Chapter 1
I floated above, watching Seraphina Hayes stomp into my old apartment complex, her heels clacking a furious rhythm.
Three years. She still wore perfect makeup, but the usual coldness in her eyes sharpened into something truly cruel.
“Hey, where’s Liam Miller? I just went to his place, and the tenants told me he moved out!”
Seraphina’s blood boiled just thinking about the rude new tenants.
She grabbed Mr. Henderson, who was just leaving, her voice sharp and accusatory, lashing out like a whip:
“Where’s Liam living now? Don’t you dare tell me you don’t know!”
Mr. Henderson, a man in his sixties, flinched at her belligerence. He frowned.
“Liam Miller? He…”
“Spit it out! I need to see him, now!”
“Your urgency won’t help! Liam’s long dead, dear. Heard he died from a full-body infection after a kidney surgery. Couldn’t afford the meds, so he just… faded away.”
“Wh… what, dead?!”
Seraphina’s face froze for a beat. She clearly hadn’t processed his words.
But after a flicker of hesitation, her sneering disdain returned.
“Hah! You’re in cahoots with him, aren’t you? Trying to fool me? Listen to this!”
She pulled out her phone, quickly tapping open a voice message.
Julian Thorne’s sickly sweet voice drifted from the speaker:
“Seraphina, I’ve checked with the surgeon. The operation was a success. Liam was transferred to a regular recovery room. But he’s been upset with me since the last surgery, so I guess he’s using all sorts of excuses to avoid donating another kidney this time…”
Seraphina let out a harsh laugh, shoving her phone screen in Mr. Henderson’s face.
“Hear that? The doctor said he’s fine! What’s the point of making up such pathetic lies?!”
Mr. Henderson’s face clouded.
“Why would I lie? Liam is truly…”
“Shut up!” Seraphina snapped, her voice shrill. “Liam Miller is a selfish, despicable man! He wouldn’t help Julian, and now he’s got people in on his act? Julian needs his kidney. What right does he have to hide?!”
Her attitude enraged Mr. Henderson. His voice turned cold.
“How can you be so unreasonable, young lady? The man’s gone, and you’re still here, throwing a tantrum!”
But Seraphina was focused solely on Julian. She didn’t listen, just kept raging.
“You tell him this: if I don’t see him at the hospital tomorrow, he can forget about getting another penny of child support for that kid!”
She spun around and left, her heels clacking like angry drumbeats against the pavement, as if venting all her fury on the ground.
Mr. Henderson watched her go, shaking his head. He sighed softly.
“But that child… he died from his illness a long time ago too. His ashes are still at the funeral home, unclaimed.”
I floated in the hallway, listening to his words, my ghostly heart clutched by an unseen hand.
Leo, my son… he never got to see his mother one last time, not even when he died…
Seraphina exited the complex, pulling out her phone to call Julian. Her voice instantly softened.
“Julian, don’t worry. I’ll make sure that bastard Liam gives you his kidney! If he tries to hide, I’ll make sure he never sees that kid again!”
On the other end, Julian coughed weakly, feigning concern.
“Seraphina, don’t be too hard on him… after all, he was your husband.”
Seraphina scoffed. “Husband? Him? He’s not even fit to be called that! If you hadn’t gone abroad back then, why would I have ever married a good-for-nothing like him?!”
I floated behind her, listening to those words. My very soul trembled.
So, in her heart, I wasn’t even worthy of being called a “husband.”
“Daddy…”
Lost in thought, I suddenly heard a tender voice.
Looking down, I saw Leo floating beside me. His tiny hand gently tugged at my shirt.
He looked up, his big eyes filled with confusion.
“Why does Mommy call me a bastard? Does she not like me?”
My heart lurched. I instinctively shook my head.
“No, sweetheart. How could Mommy not like you?”
“Then why did Mommy never come to the family sports day at kindergarten?”
Leo pouted, his voice dropping.
“All the other kids had their mommies with them…”
My throat tightened, words caught painfully inside.
In an instant, memories flooded back, a crushing tide—
Seraphina and I, we once truly loved each other.
We met at an industry conference.
It felt like fate, love at first sight for both of us.
Our courtship, our marriage—everything felt so natural.
I still remember her hands trembling, clutching the pregnancy test, the first time she found out.
She was shy and excited as she threw herself into my arms:
“Liam, we’re going to be parents!”
Back then, I thought I’d found the love of my life.
But just four months into her pregnancy, Julian came back from overseas.
When she got his call, the milk cup in her hand shook so much she dropped it.
I’d heard his name from her before, sometimes.
But I thought, it was just the past.
Since she chose to marry me, she would know her boundaries, take care of our family.
I never imagined that from then on, she would grow colder towards me, constantly making excuses to go out.
It escalated to early mornings, late nights, even not coming home at all.
What truly broke my heart was when she secretly booked an abortion appointment, wanting to get rid of the baby.
I even considered divorce.
But every time I saw her, I’d remember the days when we were so deeply in love.
I longed for her to come back to me, even begging her on my knees. Only then did she reluctantly agree to keep the child.
But after that, she always carried the faint scent of a strange man’s cologne.
It wasn’t until she was seven months pregnant that Seraphina got into a car accident.
The baby was born prematurely, so tiny and fragile in the incubator, like a frail, abandoned kitten.
But during her hospital stay, she only allowed Julian to be with her.
That bastard took advantage, lying to her that the baby hadn’t made it. And she believed him! She even sighed in relief!
I’ll never forget what she said then:
“This is for the best… Julian doesn’t like kids. We can start fresh…”
In that moment, my heart turned to ice.
I secretly took Leo home, deciding never to tell her the truth—
I was terrified she would do something to harm our child for the sake of her so-called “love.”
But fate is cruel.
When Leo was eighteen months old, Seraphina accidentally ran into us, father and son, at the mall.
She froze, her face instantly draining of color. Without a word, she rushed forward and slapped me across the face.
“Liam Miller, whose child is this? Are you cheating on me?!”
I desperately tried to explain it was our son, but she refused to believe me.
Julian, standing nearby, fanned the flames:
“Seraphina, that kid’s eyes don’t look anything like yours. How could he be yours?”
From then on, she started calling Leo “the bastard.”
No matter how I explained, even showing her the birth certificate, she was convinced it was proof of my infidelity.
“Daddy?” Leo’s voice pulled me back to reality.
He tilted his head, looking at me. “Why are you crying?”
Only then did I realize my ghostly essence was trembling.
So… ghosts can feel heartbreak too.
I crouched down, trying to hug him, but my arms passed right through his translucent body.
“Leo, Mommy doesn’t dislike you. She just… forgot.”
“Then let’s go tell Mommy, okay?” Leo’s eyes sparkled. “Tell her I’m her baby! She’ll definitely remember!”
I looked at his innocent, hopeful gaze, my chest aching so much I couldn’t speak.
Just then, Seraphina’s phone rang.
Julian’s weak voice came through the receiver:
“Seraphina, the doctor says I can’t wait… the surgery has to be by tomorrow at the latest…”
Seraphina gripped her phone, her eyes hardening.
“Don’t worry. I’ll tear this city apart to find Liam Miller, even if I have to turn it upside down!”
I floated above, watching this mother and son—
One filled with innocent hope, the other consumed by bitter hatred.
Suddenly, an invisible force pulled me, following Seraphina’s car.
It seemed my soul was still bound to this cruel woman, unable to break free.
I followed Seraphina to the hospital, my transparent body passing through walls, floating outside Julian’s hospital room.
Julian lay in bed, his face ghostly pale, like a sheet.
Seeing Seraphina enter, he weakly reached out.