The 1166-Day Lie

Hazel, I won't be coming to see you anymore.

One thousand, one hundred and sixty-six days after my death, the boyfriend who swore he'd never marry anyone else stood at my grave holding another woman's hand. He squeezed her fingers, his eyes locked on my headstone. A smile touched his lips.

I'm going to start a new life.

The smile froze on my face. My throat tightened until it burned. "It's about time," I murmured to the empty air.

Chapter 1

I'd been dead for three years. Killian had been visiting for three years. Every Friday, rain or shine, he showed up.

He'd buy a bouquet, lay it against the cold stone, and just sit there. He'd talk about his life, filling the silence with everything from the stock market crashes on Wall Street to how the burger patty at his usual fast-food joint was cooked too well-done.

No answers. No echoes. Just him, talking to my grave for three straight years.

My graveyard "neighbors" were jealous. They told me I must have saved the galaxy in my past life to land a guy so obsessed with me.

I'd puff out my chest. "What can I say? I'm just that irresistible."

But the truth? I never wanted him to come. Drowning in the past wasn't healthy.

I kept telling himscreaming at himto move on. But when the day actually came, a heavy ache crushed my chest, and my vision blurred with hot tears.

The cemetery was always lively at midnight. A new neighbor, a chatterbox around my age, floated over and tapped my shoulder. "Your boyfriend coming tomorrow?"

"He's an idiot. Of course he's coming."

"It's been three years."

"One thousand, one hundred and sixty-six days," I corrected.

The ghost girl let out a dry laugh. "You sure keep track."

How could I not? Every single day and night was burned into my memory.

Friday morning brought grey skies and a steady drizzle. Killian arrived right on schedule. The umbrella shadowed his face, but I could clearly see the massive bouquet of red roses in his arms.

The ghost girl's jaw dropped. "Hold up. The intel was wrong. Didn't you say he only brings a small bunch?"

As Killian stepped closer, I realized he'd gotten even better-looking. Figures. He was a menace to the female population back in school, and the years had only sharpened his edges.

He gently set the roses down and looked up, a soft smile breaking through. "A bit cold today, huh, Hazel? Happy five-year anniversary."

A handwritten card rested in the center of the blooms. Thick, deliberate strokes. He never missed bringing roses on our anniversary.

I leaned against my own headstone, a bitter laugh escaping me. "You still remember."

Five years. Time was a cruel joke.

Killian sat down beside the grave, his voice smooth and warm. "Hazel, guess who I ran into on my way here."

I crossed my arms. "How am I supposed to guess that?"

He took his time. "I'll give you a hint. Someone from school."

We went to the same schools from kindergarten straight through college. I scoffed. "Wow. So helpful."

Whenever Killian talked to me, he always laid out these little conversational breadcrumbs. Even without my replies, he'd pause, giving me the exact amount of time I'd need to overthink it.

Right on cue, he spoke again. "Justin from the football team. That idiot who used to plaster your locker with prank stickers back in high school. Remember him?"

The memory slammed into me. We weren't in the same classes back then. I was the notorious delicate flower of our grade, and Justin was the meathead who made it his mission to terrorize me.

Killian, on the other hand, was an Ivy League prospect. Even though he was a total loner, that cold, sharp face and his signature leather jacket guaranteed girls screaming his name at every party.

But he wasn't the gentle guy he was now. Back then, Killian was infamous for being someone you didn't cross.

Once, Justin pushed me too far, and I had a meltdown in the middle of the hallway.

Crash.

Killian kicked over a metal trash can, the deafening sound echoing off the lockers. His face was thunder as he closed the distance with heavy strides.

I turned around, my vision swimming as my eyes locked with his.

Chapter 2

His face was dark as our eyes met. He clicked his tongue, a sharp sound of irritation.

Killian didn't say a word. He grabbed Justin by the collar of his jersey and slammed him hard against the lockers.

His eyes were pure ice. "Apologize to her. Right now."

Justin was fine with bullying me, but faced with Killian, he immediately crumbled, stammering out apologies.

Killian didn't let go. He glared at Justin. "Mess with her again, and I'll shove you headfirst into a trash can."

The entire hallway went dead silent. Justin was genuinely terrified, nodding so fast his head looked like it was going to snap off.

Only then did Killian release his grip. He looked down at me and fished a piece of candy out of his pocket. "Stop crying, you little bird. You didn't even tell me."

