Chapter 6
I spent the whole morning coming up with all sorts of excuses.
Should I say I needed to book a flight for a trip? That would be way too suspicious. We hadn't made any travel plans recently.
Should I say we should invest together? That was even less believable. Our finances were totally independent.
The more I thought, the more annoyed I got, and every excuse seemed full of flaws.
Any random ask for Flora's personal info would instantly make her suspicious.
Flora was so smart, so quick-witted.
I felt like a clueless actor about to face the most demanding judge.
At lunchtime, I barely had an appetite.
Mom texted me: [How's it going?]
I replied: [It's tough.]
Mom didn't push me. [Keep your cool and look for an opportunity.]
Opportunity... Where was it?
At three in the afternoon, the opportunity unexpectedly appeared.
The admin team sent out a company-wide email about signing up for next month's annual health checkup.
There was a link in the email. We had to fill in our personal details—name, gender, date of birth, and SSN.
My heart started pounding like crazy.
This was the perfect timing.
I immediately took a screenshot of the email and sent it to Flora.
I tried to sound as casual as possible. [Hey, my company just sent out the health checkup notice. The packages actually look pretty good. Has your company done anything for health checkups this year?]
It was a totally natural way to start the conversation.
Flora replied right away. [Not yet. Our admin team is super slow. We probably won't get around to it until the end of the year.]
The stage was set. Now for the critical move.
I took a deep breath and typed: [ I noticed family members can get a discount. Want to book one together? Think of it as an early checkup. It's good for your health.]
After hitting send, I stared at my phone, my heart racing.
Every second felt like an eternity.
If Flora turned me down, my whole plan would go up in smoke.
But if she said yes, it'd be totally natural to ask for her info.
A few minutes later, my phone buzzed.
It was Flora's reply. [Oh, that's available? Great. What info do you need from me?]
Yes! I forced myself to stay calm and replied: [I'll ask the admin team, but it should just be your name, phone number, and SSN or the booking, I think.]
Flora: [Okay, I'll send them to you.]
A moment later, she sent over all her details. Everything was there.
I stared at her info, feeling like I was holding a scorching hot iron in my hands.
I quickly forwarded all the info to Mom, and then wiped every message between Flora and me from my phone.
Once it was done, I felt completely drained.
I slumped back in my chair, gasping for air.
A wave of betrayal and guilt hit me harder than ever before.
I was looking into the woman I loved more than anyone.
I felt like a spy, tricking Flora into giving up her secrets.
No matter how this played out, there was no going back for us.
*****
As the evening rolled around and I was about to clock out, Mom called. Her voice was low and tense. "Alex, where are you right now?"
"Still at the office. I'm about to head out," I answered.
"Go straight home. Don't go looking for Flora and don't text her. Just head home."
Mom's tone was so serious that it made me tense up. "Mom, did you... find out anything?"
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end.
Then Mom spoke, her voice colder than I'd ever heard, each word coming out slow and deliberate. "I had someone look into it.
"The SSN you gave me is real.
"The person it belongs to is also named Flora Monroe. The name, address, and birth date all match."
Hearing that, I actually felt a wave of relief wash over me.
Could we really have been wrong all along?
But then, Mom's next words hit me like a punch to the gut. "But the photo in the official records shows that Flora Monroe is not the girl you brought home."
My mind went blank.
"And..." Mom's voice was cold as ice. "The real Flora? Her file says she was officially reported missing five years ago."
Her words clamped around my throat like freezing iron, making it impossible to breathe.
I couldn't say a single word. My mind went blank, and the lack of air made everything ring in my ears.
The photo wasn't hers at all.
The real Flora had been missing for five years.
Either one of those facts was enough to shatter me.
Together, they formed a nightmare so deep that I couldn't even begin to wrap my head around it.
Who exactly was the girl I brought home?
Why would she be living under the name of someone who went missing?
Where did the real Flora end up?
Was she still alive somewhere, or was she gone for good?