Evelyn was quiet for a long moment, then the words began to pour out like water from a broken dam—decades of suppressed truth finally finding voice.
"I was his ghostwriter when I was alive," she whispered."For years and years, I wrote all his novels while he took the credit.I was just a shy, nobody writer with no connections, no confidence.But I thought...maybe I had some talent.He said I did, at least at first.”
The pattern was becoming clear—a vulnerable creative person exploited by someone with connections and charisma, her talent harvested for his benefit while she remained invisible and grateful for the scraps of recognition he allowed her.
Uma listened with growing horror as the true scope of Evelyn's situation became clear.
"When I died," Evelyn continued, "I thought maybe this was my chance to prove I could write something worthy on my own.Without his reputation, without his name to make it important."
The hope in her voice was heartbreaking, the dream of finally receiving credit for her own creativity after years of unseen labor.
"You don't need him," Uma said gently.
"But that's just it," Evelyn's voice cracked."When he found me again and read what I'd written...maybe he was right.Maybe it wasn't good enough.Maybe I really do need him to make my writing worth reading."
The psychological manipulation had been so thorough that Evelyn couldn't imagine her own work having value independent of Cornelius's involvement.He had convinced her that her talent was meaningless without his validation.
"Evelyn, that's not—"
"He said the new book had potential, but it needed his touch, his reputation to matter.And he was probably right.Who am I?Just some dead nobody who thought she could write."
Evelyn's shoulders sagged."At least when he publishes it, people will read it.At least it will mean something."
The cruel irony was complete—even her genuine talent had been transformed into evidence of her inadequacy, her creativity reframed as proof that she needed him to give her work meaning.
"But it's your work," Uma protested.
"Work that wouldn't matter without his name on it," Evelyn said sadly."Maybe this is just...who I am.Someone who's meant to help others succeed because I can't succeed on my own."
Uma felt the flask of starlight in her pocket—not just its physical presence, but the responsibility it represented.Here was someone who desperately needed to see herself clearly, to understand her own worth separate from her abuser's manipulation.
"Evelyn," Uma said carefully, "I brought you something.My father and I made this.It's a potion, made with very old magic.It's meant to keep good souls safe and reveal their true nature."
She reached into her jacket and carefully removed the ornate flask, its contents swirling with starlight and promise.
Evelyn stared at the flask with its luminous contents."I don't understand."
"This magic recognizes pure souls and offers them freedom,” Uma explained gently."But you have to choose to accept it.Are you willing to try?"
"But what if I really am as worthless as he says?What if the magic doesn't recognize me as deserving?"
The question broke Uma's heart.Evelyn had been so thoroughly convinced of her own unworthiness that she feared even truth magic might reject her.
"Evelyn, you deserve so much better than this.The work you've done, the stories you've created—that comes from a beautiful soul.You're not worthless.You're brave and talented and kind."
Evelyn looked at the flask with a mixture of hope and fear."What...what do I do?"
Uma carefully opened the ornate flask."Hold out your hand."
With trembling fingers, Evelyn extended her ghostly palm.Uma tilted the flask slightly, allowing a single drop of the luminous liquid to fall onto Evelyn's translucent skin.
The effect was immediate but gentle.The drop absorbed into Evelyn's form, creating a soft glow that spread slowly outward from her palm.Her flickering became more stable, her transparency less pronounced.For the first time since Uma had met her, Evelyn's form seemed stable and real.
"I...I feel different," Evelyn said wonderingly, staring at her hand where the drop had landed.
"You look different too," Uma observed."Stronger."
"I do feel stronger," Evelyn said, and there was something in her voice that hadn't been there before—a spark of self-worth."It's like...like I can think more clearly."
