THE WOMAN IN THE PHOTOGRAPH
1718 Words
CHAPTER 2
The door opened.
Lily turned so quickly that the photograph nearly slipped from her fingers.
Ethan stood in the doorway.
For a second, his eyes moved from Lily to the photograph she was holding. Something unreadable crossed his face before he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
“You found something.”
It wasn't a question.
Lily looked down at the photograph again. “I found a lot of things. This one seems important.”
Ethan held out his hand. “Give it to me.”
She didn't.
The change in his expression was subtle, but Lily noticed it. At the club, Ethan had looked at her as though nothing in the world could surprise him. And Now there was tension in his jaw and something close to fear behind his eyes.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because it belongs to my wife.”
“So does the necklace in it?”
His hand stopped halfway between them.
Lily touched the silver chain at her throat. “This necklace belongs to me. I've had it since I was seven.”
Ethan's gaze dropped to it.
For the first time since she had met him, he looked genuinely shaken.
“Where did you get that?”
“My mother gave it to me.”
“When?”
“I don't remember. I was a child.”
Ethan walked closer, his attention fixed on the pendant. “Did your mother ever tell you where it came from?”
“No she didn't."
Silence settled between them.
Lily studied him. “You know something.”
“I know my wife wore that necklace.”
“That doesn't answer my question.”
Ethan's eyes met hers. “Neither does yours.”
She almost smiled, but the situation was too strange for humor.
“You hired me to go through Emma's belongings. If you knew there was something like this in her room, why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I didn't know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I expect you to finish the job.”
His tone had hardened again.
Lily hated the sudden distance in him. Maybe because she remembered how different he had been one month ago, when his hands had been warm against her skin and his voice had carried something far less guarded.
She placed the photograph on the table.
“Then tell me what happened to Emma.”
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
“She died in a car accident.”
“That isn't what I asked.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You think her death wasn't an accident?”
“I think a woman doesn't leave a photograph with my name written on it for no reason.”
Ethan's attention snapped to the back of the photograph.
“What did it say?”
Lily turned it over.
“Find Lily Morgan before Ethan does.”
The color drained from his face.
He took the photograph from her hand.
“Where did you find this?”
“In the drawer.”
Ethan read the words again. His thumb pressed against the edge of the photograph so tightly that his knuckles turned pale.
“Did Emma ever mention my name before?”
“No.”
“Did anyone from my family contact you before I hired you?”
“No.”
He looked at her for a long moment.
Then he asked quietly, “Lily, how long have you had that necklace?”
“Since I was seven.”
“Who gave it to you?”
“I told you. My mother.”
“What was her name?”
Lily frowned. “Why does that matter?”
“Just answer me.”
“Sarah Morgan.”
Something in Ethan's expression changed.
He stepped back.
For a moment, Lily thought he had recognized the name.
“You know her?”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
*Lily made a mental note of it.*
Before she could question him, Ethan placed the photograph on the desk.
“You're done for tonight.”
She stared at him. “What?”
“I'll have my assistant arrange your payment.”
“I haven't finished the job.”
“You won't be returning tomorrow.”
Lily's patience snapped.
“You hired me to clear out your wife's belongings. Now you've changed your mind because I found something you don't want me to see.”
“This isn't about you.”
“It became about me the moment I saw my own necklace around your dead wife's neck.”
Ethan looked away.
That silence told her more than his words had.
Lily picked up her bag.
“Fine. I'll leave.”
She walked toward the door, but Ethan's voice stopped her.
“Lily.”
She turned.
His expression had softened.
“Don't tell anyone about the photograph.”
“Why?”
“Because you don't know who else is looking for it.”
A chill moved through her.
“Are you warning me?”
“Yes.”
“Or threatening me?”
His eyes held hers.
“Warning you.”
She left without another word.
But Ethan remained in Emma's bedroom long after the door closed.
He picked up the photograph again.
Emma had written Lily's name only days before she died.
And Ethan had promised himself he would never let Lily discover why.
Lily barely slept that night.