That was the moment it started. Every time I saw Killian, my pulse would spike, a wild flutter against my ribs like trapped heat.

I nodded at his grave-side story. "Yeah, I remember. What about him?"

"He's married now. His kid is already walking."

"Really?" I sighed. "Time flies."

Killian had brought strawberries this time, and my mouth watered just looking at them. I wanted to grab one so badly, but I just couldn't. I rolled up my sleeves, trying to snatch a strawberry while listening to him talk, but my fingers just phased right through the fruit, over and over again.

"If I hadn't been worrying about a suspension back in high school, I swear I would've broken his nose."

"Well, after you came to the hallway and terrified him, he never messed with me again," I whispered.

Killian stared off into the distance. Something crossed his mind, and a sudden, quiet laugh escaped him. "I actually never told you this, but over winter break, I tracked Justin down and beat him up again."

"Wow, you're terrible." I threw my hands up, pretending to lunge at him to scare him, but then he spoke again.

"Justin insisted on setting me up with some girl."

My hands froze in mid-air. I went stiff for two seconds, the playful energy draining out of me.

I dropped down to sit beside him. "Then you should go for it. It's not like you're getting any younger"

"I told him I already have a girlfriend. She's sweet, she's perfect, and she loves me."

Killian rubbed the silver ring on his finger, his voice dropping to a soft murmur. "And I'm only ever going to love her."

He lowered his eyes. "Hazel, I wanted to have a baby with you, too."

A bitter, suffocating mix of heartache and frustration clawed at my chest. "Are you stupid? You're dragging out the mourning period longer than the actual relationship."

"Hazel." Killian's voice cracked, raw and raspy. "I miss you so much. Do you miss me?"

My eyes stung with hot tears. "You're so annoying. You make me cry every single time you come here."

But before a tear could fall, the ghost girl next to me broke down.

She wiped at her eyes, sobbing openly. "What kind of sci-fi movie is this? My piece of shit ex only ever cheated on me."

"I would trade my scumbag ex burning in hell for you two to grow old together! No, let his soul rot in the abyss forever!!"

The tears choked back in my throat, turning into a weak laugh. "Thanks. You're our number one shipper."

Killian was still murmuring to my grave, mostly spilling cheesy, gut-wrenching romantic confessions. I desperately wanted to cry, but I was too embarrassed to break down in front of my new neighbor.

I shoved at the ghost girl's shoulder. "Get out of here. Out of all the neighbors I've had, you're the worst at reading the room."

At that, she froze. She grabbed my hand, suddenly serious. "Hazel, how long did you say you've been wandering around here?"

I just wanted to push her away. Killian never stayed long, and I wanted to soak up every second I had left with him.

The ghost girl's pale face turned ashen.

She pulled out a worn copy of the Underworld Rulebook. "Hazel, you can't keep doing this."

"I do what I want!" After shoving and kicking her out of our space, I dropped back down onto the grass right next to Killian.

Chapter 3

Killian's eyes dropped to the ground. The rain was coming down harder now. He must have been exhausted. The hand holding the umbrella tilted, letting the cold downpour soak through half of his jacket.

He didn't say another word.

He always fell quiet right before he left, but today, the silence dragged on, heavy and suffocating.

"Killian," I let out a slow breath. "You have to start looking ahead. Why are you so hell-bent on hanging onto a dead girl?"

He couldn't hear me, but I said it every single time. If he could, his ears would have been bleeding by now.

"Start over. And if you can check in on my parents for me, okay? Killian. Forget me."

It always started with him doing the talking, and ended with me rambling into the void. He just sat there, perfectly still in the rain. In some twisted way, it looked like he was actually listening.

"Killian," I repeated. "Forget me."

He stayed much longer than usual. After an eternity of silence, his voice finally broke through the sound of the rain.

"I never told you this, but I moved recently. Closer to here. So it's easier to come see you."

"The house is freezing. I kept the layout exactly the way we had it, but I took the liberty of making one little change."

"I swapped out the bedsheets. I never liked the pink ones. Are you mad at me, Hazel?"

"But I kept all your stuff. Every time I walk through the front door, it feels like you're still there. Like you never left."

"Biscuit's been a picky eater lately, but he still managed to put on some weight."

"He really misses you. Whenever I play voice memos of you, he rolls around on the floor crying for attention."

Listening to him, my throat constricted so hard it burned, and I felt like I was suffocating on ash. "Killian. What the hell are you doing?"

