Midnight. My fiancé’s secretary sent me a provocative, intimate photo. [We went for 4 hours today.] I didn't have time to reply. Because my dead childhood sweetheart, who passed away ten years ago, suddenly appeared in my living room. "Is this your fiancé?" "Tsk... why does he look a little bit like me?" 01 Pushing the door open and seeing Carter, I thought I was still drunk and hallucinating. He was still wearing his faded high school varsity jacket from a decade ago. And just like before, he had a smart mouth. The moment he saw me, he started roasting me: "Wow, look at you. Cosplaying a drowned rat meets The Ring." I looked down at my phone. 2024. The time was correct. No time travel, no alternate dimensions. Thinking my eyes were just playing tricks on me, I was about to look up to confirm, but a few messages popped up on my screen. [Miss Davis, congratulations on getting exactly what you wanted—an engagement to Mr. Perfect.] [But compared to you, he seems to like me a lot more.] [He went for four hours tonight. Twice.] Attached was a post-coital selfie of her resting against Spencer’s bare chest. Before I could even look up, Carter’s obnoxious voice rang in my ears again. "Holy crap! What kind of R-rated pic is that?" "Summer, does your phone have a virus?" "Wait, fiancé? You're getting married?" "Oh my god! You're engaged and he's sleeping around? You actually want a guy like this?" "Hold on, this fiancé of yours... why does he look a little bit like me?" "Is this some kind of doppelgänger romance trope? Summer, don't tell me you actually had a crush on me? Hehe..." Carter Hayes. Known to everyone as the mute prince. The undisputed heartthrob of Lincoln High. When he kept his mouth shut, that face was absolutely flawless. Unfortunately, he was cursed with a motor-mouth. Snapping back at him was practically muscle memory for me. "A crush on you? Am I sick in the head?" The moment the words left my mouth, Carter froze. I froze too. The next second, a chorus of screams echoed through the entire apartment building. "Ahhhh!!! I saw a ghost!" "Ahhhh!!! There's a freaking ghost!!!" 02 Ten minutes later, I finally calmed down a bit. Leaning against the wall, I pulled a cigarette out of my purse. "What's going on? Why can I see you?" Carter huddled in the corner of the wall. He looked even more shocked than I did. "I'd love to know that too." Click. Click. The sound of my lighter flicked over and over. It just wouldn't light the rain-soaked cigarette. He paused, floated over, and tried to snatch it from my hand. But he forgot that he couldn't touch anything. His hand passed right through the cigarette. He froze for a second, then, as if trying to cover up his awkwardness, leaned in and sniffed me. "Drinking? And smoking?" "Summer, when did you pick up these habits?" He and I went to the same middle school and high school. We were practically childhood sweethearts. Using the excuse that he was three months older than me, he always loved to lecture me. But I was never afraid of him. Not then, and not now. "It's been too long. I forgot." His eyes widened. "You can forget something like that?" "Whatever, forgot is forgot. It's not important anyway." Yeah. Not important. I tossed the cigarette aside and walked past him. I took off my soaking wet trench coat and threw it carelessly onto the floor. He floated right after me, sticking to me like glue. "Hey, you see me and you aren't even scared? Don't you have any questions..." His voice abruptly cut off. Because after taking off my coat, I was now unbuttoning my wet dress. The buttons were already undone down to my chest. In a split second, he phased through the wall and vanished. Immediately after, a roar echoed from the closed study room. "Holy shit! Your fiancé cheats on you, so you decide to sexually harass me?!" "I'll have you know I'm a pure, untouched virgin boy! I haven't even dated anyone! Don't try to force yourself on me!" "Besides, I'm already dead! I can't satisfy you anyway!" 03 Carter's voice made my movements stutter. Yes, he was dead. Ten years ago, the day after high school graduation. A car crash. I attended his funeral. Over the past ten years, everything related to him had been burned or thrown away. No one around me ever mentioned his name. Honestly, my mind had been a total mess just now. So chaotic that even though I forced myself to be calm, I couldn't tell reality from a dream. So dazed that I didn't even know what the point of my actions was right now. But in this exact moment, I suddenly snapped wide awake. I looked at the empty living room. Then I looked down at my dripping wet dress. My throat tightened. "I got caught in the rain. If I don't take a hot shower and take some meds, I'll probably die of pneumonia tomorrow." The room was dead silent. So silent that it felt like seeing Carter had just been my own hallucination. But just as I held my breath, about to push open the study door to check, his muffled voice drifted through the wood. "Shut up. Don't use the 'D' word..." 04 Lying in the bathtub with my clothes off. Enveloped by the hot water, listening to the splashing sounds. I finally felt like I was pulled back to reality. Even though I had just received a package filled with Carter's belongings today. Even though I was standing at his grave just an hour ago. But separated only by a wall, his voice was incredibly real. "Summer, what is the deal with that fiancé of yours?" "I saw it earlier, this isn't the first time you've gotten a text like that." "Also, that guy's face..." The topic I had