“She will,” I said with certainty, placing a reassuring hand on Archie’s shoulder. “She’ll know. Trust me.”
The murmurs around us grew louder and more skeptical. The pressure was mounting.
Unable to take it anymore, “Casey” finally grasped an excuse. “Martin, you know I’ve been sick. I lost a lot of memories after that illness.” On hearing that, my eyes reddened with fury. “Yes! I believed that excuse at first–until the day before our wedding, when something happened.”
“I suddenly started hearing Onie’s thoughts.“>
“The moment it did that tail–up pose–it hit me like lightning. That was Rocco’s signature move. Rocco, the first puppy Casey and I ever raised together. Onie had never done that before.”
“If I hadn’t heard its voice… I would’ve spent the rest of my life living a lie.”
She tried to defend herself, her tone was urgent. “Martin, you’re imagining things. You’ve been under too much stress lately. Hearing voices? That’s nonsense-”
I raised my hand to silence her–and pulled out the stack of receipts and transaction logs I had prepared.
“These past three months while you were supposedly ‘recovering,‘ you transferred money weekly to Alivia and someone with the surname Del Carmen.”}
“Alivia is Elodie’s mother–Casey never had contact with her. Why were you sending her money?“}
“And this Del Carmen person? She’s a fortune teller who specializes in spirit channeling. If you weren’t hiding anything, why did you pay her hush money?“>
She went silent.
I sent more videos and documents to everyone present–friends, family, and guests.§
One by one, they looked through the evidence.
And one by one, they turned their cold, questioning eyes toward the woman in the wheelchair–the one who had stolen Casey’s body. Surprisingly, instead of panicking, she only grew calmer under their stares.}
“So what if it’s true?” she said, her voice was ice–cold. “So what if it’s not?“”
“I’ll be honest–yes, I’ve occupied this body for three months. And we can’t switch back anymore. If any of you try to force it, only Casey’s soul will suffer.“}
“I thought I could use a child to bind you to me, to earn your trust. If I had known this would happen, I would’ve kept the baby and made this body mine for good.“}
“Who said you had a choice?”
A sudden voice cuts through the air.
A hand shot out from behind Elodie and struck her sharply on the neck.
Her body slumped forward, and she fell unconscious.
From the shadows, an elderly woman approached us, her face lined with age and painted with intricate spiritual sigils. In her right hand, she was holding a cane. In the other was a talisman, which she pressed firmly against Elodie’s neck.
The moment Archie and I saw her, our eyes gleamed with relief.”
It was Granny Emely, the legendary fortune teller and master spirit sealer. She finally emerged from seclusion.
The chaos I stirred up reached her ears.
She had realized the source
of all this madness was her own wayward disciple–the one who had been exiled from their sect.
Since it began with her apprentice, Granny Emely came to clean it up.
The Garza family immediately cooperated, helping to move Casey’s body carefully from the hospital.
Finally, we all gathered at my private villa.}
In the center of the courtyard, a spirit altar had been arranged exactly to Granny Emely’s specifications.
Elodie’s original body–retrieved from Appalachian Mountains–was laid on one side of the stone platform.
Casey’s body lay opposite it.
And Onie, the vessel holding her soul, rested in the very center.
The golden retriever looked uneasy.
I knelt beside him, kissed his forehead gently, and whispered, “Don’t worry, Casey. Granny Emely is powerful. She’ll bring you back. I promise. I’ll stay right here with you.”
Onie let out a soft bark, nudging my hand with his paw.”
Tears blurred my vision as I stood back from the altar, heart thudding.
I didn’t know how much time passed.
All I could see was thick incense smoke swirling through the air, hearing the booming sound of bells, and chants rising to the sky.Я Then at exactly four in the afternoon–the ritual ended.
And this time, Casey was the first to open her eyes.
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Confused, she looked around, blinking at the faces surrounding her.
When her eyes landed on me, she whispered hoarsely, “Martin… is that you?“}
Hearing that familiar voice, I rushed to her side and pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly.
