Chapter 2

Before I could close my laptop, Chloe called.

I answered.

"Ethan!" Chloe’s voice was shaky, filled with tears. "He's still here! He's pacing right outside the door! I'm so scared!"

She was a brilliant actress.

In my past life, her tearful voice had completely blinded me.

"Where are you? Hurry home! Please drive safely, but hurry!"

In my past life, her frantic pleas of "hurry" and "drive safe" had completely scrambled my brain, making me drive like a madman just to get to her.

My voice remained entirely calm. "Don't worry, Babe. I just called the building's security desk."

"They’re heading up right now."

There was a sudden, noticeable silence on the other end.

"Wait... you called security?"

"Yeah. I told them to bring guard dogs and batons. Look through the peephole and record a new video for me so I can confirm what he looks like."

Chloe’s voice instantly panicked. "No! I don't dare open the door! I think he’s looking right at me!"

"Ethan, forget about security! Just get back here! I only want you!"

She started whining, trying to coax me.

"Alright. I'm heading to the garage now."

I hung up, my fingers flying across my keyboard.

I was a software engineer.

During a previous dispute with a neighbor, I had bypassed our building’s security network.

I entered the code.

Bypassed the firewall.

The live security camera feed of my hallway popped up on my screen.

It was completely empty. Not a single soul was near my door.

The hallway lights illuminated the passage clearly.

The curtains of my living room window—the window I knew so well—were slightly parted.

I could easily picture Chloe hiding behind that gap, holding her phone, eagerly waiting for the news of my fatal crash.

I took a screenshot and sent it directly to Chloe.

"Babe, there's no one there."

"Are you sure you didn't hallucinate? Security just checked, and they said the hallway is clear."

After I sent the message, Chloe went silent for a few seconds.

Then, she called me back. Her voice was hurried, completely stripped of her previous tears.

"Maybe... maybe I just saw things."

"Ethan, I'm so sorry. I’ve just been working so hard lately, my eyes must be playing tricks on me."

"Don't come back then. Just stay at the office and finish your work. I won't bother you anymore."

She was desperate to hang up.

"I just missed you so much," she added quickly.

"Okay. Go get some rest."

I pretended to believe her and hung up.

Immediately, I called Lily.

"Ethan? What's going on?"

"Lily, get me Chloe's and Austin’s call logs for the past three months. Right now."

Lily paused for a second. "Ethan, did you and Chloe get into a fight?"

"Don't ask questions. Just get them. The faster, the better."

As I hung up, the hatred in my chest threatened to spill over.

I remembered my past life.

The day after I died, Chloe withdrew all the money from our joint savings account—money we had saved to buy a house near a good school district.

She didn't leave a single penny for my parents.

Austin had even "consoled" my parents, promising to look after Chloe like his own sister.

My parents, blinded by grief, had wept and thanked him, calling him a good man.

A good man?

I couldn't wait to see how long this pathetic show of theirs would last.