Chapter 4
What had Luke told the photographer about me when he handed over my sketch?
I was still thinking about that the next morning when another message arrived.
“Today’s going to be busy. I might not have time to check my phone. Don’t forget to eat breakfast.”
Sitting at my sister’s dining table, I read it and closed the chat.
I finished my toast and picked up my camera bag.
My sister drove me to the studio. As I was getting out, she caught my arm.
“Are you up for a shoot today? You can reschedule.”
“It’s just one product shoot this afternoon.” I squeezed her hand. “I can handle it.”
Inside, I set up the light stands and the shooting table.
My face reflected back at me in one of the perfume bottles the client had sent. I picked up a soft cloth and wiped the fingerprints off the glass.
By the third pass, I realized I was rubbing a spot that was already clean.
I put down the cloth, sat at my computer, and opened the original file for the sketch.
Every revision was still there in the layers.
In the first version, we stood side by side. Later, I’d added baby shoes. Then I’d changed the pose so Luke was lowering his head to kiss my belly.
I had shown him every revision.
And he had sent the final version to another studio.
I found the photographer’s email address on the work order and sent him my original sketch file, along with the reference image I’d received by mistake.
“Hi, I’m Ava, and I created this sketch. This was a private concept that I’ve never published. Could you please check what the client told you about where it came from?”
Before hitting Send, I deleted one sentence.
“The man in the photos is my husband.”
I just wanted to know exactly what he had said when he handed over my work.
Half an hour later, the photographer called.
“Ava? This is Ben. I read your email.” He sounded hesitant. “I’m sorry. We thought the client had your permission.”
I gripped my phone. My other hand went still on the keyboard.
“Who told you that?”
“The male client. He handled the planning with us.”
I already knew that.
“What exactly did he say?”
“Let me pull up the email so I don’t get it wrong.”
I heard him typing.
“I received your original file. I can send you a screenshot of the part about the sketch.”
“Thank you.”
After we hung up, I didn’t sit there waiting.
I placed a perfume bottle on the shooting table and adjusted the lights.
The shutter clicked. The first test image appeared on my computer.
The reflection along the right side of the bottle was too bright. I moved the diffusion panel a few inches to the side and took another shot.
When the email alert sounded, my hand was still resting on the camera.
Ben had sent a screenshot. Only the exchange about the concept was visible. Everything else was redacted.
I opened it.
Luke’s name was in the sender field.
“My wife drew this herself. She’s been looking forward to it for a long time. Please recreate the backdrop and poses as closely as possible, especially the final shot of me kissing her baby bump.”
Below it was Ben’s reply.
“That will make the photos especially meaningful. We’ll plan the shoot around what you both have in mind.”
I read those lines twice.
Then I slowly let go of the camera.
He remembered how much I had been looking forward to it.
He knew what those photos meant to me.
My phone chimed again.
Another message from Ben.
“The woman at yesterday’s session also said she’d been looking forward to this shoot for a long time. That’s why we didn’t check any further. I’m very sorry.”
I stared at the words “the woman.”
In that studio, Chloe had taken my place as his wife.
And he had used my sketch as proof of their love.