I told him what happened that night. Nothing more, nothing less. After a few minutes, he simply nodded in response to my story.
"If that's the case, then my suspicion was right. The being following you is your wife."
"She is not my wife," I said quickly. He only laughed.
"You see, son. You are under something they call a ghost marriage or spirit marriage," he said.
"Ghost marriage?"
"Ghost marriage is an ancient Chinese belief. When their children die without getting married, they look for someone to marry the spirit, believing it will bring good fortune and prevent bad luck from entering their family. And now, you are the one who was chosen to be married to her."
"But I never married a ghost. I didn't even know anything about it."
His expression turned serious. "Then you are a victim without realizing it. From the moment you put that ring on, it was the same as marrying her. You were chosen."
"How do I break it? I don't want to be married to a soul. Please help me, Manong Kanor," I begged. He took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Carlos. But I have no right to break the bond that was formed between you and your wife. That ring is powerful, and the only way to sever it is for you to die."
I was stunned. I could barely move after hearing that. I had to die just to escape a marriage I never wanted? Was I really this unlucky?
"But if you truly want to be free, there is still one way."
Hope rushed back into my chest.
"What do I have to do?" I asked.
He inhaled deeply.
"You must help her. The only way for a spirit like that to leave is for her to cross into the light," he explained. Help her? How?
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"Talk to her."
My eyes widened.
"What? I'm not doing that."
Talk to that ghost? Even if someone paid me a million, I wouldn't talk to her.
"You have no choice. The ring connects the two of you. As her husband—"
"She is not my wife," I cut him off sharply. Just hearing that made my skin crawl.
"Like it or not, son, from the moment you wore that ring, she became your wife and you became hers. If you want her gone as soon as possible, help her finish everything she couldn't do when she was alive. We call that the 'unfinished business' of the dead. Talk to her. Ask questions. And never, ever remove that ring. It brings you luck, but if you lose it, terrible misfortune will follow. The worst kind of bad luck is death."
Even when I reached home, Manong Kanor's words kept echoing in my mind. I had no choice but to stay with that woman and help her cross into the light. Just thinking about it made my skin crawl.
When I opened the door, the ghost was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. When she noticed me staring, she immediately looked up. She looked more put together now, but I quickly noticed a wound on her face.
"You're back." She sounded happy, though her eyes looked weak and tired.
I didn't answer. I simply closed the door and walked past her toward my room, but I stopped when she spoke again.
"Don't push me away. I'm scared of being alone again." Pain was clear in her voice.
I swallowed but chose to ignore it as I went inside and closed the door behind me.