Chapter 4

The fact that I hadn't contacted Anthony at all only made him more irritable. And when he realized I still hadn't come home, he sent me a voice message, his tone full of barely contained rage.

"Willow, I'm warning you—if you don't come back right now, don't even think about taking one step out of your room for the rest of your life!"

For the rest of my life… I laughed. It was apparent that it never even crossed his mind that the rest of my life was over.

He probably also never imagined that while he and Maisie were wrapped up in their sweet little romance these past few days, I was right there, practically within arm's reach. My soul and my corpse had been lying not far from him this whole time, sinking into despair, slowly rotting away.

Over time, with Eddie's help, I gradually learned how to enter other people's dreams—they sat closest to the realm of death.

So one night, after Maisie fell asleep, I dragged an indignant Eddie with me and slipped straight into her dream without a second thought. Eddie was angrier than I was after hearing my story, and he swore up and down that he would help me get revenge.

Maisie's dream was pitch-black. Dreams reflected the heart, so her inner world was just as dark and suffocating. When we arrived, she was in the middle of getting cozy with Anthony.

His gaze was deep and tender, and he was sprawled lazily on the couch. His face, usually so cold and distant, was now softened with warmth. When I appeared, he lifted his gaze slightly, the corner of his lips curling into a gentle smile.

I froze for a moment, then quickly realized this Anthony wasn't real. When it came to me, he was never anything but indifferent. The only smiles he showed me were mocking and laced with contempt.

Sure enough, thunder cracked overhead a moment later. Anthony dissolved into smoke and vanished. Maisie finally noticed us; her eyes went wide, and her expression turned blank with shock.

"Vengeful, I'll get revenge for you." Eddie shot me a wicked grin, then grabbed his neck and put on a gruesome show of ripping his head off. Blood poured from all his orifices, and his tongue split in half. His head was removed clean off his neck…

Maisie was so frightened that she immediately started screaming for help, trying her best to scramble away from us. The color drained from her face, leaving her lips bloodless and making her look even paler than me, who'd been dead for days.

I couldn't just stand there anymore. How could I not be moved when Eddie was going all out to get revenge for me?

I immediately stuck out my tongue and zoomed right toward Maisie, twisting my head 360 degrees like they did in horror movies.

Maisie was about to scream some more when she saw my face and froze. "Willow Shore! You're dead! Are you really dead?"

The terror faded from her face. It was replaced by a vague sense of smugness and satisfaction.

I was taken aback. Before I could figure out what her reaction meant, a strong force suddenly shoved me away. Eddie and I fell out of the dream, only to realize that Anthony had noticed something was off with Maisie and woken her up.

His eyes were filled with concern as he looked at her. "Did you have a nightmare?"

His voice was low and soft, and he reached out to wipe the sweat from her brow, his movements tender and thoughtful.

I stiffened when I saw the worry in his gaze. Even if I was nothing but a soul now, my heart still twisted bitterly.

In the past, no matter what I'd been through, Anthony had never once comforted me like that. All he'd given me was impatient mockery of what a drama queen I was.

I knew he had to run Flint Group and was busy with work. That was why, even when he didn't care that I'd been bullied and insulted and when he'd caused me to miscarry in the later stages of my pregnancy due to his neglect, I told myself that was just what he was like to everyone.