Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace

Chapter 1

I was dead.

I bit the dust the night he forced me to lure a killer all to protect his new flame. After I kicked the bucket, they turned my body into an exhibit and stuck me in a glass display case for eternity.

But Dexter Fitzgerald just lost his marbles.

Sea City, the Fitzgerald Mansion

couldn’t figure out why my spirit ended up back at this joint after I took a big sleep.

“Still no word from Phoebe? It’s been days,” Dexter’s mother Hailey muttered under her breath as she parked on the couch. “That kid’s always been a goody two shoes; she wouldn’t just ghost my calls. What if something’s happened to her?”

I was the Fitzgerald family’s adopted girl, shipped over to their pad when I was eighteen.

My mom was Hailey’s BFF. After my folks passed away in a car wreck, she scooped me up and brought me to the Fitzgeralds.

“Mom, just let it be. She’s a big girl; what could possibly go wrong?” Dexter was getting antsy and glancing at the time. “Today’s Melody’s birthday bash–I gotta jet.”

Watching Dexter, I couldn’t help but snicker at myself. Like he’d give a damn if I was dead or alive.

Back in the day, we were the childhood sweethearts everybody raved about. Me, always following him around; him, always holding my hand.

ead

He said he dug me, and then like a complete idiot, I fell head over heels for him for a whole decade.

Turned out young love was paper thin. When Dexter met his true love, all the feelings we had went up in smoke in the blink of an eye.

“Dexter… With that serial killer jazz going around targeting young, pretty girls, I’ve got this twitch in my eye and my heart’s racing non–stop. Hit up Phoebe, tell her I miss her,” Hailey was. on edge and pleaded quietly.

caring for me like a mother; she was treating me like her own flesh and blood.

to give her a hug, but I

reason she

up, arms outstretched, trying to embrace her, but

She shouldn’t have hung up on

1/3

1. me. She’s got a hard–on.” Dexter was loaded with disgust as he mentioned me.

that year when Dexter got sideswiped by kidnappers. I played the decoy like a madwoman, just praying he’d

murmuring right before he passed out, “Phoebe, I’ll always be good to you…”

gone, I was just the ingrate he’s griping about.

feet under, and you’re finally off the hook,” I stood in front of him, mocking myself. “Turns out I’ve always been nothing

you guys were set. from the start and childhood sweethearts with

turned stormy, his voice icy. “Cut the childhood sweethearts crap. Why I gottal marry her just because we grew up together? She’s delusional by using a childhood promise as an excuse to throw herself at

at him but

nuts and laid hands on me in bed. And he also had the

took off, and my spirit had no choice but

we walked in, Dexter’s buddies started

the bank to make

his gift amid cheers from

asked quietly as if something just

guy, huh? Weren’t you the one

frowned, “Don’t kill the vibe by

still your sister, after all. Don’t be like that.”

Dexter scoffed. “She almost got you killed and

too nice.”

his

I desperately tried to explain. “I didn’t do it! I never hurt her, and it was her! She’s the one who got me killed!”

Dexter couldn’t hear