Chapter 3
The chat was from a group.
The group was called "Dreamcatchers Group."
There were eleven people in the group: Lucas, Madyson, Grace, Sophie, and all our mutual friends.
The one at the bottom with Adam's profile picture was probably his alt.
The woman at the very top was Sophie, Adam's ex, the girl he was with for four years.
I met her once, three years ago, at a mutual friend's wedding.
The latest message was from three minutes ago. Adam had just posted a photo.
The sun was rising, painting the snow-capped mountains in a warm, golden glow.
Sophie was leaning on his shoulder, wrapped in a red scarf, her eyes slightly puffy from crying.
At the end of the scarf, there was a thin red string tied on.
It seemed familiar, but I didn't have time to look closer.
Adam was looking down at her.
That gentle look in his eyes. I used to believe it was meant only for me.
Under the photo, Sophie was the first to speak. [Adam, maybe we should just head back early.
[Emily's been looking for you for three days straight. She's probably losing her mind by now.]
Adam replied right away, [We're already at the top. Let's stay for the sunrise, then we'll go.]
Sophie sent a crying emoji. [This just doesn't feel right.
[She's about to be your wife. I really don't want her to get hurt because of what we're doing.]
After a few seconds, she added: [I just want to say a real goodbye to the person I loved most, before you get married.
[Once the sun rises, I'll let you go back to her.]
The group chat went quiet for a bit.
Madyson was the first to speak up and comfort her. [Sweetie, you're just making a dream come true. Don't take all the blame on yourself.]
Lucas jumped in: [Emily's not the type to hold a grudge. Adam just needs to say a few nice things and she'll be fine.]
Sophie let it go and stopped insisting.
She sent a photo of herself snuggled up to Adam. [Thank you, everyone.
[If it weren't for you guys, I'd always have regrets.]
Then Adam asked: [Is Emily still out there by the river looking for me?]
Grace replied: [Relax. She's burning up with a fever and can barely stand. I'm making sure she stays home, so nothing's going to mess up your sunrise plans.]
Lucas sent a laughing emoji. [Man, Emily's stubborn as hell. She spent all night hugging that jacket and crying.
[Adam, you better make it up to her big time when you get back.]
Adam replied: [She's got a soft heart. Just say a couple nice things and she'll forgive me.
[I don't want Sophie leaving with any regrets tomorrow.]
I sat on the bed, my hands shaking so badly I could barely hold my phone.
The group chat kept buzzing with new messages.
Madyson said: [I've pretended to faint so many times today, my head's actually hurting. You guys need to hurry up. If the rescue team keeps searching, this whole thing is going to blow up.]
One of our mutual friends replied: [Tomorrow, stick to the plan. Have Adam show up at the old cabin at South Hill.
[Rip his clothes a bit, smear some blood on his face, and say he tumbled down the hill and blacked out.]
Lucas asked: [Do you think Emily will buy it?]
Grace replied: [She's barely holding it together these past three days.
[As long as Adam comes back alive, she'll believe whatever he says.]
My tears hit the screen, blurring the words.
I scrolled up through the chat history.
Three days ago, Sophie had sent a long voice message.
Her voice was shaky, like she was barely holding back tears—fragile, but trying so hard to stay strong.
"Adam, I'm getting married overseas next week," she said. "All these years, I keep dreaming about that mountain trail we never got to finish together.
"But you're about to get married too, and I can't just mess up your life.
"Forget it. Just pretend I never said anything."
Under the voice message, Adam replied: [I'll go with you.]
Sophie took a long time to reply. [What about Emily?]
Adam said: [She'd never agree, so she can't find out about this.]
After that, everyone started helping them set up the whole thing.
Madyson was the first to agree. [Go ahead. She's not the type to break up with you over something like this.]
Lucas asked: [What about Emily? You guys are getting married in seven days.]
Adam replied: [As long as she thinks something happened to me, she won't have the time or energy to look into where I really am.]
Grace took a long time before she finally replied: [Isn't this a bit much?]
My heart clenched tight.
I stared at the screen, still holding onto a ridiculous sliver of hope.
Then Grace sent another message: [Emily's sensitive. A simple disappearance won't fool her.
[We need to leave the car by the river, along with the phone, wallet, and wedding ring. That's the only way it'll seem real.]
Sophie replied right away: [Won't this scare Emily?
[Adam, maybe you shouldn't go. I'm not worth all this trouble.]
But after saying that, she sent a photo of herself in a hospital hallway.
She looked pale, with a hospital wristband on her arm.
She added: [The doctor said I've been emotionally unstable lately.
[But don't worry. I'll get through it on my own.]
The group chat quickly lit up again.
Everyone started comforting her.
No one mentioned whether I'd be scared anymore.
The witness at Eastbridge was contacted by Grace.
The bloodstained clothes in the northern suburbs were prepared by Lucas.
Madyson kept fainting and crying to keep me distracted.
Our mutual friends kept dragging me around to all the wrong spots.
Even the leather shoe pulled from the river was something they bought ahead of time and tossed downstream on purpose.
They laid out every step in detail.
And every time I broke down, they took it as evidence that the Dreamcatchers Group was right on track.
There was also a video in the group album.
In the video, Sophie stood at the base of North Ridge Mountain and whispered, "Adam, is it really okay to trick Emily like this?"
Adam adjusted her scarf for her.
"She won't know," he said. "Everyone's on our side."
Sophie lowered her eyes, and a tear fell.
"But I still envy her," she said. "No matter what you do, you'll end up marrying her."
"No matter what you do, you'll end up marrying her."
Adam was silent for a few seconds, then pulled her into his arms. "Let's not talk about her today."
Sophie leaned into his chest, a brief smile playing at the corner of her lips.
The video cut away quickly.
The bathroom lock clicked.
I quickly sent the chat logs and video to my phone, erased any evidence, and put Grace's phone back in its original spot.
The bedroom door swung open.
Grace stepped out, towel in hand, drying her hair. She paused, surprised to see me sitting on the bed.
"Why are you awake?" Grace asked.