Chapter 2: The Woman in the Wedding Dress

Amelia stared at Sophie, waiting for her to laugh and admit that the entire conversation was some terrible joke. But Sophie remained silent, her fingers tightly wrapped around the cup of coffee she had barely touched.

“You were at my wedding?” Amelia finally asked.

Sophie nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“And you never thought to mention it?”

“Amelia, please. There are things you don't understand.”

“Then explain them to me!” Amelia's voice rose. “I woke up this morning believing I was single. Now I have a photograph of myself wearing a wedding dress, a stranger claiming to be my husband, and my best friend telling me she attended a wedding I don't remember. What exactly am I supposed to understand?”

Sophie glanced around the café before leaning closer.

“You married Alexander Hayes three years ago. It wasn't a big wedding. Only a few people were invited, and you wanted everything kept private.”

“Why would I keep my own wedding private?”

“I don't know. You have to ask Alexander.”

Amelia shook her head. “You keep saying his name as if I should know him. I don't even remember meeting the man.”

Sophie looked down at her hands. For a moment, she seemed ready to say something, but her phone vibrated on the table. She checked the screen, and the little colour remaining in her face disappeared.

“Who is it?” Amelia asked.

“No one.”

“Then why do you look frightened?”

Sophie quickly slipped the phone into her handbag. “I have to go. I'll call you later.”

“Don't you dare walk away from me!”

But Sophie was already standing. She picked up her handbag and hurried towards the exit, leaving Amelia with more questions than answers.

Amelia remained seated for several minutes. She wanted to believe Sophie was simply confused, but the photograph in her handbag made that impossible. The woman in the wedding dress had her face, her smile and even the small necklace she still wore every day.

She took out her phone and searched for Alexander Hayes.

His face appeared almost immediately.

He was a successful businessman whose company had expanded into several countries. The articles described him as private, disciplined and difficult to approach. One headline announced his return after three years abroad, while another mentioned that he had rarely spoken about his personal life.

Amelia enlarged his photograph.

It was him.

The same man standing beside her in the wedding picture.

She stared at his face, hoping that something would awaken in her memory. Nothing did.

Her phone rang.

The unknown number appeared again.

This time, she answered.

“Stop calling me,” she said firmly.

“Have you spoken to Sophie?”

The familiar male voice made her grip tighten around the phone.

“How do you know I spoke to her?”

“Because I know Sophie. And I know she won't tell you everything.”

“Then perhaps you should start telling me something yourself. Why do you keep calling me your wife?”

There was a brief silence.

“Because that's what you are, Amelia.”

“Prove it.”

“I sent you a photograph.”

“A photograph doesn't prove a marriage. Anyone can take a picture with someone.”

“Check the back of the photograph.”

Amelia pulled the picture from her handbag and turned it over. Her fingers stopped when she noticed a handwritten message.

*To my beautiful wife, Amelia. Three years together, and I would still choose you.*

Below the message were two signatures.

Alexander Hayes.

Amelia Carter.

Her stomach tightened.

“Who wrote this?” she whispered.

“I did.”

“Why can't I remember you?”

The question seemed to affect him. His voice softened, but there was something guarded beneath it.

“I have asked myself that question every day for three years.”

Before Amelia could respond, he added, “I need to see you.”

“I don't think that's a good idea.”

“Then choose the place. Somewhere public. Somewhere you feel comfortable.”

She hesitated. “Tomorrow. Four o'clock. The café on Madison Avenue.”

“I'll be there.”

“And don't call me again before then.”

She ended the call before he could answer.

For the rest of the afternoon, Amelia tried to continue with her normal routine. She answered a few work emails, prepared dinner and attempted to watch television. However, her mind kept returning to the same photograph.

At eleven that night, someone knocked on her apartment door.

Amelia froze.

She wasn't expecting anyone.

She approached the door carefully and checked through the peephole. A delivery man stood outside holding a small brown envelope.

She opened the door only after confirming his identity.

“Delivery for Amelia Carter,” he said.

She signed for it and closed the door.

There was no sender's address, only her name written neatly across the front.

Inside was a silver key and a folded piece of paper.

*You are asking the wrong person about your marriage. Alexander may be your husband, but he isn't the reason you disappeared.*

Amelia read the message twice.

A second sheet slipped from the envelope.

It was a photograph taken outside a church. Alexander stood beside her, dressed in a dark suit. She wore the same wedding dress from the first photograph.

But this time, they weren't alone.

Sophie stood behind them, holding a bouquet.

Amelia looked closer and noticed another person standing near the church entrance. His face had been partly covered with a black marker, but the message written beneath the photograph was clear.

*Ask Sophie what happened after the wedding.*

Her phone vibrated.

A message from Sophie appeared.

**Please, Ameli

a. Don't meet Alexander tomorrow.**

Before Amelia could reply, another message arrived.

**He isn't the only person who has been waiting for you to remember.**