CHAPTER THREE:Photograph in the Study
656 Words
Sunday mornings were always slow.
Kayda liked them that way.
No lectures.
No deadlines.
Just quiet.
She was halfway through making breakfast when her phone rang.
Jaden.
"Morning," she answered.
"Morning, beautiful."
"You sound happy."
"I am. Dad's making me help clean the house."
Kayda laughed.
"I thought birthdays meant you got a break."
"Apparently not."
She could hear the sound of a vacuum cleaner in the background.
"Actually..." Jaden continued, "do you want to come over? I could use the company."
She hesitated.
"You'll be cleaning."
"Exactly. It'll be less boring."
She smiled.
"I'll be there in an hour."
---
When Kayda arrived, the front door was open.
"Jaden?"
"Upstairs!" he shouted.
She slipped off her shoes and made her way inside.
The house smelled of furniture polish and fresh coffee.
It felt different today.
Lighter.
Less guarded.
She climbed the stairs and found Jaden dusting shelves in the hallway.
He looked at her dramatically.
"Save me."
She laughed.
"It's just cleaning."
"You've clearly never met my father on cleaning day."
Almost on cue, Mateo appeared from the end of the hallway carrying a box of old files.
"That shelf still needs dusting," he said to Jaden.
Jaden groaned.
"See?"
Mateo's lips twitched with the hint of a smile before he disappeared into a room at the end of the hall.
Kayda noticed the door was open.
A study.
Books lined every wall.
A large wooden desk sat beneath the window.
It looked untouched by time.
---
"Can you hand Dad that box?" Jaden asked, balancing on a chair.
"Sure."
Kayda picked up the box and walked toward the study.
She knocked softly.
"Come in."
Mateo was standing beside a bookshelf.
"There you go."
"Thank you."
As she placed the box on the desk, a framed photograph lying face down caught her attention.
She hadn't meant to notice it.
But something about it felt... hidden.
Mateo reached for it almost immediately, turning it over before she could see the front.
The movement was quick.
Almost instinctive.
"I'm sorry," Kayda said. "I wasn't trying to look."
"I know."
His voice remained calm.
Too calm.
"It was an old habit."
"What is?"
"Keeping certain memories out of sight."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Jaden called from the hallway.
"Kayda! I found the old photo albums!"
She smiled.
"I'm coming."
As she turned to leave, she caught the briefest glimpse of the photograph in Mateo's hand.
A much younger Mateo.
A smiling woman she had never seen before.
And a little boy...
No older than six.
The image disappeared before she could look again.
---
The afternoon passed with laughter as Jaden flipped through childhood albums.
He pointed at an old picture of himself covered in birthday cake.
"I was five."
"You were messy."
"I was adorable."
"You were definitely messy."
They laughed together.
Across the room, Mateo watched quietly from his armchair, a cup of coffee resting in his hands.
Every now and then, his gaze drifted to the album.
Then away again.
As though remembering came with a price.
---
When it was time for Kayda to leave, Jaden walked her to the gate.
"I'll see you tomorrow?"
"You will."
He kissed her forehead.
"Drive safely."
"I always do."
As she reached her car, she looked back.
Mateo was standing on the front porch.
Not watching her.
Watching the road.
His expression changed the moment he noticed a black SUV parked across the street.
The engine was running.
Its windows were too dark to see inside.
Mateo's shoulders stiffened.
For the first time since Kayda had met him...
He looked afraid.
The SUV pulled away slowly.
Only after it disappeared did Mateo finally breathe again.
He reached into his pocket and unlocked his phone.
One unread message.
Unknown Contact
You should have burned the photograph years ago.
Mateo closed his eyes.
Because whoever was sending the messages...
Knew exactly which photograph they meant.
- Writer