deliberately been avoiding was brought up by him again. It was true. This wasn't the first time Spencer's secretary had sent provocative photos. But so what? I didn't care. "Six years ago, my mom remarried. She married some nouveau riche guy." "It's a business marriage, you know? Looking like you is just a coincidence. Don't flatter yourself." Carter probably didn't get it. He went quiet again. There was only the faint sound of footsteps shifting from the living room to the bathroom door. Recalling his wall-phasing trick from earlier... I frowned and asked tentatively, "Carter, you're not trying to peek at me showering, are you?" Before he could answer, a tall silhouette was reflected on the frosted glass door. Ghosts have shadows? Filled with doubt, I got out and put on my bathrobe. However, the person who opened the door wasn't Carter. It was Spencer, the man who was supposed to be making out with his secretary in a hotel right now. He held the photos he had dug out of the package of Carter's belongings, looking at me with a dark, brooding expression. "I brought you medicine when you were sick, I drove through a storm to bring you condoms when you needed them. You've been my devoted lapdog for six years, all because of this face?" "Carter? Makes sense. Every time you get drunk, that's the name you call out." Spencer's words made my heart skip a beat. I instinctively glanced toward Carter, who had just floated out of the study. But Spencer wasn't finished. He raised an eyebrow and suddenly laughed. His tone was dangerously casual. "Where are you hiding him? Bring him out so I can meet him." 05 Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. It was the deafening sound of my heartbeat. Carter heard it. He heard the phrase, "Every time you get drunk, that's the name you call out." Knowing his personality, he would normally seize the opportunity to relentlessly grill me. And mock me just like he did earlier: "Summer, don't tell me you actually have a crush on me? Hahaha." But right now, aside from shock and astonishment on his face, there was only sheer panic. "Hiding him in the study?" Spencer's voice yanked my thoughts back. Following my gaze, he glanced at the study, his smile vanishing, and he strode over aggressively. But when he threw the door open, the room was empty. There wasn't a single soul. Not finding anyone didn't stop him. Like a 'husband' eager to catch a cheater in the act, he threw open the bedroom and the walk-in closet. It wasn't until he realized there was truly no one else in the house that he seemed to have an epiphany and scoffed. "Entertaining yourself with fantasies? Summer, why bother?" "We look so much alike anyway. Just say the word, it's not like I can't satisfy you." As he spoke, his fingers lightly, mockingly tilted my chin up. Before I could say a word, Carter intervened. "Scumbag! Let go!" He rushed over and threw a punch at Spencer's face. But he couldn't even touch a single hair on Spencer's head. All he could do was jump around in frustrated rage. "Holy shit! Summer, he literally just got out of another woman's bed and now he's harassing you!" "What are you standing there for? Where's that reckless energy of yours?!" "Punch him! Just like you used to punch me!" Carter's words struck like a heavy bell, making my heart tremble as I stood completely stunned. Ten years ago, I really was a reckless bulldozer. Relying on my top grades, during a Monday morning pep rally, I grabbed the mic and publicly called out the math teacher for excessive physical punishment. When I saw a female student cornered by thugs in the back alley of the school, I jumped in to fight them off without caring for my own life. Back then, I thought I was a warrior, fearless and invincible. If Carter hadn't reminded me, I would have almost forgotten that I used to be "reckless." "Enough." With a soft sigh, I slapped Spencer's hand away and walked past him. I finally found my long-awaited pack of cigarettes on the cabinet and lit one. "Spencer, you know damn well... if you didn't have that face, I would never humor you." 06 Spencer and I were, indeed, a "business marriage." Six years ago, when my mom remarried that nouveau riche guy named Richard, his project funding suddenly dried up and operations stalled. My mom knew nothing about business. Neither did I. But for the sake of her "love," she was willing to let me be the sacrificial lamb. "Summer, Richard doesn't have any kids of his own. He treats you like his own daughter. Can you please help him?" "Mom asked around. The young CEO of the parent company, Spencer, really likes girls with your bright, striking looks." "I heard he invited a bunch of people on his yacht tomorrow. Can you go too? Just beg him to give Richard a little more time..." She cried and begged me over and over. That year, I was a senior in college, half a year away from graduating. I wanted to refuse, but I couldn't do it. Because I saw a photo of Spencer. I saw a face that shared three or four features with Carter's. From then on, things spiraled out of control. The Vance family had money and power. As the only heir to the Vance empire, Spencer never lacked women. But he never had a woman by his side who was as stubborn, unshakeable, and entirely devoid of self-esteem as me. "Lapdog." That's how his friends described me, and he just let them. Because if he told me to take the drinks for him, I would obediently drink myself into the ER. If he called me in the middle of the night saying he was at a hotel and needed condoms, I would drive through the