Chapter 9: "The Ghost"
390 Words
Aria didn’t sleep.
At 8AM, another text from "S":
_Look up news. 3 years ago. Hale + car crash. Then we’ll talk. - S_
She did.
Headline: *CEO DAMIAN HALE LOSES FIANCÉE IN TRAGIC ACCIDENT*
Photo: Damian + the woman from the frame.
Name: *Evelyn Hale.*
Evelyn.
She had Aria’s face.
Aria felt sick.
So that’s why he paid her mom’s bills.
That’s why he hired her.
That’s why he said "Look like my wife."
She wasn’t a wife.
She was a replacement.
At noon, Selena was at her desk.
Red lips. Smug smile.
“Found out yet?” Selena asked softly.
Aria didn’t answer.
Selena slid an envelope across the desk.
Inside: more photos. Evelyn. At the beach. In Damian’s arms.
And one note: _He never got over her. You’re just a stand-in until he does._
“Why are you telling me this?” Aria whispered.
“Because I loved him,” Selena said. “And you’re hurting him by pretending to be her.”
She walked away.
At 5PM, Damian called her into his office.
He looked exhausted. Dark circles.
“You saw the news,” he said. Not a question.
Aria nodded. “Was that the whole contract? For me to be her?”
Damian was quiet. Too long.
“Partly,” he said finally.
The word hit like a slap.
“So what am I to you?” Aria stood up. “A ghost? A distraction?”
“You’re the woman who signed the contract,” Damian said. Sharp.
“Don’t make this more than it is.”
“Then why did you cook soup?”
“Why did you cancel the meeting?”
“Why did you say 'mine' in the elevator??”
Damian slammed his hand on the desk.
“Because I’m human, Aria!”
He immediately regretted it. His shoulders dropped.
“I’m sorry,” he said. Softer. “I’m not good at this.”
Aria laughed, but it hurt. “You’re not good at lying either.”
She walked out.
At home, the penthouse was empty.
No dresses. No notes.
Just the locked drawer with the photo.
She sat on the bed for hours.
48 weeks left.
And she had no idea if she was the wife...
Or the ghost.
Her phone buzzed.
Damian: _Don’t leave. - D_
She didn’t reply.
---
- Writer
