Chapter 1

Before my body bled out completely, I instinctively whispered, “Mom,” in my mind.

When I opened my eyes again, I was already a spirit, standing next to her.

"Jason, why the long face? Is this case tough?"

Mom was picking up cardboard from the ground while talking to the scruffy-looking coroner, Jason Clark, whose eyes were dark with fatigue.

Jason was new to the department this year. He’d seen my mom picking up cardboard on the streets one day and arranged for her to come by the station to collect some each month.

Jason rubbed his shoulder. “Man, I pulled an all-nighter.”

“This girl… it’s horrible. There wasn’t a single piece of her left unhurt. Even her eyes were gouged out. I spent all night trying to piece her face back together.”

He yawned after speaking.

“By the way, Mrs. Harper, don't you have a daughter? You should tell her to come home early these days. The world’s not safe.”

Hearing him mention me, my mom’s movements became more agitated as she gathered up the cardboard.

“Don’t talk to me about that ungrateful girl who ran off with some man. If she’s dead, let her die out there. It’s got nothing to do with me.”

“My husband lived his whole life with integrity, and now even in death, people laugh at him because of her!”

“She didn’t even come home yesterday for her dad’s anniversary. What kind of daughter is that?”

My heart ached.

Mom, I couldn’t come back.

Because yesterday, I died.

If you knew that the mutilated body Jason was talking about was mine, would you still blame me?

Chapter 2

A long time ago, my mom loved me too.

Before I dropped out of the police academy. Before I met Ethan Brooks.

When I was a kid, she’d proudly tell everyone I was the treasure she found on the streets.

But some people still doubted and mocked my story.

“I bet that kid is her illegitimate daughter. Why else would she be so protective?”

“That crazy cardboard lady must have lost it. Her husband’s dead, she can’t even support herself, and yet she’s still raising that burden.”

“Don’t you get it? She’s just biding her time, raising the kid until she’s old enough to marry off and collect a dowry.”

The neighborhood kids were even worse. They made up this nasty little rhyme just to taunt me.

“Cardboard lady, cardboard lady, picked up a little piece of trash. No mom, no dad, granny’s gonna sell her off for cash.”

I ran home crying, hoping mom would comfort me, but she just shot me a cold look.

“They call you names, and all you do is cry? Is that what your hands are for, wiping away tears?”

I immediately stopped sobbing.

The next day, when those kids circled me and started their chant again, I grabbed the loudest one and beat him until he begged me to stop.

No matter how much the other kids tried to pull me away, I didn’t let go until I was done.

I went home, blood dripping from my nose, proudly telling mom what I’d done.

She just said, “Not bad. You fight like that, and you’ll be a cop like your dad.”

And believe it or not, I did. I got into the academy with top marks.

But before I could graduate, I got expelled for getting into a fight with a classmate.

With no future in sight, I met Ethan, a rich guy, and ran off with him to become his mistress.

The last time I went home to pack my things, mom screamed at me, “I raised you for twenty years and this is what you do? You drop out of school and run off with a man? Are you out of your mind?”

I didn’t answer.

Mom, there’s nothing wrong with me.

I had my reasons.

Chapter 3

Mom was hauling a cart full of cardboard back home. The old tricycle she had been using for nearly ten years was barely holding up under the weight.

It was getting dark, and she didn’t notice the small pothole in the road. The cart tipped, and the cardboard almost spilled out.

I instinctively tried to help, but as a spirit, I couldn’t do anything.

Mom stopped, readjusted the cardboard, and rubbed her aching back.

She really was getting old.

I reached out to touch her head, feeling the strands of gray hair slip right through my fingers.

“Why are you so late, Mrs. Harper?” A man’s voice called out.

I turned and saw Mr. Mitchell!

Even as a spirit, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of emotion.

I ran to him, shouting, “Mr. Mitchell! Mr. Mitchell! Please, tell my mom everything!”

But he walked straight through me, heading over to help Mom with the cardboard.

Mom gave him a nod. “I went to one of my old clients to collect today.”

Mr. Mitchell chuckled, helping her push the cart home.

Once they got back, he finally asked, “Mrs. Harper, have you heard from Mia lately?”

Mom paused for a second, her tone turning bitter. “Why does everyone keep bringing her up today? I’m sick of it.”

“That girl ran off with that man three years ago. She’s only called me three times since, and the last one was on New Year’s. I have no idea where she is or what she’s doing.”

Disappointment flashed across Mr. Mitchell’s face. “Really? So, she hasn’t reached out to you either…”

Mom didn’t seem to notice. She continued, “I don’t care if I never hear from her again. Every time I leave the house, the neighbors gossip about how I raised a selfish, gold-digging brat.”

“I mean, being a cop was tough, but at least it was honest work. She had to go chasing after rich men. My husband and I didn’t raise her like that!”

Mr. Mitchell hesitated, unsure of how to respond. “Mia’s not that kind of person…” he mumbled.

“Not that kind of person?” Mom scoffed. “She stood right where you are, three years ago, and told me I ruined her life. She said I was too poor to let her live comfortably.”

Mr. Mitchell sighed deeply as Mom finally let out her anger.

As always, before he left, Mr. Mitchell placed $450 on the table.

Mom tried to refuse, but he waved her off. “Mrs. Harper, don’t. It’s from all of us, the old crew. If you don’t take it, none of us will sleep easy tonight.”

And then he hurried off.

Mom stared at the money for a long time. She glanced at my picture on the table, shook her head, and whispered to herself,

“No… it can’t be…”