When i

Chapter 1

t

When the rusty dagger pierced me, I was still holding the phone tightly, trying to ask Andrew Baker for help. Andrew was my fiancé. “Hello, the number you dialed is currently unavailable…”

As I listened to the call being hung up, the last bit of hope in my eyes died out. The next second, with a hideous grin, the man stabbed the dagger into my heart. On a deserted, unfamiliar path, lay there alone, with my eyes wide open in fear. Blood flowed from my chest, taking my life with it.

Andrew and I just got engaged.

My parents were still waiting for me at home.

My younger brother said he wanted to make a speech at my wedding…

I felt like I was getting lighter, and my soul was peeling away from my body bit by bit.

My soul wandered uncontrollably.

I was dead. I died on the night Andrew kicked me out of the car…

2

My soul drifted to Ava Davis‘ house, a girl who had been loved by my fiancé.

Ava curled up in Andrew’s arms, sleeping soundly.

Andrew lowered his head and lovingly stroked Ava’s hair.

Then he picked up his phone, looked at my missed calls, and frowned.

I suddenly laughed, and my soul seemed to be broken. It turned out that Andrew didn’t answer my call because he was trying to comfort Ava to sleep.

“Andrew, If you knew this was the last call I would make to you for help, will you regret that you missed my call?” I thought.

Andrew and I had been in a back–and–forth relationship for five years, and today, we finally got engaged.

When Andrew was driving me back to my parents‘ house for dinner, he received a call from Ava.

Ava got drunk in the bar and called Andrew.

After I found out it was Ava’s call, I had a big fight with Andrew because of Ava’s call.

He left me halfway and turned around to pick up Ava.

But he didn’t know that while he was comforting Ava to sleep, a madman was stabbing me repeatedly.

Andrew replied to my message, but he didn’t get my reply after a long time.

I couldn’t respond. My body was probably already cold on that deserted path.

My soul was pressed against the window, watching Andrew turn off his phone.

He seemed to want to hold Ava in his arms, but when he looked at the wedding ring on his ring finger, he hesitated. I didn’t have a heart anymore, but could feel the pain.

It turned out that Andrew still had feelings for Ava.

Even after getting engaged to me, he could still lie in the same bed with her.

“Andrew, you are disgusting!” I thought.

3

The next day, Andrew came to the company.

I floated behind him unimpeded, and the people in the company passed through my soul.

Andrew frowned, his whole body exuding coldness.

He listened to the work arrangements absentmindedly, checking the phone from time to time,

The secretary who was reporting his schedule thought he was dissatisfied with his work. “Mr. Baker…”

Andrew turned off his phone. “It’s nothing, just continue.”

“What was he waiting for? Waiting for me to give in and call him like I usually do?

But Andrew, where were you when I needed you the most?” I thought.

At noon, Andrew put down the documents and called the secretary’s extension.

“Why hasn’t lunch been delivered yet?”

Andrew cooked for Ava in the morning, and rushed to the company without having time to eat. Unexpectedly, the lunch today was particularly delayed.

The secretary was startled. “Mr. Baker… you never let us take care of

“In the past, your lunch was always delivered by Ms. Brown.”

I stood beside the table and watched Andrew suddenly clench his fists.

He never knew that his lunch was always carefully prepared by me.

He was picky about food and had a weak stomach.

your lunch.”

I took classes to learn how to cook, and had learned to cook so many dishes.

I asked someone to deliver lunch to his company every day.

Andrew hung up the phone in anger. “You’d better never reply to my messages!”

There was a framed photo on his desk, a picture of us together on our second anniversary.

He poked my face in the photo with a pen, and reluctantly touched it.

Then he turned the stuffed doll I gave him upside down.

He often said that this doll was like me, always by his side.

Every time I made him angry, he would punish the doll by making it stand upside down.

“Olivia, you have to stay with me forever, like this doll.”

I cried silently.

Ava hadn’t returned at that time, and there was no crack in our relationship.