My ghost was haunting every corner of his life. How was he ever supposed to walk away?

Killian left. He made a decision before he did. He said, "Hazel, a week is too long. I'm going to come see you every single day from now on, okay?"

After his silhouette disappeared into the rain, the ghost girl floated over, her eyes red and puffy. "You keep calling him an idiot, but I think you're the real idiot here."

I tilted my head. "So who do you think is dumber?"

She turned her head away in a huff. "You've both maxed out on stupidity. I can't even tell anymore."

A broken laugh escaped my lips. "I think he wins."

After that day, Killian actually started showing up every single afternoon. He talked more, his words spilling out faster. It was all pointless, everyday trivia, but I soaked up every single syllable.

He came straight for seven days. And then, just like that, he vanished.

When he finally reappeared, my eyes immediately zeroed in on his left hand.

The silver ring was gone.

A block of ice dropped into my stomach. Realization hit me like a physical blow, and my head snapped up to look at his face.

His hands were emptyno roses this time. But his eyes were curved into a sharp, clear smile. "Hazel, the weather is getting colder."

The moment he spoke, the ghost girl next to me fell dead silent.

In the massive, sprawling cemetery, Killian's voice was the only sound left. He leaned back against the headstone. He let the silence stretch out before exhaling a long, slow breath.

"I'm suddenly getting a little tired of this place. Turns out, love really does have an expiration date. Even mine for you."

Killian looked down, a low chuckle escaping his lips. "I haven't been here for days, and honestly? I didn't feel a thing. Hazel, I'm letting you go."

Chapter 4

"There's a new girl at the firm. For the first time in a long time, my heart actually skipped a beat. When I see her, my pulse just naturally speeds up."

"I saw her the other day, shivering in a short skirt in the freezing rain, blowing into her hands to stay warm. A voice just went off in my head. It told me I needed to protect her from now on."

"I guess falling for someone really does hit you without warning."

As Killian spoke, his eyes caught the light. A soft, unmistakable warmth and adoration crinkled the corners of his eyes. "Are you mad at me, Hazel?"

I stood in the biting wind, but the chill felt like it was slicing straight through my ribs. Sharp, rhythmic stabs of pain radiated through my hollow chest. Turns out, ghosts can feel pain too.

I had been waiting for him to say these exact words for so long. But hearing them drop into the cold air? My lungs seized up.

"How could I possibly be mad? I'm thrilled!" I ripped my gaze away from him and forced out a loud, hollow laugh.

But as the laugh echoed, my eyes snagged on Killian's face. The back of my throat burned like acid. The laughter died on my lips.

I stared at him for a long, agonizing moment. "That's great," I rasped out.

It really was great.

The next time Killian visited, the sun was blindingly bright. I spotted him from a distance. With his height and broad shoulders, he was impossible to miss in any crowd.

He hadn't been here in a while. Seeing him suddenly materialize felt like a glitch in reality. But this time, there was a girl standing right beside him.

I bolted upright.

Every muscle in my phantom body locked into ice.

Killian brought her to see me. He laced his fingers through hers, his eyes locked on my headstone with a soft smile.

"Hazel, I won't be coming to see you anymore. I'm going to start a new life."

The sunlight was brutally glaring. I squinted against the harsh rays, my voice coming out in a garbled whisper.

"That's amazing news! I told you forever ago to get out there and live. Look at you now, you look so much better."

"You belong in the sun, Killian. That's who you really are."

Mid-sentence, my throat slammed shut. I swayed, my fingers digging desperately into the ghost girl's shoulder just to keep from collapsing onto the grass. "I think my blood sugar is just low I I"

It was a rare moment where my emotions completely short-circuited. Thank God Killian couldn't see me shaking.

His grip on the girl's hand was tight, grounding him. When he looked down at my grave, the consuming, burning intensity that used to live in his eyes was just gone.

Killian had actually let me go.

They always say a new love is the ultimate cure for an old wound. Seeing him healed? I was happier than anyone.

I furiously wiped the wetness from my face. A massive, crushing weight seemed to lift off my chest.

I forced a smile. "I'm so happy for you, Killian. Three years, and you're finally back on track."

When he spoke, his tone was light and conversational. Like he was talking to an old friend.

"I used to think my life was just over. That I'd just waste away. But then I met the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I got lucky."

"Everything in the past I'm just treating it like a long dream. You know me. When I'm locked in, I only love one person."

"When I give my whole heart to someone, there's no room left for anyone else."

