When Grief Feels Like a Ghost:

The Morning After the Storm Tia awakens to the brutal brightness of day—the kind of light that doesn’t just wake you up, it exposes you.

She lies in bed, numb. Brandon is gone. The stillness in her chest makes her wonder, absurdly, if she’s even alive. When her sister Makayla walks in, Tia half-expects to be unseen.

“You can see me?” “Of course I can,” Makayla replies with a soft grin.

The moment dances between grief and absurdity, until Makayla’s touch reassures her: Tia is here. She is real. But her emotions? They’re harder to pin down.

A Letter from Korea—and a New Threat Makayla hands Tia a letter from Korea—seemingly innocent, yet heavy with unspoken tension.

Meanwhile, someone else is plotting across the world. Min-Ji, Brandon’s former fiancée, is determined to win, not his heart, but his legacy. Marriage is just a means to an end. She’s cold, calculated, and ready to use Tia’s background—and love life—as ammunition.

“She looked to be South Asian and Black. Min-Ji couldn’t care less—but Brandon’s family might.”

Tia doesn't know it yet, but her love is under siege, not by fate, but by someone who sees affection as a transaction.

Something Is Off—More Than Just Heartache When Tamarius enters the room, Tia jokes again: “You can see spirits too?” But he’s not laughing.

“When I first looked at her,” he says, “I could’ve sworn I saw two of her.”

Makayla notices it too—Tia’s aura feels… layered. Is this just grief, or something more? A fracture in her soul? A warning? A gift?

What This Chapter Reveals About Love, Grief, and Identity This emotionally charged scene walks the razor’s edge between reality and spirit, between heartbreak and awakening.

Key Themes: Grief as a Dissociative Force: Tia’s belief that she might be a ghost reflects how loss can numb us.

Sisterly Bond: Makayla’s blend of humor and care grounds Tia’s spiraling emotions.

Cultural Conflict: Min-Ji’s weaponization of Tia’s identity hints at deeper cultural tensions in cross-cultural relationships.

Supernatural Mystery: The suggestion of Tia having a “double aura” opens the door to spiritual or psychological twists.

Final Thoughts Tia’s journey is more than romantic—it’s existential. She’s not just mourning Brandon’s absence; she’s mourning her sense of self. As ghosts of the past and threats from the present converge, we’re left wondering:

Is Tia losing her grip on reality, or uncovering something deeper within?