I thought I would be Andrew’s favorite woman.

But two years ago, Ava returned from abroad.

Ava was Andrew’s high school classmate. They had an intense love–hate relationship from high school to college. In the end, Ava married a rich man and went abroad, and they chose to break up.

Ava was his Achilles‘ heel.

Every time Andrew recalled something about Ava, his eyes were filled with hatred.

He said the person he hated most was Ava, the woman who betrayed their love.

I didn’t understand it at that time.

If it weren’t for deep love, how could there be such intense hatred?

Two years ago, Ava divorced the rich man and returned home.

After that, Andrew secretly picked Ava up and dropped her off from work.

He celebrated Ava’s birthday and he bought Ava the limited edition bag that I had been waiting for for a long time… Someone told me about this so we quarreled again and again.

Then I compromised again and again but our last quarrel was the final one.

He kicked me out of the car to pick up Ava and I died that night.

Andrew returned to our house.”

What greeted him was not the sumptuous meals and warm lights as usual.

He turned on the light and called my name in the hallway.

There was no response.

Andrew threw down his suit, hesitating for a long time, and sent a message to me, but no one responded: [Olivia, stop messing around and come back soon.

Then, he dialed my number. “I’m sorry, the number you dialed…”

Andrew tried several times, but no one answered.

13:09

Chapter I

He frowned, stroking his phone, gradually realizing that something was wrong.

I had never been like this before.

4

The next second, his cell phone rang.

It was Ava.

There was a flash of disappointment in Andrew’s eyes, and he picked up the phone.

Ava’s ex–husband had found her place and was harassing her.

Ava was scared and asked Andrew to help.

“Don’t open the door. I’ll be there soon!”

Upon hearing that Ava was in danger, Andrew grabbed his suit jacket and car keys and went out. He had forgotten about unanswered calls.

Andrew, you were just a little bit away from knowing I was already dead.

When Andrew arrived, Ava’s ex–husband had already left.

Ava was standing at the door, slightly tipsy.

She had a company party tonight and drank some wine.

When she saw Andrew, her eyes were a little confused.

Ava reached out and grabbed Andrew’s neck.

Andrew helped her into the bedroom, but Ava held him tightly and refused to let go.

Her tears fell drop by drop.

“Andrew, I miss you so much. I regret every day during the years we were apart.”

Andrew’s Adam’s apple moved. “Ava, let go. I’m already engaged.”

“Do you love Olivia?” Ava asked.

My heart ached, and I wanted to hear Andrew’s answer.

Andrew’s eyes were somewhat evasive.

“But we are engaged.”

He didn’t answer whether he loved me or not, only because we were engaged.

He didn’t even want to say he loved me. He only married me because I was suitable.

“Yes, now that Ava is back, what am I to you?” I thought.

“Andrew, if I hadn’t left that year, we would be the happy ones now.

“Andrew, can you hug me…”

The distance between them was getting closer and closer until their noses touched and lips met.

I stood at the bay window with shaking fists, my transparent body unclear.

At some point, Andrew’s tie and belt were undone, and Ava’s robe lay on the ground.

Andrew has always been an abstinent and self–restrained person. This was the first time I saw him so obsessed with

someone.

He gently kissed Ava from her shoulders to her chest…

I closed my eyes in pain and numbness, not wanting to see what was to come.

5

“Ring, ring…”

The cell phone on the ground suddenly rang, breaking the intimate atmosphere in the room.

Andrew suddenly woke up and got off Ava in a panic.

He pulled up the quilt to cover Ava. “Sorry.”

There was embarrassment and hurt in Ava’s eyes.

“Andrew…you…“.

Andrew put on his clothes and didn’t dare to look back at Ava.

He picked up the phone on the ground and hurried out the door.

Andrew returned to the car, gasping for breath, and suddenly raised his hand to slap himself.

I looked at him indifferently, my eyes full of sarcasm. Then he saw the missed call on the phone.

