Chapter 2
The third was skinny, with long hair draped over her shoulders, her face turned to the side, gazing at the camera. The background was too blurry to tell where it was. On the back: January 4, 2020.
The fourth had curly hair, was perfectly made up, dressed in business clothes, standing outside a coffee shop. On the back: November 9, 2020.
The fifth one...
My hand started to shake.
I recognized the woman in the fifth photo.
It was my sister, Madeline Edwards.
She looked a little younger than she does now, wearing the blue floral dress I love most, standing at the mouth of an alley, her head down as she checked her phone. The sunlight lit up her profile, and that tiny mole on her earlobe was clear as day.
On the back: May 20, 2021.
That day, Madeline called me, saying she had something to take care of and would get back to me later. That was the last time I ever heard from her. Three days later, she disappeared.
The police searched for a whole year, but there wasn't a single clue. Madeline just vanished, no security footage, no witnesses, not a single trace.
I always thought she'd had an accident, or maybe she'd been kidnapped. I even went to the church, praying she'd be safe and alive.
But now, her photo was sitting in my husband's locked drawer.
The sixth envelope lay before me.
My hand trembled so much I could barely keep hold of it.
I knew the woman in the sixth photo.
It was me.
In the picture, I was downstairs at work, waiting for the elevator, turned slightly away from the camera, phone in hand, exhaustion written all over my face.
That suit was the one I bought last year, and the elevator lobby was the same place I walked through every single day.
On the back: September 8, 2022.
That was a month before we got married.
I stared at the photo, my mind buzzing. I couldn't make heads or tails of any of it.
Why did Austin have these pictures? Who were these women? Why was my sister's photo here? And why would he sneak a picture of me, his own fiancée?
I heard soft footsteps behind me.
I spun around.
Austin stood in the doorway, wearing a gray jacket and holding his suitcase. He had that same gentle look he always gave me in the mornings.
His gaze flicked from me to the open envelope in my hand, and he let out a soft sigh.
"You found it already?" Austin said. "Guess I thought I could keep this under wraps a bit longer."
My throat tightened. I couldn't say a word.
He set his suitcase by the door and walked over, stopping right in front of me. He still smelled like fresh laundry, with that hint of lemon.
"Are you scared?" Austin asked, reaching out to touch my face, his fingertips icy. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."
I instinctively took a step back, bumping into the edge of the desk.
His hand paused in midair for a second, then he withdrew it.
"Anna," he called softly, his voice as gentle as ever, "I'm really sorry about your sister."
My tears suddenly spilled over.
"Was it you?" I croaked, my voice rough as sandpaper. "Did you make her disappear?"
"I didn't kill her." Austin cut me off. "Something happened to her. I was just there."
He walked around me, took all six envelopes from the drawer, and laid them out one by one on the desk. First, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth. He set my photo aside by itself.
"They were all my previous wives," Austin said.
Something in my mind shattered.
"Where are they now?" I asked.
"They're all dead," Austin replied, sounding as casual as if he were talking about the weather. "Some were accidents, some got sick, and some... just gave up."
He looked at Anna, his eyes still clear and unclouded. "You're the seventh."
A cold shiver swept over Anna.
"But you and your sister look so much alike," Austin said, a sudden smile flickering across his face. "The moment I first saw you, I knew you were the one I was looking for."
I wanted to run, but my legs turned to jelly. I couldn't move.
He saw right through me and stepped closer, so near that I could see the curve of his lashes.
"I won't hurt you," Austin said. "You and your sister are both the people I love most."
"You loved her?" I locked my gaze on him. "She disappeared, and you say it was just an accident?"
"It was an accident." Austin nodded. "That day, she came to me and said she wanted to break up. We argued, and she ran out. She got hit by a car. The driver sped off, and by the time I got there, she was already gone..."
He paused, his eyes rimmed with red.