Chapter 2

The backlot lights click off, one by one.

The terrifying “zombie siege” looks pathetic in the dark—no screaming extras, no dramatic lighting, just cheap plastic props and half-finished sets sagging under the dry California wind.

I float back to my body.

The night guards start their final patrol. Flashlight beams sweep across the fake ruins.

"Hey, we've got someone still here." One of the guards swings his flashlight over. The beam lands on me.

The other guy walks over. He kicks the sole of my shoe. "Hey! Wake up! We wrapped hours ago. You can't sleep here. Get back to the lounge!"

I don't react.

The guard crouches. He hesitates. Reaches out and presses two fingers against my neck.

A second passes, then another. He jerks his hand back and scrambles to his feet.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

A scream rips through the night. The kind that comes from the bottom of the throat.

"She's dead! Call 911! We got a dead body!"

The guard stumbles and sprints toward the gate.

Sirens wail. Flashing red and blue lights soon wash over the fake ruins.

EMTs lift me onto a stretcher. One peels back my eyelids and checks my pupils. Then he shakes his head.

"No vitals. She's already in rigor."

Crime scene techs bag the evidence. They pry a tiny bottle from my clenched fist.

A brown plastic vial. The label is half peeled off. But the EPA warning sign is still visible.

"Paraquat?" A cop frowns and drops it into an evidence bag. "Restricted-use herbicide. Where the hell did she get this?"

"Could be suicide. Run her ID. Notify the next of kin."

Meanwhile, Damien pulls into his Malibu estate.

His phone suddenly rings.

The screen lights up. An unknown local number. Caller ID says County Sheriff's Department.

He glares at the screen and hits decline.

Two seconds later. The same number rings again.

He snatches the phone off the dash. Tosses it into Selene's lap. "Handle it. I don't have time for this!"

Selene nods politely. She swipes the screen and kills the call.

Her eyes dart in thought.

She opens his contacts. Pulls up "Aria". Hits block without missing a beat.

I hover in the backseat. Watching her fingers tap the screen.

Smooth. Effortless. Like she's been dying to do this for years.

The Malibu estate.

Damien just gets out of the shower. A towel wrapped around his waist.

His phone buzzes. A text notification has been filtered into the spam folder.

He picks it up. Frowns. Moves to tap it.

Selene snatches it right out of his hand.

"Damien, go dry your hair! I got this!"

She unlocks the screen. Scans the message.

[URGENT: Aria Blackwell declared deceased at 4:14 PM. Suspected cause: Paraquat poisoning (Suicide). Next of kin must report to the County Medical Examiner's Office to identify the body.]

Selene's hand jerks.

The phone nearly slips from her hand, barely missing the marble floor.

Aria is actually dead?

She stares hard at those words.

Shock flickers across her face, then disappears. By the time she looks up again, her expression is smooth, but something brighter has already taken its place. She hits delete with no hesitation.

Deleted Items.

Trash.

"Aria begging for forgiveness?" Damien asks, towel-drying his hair.

"Nothing important!" Selene tosses the phone onto the table. Her smile is perfect again. "Just spam. Want me to dry your hair, babe?"

Damien steps back, dodging her touch. "No. Get some sleep. I'm heading to the office. Stay here for a few days. I won't be back."

He stops at the door.

"Let me know when the location shoot is done. I'll send a crew to clean up. Otherwise, that psycho Aria's gonna throw another fit when she comes home!"

I hover near the ceiling. Watching the whole thing play out.

I always knew Selene was pure poison. Knew it from day one.

But Damien, he just gave away my home. The house I decorated with my own hands. Let another woman move right in.

And called me a psycho!

I reach for a breath and find nothing.

The good thing about being dead? Nothing hurts anymore. Emotions are trapped behind thick glass. You see the fire burning. But you don't feel the heat.

Just like that. I vanished twice in one day.

First, my body died on that cold concrete floor.

Second, Selene deleted the last proof I was still expected anywhere.