He squeezed the girl's hand tighter on that last sentence. That's when my eyes caught the glint of metalmatching couple's rings. They even had custom initials engraved on them. He really went all in.

But that was Killian. His love was always aggressive, blinding, and impossible to ignore. He was a burning sun, and so was his devotion.

Killian reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver ring. He leaned down and placed it gently on the cold stone of my grave. "Hazel," he murmured, his voice smooth and untethered. "Goodbye."

Chapter 5

"Leaving so soon?" I bolted upright. Hot wetness flooded my eyes, instantly blurring his face. I scrubbed frantically at my cheeks, but the tears wouldn't stop coming.

The last time. This was the absolute last time.

Please don't let my final memory of him be just a blurry silhouette.

I was so useless. The harder I fought it, the faster the tears spilled.

I just wanted to look at him. I wanted to burn every angle of his face into my brain.

But this final goodbye was so rushed. So terrifyingly abrupt.

Killian didn't linger like he usually did. He carefully held the girl's hand and turned to leave.

My throat seized. A broken sob tore its way out. "Killian can you still"

Before the words could finish, his back was already to me.

My voice trembled. "Can you Can you say you love me one more time?"

Killian walked away. He took every last ounce of oxygen in the cemetery with him.

Dead silence crashed down. I stood paralyzed, staring blankly at the grass for a long, empty eternity.

The silver ring lay abandoned on the stone.

I held up my hand, sizing up my phantom finger against it, and reached out to pick it up. My fingers phased right through the metal.

Again. And again. The ring didn't move an inch.

Panic clawed up my throat. I lunged forward, frantically clawing at the stone with both hands.

The ghost girl's breath hitched.

She started shouting at me. "Hazel! Hazel? What are you doing? You're scaring me"

I jerked my head up, my eyes wide and unseeing. "I want to put it on." I pointed a shaking finger at the cold stone. "I just want to put the ring on."

The ghost girl fell dead silent. She stood rooted to the spot, staring at me as her own eyes turned a raw, irritated red. I lunged for the ring again.

She threw her arms around me, pinning me tightly against her chest. Her voice broke.

"Stop trying to grab it, Hazel. We're not picking it up. It's been three years. You need to let it go."

Right. Time to let go.

Killian moving on was cause for a massive celebration. I let out a loud, jagged laugh that echoed off the headstones. Then I started running. Sprinting wildly through the graves, spinning, singing at the top of my lungs.

This cemetery was too damn quiet. It needed some noise.

When my lungs finally burned out, I collapsed against my own headstone, slurring out lazy conversation to the empty air.

"Killian, skip the strawberries next time. I'm getting kind of sick of them anyway."

"I want tacos from that food truck downtown. Grab me an order next time you come, okay? We haven't been there together in forever"

Oh, and that huge seafood boil from Times Square. And those caramel apples from the alley. Fall is coming, so we definitely need

"Hazel?" The ghost girl snapped over, cutting me off. "Stop doing this"

"Huh?" I blinked, the manic fog clearing.

"Oh. Right. He's not coming back."

My eyes dropped back to the abandoned ring. "That's great," I murmured. "Grow old together, Killian."

The ghost girl snapped. It was the first time she ever lost her temper with me. She grabbed my shoulders, shaking me, asking what the hell I was doing.

"Killian is gone! What did you promise me? He's not coming back! You can't stay in this realm anymore, do you understand that?"

She was hysterical.

I stared at her, a weak, broken smile pulling at my lips. "You're blowing out my eardrums."

I reached up and smoothed out the ends of her hair. "You're such a busybody. None of my past neighbors were ever this nosy."

She jerked her head away, refusing to meet my eyes. "You said it yourself. Past neighbors. Because everyone else already moved on."

She was right. Ghosts couldn't stick around the human world forever.

I sank slowly to the ground, my eyes locked on the empty horizon.

"I spent all this time trying to push him away. But now that it actually happened, I can't take it. I know I can't stay here anymore, but I I just can't let go"

"I just want to stay one more day. Just one more day in the exact spot where Killian came looking for me for three years. Just one more second."

Chapter 6

I tilted my head, watching the ghost girl's tear-streaked face. A broken laugh slipped out. "Sometimes I wonder how Killian acts around her. Does he towel-dry her hair after a shower?"

"When she throws a tantrum, does he swallow his pride and coax her back? Probably. Killian is so meticulous. He'd never let her hurt