It was my mother calling.

My heart ached. She might not know that her daughter was no longer alive.

Andrew called back, and the call was picked up quickly.

“Andrew, I hope I didn’t disturb you so late. I have finished knitting the scarves for you and Olivia. When will you come over to get them?”

Listening to my mother’s voice, I cried silently.

Andrew calmed down and remembered the unanswered calls and messages.

“Madam, we’ll go see you when Olivia comes back…”

Andrew forced a smile and told my mother the story of our conflict in a roundabout way.

“Olivia, is like that, always running off and not answering calls when she’s upset. I guess she went to Charlotte’s house again. I’ll definitely have a good talk with her when she gets here.”

After hanging up, Andrew stared at his phone, lost in thought.

He still had the scent of Ava on him.”

He drove the car to the riverside near our neighborhood and sat on the stone bench by the river.

I hated the smell of alcohol mixed with perfume.

Every time Andrew finished his social events, he would sit by the river for a while to get rid of the smell before coming home to hug me.

I watched the evening breeze blowing the strands of hair on his forehead.

I thought to myself, “you don’t have to be like this anymore. I’m no longer at home to dislike the smell.”

Amid the sound of the wind and water, Andrew murmured, “Olivia, tomorrow is my birthday. How long are you going

I was startled. Tomorrow was Andrew’s birthday. The gift I ordered for him should be arriving soon.

6

The next day, Andrew woke up in our bedroom by himself.

He reached to the side out of habit, but all he felt was cold air.

He buried his face in my pillow, breathing in the last of my scent.

Today was the weekend, and it was Andrew’s birthday. He bought my favorite food and went into the kitchen.

He was sure that I would come back today.

No matter how angry I got, I never forgot important days like his birthday.

But unfortunately, Andrew, you’re going to be disappointed.

He received a call from HE Jewelry Company.

“Mr. Baker, Ms. Brown ordered a birthday present for you a month ago. Please come and pick it up.”

Andrew picked up a pair of customized diamond rings and tie clips, with our names AB and OB engraved on the diamond rings.

When we started our business, the first gift I gave him was a tie clip.

At that time, we were still living in an old apartment, and I carefully prepared a cake and a gift for him.

That tie clip was not expensive, but Andrew treasured it very much.

Now that we were successful in our careers, I wanted to give him a more expensive and beautiful one. But Andrew, you were the one who left me first.

Andrew held the two gifts and sat in silence for a long time.

I vaguely saw a glimmer of tears in his eyes.

Then he cooked a table of my favorite meals and opened a bottle of champagne that he had been saving,

Andrew picked up his phone and continued to message the unanswered chat: [Olivia, I received your gift. I like it very

13-09

Chapter 1

much.]

[Please come back. I’ll explain everything, and I promise this won’t happen again.] Andrew was waiting for my news and waiting for me to come home.

His anticipation turned to anxiety, then impatience.

The food on the table was completely cold. Andrew had completely lost his patience.

Andrew picked up his phone to call Charlotte, but he was still on Charlotte’s blacklist, and the call couldn’t get through.

Charlotte Wilson was my college roommate. She had witnessed our countless arguments over Ava.

While she was scolding me for being too focused on love, she took me in after I had an argument with Andrew.

I sniffed, wondering how sad Charlotte would be when she heard that I was dead.

The next day, Andrew came to the office.

The first thing he did was turn the photo frame on his desk face down.

He was angry.

He was angry that I ignored him and didn’t celebrate his birthday with him.

The secretary came in tremblingly.

He said that there was a call from the police station asking Andrew to identify my body.

Andrew sneered. “What kind of trick is this? Tell Olivia come back quickly after she’s had enough of the trouble. Don’t embarrass herself in the police station.”

The secretary, shaking, handed Andrew the phone.

“Hello, is this Mr. Andrew Baker? We found Miss Olivia Brown’s body and need you to identify it.”