Finding our way back

Camille leaned back in her office chair and rubbed her temples. The numbers on her computer screen seemed to blur together after hours of reviewing financial reports. As a senior accountant at one of the city’s largest firms, long hours were part of her daily life. At twenty-nine years old, she had built a successful career, earned her own apartment, and achieved everything she once dreamed of. Almost everything. There was still one dream she had never managed to forget. Her phone suddenly vibrated on her desk. Camille glanced at the screen and frowned. An unknown number. She almost ignored it, assuming it was a client or a spam message, but curiosity got the better of her. Unknown Number: How are you? Her eyebrows knitted together. Who sends a message like that without introducing themselves? She quickly typed a reply. Camille: Who is this? A few seconds later, another message appeared. Unknown Number: You don’t know me? Camille rolled her eyes. Camille: No. That’s why I’m asking. The person took a moment to reply. Unknown Number: I thought you’d recognize me even after all these years. Her heart skipped a beat. All these years? Before she could think of a response, another message arrived. John: It’s me, Camille. The name hit her like a truck. John. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe. John Anderson. The man she had loved for seven years. The man she thought she would marry. The man who shattered her heart. Memories she had buried long ago suddenly flooded her mind. Secret dates during college. Sneaking out just to spend a few hours together. Late-night phone calls. Promises about their future. A love hidden from her strict parents who believed relationships were a distraction from her studies. Despite the challenges, they had survived everything. Or so she thought. Until the day a woman sent her a message claiming that John was the father of her child. A week later, Camille had ended everything. She changed her phone number. She disappeared from his life. And she never looked back. At least, that’s what she had told herself. Yet here she was, staring at his name again after five years. Her hands trembled slightly as she typed. Camille: How did you get this number? The reply came almost instantly. John: I’ve been looking for you for years. Camille’s heart pounded against her chest. Years? What could he possibly want after all this time? As she stared at the screen, another message appeared. John: There’s something you need to know about what happened back then. Camille froze. For the first time in five years, she felt her carefully built world begin to c***k. And she had a feeling that her life was about to change forever.