chapter three: the truth beginning
978 Words
Chapter 3– The Truth Begins to Surface
A sharp ray of sunlight slipped through the curtains, landing across Anne's face.
She frowned as a dull ache spread through her head.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
The ceiling above her wasn't familiar.
Neither was the room.
She blinked several times, hoping she was still dreaming, but the luxurious furnishings surrounding her only made her heart beat faster.
"W-Where am I?"
She pushed herself into a sitting position, only to pause when another wave of dizziness washed over her.
Her memories came in broken pieces.
The party.
Sarah smiling.
The glass of red wine.
The unbearable heat burning through her body.
Then...
Nothing.
Anne closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against her temples.
"No... no..."
She forced herself to remember, but every attempt left her with another pounding headache.
The only thing she could recall was being caught before she fell.
Strong arms.
A deep voice.
A man whose face remained hidden in her memory.
She looked around the room.
There was no sign of him.
The room was neat, almost as though no one had ever been there.
Taking a deep breath, Anne climbed out of bed.
Her handbag rested neatly on a nearby table.
Everything inside was untouched.
Her purse.
Her phone.
Her keys.
Nothing appeared to be missing.
"Who brought me here?" she whispered.
"And why did they leave without saying a word?"
She picked up her phone.
Several missed calls filled the screen.
Most of them were from Sarah.
A few were from her mother.
Anne frowned.
If Sarah had been so worried, why hadn't she stayed with her?
The question lingered in her mind.
Something about last night didn't feel right.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Anne hesitated before opening it.
A hotel attendant stood outside.
"Good morning, Miss."
He offered her a small envelope.
"This was left for you."
Anne accepted it.
"Who left it?"
The attendant shook his head.
"I'm sorry. I don't know. I was only told to deliver it once you woke up."
He bowed politely before walking away.
Anne slowly closed the door.
Her hands trembled as she opened the envelope.
Inside was a room key card.
Nothing else.
She turned it over.
On the back, someone had written a short message.
Trust your first memory, not the lies you'll be told.
Anne stared at the words.
"What does that mean?"
Her heartbeat quickened.
Almost immediately, her phone rang.
Sarah.
Anne answered after a brief hesitation.
"Anne!" Sarah cried. "Where have you been? Mom and I have been worried sick."
Anne remained silent.
Sarah continued.
"You suddenly disappeared from the party. We searched everywhere."
Anne frowned.
That wasn't what she remembered.
She clearly remembered Sarah leading her away.
Why would she pretend otherwise?
"Anne?"
"I'm listening," Anne replied quietly.
"You must have had too much to drink."
Anne tightened her grip on the phone.
"I only drank because you insisted."
Silence.
Only for a second.
Then Sarah laughed awkwardly.
"Come on, Sis. Don't blame me. You wanted to have fun."
Wanted?
Anne's brows knitted together.
That wasn't true.
Before she could question her further, another voice came over the phone.
It was their mother.
"Anne, come home immediately."
Her tone was unusually firm.
"We need to talk."
The call ended.
Anne lowered the phone slowly.
Something wasn't right.
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became.
She left the room and headed downstairs.
As she crossed the hotel lobby, two employees stood nearby, quietly talking.
"I heard there was trouble on the tenth floor last night."
"Really?"
"Someone ordered a special bottle of wine to be delivered before the party even started."
Anne stopped walking.
Wine.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She pretended to check her phone while listening carefully.
"The strange part," one employee continued, "was that the order wasn't placed by the host."
"Then who ordered it?"
"I'm not sure."
"The record should still be at the front desk."
Anne's breathing became uneven.
Without thinking, she walked toward the reception desk.
"Excuse me," she said politely.
"I attended the party last night, and I think my family may have ordered something under our name. Could you check?"
The receptionist searched the computer.
A few seconds later, she nodded.
"There was a special request."
Anne swallowed nervously.
"Who made it?"
"I'm afraid I can't give out guest information."
Anne's shoulders dropped.
"I'm sorry."
Just as she turned to leave, the receptionist called after her.
"Miss..."
Anne looked back.
"The request wasn't made by the party host."
She hesitated.
"It was made by someone with the same family name as yours."
Anne froze.
Her heart pounded loudly in her ears.
"My... family?"
The receptionist gave a small apologetic nod.
"I'm sorry. That's all I can tell you."
Anne walked out of the hotel in a daze.
Her mind refused to accept what she had just heard.
Sarah.
Her mother.
The wine.
The lies.
One by one, the pieces began falling into place.
Tears gathered in her eyes.
"No..."
She shook her head desperately.
"They wouldn't..."
"They couldn't..."
Yet every clue pointed in the same direction.
The people she had trusted all her life were hiding something.
And whatever happened last night...
It hadn't been an accident.
Anne looked back at the towering hotel one last time.
The answers she desperately needed were waiting somewhere inside that building.
But one thing had already become painfully clear.
If she wanted the truth...
She would have to stop trusting the people she once called family.
as she was about to step out she meet her friend Alia who's coming for the morning clocking.
The two friends have not even greeted each other before Vivian called entered.
"Anne get your ass home a good surprised is waiting for you, she ended the call brutality.
...A
S... Surprised..
- Writer
