Chapter 2 - Messages Never Meant to Be Seen
Emily's hand froze above the screen.
Her heart pounded so loudly she feared Daniel would wake.
Delete everything before she finds out.
The sentence echoed inside her head.
Find out what?
Her thumb trembled.
She should lock the phone.
She should respect his privacy.
She should pretend she'd seen nothing.
Instead...
Another notification slid down from the top.
Meeting changed. Tomorrow. Same warehouse. Bring the files.
Warehouse?
Files?
Daniel worked in software sales.
He had no reason to visit abandoned warehouses.
Emily instinctively looked at her sleeping husband.
He breathed peacefully.
His expression looked exactly the same as every night.
Comfortable.
Calm.
Ordinary.
Yet suddenly she realized something terrifying.
She no longer knew the man sleeping beside her.
Carefully, she opened the conversation.
There were no names.
Only initials.
D.
M.
R.
Every message disappeared after being read.
Except tonight.
Apparently Daniel had forgotten to open the newest ones.
Photos followed.
Dark buildings.
Boxes.
Maps.
Several GPS coordinates.
One blurry image showed a woman standing beside Daniel.
Emily zoomed in.
The picture wasn't romantic.
The woman appeared frightened.
Daniel looked equally tense.
Someone had circled a nearby storage container in bright red.
Underneath was one sentence.
She must never discover what's inside.
Emily's stomach twisted.
Before she could scroll farther...
Another notification arrived.
This time from an unknown number.
Is your wife still working nights?
Daniel answered only seconds earlier.
The timestamp showed 1:43 AM.
Yes. She suspects nothing.
Emily nearly dropped the phone.
He had written that while she was asleep beside him.
Or...
Had he?
She checked the time again.
1:43.
She had already been asleep.
Daniel never moved.
Unless...
Someone else had his phone earlier.
Her thoughts spun wildly.
Affair?
Crime?
Blackmail?
Witness protection?
Nothing made sense.
She backed out of the conversation.
Another application remained open underneath.
A folder labeled simply...
Vacation.
Relieved for a brief second, Emily opened it.
Inside weren't beaches.
There were scanned passports.
Cash transfer receipts.
Plane tickets.
Only one passenger name appeared.
Daniel Carter.
One-way.
No return flight.
Departure...
May you like
Three days away.
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