All Chapters of A Call From the Past: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Young Edmund Lockwood didn't believe me."No. Charlotte's had this planned forever. She said we'd get married at 25. The groom has to be me."I lowered my eyes.I didn't realize how emotional I was at 17. I got excited, I cried, and I clung to things with that stubborn, almost childish kind of resolve."Then I'll show you."We added each other, and I sent him the photos Charlotte Collins had just posted.She had lost that soft, girlish look. Her smile was more polished and controlled now.You couldn't see the groom's face, just his back. He wore a fitted dark suit, a rose tattoo behind his ear.I had never liked tattoos. And I had a birthmark the size of a fist on my neck.Young Edmund went quiet. Even his breathing faded."That's not me. It's really not me. Who is it?"Right then, my phone buzzed with a text from Charlotte.[The cars get there at 11 a.m. Go clean the house now. Wear a mask and shoe covers. If anyone asks, say you're the cleaner.]I typed, [I just got off

Chapter 2

I dragged the trash bag out to the back balcony on the third floor and dropped it over the side, then grabbed the drainage pipe and climbed down, slow and steady.By the time I came out front, the wedding convoy was pulling into the neighborhood.The lead car had roses tied across the front.In the back seat, Charlotte had her arms around Gideon's neck, leaning up to kiss him.Neighbors lined the sidewalk, watching and talking."They're both from Wexford, top of their class. I heard the groom came from nothing. Lived on cheap food for three years just to stay in school."My phone buzzed with a picture from my 17-year-old self. It showed a math worksheet, half of it blank.[I'm done. Tell me who the groom is.]I sent him the campus photo from inside the house.The chat went quiet for a few seconds before my phone rang. His voice was off."How is it Gideon?"-When I got back to the dorm, I noticed Charlotte had sent me 800 dollars.[Found your hair on the floor, so I knoc

Chapter 3

Young Edmund kept going. "And why are Mom and Dad treating you like that? You're their son."And what's wrong with Charlotte? She's got you cleaning like hired help. Who does she think she is?"Say something, Edmund. Where's your backbone? They took your parents and Charlotte, and you're still taking it. Are you just gonna swallow your pride for a few thousand bucks?"I kept wiping the table and let him finish."I need the money.""How much do you need? I've been wanting to say this. What are you doing at that stupid factory? You're a grown man. You can work anywhere. Why stay there?"I stopped, pulled off my mask, and took a photo before sending it.In the photo, I stood expressionless beneath a baseball cap. The brim did little to hide the scars. They cut across my face in raised ridges, running from my forehead down my neck before disappearing beneath my collar."Because I don't have a choice."He went quiet.By the time I made it upstairs, I heard him trying to hold it in

Chapter 4

Young Edmund wrote, [Thirty minutes till the test.]I wanted to say something encouraging, but it had been a long time since anyone had said anything like that to me.I stood there, trying to come up with the right words. I had just dialed when a pair of red heels stopped in front of me.Charlotte looked at me and jerked her chin toward the car."I've got a meeting. Come with me and clean the conference room."I shook my head. "I can't.""Two grand.""Not today. I'm busy."I turned to go, but her voice came after me, flat. "You still want your ID so you can retake the SAT, right?"If this deal closes, I'll give it back. And I'll give you 20 grand."My young self was right. I had no backbone.For 20 thousand and my ID, I got in the car.Charlotte brought me to an office building and led me into a conference room. It was pitch black inside.Something felt wrong. I turned and caught the glass door before it shut."I can't clean in the dark," I said, frowning.Charlotte toss

