Where Shadow’s Hide

An open door

Chapter Three

An Open Door

Scarlett read the message three more times. Don't eat too many blueberry muffins. ❤️" The little red heart somehow made it worse. She locked her phone and slipped it into her pocket. The muffins sat untouched on the kitchen bench. Still warm. Still smelling of butter and blueberries. She wanted one.

Instead, she covered the plate with the tea towel again. Somehow it felt wrong to eat them. As though Adrian had taken something kind......and made it belong to him.

She looked towards the clock. 10:18 a.m. Her shift at the diner didn't start until eleven-thirty. Normally she'd leave just after eleven. Today... She didn't want to stay in the apartment. Every room felt full of him. She picked up her handbag from the kitchen chair.

Then stopped.

Her eyes drifted towards the window overlooking the driveway. Empty. She looked at the front door. Her fingers tightened around her keys. Just go. You're allowed to leave. The thought felt almost ridiculous. Of course she was allowed to leave.

Yet she still found herself mentally preparing explanations. If Adrian came home... I'd already left for work. She caught herself. He wasn't coming home. Not unless he'd forgotten something. Again.

With a quiet sigh, she unlocked the front door. Fresh morning air greeted her. She stepped onto the porch, pulling the door closed behind her. Across the fence, Margaret was kneeling in a flower bed, humming softly as she planted bright yellow daisies. She looked up.

A smile spread across her face. "Perfect timing." Scarlett offered a small smile. Margaret brushed the soil from her gardening gloves. "I was just about to make a cup of tea." She nodded towards her house. "Would you like to join me?" Scarlett's heart skipped. No one had asked her that in years.

For a brief moment, she imagined herself saying yes. Sitting at Margaret's kitchen table. Drinking tea. Talking about nothing in particular. Normal things. The weather.Theflowers. The muffins. The picture dissolved almost as quickly as it appeared.

She looked down at the keys in her hand. "I... I should really get to work." Margaret smiled kindly. "Another time then." Scarlett nodded. "I'd like that." The words surprised even her. Margaret's smile widened. "I'll hold you to it."

She returned to her flowers, gently pressing soil around another daisy as though the conversation had been the most ordinary thing in the world. But it wasn't ordinary. Not to Scarlett.

Before she pulled out from the curb her phone buzzed through the car speakers. A text message. She knew who it was before she looked. Adrian. Her hands tightened around the steering wheel silence flooded the car. She picked up the phone.

The screen lit up: "Drive safely. I'd hate for anything to happen to you. Love you. ❤️" Her chest tightened. Another heart. Another message that would look loving to anyone else. She typed a reply: "I will. Love you." She stared at the words, then deleted them. She tried again. "Thanks. See you tonight. Love you too. ❤️" Better she hit send before she could change her mind.

The drive to work she was nervous, she made sure she wore long sleeves so no one would notice the bruises...........again. The diner sat on the corner of Main Street between a florist and a small pharmacy. Scarlett parked around the back like she always did. She remained in the driver's seat for another minute, gathering herself.

The woman Adrian had broken piece by piece couldn't walk through those doors. The smiling waitress had to. She checked her reflection in the rear-view mirror. A touch of concealer softened the fading bruise beneath her cheekbone.

Made sure her long sleeve cardigan hid the bruises on her wrist and arms. A little lip balm. A practised smile. Almost believable.

"Good enough," she whispered. She climbed out of the car and walked through the staff entrance. The familiar smell of coffee and sizzling bacon wrapped around her.

Someone laughed in the kitchen. Plates clattered. Customers chatted over breakfast. For a few hours every day... This place almost felt like another life.

"Morning, Scarlett!" She looked up to see Mia weaving between tables with three steaming mugs balanced expertly on a tray. "Give me one second!" Mia called with a grin. Scarlett laughed softly.

"Take your time." Mia delivered the coffees to a waiting table, exchanged a few quick words with the customers, then hurried back across the diner. "There you are!" she said brightly. "I was starting to think you'd abandoned me."

