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Chapter 137: The Hidden

Author: Ij Gabriel
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-30 20:10:15

(Amelia’s POV)

The envelope was waiting on my desk when I arrived.

.

No return address. No markings. Just my name in thin block letters.

For a long moment I just stared at it, my stomach knotted tight.

“Everything okay, Dr. Steele?” the receptionist asked from the doorway.

“Yeah,” I lied quickly, sliding into my chair. “Just… catching up on mail.”

When she left, I shut my office door and held the envelope between my fingers. It was light—too light for documents. My pulse beat in my throat as I tore it open.

Inside was a single photograph.

I stopped breathing.

It was me.

Not the woman I was now, but me from years ago. Before medical school. Before Ethan. Back when I lived in Chicago.

I recognized the cheap apartment wallpaper behind me. The photo had been taken at some party I’d gone to reluctantly, the one where Daniel had first noticed me across the room.

But this photo wasn’t a copy. It was the original—creased at the corner, with handwriting in dark ink.

L.F. My hands shook so badl
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