The photograph sat on her bedside table.
She had taken a picture of it before leaving the mansion. She couldn't explain why. Maybe instinct. Maybe because something inside her told her that Ethan's reaction had been too strong to ignore.
At three in the morning, she opened the image again.
Emma's necklace.
Her necklace.
The same pendant.
Lily reached beneath her shirt and pulled it out.
There was a tiny engraving on the back.
She had never paid much attention to it because it was almost impossible to see.
Tonight, she turned on the lamp and studied it closely.
Three letters.
E.C.
Her breath caught.
Ethan Carter.
No.
That couldn't be right.
She searched her childhood photographs on her phone, hoping to find one where the necklace was visible. After several minutes, she found an old picture from her eighth birthday.
There she was, sitting beside her mother.
The necklace was around her neck.
Lily zoomed in.
The pendant was the same.
She stared at the screen.
If she had owned it since childhood, then Emma had been connected to it long before Lily ever knew Ethan existed.
Her phone suddenly rang.
Lily jumped.
Unknown number.
She answered cautiously.
“Hello?”
No one spoke.
“Who is this?”
The call ended.
She looked at the screen.
A message arrived immediately.
**Stop looking for Emma.**
Lily's stomach tightened.
A second message appeared.
**You have no idea what you're getting yourself into.**
She sat perfectly still.
This wasn't curiosity anymore.
Someone knew she had found something.
Someone was watching her.
The next morning, Lily returned to Carter Holdings.
She hadn't planned to.
She had told herself she was going to send Ethan a message and walk away from the entire job.
But she couldn't.
Not after the photograph.
Not after the messages.
She entered the building just after nine.
Ethan's assistant looked surprised to see her.
“Mr. Carter isn't expecting you.”
“I know.”
“He's in a meeting.”
“I'll wait.”
She took a seat.
Twenty minutes later, Ethan walked out of the conference room with two board members. His eyes immediately found Lily.
Something passed between them.
He excused himself and approached her.
“What are you doing here?”
“I changed my mind.”
“About?”
“The job.”
His expression tightened.
“I told you last night—”
“I know what you said.”
She stood.
“But I also know that someone sent me a message last night telling me to stop looking for Emma.”
Ethan went still.
“Show me.”
Lily handed him her phone.
He read both messages.
His face became unreadable.
“Did you tell anyone about the photograph?”
“No.”
“Did anyone follow you home?”
“I don't know.”
Ethan looked toward the glass entrance of the building.
“Come with me.”
“Where?”
“My office.”
He led her upstairs without another word.
Once inside, he locked the door.
Lily watched him carefully.
“You knew this could happen.”
“I suspected.”
“You should have told me.”
“I was trying to keep you out of it.”
“You failed.”
For the first time, Ethan almost smiled.
“Apparently.”
The tension between them changed.
For a moment, Lily forgot about the messages.
Ethan was standing close enough that she could feel the warmth of him. His gaze dropped to her lips, and the memory of that night at the club returned with painful clarity.
“You shouldn't look at me like that,” Lily whispered.
“Like what?”
“Like you remember.”
“I remember everything.”
Her breath caught.
He stepped closer.
Neither of them moved away.
For one dangerous second, the room felt too small for both of them. Lily could still remember the warmth of his hands from that night, and Ethan seemed to be fighting the same memory.
Then his phone rang.
Ethan closed his eyes briefly before answering.
“What?”
His expression changed within seconds.
“What do you mean she's gone?”
Lily watched the color leave his face.
He listened in silence.
Then he said, “Don't touch anything. I'm coming.”
He ended the call.
“What happened?”
Ethan looked at her.
“Someone broke into Emma's old storage room.”
Lily's stomach dropped.
“Did they take something?”
“No.”
He grabbed his coat.
“They left something.”
“What?”
Ethan looked at the photograph still open on Lily's phone.
“A message.”
His voice lowered.
“And this time, it's for you.”
Lily's blood ran cold. Whoever had been watching her had just made it clear that they knew exactly where she was.
To be continued....
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