Ghost Me Once More And I’m Gone Chapter 04
On the day of the engagement party, I woke up early.
I packed my passport, visa, and work documents carefully into my carry-on.
The dress Ethan had brought me the night before hung in my closet.
He had said today was important and I needed something special.
It was cream-colored with elaborate lace around the neckline and sleeves.
Chloe’s favorite color.
Chloe’s favorite style.
Not mine.
I left the dress in the closet, along with every gift Ethan had ever given me.
Three large boxes of gummy candy in Chloe’s favorite flavors. I had never opened them.
An anniversary bracelet with Chloe’s initials engraved inside.
I had never worn it.
One suitcase held everything I had accumulated in twenty years under that roof, and somehow it barely weighed anything—as if I had never really belonged there at all.
A location pin appeared in the family group chat.
Emma, go to the hotel first. We’ll be there later.
There’s a surprise waiting for you.
I replied with one word.
Okay.
Then my parents posted a screenshot of a Venmo transfer.
For our daughter. Happy engagement. We hope you’ll always be happy.
It was the first time since I was ten that they had said anything so gentle to me.
If I hadn’t overheard their plan the night before, I might have fooled myself into believing they still loved me.
Now I knew.
Their tenderness was just another part of the trap.
Then Ethan called.
His voice was unusually warm.
“Emma, you’re going to love the ring I picked. See you later.”
“Okay. I’ll wait for you.”
A loving sister, devoted parents, a boyfriend by my side—they had built me a beautiful little fantasy for the newest round of the Ghost Game.
This time, I wasn’t playing.
At that moment, a coworker who was transferring with me texted.
Emma, boarding starts soon. Don’t be late.
I pulled my suitcase toward the door.
As I passed the kitchen, I saw the refrigerator covered in Polaroids.
Chloe laughing.
Chloe crying.
Chloe baking cookies for the first time.
Chloe behind the wheel for the first time.
Every tiny moment of her life had been carefully preserved.
Only one photo belonged to me.
I was looking down in it, my nose red from crying.
No one had spoken to me that day.
Across the white border, someone had written in marker:
1,000TH GHOST GAME COMPLETE!
I tore the photo down and slipped it into my coat pocket.
The last proof that I had ever existed in that house.
When the plane rose above the clouds, I left the family group chat.
Then I deleted and blocked Mom, Dad, Chloe, and Ethan one by one.
From now on, none of them would ever find me again.
At eleven that night, Ethan glanced at his watch in the beachside restaurant.
He was finally getting restless.
“Shouldn’t we head back? It’s late. Emma’s still waiting at the hotel.”
Chloe admired her fresh manicure.
“No rush. She’s probably only just started crying. Give it a little longer. It’ll be more effective.”
My parents nodded.
“Chloe’s right.”
“Emma has played the Ghost Game for years. She’s used to it. She won’t really be mad.”
Ethan thought about it and agreed.
I had always been soft-hearted.
Easy to comfort.
If he stood me up once, I forgave him.
One more time probably wouldn’t matter.
Then the calls started coming.
One after another.
Relatives.
Friends.
Guests at the party.
“What is going on? You left an entire ballroom full of people sitting here, and none of you showed up?”
“We’ve been waiting since this afternoon. We haven’t even seen the bride-to-be or the groom-to-be!”
My parents and Ethan shot to their feet.
“No one’s there?”
“Where’s Emma?”
“She’s the guest of honor. There’s no way she wouldn’t show.”
On the other end, Ethan’s mother took the phone.
“I don’t know what happened, but Emma never came.”
“You need to get back here. Now.”
A terrible feeling came over Ethan.
He immediately texted me.
Message failed.
He called.
Blocked.
My parents tried.
So did Chloe.
Same result.
“Emma blocked all of us?”
For the first time, they truly panicked.
They rushed back to the hotel ballroom.
The event manager approached them.
“Are you Emma Miller’s family?”
“Yes. Where is she?”
Instead of answering, he handed them a sealed envelope.
“She asked me to give this to you before she left.”
The moment they opened it, every face changed.