Chapter 4

Atlas's hand tightened around his phone, his knuckles white. His eyes, usually cold and calculating, now held a flicker of genuine shock. "What are you talking about, Thorne?" he demanded, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

Kacie, lounging on the plush sofa, tilted her head. "Who is it, darling? Elsie being dramatic again?" She reached for the phone, a playful glint in her eyes. "Let me tell her to stop bothering you."

Atlas snatched his hand back, glaring at her. "Stay out of this, Kacie." His voice was low, laced with an unfamiliar edge. He turned away, pressing the phone harder to his ear. "Thorne, what did he find? Just tell me."

Kacie, annoyed by his sudden shift in attention, scoffed. "Probably just one of her ridiculous dolls. Always messing things up. Honestly, she's such a burden. You'd think she' d learn to just stay where she's told."

I learned to stay where I was told, my ghostly voice whispered. I stayed in the cargo hold. Alone. In the dark. And I died there. My spectral form trembled with a silent, impotent rage. They couldn't hear me. They never could.

Atlas's face contorted, a mixture of disbelief and growing horror. "No," he breathed, his eyes wide and fixed on nothing. "No, that's impossible. She's probably just hiding. She does that, plays games." He slammed his fist against the wall, a hollow thud echoing in the luxury suite. "Damn it, Elsie! Stop this! This isn't funny!"

Downstairs, the commotion had drawn a small crowd. Whispers rippled through the lobby. A few hotel guests looked up, their expressions ranging from curiosity to disapproval.

Kacie, seeing the attention, quickly composed herself. She walked over to Atlas, placing a hand on his arm. "Don't let her get to you, darling," she cooed, her voice saccharine sweet. "She thrives on drama. It's probably just a prank. She knows how to manipulate people." She shot a venomous glance at me, the invisible me, as if daring me to refute her. "She always makes things so difficult."

Atlas shook her hand off, his eyes still distant. "She's not difficult, Kacie. She's... simple. Like a child." He ran a hand through his hair, his brow furrowed in confusion. "But she wouldn't... she wouldn't just disappear."

"Oh, she absolutely would!" Kacie insisted, her voice rising in pitch. "Remember that time she smeared paint all over your new car and blamed the dog? Or when she 'accidentally' spilled coffee on my favorite dress? She's a master manipulator, Atlas. Don't let her fool you with that innocent act. She's smarter than she lets on, especially when it comes to getting what she wants."

That's not true! My spectral hands clenched. I never did those things! You did! You told me it was a game. You told me to do it! A rush of heat, like fire, swept through my intangible form. The unfairness, the blatant lies, made my ghostly tears burn.

Atlas, however, seemed to absorb Kacie's words as if they were truth. His eyes hardened, a familiar coldness returning to them. "A master manipulator," he repeated, a bitter taste in his mouth. "All this time... and I still couldn't get rid of her. If only I had sent her away sooner. If only..." His voice trailed off, filled with a sudden, deep regret, not for me, but for his own inaction.

My world, already shattered, splintered further. The tiny, foolish hope that he might, just might, care, vanished into thin air. Momma was wrong. Being good didn't make him love me. It just made me easier to hurt. My naive heart, once so full of longing, now felt hollow, an empty shell. I had given everything, even my life, for a love that never existed. And in the end, it was all for nothing.

I want to leave, I thought, a desperate, silent plea. I don't want to see this anymore. I just want to go home. But "home" was a place I no longer had. And I was trapped, bound to this living hell, a silent, unseen witness to my own obliteration.

A sharp, authoritative knock hammered against the suite door, making Atlas jump. It wasn't the tentative knock of a hotel staff member. This one was firm, demanding.

Atlas strode to the door, his face a mask of annoyance. "Who is it?" he snapped, pulling it open.

Two men in dark uniforms stood in the hallway. Their faces were grim, their expressions unreadable. One held a small notepad, the other, a stern gaze.

"Mr. Atlas Forbes?" the first man asked, his voice deep and formal. "I'm Detective Miller, this is Officer Hayes. We're here regarding your wife, Elsie Hinton."

Atlas scoffed, a humorless laugh escaping his lips. "My wife? She's probably playing hide-and-seek. She's always pulling stunts like this. Tell her to quit it. It's not funny." He tried to shut the door, but Detective Miller's foot stopped him.

"Mr. Forbes," Detective Miller said, his voice flat. "There's been an incident. Your wife, Elsie Hinton, was found deceased in the cargo hold of your SUV."

The words hung in the air, heavy and cold. Atlas stared. His eyes, fixed on the detective's face, were blank. "Deceased?" he repeated, the word sounding foreign on his tongue. "No. That's... that's not possible. She's in here. In the room. She's probably just ignoring me." He gestured wildly around the empty suite. "Elsie! Stop being childish! Open your mouth and answer me!" He yelled, his voice echoing through the silent room. "Elsie, don't you dare ignore me! Come out now!"