PART 2

Jenna couldn’t move.

The name on Ethan’s phone kept replaying in her mind.

Claire.

The woman in the picture.

The woman who seemed to haunt every corner of Ethan’s world.

“Why is she contacting you?” Jenna asked.

Ethan locked his phone and placed it in his pocket.

“It’s complicated.”

Jenna laughed bitterly.

“Complicated? Ethan, I just found a picture of your ex in your family’s bathroom.”

“It’s not what you think.”

“Then tell me what it is.”

But Ethan hesitated.

And that hesitation hurt more than any answer.

For months, Jenna had trusted him.

She had changed herself because she thought she was building a future with him.

Now she wondered if she had only been trying to compete with a memory.

“I need some air,” she whispered.

She walked outside, leaving Ethan behind.

The garden was quiet, but her thoughts were louder than ever.

Why did his mother still have Claire’s picture?

Why did Ethan care so much about making Jenna perfect?

And why did everyone act like Claire was someone who couldn’t be replaced?

A few minutes later, Ethan joined her.

“Jenna, please listen to me.”

She didn’t look at him.

“Was I ever enough for you?”

His face fell.

“Of course you were.”

“Then why did you spend months trying to change me?”

Ethan looked away.

“I wasn’t trying to change you.”

“Yes, you were.”

The silence returned.

Finally, Ethan spoke.

“Claire was different.”

Jenna felt a sharp pain in her chest.

“Different how?”

“She was confident. Everyone loved her. She always looked perfect.”

“And you wanted me to become her?”

“No!”

But his answer came too fast.

Jenna noticed.

“You never stopped comparing us.”

Ethan lowered his voice.

“After Claire left, everything fell apart.”

“Why did she leave?”

For the first time, fear appeared in Ethan’s eyes.

“She just… disappeared from my life.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Before he could reply, Ethan’s mother called from inside.

“Ethan! You need to see this!”

They both turned.

His mother was standing near the doorway, holding an old box.

Ethan’s face changed.

“Where did you find that?”

His mother looked nervous.

“In the attic.”

Jenna watched as Ethan took the box.

Something about it clearly scared him.

“What’s inside?” Jenna asked.

“Nothing.”

But she knew he was lying.

That night, after everyone went to sleep, Jenna couldn’t rest.

Something was wrong.

She quietly walked downstairs.

The box was still there.

She opened it.

Inside were old pictures.

Letters.

And documents.

Her hands trembled as she looked through them.

Then she found something that made her heart race.

A newspaper article.

The headline read:

“Local Beauty Influencer Claire Morgan Missing After Mysterious Night.”

Jenna froze.

Missing?

She read the article again.

Claire hadn’t simply left Ethan.

She had disappeared.

Then another paper fell from the box.

A police report.

And Ethan’s name was mentioned.

Jenna stopped breathing.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from behind her.

She turned.

Ethan was standing there.

His face was pale.

“You weren’t supposed to find that.”

Jenna held up the paper.

“What happened to Claire?”

Ethan stared at her.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Ethan whispered:

“I never wanted you to know.”

Jenna felt fear replacing the anger.

“Know what?”

Ethan stepped closer.

“The truth about why she left.”

Before he could continue, Jenna’s phone suddenly rang.

Unknown number.

She answered.

At first, there was only silence.

Then a woman’s voice whispered:

“Jenna…”

Her blood ran cold.

Because she recognized the voice.

It was the woman from the picture.

Claire.

“I need your help.”

Jenna looked at Ethan.

His face had gone completely white.

The voice continued:

“Ethan is not who you think he is.”

And then the call ended.

Jenna slowly lowered the phone.

The truth she had been searching for was finally coming.

But she wasn’t ready for what it would reveal.