rain to deliver them. Even when he allowed his first, second, third, and fourth "secretaries" to mock me, throw red wine on me, and humiliate me, I never held it against him. I was at his beck and call, staying right behind him for six whole years. As a result, my mom's new husband's business boomed. After his net worth skyrocketed this year, Spencer condescended to agree to a "marriage alliance." Whether he was happy about this marriage, I didn't know. But my mom was ecstatic. Yesterday, she threw a massive, extravagant engagement party. She voluntarily gave Spencer the passcode to my apartment. Even though Spencer never bothered to show up to the engagement party, she still couldn't hide her joy. She urged me: "Summer, our family will have to rely on the Vances for a lot of things from now on." "Men, you know, they have egos. That's normal. You just have to coax him more..." Before today, I was willing to coax him. But looking at the furious Carter in front of me, who looked like he wanted to rip Spencer's head off... Then looking at Spencer, who was choked up by my words, showing a stunned expression for the very first time. I realized they actually weren't alike at all. Sure enough... There is only one Carter Hayes in this world. With a soft sigh, I lowered my eyes and crushed out the cigarette. Then I walked up to Spencer and snatched the photo out of his hand. "Wipe the lipstick off your neck. It's disgusting." "And you know perfectly well... I never use you." 07 Spencer left. It was the first time I had ever choked him into silence. He was furious when he left, even flipping over the box containing Carter's belongings on the table. Carter exploded instantly. "Look at this, look at this! We aren't even married yet and he's already smashing and throwing things! What's he going to be like later?" "Summer, he has violent tendencies! You absolutely cannot marry him!" He lectured me relentlessly, deliberately changing the subject. Honestly, there wasn't much in the package anyway. A few photos and a glass jar filled with folded origami stars. Nothing valuable. But seeing the glass jar shatter and the red paper stars scatter all over the floor, Carter looked heartbroken. I knew about those stars. During our junior year of high school, he had begged me to teach him how to fold them. Back then, he said he wanted to fold exactly 520 stars to give to the girl he liked right before graduation to confess his feelings. I was reluctant. I roasted him for being cheesy, laughing at him looking like a linebacker doing needlepoint. "In this day and age, what girl wants a confession like this?" But he just blushed and told me to shut up, saying he was all about that old-school, hopeless romantic vibe. So many years had passed. I still had no idea who he gave that jar of stars to. Nor did I know who had anonymously mailed these things to me. Though when I was in the bathroom earlier, I did have a fleeting urge to ask. But looking at Carter, who looked like he wanted to physically manifest just to pick up the stars one by one... That tiny bit of curiosity completely evaporated. "I'll pack them up." I found a random box and swept the stars into it, ignoring his incessant, mother-hen-like nagging. I turned and walked back to my bedroom. But when I closed the door, I saw he had phased right through it. "Why did you come in?" He paused, his tone perfectly natural. "It's pouring rain outside. I remember you're scared of thunder." My heart skipped a violent beat. I stared straight into his face. Until he nervously scratched the back of his head and silently averted his gaze. "It's winter. There's no thunder." "Plus, you're a ghost. I'm way more scared of you than I am of thunder." Carter: "..." 08 That night, Carter didn't leave. He just crouched outside my door. But since he wasn't a physical entity, his entire back phased right through the door panel. At first glance, it looked like my door had grown a high school jacket. It was pretty terrifying. But he was completely unaware, just saying, "Go to sleep, Summer." Honestly, I wasn't really scared. Because in my memory, during a summer vacation years ago, he had sat outside my door all night just like this. That year, I was thirteen. My parents were going through a messy divorce. One of them was crying and demanding, "Did you ever really love me?" "All these years, did I ever matter to you? Even for a single day?" The other looked completely impatient. "Our marriage was a mistake from the start!" "If it wasn't for the fact that you got pregnant, I never would have left Linda!" They fought and screamed at each other. Neither of them noticed that I had run out the front door. Back then, I was very withdrawn. I had no friends, and nowhere to go, so I just went to the little convenience store down the street. The old lady who ran the store was very kind. She never asked uncomfortable questions. She just waved me over. "Hey kiddo, want to watch some TV? Come on in." I forgot what show was playing on the TV that day. I just remember sitting in that store for a very, very long time. From afternoon until dusk. From the blistering heat, until the air slowly filled with the damp smell of an approaching storm. That was when Carter walked in. He called out, "Hey Mrs. Higgins, grab me a bottle of vinegar!" He looked surprised for a second when he saw me. We exchanged a few casual greetings. After paying, he was about to leave, but his footsteps reversed. He tilted his chin at me, sounding like a tough guy. "Summer, my family's making homemade lasagna