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Chapter 2

Autor: Mister Rhapsody
If our sense of smell was fine, then something was definitely wrong with the smell coming off Elise.

The whole situation felt off, and it made me worry about her health.

The next day, I went out of my way to book a full spread at a nice hotel and opened an expensive bottle of red wine. I also bought each of her roommates a carefully chosen gift.

Once they had warmed up to me, I kept my tone gentle and started speaking over dinner.

"About those smelly things I bought yesterday… I thought I saw signs of mice, so I was trying to lure them out and get rid of them. If you don't mind, while you're all in class tomorrow, could I have a cleaning service come in and do a full deep clean? I'll cover all the costs, and I'll take care of your food for the next month, too."

Before I could finish, one of Elise's roommates slammed her fork down.

"Mrs. Dolton, if you've got something to say, just say it. There's no need to do all this."

The others' expressions turned cold as well.

"Yeah, Mrs. Dolton. We know your family's well-off. You don't like this place, and you think Elise is suffering here. But no one's forcing her to stay. She can move out anytime."

"Hmph. We might not have much money, but we keep things clean. What's the point of a deep clean?"

Caught in the middle, Elise turned teary-eyed as she hurried to explain to her roommates.

"I'm not looking down on you guys. I'm not planning to move out, either."

Then she turned to me.

"Mom! If you don't like it here, then just leave. I'm not as picky as you. I like it here. I'm happy living with them."

I stood there, stunned, unable to understand why they were reacting so strongly.

I had kept my tone polite. I had even softened things with gifts beforehand. Even if I sounded a little critical, their reaction shouldn't have been this aggressive.

Besides, I used the mouse excuse. I didn't even mention the smell.

A strange unease crept through me, and I couldn't help but wonder if Elise and her roommates were hiding something on purpose.

"Elise, why are you all reacting like this just because I suggested a deep clean? Can you tell me the truth? I'm your mom. No matter what's going on, I'll understand. I'll protect you."

Back in the bedroom, I tried to talk to her properly, to be open and honest.

In my last life, the smell on Elise hadn't faded at all after she showered. That was when I called for a full cleaning.

They had gone crazy and killed me right there.

After going through this twice, I was almost certain now. There was something in this apartment they couldn't let anyone else find.

"What are you saying, Mom? Are you accusing us of doing something wrong and hiding it from you? Is that why you won't let go of this nonsense about hiring cleaners?"

Elise's eyes were already red, tears pooling as she glared at me.

"I know I didn't get into a top school and disappointed you. Is that why you've started looking down on me?

"I admit I'm not that smart, but I've been trying my best, Mom!

"If you hate me, then just go! Stop interfering with my life. My roommates might just be ordinary college students you don't think much of, but I like them. Please don't make them hate me. Don't ruin my friendships, okay?"

I hadn't expected her to react like this.

Every word she said cut deep, like a knife straight into my chest.

I had pushed her too hard before and expected too much from her. It had strained her, shaped her in ways I hadn't meant to.

But I had realized that. I had been trying to make it right. How could I not love her?

When I saw her tear-streaked face, my chest tightened, and I pulled her into my arms.

The next second, a chill ran down my spine, and I blurted out, "Elise, what happened to you?"
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  • The Girl No One Could See   Chapter 10

    When they realized I had figured everything out, Elise's roommates went pale.But they had already crossed the line into murder. Their nerves were stronger than I expected. They recovered quickly and turned on Sabrina."Listen carefully. She's crazy. You didn't see anything unusual here. You didn't smell anything either. Otherwise, we'll make sure your whole family suffers!"They looked back at me and sneered."Go ahead and call the police. We're not afraid. We've got proof you're mentally unstable, but do you have any proof we killed anyone? Oh, and before Elise went missing, she transferred us a lot of money. She's such a kind person. If you see her after you die, make sure you thank her for us!"Their mocking tone cut straight through me, filling me with a cold, crushing mix of anger and grief.I couldn't hold it back. "Why? Why did you kill Elise?!"They didn't answer. They just looked at me like I was insane, smiling coldly.A laugh broke out of me, too, sharp and unstea

