After my husband died, I could actually see his soul hovering above.
While clearing out his things, I heard him whisper, Thank God she didn’t find the deed to the apartment I bought for Chloe.
I didn’t say a word. I just called my lawyer and reclaimed the apartment he’d given his mistress.
The day the apartment was recovered, his soul frantically paced around the living room. But the very next second, I heard him sigh in relief.
“At least I placed Chloe and my child with her. She’ll take good care of our kid.”
I remained silent, but that same day, I contacted the foster care agency and sent the adopted child away.
Looking back at all the guilt I felt when my husband Ryan died, it seems laughable now.
The day Ryan was in a car accident, I rushed to the ER, only to be grabbed by his aunt Carol.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and she shrieked, “Maya! You materialistic gold-digger! Ryan was in an accident on his way to get your anniversary gift!”
My mother-in-law lunged at me, twisting my arm. “Ryan was such a good, honest man!” she screamed. “Ever since he married you, he worked himself to the bone. And you, you greedy bitch, had to demand some fancy gift. He’s dead because of you!”
The relatives from Ryan’s side instantly swarmed around, their voices overlapping, pushing all the blame onto me.
I opened my mouth, wanting to explain that I had only mentioned our anniversary was coming up, I never demanded Ryan buy anything.
But now, the words were stuck in my throat, not a single one escaping.
My son Leo reacted in a way that choked me up the most. He tugged at my sleeve, shaking me hard. “Mommy is bad! It’s all because you wanted a gift that Daddy died! I don’t have a daddy anymore!”
A child’s words are the most direct, and the most hurtful.
Guilt, like a rampant vine, grew wildly, strangling me until I couldn’t breathe.
It was true. If I hadn’t mentioned our anniversary, Ryan wouldn’t have gone out at that time, and he wouldn’t have been in a car accident.
Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably, blurring my vision. Just then, in a daze, I glimpsed Ryan’s soul hovering above the ER.
I thought it was a hallucination brought on by overwhelming grief. But it wasn’t until his voice rang out that I realized it was all real.
“Good thing Maya doesn’t know I was on my way to buy Chloe a cake when I crashed.”
“Chloe is so timid. If she knew I died because of her, how much she’d blame herself…”
His voice was light and airy, yet it struck me like a bolt of lightning, freezing my blood instantly.
I abruptly stopped crying, my gaze fixed intently on Ryan’s soul.
Of course, I knew the Chloe he was talking about.
She was Ryan’s junior from college, and she joined their company two years ago after graduating.
Ryan often brought her up in front of me, saying she was innocent and sensible, and despite her poor background, she was incredibly hardworking. He claimed it was only natural for him to look after her a bit more out of “alumni camaraderie” and told me not to overthink it.
He had kept his word, never doing anything inappropriate with Chloe. But I never imagined he would be so deeply invested in another woman behind my back.
“If Chloe hadn’t said she wanted the mango mousse from that bakery across town, I wouldn’t have rushed, taking a shortcut and running that red light…”
Ryan’s soul floated aimlessly in the air, his voice full of regret, yet he didn’t mention me once.
“Good thing Mom and Dad covered for me, saying I was getting Maya an anniversary gift. Otherwise, with her temper, she’d definitely go after Chloe and make the poor girl suffer.”
“I left in such a hurry, didn’t leave Chloe anything. Good thing I bought her an apartment when she first started working. At least she won’t be homeless in this big city after I’m gone.”
Hearing Ryan’s words, I let out a soft laugh. I wanted to see how he planned to protect his “poor girl” even in death.
The day after the funeral, I immediately contacted Attorney Sarah. I gave her the address of the apartment Ryan had mentioned, along with Chloe’s personal information.
“Also, prepare a statement. Say that Chloe exploited Ryan Thompson’s sympathy, falsely claiming financial hardship and homelessness, to defraud him of this property.”
“Ryan, being inherently kind, made this decision without consulting me. Now that he’s gone, as his legal spouse, I have the right to reclaim our joint marital property.”
Attorney Sarah was surprised but prepared all the necessary documents according to my instructions.
Three days later, I arrived at Chloe’s doorstep with Attorney Sarah and several other staff members.
The moment the door opened, I froze.
Chloe was wearing a cream-colored loungewear set. The style and details were exactly like a gift Ryan had brought back for me from a business trip, hanging in my own closet.
Even the necklace around Chloe’s neck was the same model as mine.
So, he had split his affections long ago, one part for me, one part for his college junior.
When Chloe saw me, a flicker of panic crossed her face. She instinctively pulled at her collar. “Maya, why are you here?”
I didn’t speak, letting Attorney Sarah hand her the documents.
“Ms. Chloe, according to legal provisions, this property belongs to Ms. Maya and Mr. Ryan Thompson as joint marital property. Mr. Thompson’s unilateral gift is invalid. Ms. Maya now demands the return of the property. Please cooperate with vacating the premises.”
Chloe’s face instantly went white. She turned to me. “Maya, Ryan gave this to me. You can’t make me leave.”
