Chapter 2 Seven photographs

Camelia arrived at her office earlier than usual the next morning. The hallway was still quiet, with only the receptionist and the cleaning staff moving about. She enjoyed mornings like this because they gave her a chance to settle in before the appointments began.

Her assistant, Lauren, looked up from her desk and smiled. "Good morning. You actually beat me today."

"I couldn't sleep much," Camelia admitted. "Too much coffee yesterday."

Lauren laughed as she picked up a notebook. "You have your first client at nine, then two consultations after lunch. Oh, and that package is still inside your office."

"You didn't open it?"

"I was tempted, but I like having a job."

Camelia smiled. "Thank you for resisting."

She pushed open her office door and stepped inside. Everything looked exactly as she had left it the evening before. Her books were neatly arranged on the shelves, and a vase of fresh lilies sat near the window.

Then she saw the package resting in the center of her desk. It wasn't large, just a plain brown box wrapped in ordinary paper. There was no company logo, no return address, and no handwritten note. Only her name was printed neatly across the front.

She placed her handbag on the chair and stared at it for a moment. "Probably another manuscript," she murmured to herself. Her publisher often sent printed drafts for review, and readers often mailed letters, gifts, or books asking for endorsements.

A plain package wasn't unusual. Still, something about this one felt different. She reached for the scissors in her desk drawer and carefully cut through the tape.

Inside was another smaller box wrapped in black paper. Her brows drew together as she removed it and set the empty packaging aside. "That's... strange."

She peeled away the black paper and found seven small velvet boxes arranged in two neat rows. Her curiosity grew as she picked up the first box and slowly opened it. A diamond engagement ring rested inside.

For a second, she simply admired the craftsmanship. It looked expensive, almost new, and she wondered if someone had mistaken her office for a jewelry store. Then she noticed an envelope tucked beneath the boxes.

She slid a finger beneath the flap and pulled out several photographs. The first one made her smile because it showed a young couple standing in a garden. The man was on one knee, holding out a ring while the woman covered her mouth in surprise.

Camelia looked closer, and her smile disappeared. The man looked exactly like Adrian. The hairstyle was different, and the clothes looked older, but there was no mistaking those eyes or that smile.

"No..." she whispered.

She quickly reached for the next photograph. Again, it was Adrian, only this time he was with a different woman in a different place, slipping a ring onto her finger. Camelia's heartbeat slowed before racing so fast it hurt.

She spread the remaining photographs across her desk. Seven women. Seven proposals. The same man.

Her husband.

She shook her head and swallowed hard. "This isn't funny."

She picked up one photograph after another, searching for signs that they had been edited. Nothing looked fake. The lighting matched, the shadows fell naturally, and even the expressions on the women's faces looked genuine.

Someone had gone to incredible lengths to create them.

Or maybe...

They had never been created at all.

A folded sheet of paper slipped from between the photographs and landed on the desk. Camelia unfolded it and frowned. Only seven names were listed. There was no explanation, no message, no threat, just names.

She read them twice before opening her laptop. One by one, she typed each name into a search engine. The first search returned dozens of unrelated results until she added the city written beneath the photograph.

A newspaper article appeared.

Local Woman Missing After Engagement Celebration.

Camelia stopped breathing for a moment as she opened the article. The woman had disappeared three weeks after announcing her engagement, and the case had never been solved. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the desk.

She searched the second name.

Another missing woman.

The third had been declared dead after a boating accident. The fourth had disappeared without a trace. The fifth was still listed as a missing person, and by the time she searched the sixth, her hands were trembling so badly she nearly dropped the mouse.

Every woman in the photographs had either disappeared or died under unusual circumstances. Camelia leaned back in her chair, struggling to make sense of what she had just uncovered. "This can't be real."

A knock sounded on her office door, making her flinch. Lauren stepped inside carrying two cups of coffee and placed one on the desk.

"I figured you skipped breakfast again."

Camelia quickly gathered the photographs into a pile before Lauren could see them.

"You okay?" Lauren asked.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"I just... have a headache."

Lauren studied her for another second before nodding. "You need to stop working so hard."

"I will."

Lauren smiled and quietly left the office. Camelia waited until her footsteps faded down the hallway before taking the photographs back out.

She looked at Adrian's face again. It was the same gentle smile, the same eyes she woke up to every morning, the same man who had kissed her goodbye only a few hours earlier.

Her phone suddenly lit up.

Adrian Calling.

She stared at the screen until it almost stopped ringing before finally answering.

"Hey," she said.

"Good morning," Adrian replied warmly. "Busy already?"

"A little."

"I just wanted to remind you about dinner tonight. I made reservations."

She closed her eyes. "Dinner?"

"You forgot, didn't you?"

She forced a small laugh. "I may have."

"I'll pick you up at seven."

"I'll be ready."

A brief silence settled between them before Adrian spoke again.

"You sound tired. Everything okay?"

Camelia lowered her eyes to the photographs spread across her desk. "Yes," she answered quietly. "I'm just having one of those days."

"I'll make it better tonight."

"I know."

After the call ended, Camelia remained seated, unable to move. Her gaze drifted to the oldest photograph, and she slowly turned it over.

Printed in faded black ink was a single date.

May 14, 1988.

She frowned as she stared at the numbers. Adrian was only thirty-four years old. He hadn't even been born in 1988.

So why was he smiling from a photograph taken years before he existed?