Chapter 2: THE FUNERAL WITHOUT A BODY
513 Words
The news spread across the country before sunrise.
HEIRESS ELENA ASHFORD FOUND DEAD.
Television stations interrupted their regular programming. Social media exploded with tributes, theories, and heartbreak. Every headline carried the same photograph—the smiling bride who had vanished on her wedding day.
But inside Ashford Manor, no one cried.
The mansion was eerily silent.
The staff moved through the halls in whispers, afraid that even the sound of footsteps might disturb the darkness hanging over the house.
In the grand sitting room, Victor Ashford sat motionless with a glass of untouched whiskey.
His wife, Margaret, stared blankly at the fireplace.
Neither of them spoke.
Then the front door opened.
Detective Daniel Hayes stepped inside, carrying a sealed evidence box.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said quietly.
Victor nodded once.
“When can we see her?”
Hayes hesitated.
“The medical examiner is still conducting an examination. There are… a few things that don’t add up.”
Margaret looked up immediately.
“What do you mean?”
“The cause of death isn’t clear yet. We’re still investigating.”
A flicker of unease crossed Victor’s face before it disappeared.
“We trust you’ll find whoever did this.”
“I intend to.”
⸻
Miles away, Adrian Carter stood alone in the chapel where he and Elena had planned to exchange vows.
The flowers had begun to wilt.
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the small velvet box that had held Elena’s wedding ring.
Inside was a folded note.
He had found it that morning, tucked beneath the ribbon she had tied around the box.
If anything happens to me… don’t trust anyone.
Adrian’s hands trembled.
What had Elena known?
And why hadn’t she told him?
⸻
That same evening…
A woman woke with a sharp gasp inside a small cottage on the edge of a quiet fishing village.
She blinked at the unfamiliar wooden ceiling.
Her head throbbed.
Every muscle in her body ached.
An elderly woman rushed into the room.
“Oh, thank goodness,” she whispered. “You’re awake.”
The young woman stared at her in confusion.
“W… where am I?”
“You were found unconscious near the cliffs after the storm.”
The woman tried to sit up, but dizziness forced her back down.
“Who are you?” the elderly woman asked gently.
Silence.
The young woman searched her mind.
Nothing.
Not a single memory.
Not even her own name.
Tears filled her eyes.
“I… I don’t know.”
The elderly woman squeezed her hand.
“Then we’ll start from the beginning.”
Outside the bedroom window…
A black SUV rolled slowly past the cottage.
The driver never looked away from the house.
He picked up his phone.
“She’s alive,” he said.
A calm voice answered from the other end.
“Then this time… don’t miss.”
The call ended.
The SUV disappeared into the night as the woman inside the cottage stared out at the rain, unaware that someone had already found her.
- Writer
