The Ghost of Her Perfect Husband

Start Reading

The first day after I died, my wife brought her high school golden boy back to our house.

They made out in our bedroom, ate the prime ribeye steaks I had bought for her, used my computer, and spent my money online.

When he asked, Wheres your husband?

My wife replied, her voice cold and dismissive, "Always working. He's on some stupid business trip. I don't even know where he is."

She had no idea I was dead.

I had been rushing back from a business trip, driving through the night to surprise Clara for her birthday.

Then came the headlights. The crash. I died instantly.

Maybe it was my sheer obsession with seeing Clara one last time that bound my soul to her side.

But when I opened my ghostly eyes, I saw her walking through our front door with Julian Wardthe guy she used to obsess over in high school.

This was the first time I had ever seen Clara dress so provocatively. Around me, she barely wore makeup unless it was for a corporate dinner.

But right now, she looked like a rose in full bloom, sultry and radiant.

They were wrapped around each other. Clara leaned gently against his shoulder as they walked into the living room.

Her eyes were filled with a tenderness she had never shown me. She helped him onto the sofa, her voice dripping with affection. "Let me make you some lunch, babe. Just rest here. The sofa is super comfortable."

Julian nodded. As Clara reached out to cup his face, he took her hand and kissed her palm. "Thanks, beautiful. Anything you make is heaven to me."

Clara smiled, looking completely drunk on his words. She walked into the kitchen, pulled out the prime ribeyes I had bought for her from the fridge, and seared them on the stove.

She even opened my bottle of vintage Cabernet Sauvignon, setting the table beautifully. Together, they enjoyed a perfect, romantic lunch.

After sharing the bottle of wine, both of their faces flushed. Their eyes grew hazy with desire.

Leaving the steaks half-eaten, Julian pulled Clara onto his lap. He gently brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Clare, you are the most gorgeous, intoxicating woman in the world. Youre the only one who can make me lose control like this."

Clara melted into his arms, soaking in his flattery, responding to his every touch.

The sight broke something inside me. Around me, she was always a cold queen. I never knew she had such a passionate, wild, and tender side.

Watching them touch, even though I thought I was emotionally numb, a sharp pain stabbed through my ghostly chest.

I remembered how, after Julians recent divorce, Clara had repeatedly insisted on "comforting" him. She would go out to drink with him, coming home half-drunk in the middle of the night.

We had screamed at each other because of it.

"When I graduated college, I had no place to live and no money! Julian was the one who helped me!" she had yelled at me. "Now that his life is falling apart, I can't just abandon him! I have a conscience!"

My hands had been shaking with rage.

"And because of that 'conscience,' youve been staying out with another man until midnight for days? Do you even care about me? Do you care about this marriage?"

"Are you even a man, Ethan? Why are you so insecure? There is nothing going on between us. Stop overthinking!"

I had lost my mind. "Don't think I'm stupid just because I'm quiet, Clara! Julian got divorced because he was caught cheating! Now youre rushing to play his savior? Anyone would think you were the one he cheated with!"

"Don't you dare accuse me of that, Ethan! I have never cheated on you!"

I had let out a cold laugh, leaning in close. "I might be a nice guy, Clara, but I'm not an idiot. You want to play nursemaid to another man? Over my dead body."

After that massive fight, I had volunteered for the business trip just to get some space.

But I still loved her. I worried about her, and today was her birthday. That was why I had rushed back.

I just didn't expect that it would actually be over my dead body.

I tried to look away from them, but my soul was tethered to her. I was forced to watch every single second of their intimacy.

Julian kissed her neck, his hands sliding down her back.

Clara didn't pull away. Instead, she arched into his touch, enjoying it.

In my memory, she had never been like this. In our daily life, she was lazy and passive. I was always the one taking care of her.

Being forced to watch them play their little games made my heart grow cold, piece by piece.

But when Julian tried to pull her shirt off, Clara finally stopped him.

"No, Julian. I'm still Ethan's wife."

Julian frowned. A flash of annoyance crossed his face, but he quickly masked it with a look of deep, tragic devotion.

"You are the only woman Ive ever loved, Clare. For you, Id give up everythingeven my own family. But I don't want to ruin your life. Loving you but not being able to have you... that is my ultimate torture."

"Oh, Julian... me too. I love you more than anything. Only when Im with you do I feel alive."

Their sweet talk felt like a blade scraping against my soul. Suddenly, old memories flashed before my eyes.

