Chapter 1

Ethan Hayes and Ava Monroe.

Manhattan' s power couple.

A five-year marriage.

A five-year war.

Their rivalry was a legend.

Hayes Industries versus Monroe Corp.

Legacy against legacy.

His world was real estate and tech. Hers, luxury hospitality.

He inherited his company. And the feud.

She was forced into their marriage. To save hers.

He loved her. Secretly. Deeply.

She hated him. Openly. Fiercely.

The latest battle: Ava, at a gala.

Photographed with some new musician. All over the tabloids.

Ethan saw red.

He retaliated. Anonymously.

Leaked information. Monroe Corp stock offering tanked.

Ava knew. Or suspected.

She hit back.

A Hayes Industries tech launch. Major.

She leaked a critical vulnerability. Sabotage.

Ethan' s response was swift.

A joint charitable foundation. Ava chaired it.

He froze her access.

Every move a countermove.

Every strike returned.

Ava confided in Liam Vance. Her childhood sweetheart.

Liam listened. Liam stoked the flames.

"He's a monster, Ava."

"He's trying to control you."

She believed him.

Ethan' s birthday.

A rare quiet moment. Their penthouse.

Usually, they avoided each other.

Tonight, a tense silence.

He watched her across the vast living room.

She stared out at the city lights.

A masked intruder. Sudden. Brutal.

No words. Just violence.

A knife. Again. And again.

Ethan fell.

Pain. Cold.

He was bleeding out. Fast.

One instinct. Ava.

He reached for his phone.

His fingers, slick with blood, fumbled.

He pressed her name.

The call connected.

Ava was in a car.

Liam beside her. "Just back in town," he' d said.

A private gallery viewing. Liam' s arrangement.

Her phone buzzed. Ethan' s name.

"Ugh, what now?"

She silenced it.

"Another attempt to control me," she muttered to Liam.

Liam nodded sympathetically.

Ethan heard the click. The silence.

He dropped the phone.

His last thought.

A desperate wish.

Peace. With Ava.

Then, nothing.

Darkness.

Then a space. Stark. Ethereal.

A figure waited. The Gatekeeper.

Timeless. Neutral.

"Ethan Hayes." Not a question.

The Gatekeeper offered a drink.

"To forget."

Ethan reached for it.

He wanted to forget the pain. The betrayal.

He drank.

Nothing.

The memories of Ava. They stayed.

His love. His regret. Too strong.

He couldn't erase her.

The Gatekeeper watched. No expression.

"Profound attachment."

A deal was offered.

"Return. Five days. As a spirit. Visible. Tangible."

A condition.

"If, within these five days, Ava Monroe genuinely tells you 'I love you,' your life will be restored."

Ethan' s breath hitched. If he had breath.

"And if not?"

"Your soul. Irrevocably lost."

Five days. One sentence.

His life. Or oblivion.

He had to try.

"I accept."

The world snapped back.

Cold. Hard floor.

His penthouse.

He saw himself. His own corpse.

Sprawled. Bloody.

Panic. Raw. Primal.

He was a spirit. But he felt solid. He looked solid.

He had to hide it.

The safe room. Hidden behind a bookcase.

His father had built it.

He dragged his own body. A grim, surreal task.

Heavy. Limp.

He cleaned the blood. As much as he could.

His hands shook.

He was a ghost. Cleaning his own murder scene.

The irony wasn't lost on him.

He finished just as he heard the elevator.

Ava. And Liam.

He stepped out of the safe room, heart pounding.

Ava entered. Liam followed, a concerned look on his face.

Liam paused. Sniffed the air dramatically.

"There's a... a dark energy in here, Ava."

He glanced around, eyes wide.

"It feels... oppressive."

Ava scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, Liam."

Then she saw Ethan.

Standing there. Alive. Or so she thought.

"Ethan! What are you doing here? I thought you had plans."

Liam flinched. "Ethan! You startled me."

He looked genuinely uneasy.

Ethan ignored him. He looked only at Ava.

Desperation clawed at him.

"Ava." His voice was hoarse.

"Just once. Say it. Say 'I love you.'"

He took a step towards her.

"Please. To end this war between us. Just say it."