Elizabeth’s POV

For a moment, I thought I was losing my mind.

Claire blinked slowly, her brows knitting together as she scanned the room like she didn’t recognize where she was.

“Thank goodness I cleaned up a little,” I muttered, floating closer to her. “At least it doesn’t look like a haunted dump.”

She stretched her arms, still drowsy, then caught her reflection in the mirror. My heart jumped to my throat.

Oh no.

“What if she notices something?” I whispered, pacing. “The hair… the clothes…”

Panic swelled in my chest. I pressed the button on my pendant several times. “Red! Red, get over here!”

A faint shimmer appeared beside me, and there he was, rubbing sleep from his eyes, his crimson hair sticking up in every direction. “You know it’s nighttime, right? Some of us are supposed to be resting in peace.”

“Hide those clothes!” I hissed, pointing at the pile near the dresser. “She’s going to see them!”

He blinked, unimpressed. “You called me for that? I thought you were being murdered.”

“This is serious,” I shot back. “If she figures out something’s off, we’re doomed!”

Red rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. “You really live for panic, don’t you?”

“Just do it!”

With another exasperated sigh, he snapped his fingers, and the clothes vanished. “There. Happy now? Don’t expect me to be your maid again.”

“Good. I’ll request a new guide,” I muttered, half under my breath. “One who doesn’t whine every two minutes.”

He turned, scandalized. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” I said flatly. “You’re annoying.”

He squinted at me, then threw up his hands. “You know what? Handle your own chaos.” A puff of smoke swirled around him, and he disappeared.

I groaned. “Unbelievable.”

Claire moved toward the closet, pulling out a pair of faded jeans and a loose pajama top. I rolled my eyes. “No sense of style whatsoever.”

Before I could comment further, a sharp knock cut through the silence.

Claire froze. Her shoulders tensed as she turned toward the door. I felt the air shift, the kind of heavy stillness that comes right before something bad happens.

She opened the door just a crack, peering through. “What do you want?”

The door pushed open wider, and a tall man stepped in. My stomach twisted. It was the man I’d seen earlier this morning.

“What are you doing here?” Claire demanded, her voice trembling slightly. “I told you I’ll pay you back. Stop coming to my place.”

His expression darkened. “I don’t care about your money,” he said quietly, shutting the door behind him. The sound made my heart race. “I came for you.”

The way he said it sent a shiver down my spine.

“Get out,” Claire snapped. “You’re drunk.”

He took another step forward, his eyes narrowing. “Where were you this morning? Who were you with?”

“What are you talking about?” she said, pushing him back. “You’ve lost your mind!”

He caught her wrist before she could pull away. “Don’t play with me, Claire. You know I hate being lied to.”

The sight made my chest ache. His grip tightened, and Claire’s eyes filled with fear. I could feel.her heartbeat pounding, her breath catching, that desperate urge to get away.

“Let her go,” I shouted, rushing forward, but my hands passed right through him. Sparks of icy energy shot up my arms, leaving me trembling.

“Red!” I yelled. “Red, help me!”

Nothing.

“Red!” I screamed again, my voice breaking. “Please, he’s going to hurt her!”

A heavy sigh echoed behind me. “You really don’t know how to keep quiet, do you?”

I turned to see Red reappear, looking unimpressed. “You’re the most troublesome soul I’ve ever met.”

“Please,” I begged. “Do something! You can’t just stand there.”

He hesitated, his usual smirk fading. “I can’t interfere with human affairs,” he said softly.

Tears burned my eyes. “Then at least call someone who can.”

He muttered something under his breath, clearly irritated, then pulled out his phone. “Fine. But if this gets me in trouble, I’m haunting you forever.”

Within seconds, the wail of sirens echoed in the distance.

The man jerked his head toward the window. “Shit.”

He shoved Claire away, buttoned his shirt, and stormed out before the sirens got any closer.

Claire stumbled back onto the bed, her whole body shaking. Silent tears streamed down her face.

I hovered near her, my chest tightening with something sharp and painful. Watching her cry like that, it tore me apart.

I knelt beside her, whispering even though she couldn’t hear me. “You don’t deserve this. None of it.”

For a long while, she just sat there, staring at the floor. Then she rose unsteadily and walked to the shelf. She picked up a cup of half-eaten noodles, the edges crusted over.

I stared in disbelief. “You’re not seriously going to eat that…”

She did.

I gasped, horrified. “Are you insane?”

Without thinking, I reached forward, trying to knock it from her hand. My fingers brushed against her skin.

The moment our hands made contact, a small spark of energy pulsed between us. Her head jerked up, and her eyes widened as if she felt something, or someone there.

Slowly, she lifted her head.

Our eyes met.

My breath caught.