Hearing her words, I smirked. “Ms. Chloe, I’d like to ask, what exactly is your relationship with my husband, Ryan Thompson?”
Chloe stiffened, her eyes darting away, afraid to meet my gaze. “Maya, I… I’m just Ryan’s junior. We don’t have any other relationship.”
“A junior? What kind of junior is worth him giving you a three-million-dollar apartment in the city center?”
Chloe looked at Attorney Sarah behind me, her lips trembling. After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out a sentence. “I… Ryan said it wasn’t easy for me after graduation, he wanted me to have a place to stay…”
She hadn’t even finished speaking when I saw Ryan’s soul in mid-air, frantically pacing and muttering repeatedly.
“Chloe, don’t say anything stupid. Just say I let you stay here, out of alumni friendship.”
He floated over to Chloe, wanting to pat her shoulder to remind her, but his hand passed right through. He could only stomp his feet in place, even more agitated.
“Just say it! Don’t let her catch you. That apartment is your security, it can’t be taken back.”
I ignored him, keeping my gaze firmly on Chloe. “My husband claimed you were from a poor family, with no fixed abode. Yet I found out your parents just built a detached villa back home.”
“Ms. Chloe, it’s not very dignified to exploit someone’s kindness.”
My voice wasn’t loud, but it clearly carried to the neighbors around us.
Chloe’s face flushed red then paled. She wanted to say something, but I didn’t give her the chance.
“Regarding your false claim of poverty to defraud Ryan of property, we have prepared the relevant documents. If you cooperate with moving out, we will not pursue legal action against you.”
“But if you refuse, we will proceed legally. At that point, you will not only have to return the property but also bear corresponding legal responsibilities.”
Ryan’s soul was spinning frantically, wanting to rush over and protect Chloe, but he repeatedly passed through our bodies, only able to shriek at me.
“Maya, stop! You can’t do this to Chloe!”
Mid-shriek, he suddenly stopped, his soul freezing in mid-air. Then a look of hopeful relief spread across his face.
“I almost forgot, Leo is still with you. He’s my and Chloe’s child. Everything in the Thompson family will eventually belong to Leo…”
I stood rooted to the spot, frozen, unable to react for a long time.
That child, whom Ryan and I had adopted from the orphanage, that child I had loved for five years and treated as my own, was actually Ryan and Chloe’s biological son?
Countless images flooded my mind uncontrollably.
When I tutored Leo with his homework, he would cry over math problems. I patiently explained it five times, but he would tear up his notebook, yelling, “Mommy’s explanations are impossible to understand.”
When Ryan came home, he’d only read the formula once, and Leo would instantly grasp it, cuddling into Ryan’s arms and making a face at me. “Daddy is a hundred times smarter than you.”
When I told Leo bedtime stories, he would always wake up startled and say, “Mommy, your voice is annoying.”
But when Ryan occasionally told him a story, even if it was about something Leo wasn’t interested in, he would fall asleep peacefully.
I chuckled self-deprecatingly. My efforts to please, my endless patience, it had all been one-sided.
The child I had loved for five years actually had his own biological mother.
That’s why everything I did was wrong in his eyes, everything I did annoyed him.
“Chloe is so smart, keeping Leo right under Maya’s nose.”
Ryan’s soul floated in the air, his voice full of triumph.
“Maya, that woman, is just too soft-hearted. She’s raised Leo for five years, she’s definitely grown attached. She probably won’t even get married again.”
“When she’s old, won’t the Thompson family’s house, cars, and savings all go to Leo?”
“Then Leo can bring Chloe over, mother and son reunited. I can rest easy in the afterlife.”
He floated around, his tone even lighter.
“So what if she temporarily takes back the apartment?”
“All these things will eventually belong to Leo anyway. Maya is an outsider. At most, she’s just taking advantage for a few extra years.”
Chloe’s face flushed. Her previous meek and pitiful demeanor vanished, replaced by seething anger in her eyes. “Maya, do you have to be so ruthless?”
“Ryan just passed away, and you’re already rushing to kick me out? It’s just an apartment, do you have to be so petty?”
“Aren’t you afraid Leo will blame you if he finds out? Last time I took Leo to buy candy, he even said he liked me more! Do you, his mother, get that kind of treatment?”
Hearing her words, I didn’t get angry; I actually smiled.
She had reminded me. The most important thing now was to deal with Leo.
I glanced at her flushed face, ignoring her provocations, and turned to Attorney Sarah. “Proceed as planned. If the apartment isn’t empty in three days, file the lawsuit.”
Chloe froze, her bravado immediately diminishing, but she still stiffened her neck and yelled, “You wouldn’t dare! If Leo asks about me, how will you explain it?”
I completely ignored her, walked straight downstairs, and dialed the foster care agency.
“Hello, is this the Sunshine Foster Care Agency? This is Maya, Leo’s foster mother.”
“There’s an update. I’ve found Leo’s birth mother. According to regulations, I can no longer maintain legal custody. I’ll bring the child over this afternoon to complete the paperwork.”
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