1 "Are you Aphrodite?"

"Goodbye."

His green eyes widened as his hands outstretched to the woman standing on the railing with a triumphant smile. But the distance between them kept growing as tears fell from his eyes. His body fell down the bridge as their eyes met for one last time.

August felt the stinging pain of the most brutal betrayal of his life. He had many experiences of betrayal but this one hurt the most.

Never for once in those two years of their fairytale romance, he was dubious of her. For him, she was love at first sight, his soulmate. He would do anything for her. Anything matter how crazy it was… even something crazy like her request, it was she who begged him to end their life together.

SPLASH!

With a loud bang, he hit the turbid water. His body was left paralysed, letting the current drift his body away. More than the cold water, the betrayal hurt. If he had one chance to make things right, he wanted to know why?

Accepting this was his fate, August closed his eyes and let his torso dive deeper into the hazy cold water current.

Upon closing, he saw the image of his mother. In a white flowy dress, she was trying to hold her hat as a gust of strong wind passed through her. She turned her head towards him, smiling through her long dark hair.

"Augustine, come here." Her mother waved her hand at him. The long soft grass brushed their feet, August looked up to see the warm sun glowing in the clear sky. But something felt wrong, the sun soon turned into a giant red fireball. The sky turned dark with hot air.

August turned around to check on his mother but she was not there anymore. He looked back at the sun, which got bigger than before. His flesh started to burn, it was unbearable.

August sat up straight panting hard. He looked around to find himself in a dark place, filled with books to the ceiling. August had never seen this place or come there if his memory served right, he looked at his clothes. He was still wet but he was intact.

"Enjoyed your trip?" A sweet melodious voice echoed in the room.

August turned around to see a ravishing beauty, leaning on a wooden table. One of her dark brows arched perfectly, hinting at her mischievous fox eyes twinkling in fun. And curved lips that made him sure she was planning something wicked in her brain.

August read about angelic beauty. Being an avid reader and a fictional writer, he read about every kind of female. Females who were strong and pretty or characters like Mary Sue and even characters carved out only for lust. A curvaceous body that was not even fat or skinny and seductive and beautiful like Aphrodite or even words couldn't describe it; he used to cringe hard. Knowing that in reality, no such thing happens, especially when his sister has shown him real faces of women but looking at her he feels like maybe he was proved wrong.

"Are you Aphrodite?" Those were the first words that came out of his mouth. August looked at her with teary eyes and hands on his lips not being able to believe that he blurted out such embarrassing stuff to someone he never even met before.

Azrael was a bit surprised by his eccentric behaviour. During the time she had been here, no one asked her that. The first thing they asked was where they were or what happened.

Most of them freak out, checking their body parts. And demands to let them go or similar stuff. It takes her a lot of time just to make them understand they were dead. Some even straight-up tried to kill her thinking she was some kind of kidnapper.

But Aphrodite? It was her first time hearing that. Even the mentally disabled become completely normal once dead so it was no chance that he was retarded.

"What?" Azrael let out a small chuckle, holding herself from not going and teasing but his words still cracked her up inside. Azrael playfully bit her lower lips before strolling up to him.

August looked at the gorgeous woman coming towards him, he would be lying if he said he was not intoxicated by her. Her hip moving in that skin-tight black dress covering her legs, made him ponder if wet dreams could be this hot.

"It's not a dream. Don't worry." Azrael said out loud, standing in front of him. August glanced up, horrified at her remark. He flinched back wondering if she was a demon or ghost, or if he was in hell for what he had done.

"W-what are you thinking again? Whether I am going to eat you or throw you in eternal damnation? First sounds more intriguing, doesn't it?" August moved back, protectively putting his arms around his chest, listening to her brazen words.

Azrael rolled her eyes and scoffed seeing her acting all innocent when it was him who started she was just following through with it. She doesn't have such a bad taste to eye on him unless he wishes to be her plaything, then it would be a different case. However, as much as she was amused, she wanted to get done with him so she can retire for the day.

Azrael took a few more steps, which resulted in him backing out till his back hit one of the bookshelves.

"This is wrong! I will call the police." August warned, trying to squish into the bookshelf; the more she got closer to him. But Azrael raised a brow on hearing his threat and gave out the small scoff from before.

"You think dead people can call the police?" She whispered in his ears.

And those words were enough to make him remember everything. His past life, his girlfriend's betrayal and his jumping off the bridge. August's face turned pale, his eyes bulging out as if he had seen a ghost.

"You are nothing but a corpse. Was it fun killing yourself for a girl who betrayed you in the end?" Azrael scowled and looked at him full of disgust and pity.

August looked at her, his face pale and scared, he flinched back even though his back hit the bookshelves.

Azrael watched him, crossing her arms on her chest from a distance. She was satisfied that he was finally behaving like a normal person who died and was in the afterlife standing in front of a grim reaper.

On the contrary, August was not at all happy. He was scared for life seeing that innocent beautiful woman standing just a few metres away from him. And he was dead? What did that make him? A ghost? A soul? And most importantly, what does that make her?

Another soul? August peeked at her from top to bottom and shook his head. From how she looked, she was not a soul. She looked familiar with the place as if it were her job…August looked back up at her, with eyes bulging out.

"Y-you…are a real-life LADY MACDEATH!?" August asked excitedly again causing a stir in Azrael.