  • The Girl No One Could See   Chapter 9

    In that instant, everything fell into place.From the very beginning, I had walked straight into the trap they set for me.After Elise died, they took her phone and faked messages to make it look like she was still alive, buying themselves time to deal with the body and clean up any trace of what they had done.I wanted to surprise Elise, so I didn't tell her I was coming until I got to the train station.That was when I ran into a driver who said he could give me a cheaper ride.I just wanted to see Elise as soon as possible. I didn't think twice before getting in.Then, I got dizzy. I must have fallen asleep in the car. When I woke up, I felt off, like my head wasn't right.That driver had to be part of it. He drugged me in the car. It messed with my head and made me hallucinate. Because of how much I missed Elise, I ended up "seeing" her even though she wasn't there, and even smelling a stench on her that didn't exist.There was nothing wrong with my sense of smell. It was

  • The Girl No One Could See   Chapter 8

    That was the moment it all clicked.Elise was already dead. She was gone, and I was the only one who could still see her.Her roommates had forgotten to warn Sabrina about that, and that was where their lie started to crack.Sabrina panicked and tried to bolt for the door, but I grabbed her.The next second, all four of Elise's roommates lunged at me at once."You're out of your mind! It's one thing to pick on us, but why are you dragging the cleaner into this?""We didn't even know you called her. How could we have bribed her ahead of time?"I clenched my teeth and shouted at them. "If you didn't know I called a cleaning service, then why did you all skip class and rush back? If I'm right, you've got hidden cameras all over this place. You see every move I make! That's how you knew I called the cleaners. That's how you knew where I hid those strong-smelling things!"They hadn't found out from Elise back then. They heard me through the cameras when I made the call.Last time

  • The Girl No One Could See   Chapter 7

    As soon as I finished speaking, there was a knock at the door.When it opened, Sabrina stood there.I had paid her to come back.Elise's roommates immediately exploded."Are you out of your mind? What the hell are you trying to do?""You kept insisting there was some smell here. Fine, we let that go. You even went behind our backs and tore through the whole place, and we didn't make a huge deal out of it. We just kicked you out. Now you've already checked everything and there's really nothing. Even you admitted that the so-called smell is gone. So why did you bring her back?"I let them finish before speaking, slow and calm."The smell in the apartment is gone, but the smell on Elise is still there."This time, even Sabrina couldn't hold back."Ma'am, I don't think your nose is the problem. I think something's wrong with you. Your daughter is perfectly clean. There's no smell."My gaze shifted to her. "Perfectly clean? So you can see my daughter?"Sabrina stumbled back two s

  • The Girl No One Could See   Chapter 6

    I already knew the truth.I knew what that stench really was. I knew why no one but me could smell it.And I had proof.But for Elise's sake, I couldn't say it yet.I went to her college first and talked to a few of her classmates.They all said she was kind. She would even save part of her allowance just to donate it to kids in poor rural areas who couldn't afford school.She had a gentle personality, too. Even when she was treated unfairly and left out because of jealousy, she still met it all with a bright smile, sticking it out until no one hated her anymore.On my way out, a clean-cut boy handed me a small box. "Mrs. Dolton, this is for Elise. I made it myself. I hope she gets better soon."I asked, "Why not give it to her yourself?"He hesitated, then said, "She's still recovering, right? I figured it wasn't a good time to visit her."I took the box and nodded. "Alright. I'll give it to her."I wandered around for a while, and by the time I got back to the apartment, i

  • The Girl No One Could See   Chapter 5

    "What a psycho! If it's not you, then who?""The five of us were living just fine. The second you showed up, you started causing trouble. You even went behind our backs and tore through our rooms. Do you have any idea how out of line that is? If we wanted to make a big deal out of it, we could call the police on you!"Elise's four roommates grew even more worked up, cursing through clenched teeth as they yanked my hair harder, trying to drag me out.I fought them with everything I had, refusing to move.Clumps of my hair were torn out, but my expression didn't change.At that moment, I couldn't feel pain anymore. I felt only a bone-deep coldness as my gaze swept across each of their faces."Am I the one causing trouble?"The first day I came here, I brought you gifts. I kept my mouth shut about the stench in this place just to get along with you, and I even offered to cover your meals and daily expenses."But all I did was suggest cleaning, and you snapped at me, turned on me,

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