tonight." "Come on, let's go get some." 09 That day, I don't know what I was thinking, but I followed Carter to his house like I was under a spell. His house was pretty far, and I had never been there before. As we approached his front door, I started getting anxious. I was worried he'd get scolded for suddenly bringing a stranger home. I was worried his parents, like mine, hated it when classmates came over to play. But he unlocked the door, kicked off his shoes, and his tone was ridiculously casual. "Dad, Mom! I picked up a friend for dinner. Make sure there's enough lasagna for one more!" The first person to walk out of the kitchen was Carter's dad. "You little punk, you actually have a friend? How good-tempered do they have to be to put up with a troublemaker like you?" "Oh wow, it's a girl classmate too." His laugh was booming and hearty. He had flour smeared on his cheek. Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a gentle female voice. "Shut up, old man. You're smiling so wide you're going to scare the poor girl." "Come on in, sweetie. We're having homemade lasagna tonight, do you like Italian food?" "Honey, what are you standing there for? Get back to the garlic bread! Carter, there's soda in the fridge, grab a can for the girl." Carter: "Oh right, Summer, what flavor do you like? Orange good?" ... That day, I hadn't planned on crying. But I don't know what came over me. Seeing Carter's warm, welcoming parents, seeing this happy, harmonious family... my nose suddenly started to sting. I tried to hold it back. I held it back for a long time, but finally, I couldn't anymore. Along with the first crack of thunder of the summer, I burst out crying, sobbing loudly. That night, I didn't go home. Because the rain was too heavy and the thunder was too loud, Carter's mom called my mom. My mom was entirely focused on my dad and couldn't care less about me. So that night, I slept in Carter's room. And Carter, who was banished to sleep on the living room couch, whispered outside my door in the middle of the night: "Summer, you're scared of thunder?" "How did I never notice you were such a scaredy-cat before?" "Hehe, I'll just camp out right here tonight. Don't let me catch you crying on tape, Thunder Girl..." His mouth was seriously so toxic. The depressed mood I had built up was completely washed away by his few sentences, leaving me with nothing but pure speechlessness. "Get lost, you dog." He didn't get lost. He leaned against the door and slept sitting up the entire night. When I opened the door early the next morning, he fell flat on his back, groaning in pain. I've forgotten a lot of things from over a decade ago. But the summer breeze, the cicadas, the fiery sunset clouds from that year... I remember them vividly. I can even recall the smell of that homemade lasagna and orange soda lingering in the summer air... "Summer, go to sleep." Carter's voice seemed to travel through time, drifting through the door panel, instantly pulling my thoughts back. I let out a soft sigh and closed my eyes. And whispered silently in my heart. "Goodnight, Carter." 10 Early the next morning, I was woken up by a phone ringing. The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Carter's ghost face right there. He was so close to me. So close that I could see his pupils slightly contract and his eyelashes flutter. He didn't seem to expect the phone to ring suddenly, nor did he expect me to open my eyes. A flash of panic crossed his eyes. Then he abruptly pulled back, looking away, his tone extremely unnatural. "Summer, you grind your teeth when you sleep." "Grind my teeth?" Having known him for so many years, it was the first time I saw an expression resembling "shy" on Carter's face. I couldn't help it, I let out a laugh. Then I threw off the covers, got out of bed, and walked toward him barefoot. I deliberately let my gaze slowly sweep down from his eyes, landing on his lips. "If you don't explain... I'm going to think that pose just now was you trying to kiss me." After all, a seventeen-year-old boy can't handle being teased. Just one sentence made his eyes go wide as he stumbled backward repeatedly. Fortunately, the second round of ringtones rang right on time. He looked like he was saved. "Your phone is ringing, hurry up and answer it." After saying that, not daring to stay a second longer, he phased through the wall and escaped. Seeing such a vibrant, lively Carter made me want to laugh. But I couldn't. Because the call was from my mom. Unsurprisingly, the moment I connected, the scolding came down like an avalanche. "Summer, what happened with you last night? You didn't pick up the phone or reply to my texts." "I went through so much trouble to get Spencer to go check on you, and you still managed to piss him off?" "Your stepdad Richard's project relies entirely on the Vance family. How can you have zero sense of boundaries?" "I heard Spencer has a gathering with his friends the day after tomorrow. You are going to go there and apologize, do you hear me?" Look. This is my mom. Where I went, what I did, she didn't know and didn't care. Instead, she knew Spencer's itinerary like the back of her hand. I wanted to say I wasn't going. I didn't want to go through with this marriage either. But the moment I thought about the endless blame and nagging I would face after saying it aloud... I swallowed the words back down. "Okay." Looking at the direction Carter vanished. I thought. Some things are better said to Spencer face-to-face.
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