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I could hear it, too.

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

My breaths started to hitch again, but I forced myself to breathe deeply, refusing to let the fear take hold. It was just Kali. She may have been a ghost, but she was the woman my husband had loved once upon a time, and I feared still did. She was the woman Chance had loved for even longer, even if he refused to admit it, who he had assured me meant me no harm.

But wouldn’t I want to harm me, if I were in her position? This new woman that had taken her place and stolen her man. Or would she be happy that he had moved on, that he had found love again and was living his life?

I couldn’t say, because despite all the stories I’d heard about her, I didn’t actually know her.

When the scratching stopped, I watched her reflection pull back, fatigue clear in the droop of her shoulders and dark bruising beneath her icy blue eyes. Eyes that met mine in the mirror. She pointed a weak finger at the note, then jabbed her finger at it more insistently when I didn’t immediately move. I gulped down my apprehension at moving closer to where I knewshe was, but turned to face the seemingly empty space. The knowledge that she was there and that I couldn’t see her was disturbing, but I chose to trust Chance’s assurances and stepped cautiously up to the table and looked down.

She had scratched out Blake’s signature at the bottom of the page, a jagged hole now in its place. What the… Why?

‘Are you… Do you hate me?’ I asked her, my insecurities pushing to the forefront with enough force to knock the breath from my lungs.

I chanced a glance at the mirror to see her reaction, but it was not what I expected. She was looking right at me, close enough that I could feel a chill on my arm raise goosebumps over my flesh, but her expression wasn’t angry. It was kind. Sad. She shook her head slowly, reaching out a hand as if to touch me, but pausing before it could make contact.

Then she pointed at the note again.

I didn’t understand. ‘Are you mad at Blake?’

Her eyes flashed, and she dipped her chin to acknowledge my question.

Oh…Oh.

‘Don’t be mad at him,’ I rushed to his defence. ‘Please don’t hate him. He still loves you. I’m not trying to erase what you had, I swear.’

Her shoulders slumped as if my response wasn’t the one she had hoped for, a deep sadness penetrating the room until I felt like I was going to cry on her behalf. Fuck. This was not what I wanted. I didn’t want to upset her or think she was replaced. That wasn’t the caseat all.

But I didn’t get the chance to try to talk about it further. My phone rang inside my purse, as my head snapped around at the sound. I jumped, startled, then decided to ignore it to focus back on Kali. But she was gone. There was no more cold spot. The note sat motionless on the table.

I glared at it, then turned from it with an aggravated huff. The phone was still ringing, and hope lit up inside me like a wildfire at the prospect of talking to Blake, but the number wasn’t his. It wasn’t one I recognised, either.

Tentatively, I answered, bringing it up to my ear. ‘Hello?’

‘Hello,’ a female voice responded on the other end. ‘I’m looking for a Mrs. Dakota Dodd?’

‘Speaking,’ I confirmed, a bad feeling beginning to swirl in my stomach.

‘Mrs. Dodd, my name is Detective Benson. I’m calling from the Klamath County Police Department. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about a case I’m working on?’

I blinked, stunned. ‘Uh… sure. What is this about?’

‘It’s not something I feel comfortable speaking about over the phone. Would it be possible to set up a meeting to talk in person?’

‘Um, yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem. Is everything okay?’

‘I’m hoping you can give me an answer to that question, Mrs. Dodd. Would you be able to come into the station?’

‘I… Yes, I can come in. Am I in trouble for something?’

‘No, no, it’s nothing like that. You haven’t done anything wrong. We would just like to ask you a few questions about an individual that has come up in our investigation.’

‘Can I ask who?’

‘Again, I’m sorry, but I would prefer to speak about this in person.’

‘Right. Okay. Sure.’