16. More Terrifying than Any Ghost

Ashley rephrased her question, "After all those long stories—you’re telling me it wasn’t a ghost that bothered you? Then what? Who?" her tone firm but tinged with disbelief and one eyebrow rose.

Not that she was disappointed because her best friend wasn't being haunted by ghosts, which meant there weren't any dangerous things lurking or to worry about. Because obviously no one in their right mind would want to experience horror—whether it was real or not. But what Ashley truly felt was frustration. After being so immersed in Bella’s story and feeling the chills crawl up her spine, it turned out that the whole story was just nonsense.

She was even sure that Bella herself had no idea what or who had disturbed her throughout the night. There was no certainty whether it was connected to the strange woman who had entered Mike’s room earlier.

"Actually... I don't know," Bella replied nonchalantly. While picking at the assortment of dishes she had ordered as if completely unaware of how tense Ashley had become

Bella’s story had almost made Ashley believe in ghosts, and now she was left staring at her friend with a mixture of disbelief and exasperation.

"Everything I experienced was so irrational that I started thinking—even ghosts might be able to mimic human actions. But at the same time, I wanted to believe they weren’t ghosts. That way, I wouldn’t have to worry about one of them following me home," Bella sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Honestly, I’m still not sure, okay?"

Ashley didn't respond. She was focusing on scooping a piece of tiramisu cake onto her plate. She hadn’t even touched the main course—her mouth felt bitter and her head was spinning as if she needed something sweet to clear the fog in her mind.

Bella finally let out a low growl of annoyance. "But if that woman really is human—whether she’s your cousin or not—I’d love to pull her demon-like hair out."

"Why did you think it was Sera, anyway? Mike could’ve met someone else yesterday."

"I don't know..." Bella pondered for a moment. "I guess it’s because her posture looked similar to Sera’s. Plus, there was this faint scent of perfume at the time that reminded me of hers. I don’t know, maybe it was just similar... like the one I smelled on that girl in the afternoon. That’s what made me automatically think it was her."

Ashley stopped eating her cake and shifted her attention to the steak on her plate, cutting it into smaller, bite-sized pieces. 

Silence settled between them, punctuated only by the clinking of utensils and occasional chuckles about the food. They really enjoyed all the food on the table. During that brief respite, Ashley carefully processed Bella’s story, trying to piece together a logical conclusion.

"When you see Mike later, ask him whether he was really in his room all night or not. If he was, ask if he experienced anything strange like you did. If he says no, then it’s obvious he was with a woman. And as for whatever disturbed your night—whether it was a ghost or not—it’s probably best to just forget about that unsettling experience," Ashley said, wiping the corner of her mouth with a napkin.

Bella grinned faintly. "Good idea. I’ll save my curiosity and frustration until I see that crazy guy tonight."

Ashley continued, "After that you can urge Mike to tell you about that woman. Then if there's even the slightest chance that the woman was Sera, as you suspected yesterday... Do me a favor, will you?

"Sure thing."

Ashley blinked, trying to choose her words carefully, "Tell him not to get further involved with her."

"Why?" Bella winked, shot her a questioning look, "Are you worried Sera is going to ruin Mike's life?"

Ashley didn’t reply, but the small, almost wistful smile tugging at her lips didn’t escape Bella’s notice. A sudden realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.

"You can’t be serious!" Bella gasped. "I was just joking earlier! But are you saying that Sera’s really that bad? I mean, yeah, she’s a little eccentric and kind of out there, but is she really trouble?"

Bella herself initially just blurted out without any intention. But after seeing Ashley's response, she was surprised that her own words could be true.

"That's not it," Ashley tried to straighten out Bella's misunderstanding, "It’s not that she’s bad. I actually care about Sera because she is far better than most of my family. And Mike... I just don’t want him getting hurt because he has to deal with us. You know how it is—our family isn’t exactly normal like others."

Bella’s face softened, an understanding look appeared in her eyes. Of course she knew Ashley's conditions—or at least the parts Ashley was willing to share. But seeing how her best friend was living in that sprawling, lonely house with only servants as company, isolated from parents and extended family… It could be roughly concluded that Ashley's family situation was indeed very complicated.

"I get it," Bella said quietly. "They probably already have a list of ‘potential husbands’ lined up for her."

Ashley gave a small hum of agreement.

"But hey," Bella teased, flashing a cheeky grin, "At least you’re one of the lucky ones. You were set up with your first love. You said you liked him and both of you were childhood friends, right? That’s like straight out of a drama," Bella was still smiling at her thought.

"Oh—" Ashley laughed, full of emptiness, "Yeah..."

If only Bella knows what situation that actually happened, she will not be able to call Ashley lucky. The reality was far from the romantic fantasy Bella painted.

She swallowed hard.

Apart from the excitement she had told Bella about when she met Josh again, she was actually quite aware and understood that arranged marriages rarely led to happiness. And she had also always prepared herself for what she would face after marriage—for example, how much Josh's family will use her for their interests.

But the storm she got on her wedding day somehow hurt her more than all that. It still stung like salt on a raw wound.

It was also confusing to her because she had never thought about the fact that Josh might had a girlfriend.She wasn’t prepared for that kind of situation—how to react or respond, with good common sense. Her outburst the previous day had been impulsive and reckless. And now, she didn't know whether her spontaneous aggression would benefit her or only make things worse in the future.

For years, she had carefully maintained her position, always playing it safe to avoid being discarded by her family. But now, with Josh’s reputation and her family’s honor on the line, she couldn’t afford to make a single mistake. She had to find a way to keep Josh from causing even more damage to her situation.

She might be able to bear the disappointment of Josh having another woman. But she could not bear the consequences that would clearly complicate her position in her own family.

It was true what Josh said last night, if his secret got out, both Josh’s image and her own would be ruined. The consequences would ripple through both families—hers especially.

If that happened, the blame would fall entirely on her. And they would no longer have any reason to keep her as part of the Song family. 

They wouldn’t hesitate to cut her off completely. And that thought was almost more terrifying than any ghost story Bella could ever tell.

Ashley couldn’t let herself be cast aside just because of someone else’s mistake. She couldn’t afford to sever ties with her family—not when so much of her life still depended on them.