Years ago, Julian had tried to ask Claras parents for her hand. But her family despised him because he was broke and had no stable job. They forced them apart and arranged blind dates for Clara instead.

During that time, Clara fell into a deep depression. I was the one who stayed by her side, carefully nursing her back to health, giving her all my love and patience.

It was during those dark days that Clara became dependent on me. I thought those were our best times. I thought we were each others forever.

So, I proposed. She said yes.

I gave her everything I had. When she wanted to start her own company, I emptied my savings for her. When she needed connections to break into the market, I used my family's influence to pave the way.

Within six months, her business was booming.

I thought she would love me more now that our life was perfect.

But her success only brought Julian back. After just one meeting with him, Clara grew colder and colder to me.

She stopped coming home, using work as an excuse for everything.

No matter how much I gave, she didn't care. Now I finally understood. I was just Julians temporary placeholder.

Julian was the only one she ever truly wanted.

These memories made my soul ache.

I knew it was time to let go. It was time to say goodbye to my pathetic, one-sided love.

But when I tried to fly away, I found out I couldn't leave Claras side.

If I drifted too far, my soul would start to rip apart in agonizing pain. I tried with all my might, but eventually, I grew too weak. I was dragged back, floating uselessly right next to her.

Despair washed over me. I was trapped, forced to watch them play house, enjoying the wealth and comfort I had built for them with my own blood and tears.

I had never done anything wrong in my life. I had never hurt anyone. Everything I had was earned through hard work.

Why did I have to suffer this emotional torture?

Clara stood up to adjust her messy clothes. Julian hugged her from behind, asking softly, "Can we ever be together?"

Clara froze, a look of conflict on her face. Then, she let out a heavy sigh. "No."

Julians face fell. He let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I know. You hate me because I didn't fight for you back then. But Clare, your family demanded things I could never afford in a lifetime. I was so insecure."

Clara spun around and hugged him tight. "Don't say that. I will make you rich, Julian. But I can't divorce Ethan. Everything I have today is because of him. I don't love him, but I owe him."

Julian kissed her lips, gently stroking her hair. "I understand. I know I'm the one you really love. I can wait. No matter how long it takes, I'll wait for you. Even if I have to watch you from the shadows forever, I'm happy as long as you're safe."

Clara kissed him deeply.

When they finally broke apart, she looked at him guiltily. "I'm sorry. Just give me some time, okay?"

"Of course. Always."

"The company needs me, and Ethan won't be back from his trip for a few days. Next time hes gone, you can come over. I won't make you wait in vain."

Clara smiled, suddenly looking like a playful, teasing schoolgirl. She began to dress in front of him, throwing him seductive glances.

Watching them laugh, I laughed at myself too.

She was already planning to find a way to divorce me. She couldn't even bear to make him wait. I had been so blind, so incredibly stupid.

Later that afternoon, Clara was at her office. She was supposedly reviewing documents, but she was completely distracted.

Every ten minutes, she would check her phone.

She had probably just left Julian, but she was already missing him too much to focus on work.

It was almost 6:00 PM by the time she wrapped up her sluggish day.

She picked up her phone for the hundredth time, then slammed it down in frustration.

I knew that habit. She was anxious. She was waiting for a text from Julian.

But Julian hadn't texted her all afternoon, which was making her lose her mind.

Suddenly, she grabbed her phone angrily and opened a chat.

Out of curiosity, I floated closer to look.

To my shock, she hadn't opened Julians chat. She had opened mine on Snapchat.

There was a message I had sent her this morning before the crash:

*Clare, today is your birthday! Guess what surprise I have waiting for you!*

Seeing that message made me feel physically sick. I hated how foolish I had been. That text felt like a giant joke mocking my own corpse.

Clara stared at it for a long time, then finally typed back:

*Its almost 7:00 PM.*

I understood what she meant. She was reminding me that her birthday was almost over.

Ever since we met, I had always planned her birthdays meticulously. I would start preparing half a month in advance, giving her all the romance and pampering a girl could dream of.

Every year was different, grand, and beautiful.

I wanted her to feel proud in front of her friends and family when I wished her a happy birthday.

But today, there would be no wishes.

She would never hear my voice again.

Because I was dead.

Clara stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of her office, watching the traffic below.

The city was bustling, full of life. But Claras anxiety was only growing. The clock was ticking, and my phone remained silent.

Maybe she was hungry. She opened the office freezer. Inside were frozen meals I had prepped for herhandmade dumplings, pasta, and some frozen lobster ravioli.

She chose the ravioli and boiled them. But when she took the first bite, she suddenly froze.