Chapter 4
And there it was. It wasn’t concern. It was housekeeping. A final, formal severing of ties.
A wave of impotent fury washed over me. Damn it, I died! My plan had been to land, settle into my new mansion, and then have the supreme satisfaction of blocking his number myself.
He’d stolen even that from me.
I swung my leg back and kicked him hard in the thigh. Or, I tried to. Back when things were good, when he wasn’t a remote, untouc hable figure, I had a habit of giving him little kicks when he annoyed me. It was an instinctive, fluid motion.
But this time, my foot passed right through him. No impact. No feeling. Nothing.
Which, of course, only made me angrier.
After Arthur left, Julian worked for hours. I tried to leave the office, to explore my new, incorporeal existence. But every time I near- ed the door, I was snapped back to his side, like a dog on an invisible leash,
It didn’t take long to figure it out. I was tethered to him. Maybe because his money had put me on that plane. My killer, my pity I hadn’t come back as a vengeful spirit. Lcould have at least haunted him properly.
Just then, a voice echoed in my mind, calm and bureaucratic
[There you are.]
I jolted. “Who are you?”
as
anchor.
[Post–Mortal Affairs. We had a system glitch. Everyone from your flight is temporarily bound to the person they were closest to in life. Sorry for the inconvenience.]
Relief washed over me. Can you take me now? And listen, I had a lot of money I didn’t get to spend. Can that roll over to my next life?” A trust–fund baby. That was my dream.
The voice sounded apologetic. [Not my department. But given the traumatic nature of your demise, I can probably get you a more peaceful exit next time around.]
Great.
“Fine, Just get me out of here, I’m ready to reincarnate.”
[Not yet. We have to wait until your funeral is concluded.]
“Why?”
Your soul has established a new tether to the mortal plane. The funeral rites sever that tie. From what I can see, the services for the other victims are already being arranged. You’re.. well, you’re a bit of a special case. Doesn’t look like anyone’s noticed you’re gone]
The words were a blade to the heart.
With that cheerful update, the voice vanished.
I sighed, running through a mental list of everyone I knew. The list was pathetically short. It looked like I was going to be a lonely ghost for a very long time.
Hours later, Julian finally packed up. Ava had called, asking him to pick her up from the studio.
Chapter 1
I followed him down to the garage and into his car. I didn’t look at him. I watched the city lights blur past the window. Skyscrapers like glittering spines, streets flowing with rivers of light. It was all so beautiful, a dream I had woken up from too soon.
A profound sense of unfairness settled over me. All those years, all that potential, erased by one failed love affair. And that five. million dollars… I hadn’t spent a single cent. It was outrageous.
Tears I couldn’t shed burned behind my eyes.
When we arrived, Ava emerged from the studio and melted into his arms. Julian’s body went rigid for a second, then relaxed as he returned the embrace with a faint smile.
“How was it? Are you tired?” he asked.
She nodded, launching into a story about her day. Her voice was captivating; she could make the most mundane event sound like a scene from a movie. They walked to the car, fingers interlaced, matching engagement rings catching the light.
I had to admit it, as much as it gálled me. They looked perfect together.
Just then, two women walked out of the studio behind them, deep in conversation.
“Did you see the news?* one said. That flight that went down last night? Over a hundred people, no survivors.”
“I saw,” the other replied, her voice shaky, “I was supposed to be on that flight. I had a ticket and everything for a vacation. This last- minute role saved my life. I have the luck of the gods.”