Chapter 5

A chill ran down my throat. It took me a second to catch up.The man to my left had just introduced her as Ms. Collins. The next second, Charlotte dropped to her knees.Her hands hovered at her sides, her voice unsteady as she pleaded.That wasn't the Charlotte I knew.We grew up together, but she was still a Collins. There had always been a line between us, something unspoken that kept her above me.She would never lower herself like this. Not to me.I didn't say anything. I leaned back and looked around.Everyone in the room had gone still, watching me carefully.Charlotte finally stopped and looked up. Our eyes met.She froze. Then her expression cracked, as if she had just realized something she couldn't process.Her gaze moved across my face, from my forehead down to my jaw, then lower.I followed her gaze down to my hands and froze.The scars were gone.My chest tightened as I lifted a hand to my face, brushing my fingertips over my skin. It was smooth."Your face…

Chapter 6

Mom heard the commotion and hurried over.She frowned and pulled Charlotte back. "Charlotte, what are you doing here? Look at you. What if the neighbors see this?"Besides, Edmund's leaving for Wexford today. How could you say he wouldn't even get into a community college?"Charlotte's anger shifted into disbelief.She turned and looked into the bedroom. The walls were covered in notes. On the desk, my Wexford University acceptance letter lay open."That's impossible. With your grades, how did you get into Wexford?""Why wouldn't I?"I zipped my suitcase and slipped the letter into my bag."I worked problems until three in the morning. I went over the same material again and again. I drilled vocabulary until it stuck. So why wouldn't I get in?"Mom let out a small scoff. "Exactly. Charlotte, that was out of line. I know how hard my son worked."Alright, that's enough. You should go. Don't hold him up."And don't contact Edmund again. I heard your leg's permanently injured. E

Chapter 7

I closed the contract and said to James, "Take your daughter home. I won't be signing.""But… Mr. Lockwood, you and Charlotte grew up together—"I cut him off. "That's exactly why I agreed to meet. And then she stood here, in front of my entire team, yelling at me. She said I was a factory worker and called me an ugly freak. Tell me how I'm supposed to do business with you after that."The smile on James's face didn't hold.Charlotte spoke up, "Dad, you don't understand. Edmund used to be—""Enough!"He slapped her again before he turned and walked out.Charlotte still looked ready to argue, but security moved in and escorted her out.I ended the meeting. The room cleared fast.I had just taken a couple of steady breaths when my phone buzzed.It was young Edmund."I'm done with the SAT. I think I did really well," he chirped, his voice bright and full of momentum."How are things on your end? Did I change your future?"And what about Charlotte? Did she cause trouble again?

Chapter 8

To try out for a pro team, Gideon had quietly sold the Collins family house.If James hadn't found them this small two-bedroom at a discount, they would've been out on the street.When Charlotte didn't move, Gideon glanced up."What are you doing, just standing there? Go get my controller. My friends are waiting."Charlotte lowered her head and looked at her right leg. If not for that accident, she would've been better than Edmund."Everyone out," she growled."What?""I said, get out!"The hired players rushed out. Gideon frowned at her. "What is wrong with you?"Charlotte stared at his expensive setup and suddenly smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes."Gideon, I want a straight answer."During the SAT, you said you forgot your admission ticket. I went to get it and ended up in the hospital. You still took the test. So you didn't forget it, did you?"Gideon, still mid-game, blinked. "That was years ago. I don't remember."He got up to leave, but Charlotte shoved him back

Chapter 9

I was about to hang up when Charlotte rushed to speak."Do you remember when we were kids? I chased off those boys who picked on you. You said you'd pay me back one day."She really went there.I let out a quiet laugh, then asked, "Do you remember I spent three years scraping by to help Gideon through high school?"I worked behind my parents' backs. Every dollar I had went to him. He said he'd pay me back, too."And what happened? He said I was looking down on him, and you took his side. You lied to me, ruined my life, and tried to hand me over to one of your clients."She broke down, trying to hold it in."When we were kids, I really did want to marry you. Then I met Gideon, and I… I changed. I'm sorry…""No. You didn't change. You were never honest with me to begin with."Right then, someone stepped in with documents for me to sign. "Charlotte, I hate you. But I'm busy. I'm not going after you, and I'm not helping you. Good luck."I hung up after that.A few days later,

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP