would they have sent him undercover?

Nobody had any clue how much time I wasted back then covering for him and running his messages.

Jayden's car pulled up to my villa before long. He stepped out and opened the front gate without missing a beat. Just like I'd expected, the place was empty, with nothing but a spread of cold dishes on the dining table.

Jayden had called me a dozen times on his way over, but I didn't answer once. Now, he was a breath away from losing it.

He swallowed his rage and dialed Hank Walker. "Find Katherine."

Hank's voice oozed amusement over the phone. "Well, well, Jay. Didn't you say that you'd be with Ms. Vivian for her birthday?

"And now you're chasing after Katherine instead? Still think she'd make a better wife, huh?"

"Shut your trap!" Jayden snapped. "How many times do I have to say it? Stop calling her that.

"She's trouble. Anyone who gets close to her ends up screwed. Are you trying to get me killed or what?"

"Chill out, Jay. It's just… I feel like Katherine's always had your back. No matter how badly you screwed up, she covered for you, year after year. Vivian's not like that. She smiles at your face and then stabs—"

"That's enough!" Jayden snarled. "Don't you dare compare Vivi to her! Someone as rotten as Katherine doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air. Say that again, and I swear I'll rip your tongue out."

Jayden hung up and, without thinking twice, flipped the dining table. Plates, silverware, and wine glasses crashed to the floor with a sharp, shattering noise.

Some of the creamy spinach soup had splattered onto the couch, wilted spinach clinging to the armrest in a slimy mess.

A pang of regret hit me. This was the last meal I'd ever make for Jayden. Even tossing it would've been better than this. Now, it was smeared all over the floor, making the whole place feel gross.

But Jayden wasn't done venting his anger. He grabbed the mahogany chair and slammed it into the wall. The concrete had only been applied that day, and the impact tore a chunk out.

A pale hand stuck out from the crumbling wall. One look from Jayden, and he'd see my corpse stuffed inside.

Jayden was about to turn toward the chair when his phone rang at the worst possible moment. Vivian's name lit up the screen, and before he knew it, a smile softened his face.

"Jay, did you find Kat?"

"No. I have no idea where she stormed off to throw her tantrum. Forget about her. Vivi, you're in no shape to be up. Go get some rest."

"Okay, I'll listen to you, Jay. But you should really look harder for her. Who knows? Maybe she's been beside you this whole time, and you just didn't notice."

Vivian's voice sounded even spookier in the dead of night. But Jayden—thick as ever—didn't notice a thing. He murmured "goodnight" and hung up.

I let out a bitter laugh. I used to think Jayden was such a fool. He was too dense to pick up on what Vivian really meant and would never figure out that she was the one who'd killed me.

She really was just like Alan Sommer—my so-called father. That twisted man had made a twisted daughter.

When most people killed someone, they'd do anything to cover it up. But Vivian? She wanted Jayden to dig me out of the wall with his own hands, all to feed her sick obsession.

Jayden stayed all night, sleeping on the couch while I sat beside him, watching him the whole time.

Just sitting there with him in perfect quiet would've been unthinkable before. We used to fight every time we were together. Who'd have guessed he could be this calm now?

I counted his eyelashes out of boredom—132 on the left, 128 on the right. I had to admit that he was handsome. Even his lashes were unfairly pretty.

Jayden woke to Hank's phone call.

"Jay, I've been searching all night. Ms. Katherine left the office yesterday evening and hasn't been heard from since. You think something's wrong?"

"No news means she's not out causing trouble. And no trouble's good enough. Leave it," Jayden muttered.

His brow had furrowed at being suddenly woken, but it eased slightly at Hank's words. The operation was entering its final phase. That was why Jayden was afraid I'd screw up their plans.

But Hank was still uneasy. "Things have been tense lately. Nadia from the casino was dumped in the river and left to drown just two days ago. They still haven't found who did it. And Ms. Katherine… She's just a woman. What if—"

"There's no 'what if.'" Jayden scoffed. "Honestly, I wish she were the one who drowned. But no—good people die young, while snakes like her just keep slithering on. How does a curse like her even stay alive?"

My heart clenched painfully, a dull ache spreading through my chest. I'd heard enough cruel words to last a lifetime and thought nothing could hurt me anymore.

But hearing him say it—wishing I were dead—left me drowning in grief, my very soul trembling. It was only now that I realized I wasn't as strong as I'd believed.

At that moment, a vicious wish surged through me. I wanted Jayden to turn around so badly to see my corpse. What kind of face would he make if he knew I was buried in the wall behind him?

But I was just a spirit now, invisible and untouchable. All I could do was watch as he drove to the graveyard. Then, it hit me—today was Evan Austen's death anniversary.

Evan had been an exceptional undercover cop and was Jayden's mentor. To Jayden, Evan was like a father in everything but blood.

Still, I couldn't help wondering if Jayden was actually an idiot. Visiting Evan's grave right now was reckless. Their whole operation would collapse if Jayden slipped up and revealed his identity.

He paused in front of a gravestone and nodded solemnly. "We're almost there, Officer Austen. I'll make sure Katherine stands trial and faces the firing squad. This vengeance is for you."

The photo on the tombstone showed Evan in his police uniform—handsome and righteous, his eyes burning with conviction. But that light had gone out forever two years ago because of me.