AFTER ALL I WENT THROUGH, HE STILL LOVED HER

Is this life I'm really living mine?

I kept wondering as I stared at the pictures in the locket. Who is this man? And why was I hugging him like that?

I have seen him somewhere but I can't remember where.

“Could it be the strange man at the gala last night?” I shook my head, “it can't be”.

Curious, I walked out of William’s office, looking for him to explain to me what this is. It was clearly me in it, so he must have known the man too

The locket felt heavy in my blazer pocket as I approached the hallway that leads to the elevator.

A simple question – that's all I needed to ask. Why was this antique locket, of me with a totally different man, sitting on his book shelf?

But voices from around the corner made me pause. I recognized the intimate whispers immediately – William and Selena.

"We can't afford another mistake," Selena's voice was urgent, barely audible. "The timing has to be perfect."

"Keep your voice down," William hissed. "Everything's proceeding according to plan. Once we access your stepfather's will—"

"And you're sure she has no idea about the clause?"

My father's will? My stomach churned as bile rose in my throat. My father fell into a coma just six months after my dyslexia diagnosis, and I'd always found it strange how quickly everything went downhill for me there.

"Trust me," William's voice dripped with smug confidence. "Little Charlotte can barely read a speech, let alone understand the complexity of her father's estate provisions. As long as we keep her... distracted."

The word 'distracted' felt like a slap. My fingers curled around the locket until its edges bit into my palm.

The hallway suddenly felt too narrow, the air too thin. I backed away silently, my heels thankfully muffled by the plush carpet.

Once safely in the elevator, I pulled out my phone with trembling hands. The screen blurred before my eyes, but I'd memorized my tutor's number months ago.

"Dr. Mitchell? It's Charlotte Wright." I tried to keep my voice steady. "I know it's last minute, but is there any chance we could move the next session today? Something's come up, and I—" I swallowed hard, thinking of the documents I needed to understand, of all the papers William had "helped" me with over the years. "I need to accelerate my progress."

The answer to this locket could wait. First, I needed to learn exactly what I'd been too "distracted" to understand.

I left work early and couldn't wait around for the gift William had prepared for me. I'm not even sure if I could eat dinner with him.

I headed straight to my sessions to begin. I need to know where my father's will is and what they are up to next.

Prior to the end of my session, I received a call from William asking after me

“Where did you go to Charlotte ?” he asked “I told you to wait for me”

“Something urgent came up” I lied “so I had to take care of it”

William sighed “Alright, I'm going to pick you up because I made a reservation at your favorite restaurant”

I interrupted him “There's no need”

I didn't give him any further details before I hung up. My tutor looking at me with a worried glance

“It's fine” I assured him before we continued

My session took longer than usual that my tutor had to call it a day

“I'll send the schedules for the classes tomorrow” I promised him before leaving the premise

I kept staring at the locket, deep in thought on who this person might be on my way home which drifted me to sleep.

Rain pelted against the windshield, each drop distorting the headlights that rushed toward me.

The screech of tires. The sickening crunch of metal. My world spun, fragments of glass dancing in the air like deadly snowflakes.

"Hold on!" A man's voice cut through the chaos. "Stay with me, Viv!"

Through the haze of pain, I saw a hand reaching for me. Strong, desperate fingers stretching across the wreckage.

"You can't leave me. Not like this. Please, princess..."

Princess? The endearment stirred something deep within my memory, but consciousness was slipping away like water through my fingers.

"Miss Wright?"

My eyes snapped open. I was in the back of my company car, my driver holding the door open with concern etched on his face.

"We're home, Miss Wright. Are you alright? You were mumbling in your sleep."

I pressed my fingers to my temples, the dream still clinging to my thoughts like cobwebs. "Yes, Thomas. I'm fine. Just... tired."

But I wasn't fine. The dream felt too real – the terror, the pain, and that voice. Why did it sound so familiar?

My fingers absently wrapped around the locket in my pocket as I walked up the driveway.

The foyer lights were on, unusual for this time of night. As I stepped inside, William 's figure emerged from the sitting room, his expression a careful mask of concern.

"There you are." His voice was too controlled, too measured. "I was worried after you decided not to show up for dinner"

Dinner. I'd completely forgotten about our dinner plans after what I'd overheard.

"I'm sorry, I had a..." The words died in my throat as his eyes fixed on my hand. I looked down, realizing I was still clutching the locket.

"Where did you get that?" The false concern vanished from his voice.

"I..." For once, my hesitation wasn't about dyslexia. "I found it in your office. William , there's a man in this locket—"

"What?" His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he smoothed his features. "That's impossible. I've been trying to open that thing for years."

He crossed the room in three quick strides, plucking the locket from my grasp before I could react.

"You must be mistaken, darling. The clasp is stuck – has been since I found it in your father's old things."

"But I saw—"

"You're overtired," he cut me off, pocketing the locket. "All this stress about work, your... condition. You're imagining things."

I watched him retreat to his study, the locket disappearing with him. The man in my dream called me princess.

Just like the man in the locket seemed to be doing in the frozen moment captured in that tiny frame.

What exactly is William hiding from me?