Chapter 3

That night, Lucinda packed her bags ahead of time.

She didn't dare gamble with the cats' lives.

But just as she was about to load the cats for escape, their terrified screams echoed from the yard.

Lucinda rushed out frantically, only to find Ashton standing there with an electric shock baton, watching her with vicious eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Lucinda weakly opened and closed her mouth. "What will it take... for you to leave us alone?"

"Hand over Seraphina."

At his words, Lucinda's eyes reddened again. She looked close to breaking.

"Seraphina is dead!

"You killed her!"

Ashton stared coldly at Lucinda, then scoffed, "Old hag, I've already exposed your act. Stop pretending!

"She played the cat lover, slept with rich old men for money... If she died, wasn't it all for nothing?"

I stared blankly at Ashton, my ghostly heart aching.

Lucinda couldn't hold back anymore and screamed at him, "Seraphina is your sister, the one you lost for ten years! How dare you speak such nonsense about your own sister?

"Do you have any idea what she gave up for these cats? She'd rather starve herself..."

Ashton interrupted Lucinda with a vicious slap, "I only have one sister, and her name is Rosalind."

Beside him, Rosalind heard this and clung to Ashton's arm coquettishly.

"Oh, Ashton, Seraphina would be so sad to hear you say that. It's my fault for taking her place... I should go apologize to her. I've learned all my manners now..."

Ashton pulled her back protectively.

He gently wiped the corner of her eye, his own eyes full of concern.

"Rosalind, you're too kind. If it weren't for Seraphina, you never would have suffered so much out in the countryside."

"Seraphina only wanted what was best for me, too."

Rosalind covered her mouth with a delicate cough, spitting blood into her palm.

Seeing the blood, Ashton panicked. "What's wrong?"

Rosalind refused to speak. He immediately dialed a doctor, frantic. After hearing the diagnosis, that I had supposedly poisoned Rosalind, he exploded with rage, "That bitch!

"I was actually considering giving that bitch a shred of dignity! But she refuses to learn! Fine, then they can all just die!"

He stormed towards his car, ignoring Lucinda's desperate attempts to block him, and slammed his foot on the accelerator, aiming straight for the cats huddled together.

Most of the cats were old or disabled.

Lucinda threw herself in front of them multiple times, only to be hit by the car, spitting blood, collapsing, unable to get up.

All she could do was watch the cats shriek in terror.

I threw my spectral self in front of the car, but I couldn't save them.

"Ashton! Please! Don't hurt them! Don't..."

Suddenly, Cole ran out, waving frantically at Ashton. "Mr. Sterling! I just unlocked the old hag's phone! I found Ms. Seraphina Sterling's death certificate! It looks like... she really is dead!"

Ashton's eyes widened, and his foot eased off the gas.

He looked utterly disbelieving, but just then, a new notification pinged on his phone.

It was a bank transfer confirmation with five hundred thousand dollars received.

The sender was me.

But how could a dead person transfer money?

At this, Ashton's disbelief instantly curdled back into white-hot fury.

"Dare to mess with me?

"Seraphina! Well played!

"You guys! Get the bulldozers! Bury this entire place! I'm turning it into a graveyard right now!"

At his command, the machines roared to life, tearing down our home.

"No! Don't do this..."

I sank to my knees, begging him, pleading with him not to hurt Lucinda and the cats.

But Lucinda and my beloved furballs were buried beneath the dirt and rubble.

I collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably.

I murmured, "I'm sorry.

"It's all my fault you suffered."