"I wouldn't do that." "You say that now." Mia slipped her arm through Scarlett's as they headed towards the staff room. "Wait until the lunch rush." Scarlett smiled.

This one came a little easier. For the first time that day... It reached her eyes. Scarlett tied on her apron and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The familiar routine settled around her like a costume.

"Table six needs menus," Mia called. "Got it." Scarlett grabbed two menus and crossed the dining room. An elderly couple smiled as she approached. "Good Morning," she said warmly. "Can I get you started with some coffee?"

"That would be lovely." She scribbled the order onto her notepad before heading for the coffee pot. For the next hour, she almost forgot herself. Coffee. Toast. Eggs. Refills. Smiles, and chatter. The rhythm of the diner carried her from one table to the next. Here, people looked her in the eye. They thanked her. They joked with her. No one expected perfection. No one watched every move she made.

As she topped up an elderly woman's coffee, the woman smiled warmly. "You're always so kind, dear." Scarlett blinked. "Thank you." "I mean it," the woman continued. "I've been coming here every Tuesday for nearly three years, and you always remember I take one sugar and just a splash of milk. Scarlett smiled.

"I guess I've got a good memory." The woman chuckled. "No, dear." "You've got a good heart." The words caught Scarlett off guard. She stood there for a moment, coffee pot still in her hand. A good heart. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had described her that way.

"Scar?" She turned. Mia was watching her from behind the counter. "You okay?" Scarlett blinked. "Yeah." "You disappeared for a second "I'm fine." Mia didn't look convinced. Before she could ask another question, the bell above the front door chimed.

Both women looked up. A man in a dark suit stepped inside. He wasn't dressed for lunch. He wasn't looking at the menu. His eyes swept across the diner before settling on Scarlett. He smiled politely. "Excuse me," he said. "I'm looking for Scarlett."

Scarlett's fingers tightened around the coffee pot, "I'm... Scarlett." The man offered a polite smile and held out a business card. "My name is Daniel Carter." She looked at the card but didn't take it.

"I was hoping I could have a few minutes of your time." A dozen thoughts crashed through her mind. Do I know him? Has Adrian sent him?Whatdoes he want? Mia appeared beside Scarlett, drying her hands on a tea towel.

"Everything okay?" Daniel turned to her with the same easy smile. "Perfectly. I don't mean to interrupt your lunch service." He looked back at Scarlett. "I'll only keep her for a moment." Mia glanced between them.

"You know him?" Scarlett swallowed. The word came out quieter than she'd intended. Daniel lowered his hand and slipped the business card back into his pocket. "I suppose introductions from strangers can be a little unsettling." His voice was calm. Professional. Nothing about him felt threatening. Yet Scarlett's pulse refused to slow.

"What is this about?" she asked. "I'm afraid that's not a conversation I'd like to have in front of a room full of people." Every instinct told her to walk away. Another part of her needed to know. Mia touched Scarlett's arm gently. "I've got your tables." Scarlett looked at her. "You sure?" "Go."Shesmiled reassuringly. "I'll survive five minutes without you." Scarlett nodded. "Thank you."

She untied her apron and hung it on the hook behind the counter. "I'll be right back." Daniel stepped aside, allowing her to walk ahead of him. He didn't try to stand too close. He didn't rush her.

When they reached the footpath outside the diner, the cool breeze caught a loose strand of Scarlett's hair. Daniel stopped a respectful distance away. "I know this is unexpected." Scarlett folded her arms across her chest.

"What do you want?" Instead of answering, Daniel reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. This time, Scarlett's heart lurched. Slowly... He removed a worn leather wallet. He opened it. From inside, he carefully pulled out an old photograph.

The edges were faded. The colours had almost disappeared with time. He held it out to her.

"There are two people in this photograph," he said quietly. "I know one of them is you." Scarlett stared at the picture. Her breath caught.

She hadn't seen it in almost fifteen years....