Chapter 6 A photo

Chapter 6: A photo?

Naomi sat curled up on the plush armchair, her legs tucked beneath her, eyes glued to the same sentence she'd read for the third day in a row. The book was supposed to be thrilling - murder, secrets, mystery - but none of it could compete with the real-life thriller folded in her drawer upstairs. The letter.

She sighed, resting the book flat against her lap, letting her mind drift.

*Tick-tock.*

That word kept ringing in her head like a warning bell she couldn't shut off.

And then-

"NAOMIIII!"

Naomi jerked upright just as a burst of energy came flying through the living room.

Rachel.

She came in like glitter in a windstorm - loud, dramatic, and somehow wearing sunglasses indoors.

"Girl, this place is insane!" Rachel flung her bag on the couch and plopped down beside her. "You've been living like royalty and you didn't even tell me? Rude."

Naomi laughed, already feeling some of the tension melt away. "Welcome to House Everhart. Would you like a tour, or will exaggerated judgmental stares do?"

Rachel waved a hand. "I'm judging silently, but I still want a glass of wine. Where's the butler?"

Naomi raised a brow. "There is no butler."

Rachel gasped. "Then why am I here?"

They both laughed, and for a moment, it felt normal again.

Rachel kicked off her shoes and pulled her knees up on the couch. "Okay, so get this - I saw Daniel yesterday."

Naomi blinked. "Wait, Daniel Daniel?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Yes, wedding-on-the-beach, vows-that-made-everyone-cry, cheated-three-months-later Daniel."

Naomi frowned. "I thought he moved out of the country."

"He did. But guess who's back and pretending like nothing happened?" Rachel huffed. "Ugh, I swear, I hate cheaters. They walk around like they didn't break someone's whole world."

Naomi shifted slightly, her heart thudding harder.

Cheaters.

The word hit differently today.

She looked at Rachel, watching the way her friend ranted - so sure, so furious. For the first time, a chilling thought crept into her head like fog under a door.

Was Damien capable of that?

No. No way. He loved her. He worshipped the ground she walked on. But then... Why the letter? Why lie about it? Why pretend it was nothing?

The words from the letter flashed in her mind again - To the groom with blood on his hands.

Was he hiding something... or someone?

God, no. Her stomach turned. Was she really letting this plant seeds of doubt? Was she actually wondering if her perfect, doting husband... could be cheating?.

She didn't notice Rachel had paused until she waved a hand in front of her face. "Naomi. Come back to reality!"

"Huh?"

Rachel cocked her head. "Don't 'huh' me. You didn't even laugh when I said I almost egged Theo's Tesla. That was prime comedy."

Naomi let out a weak chuckle, but Rachel wasn't buying it.

"I swear if you say you're 'just tired' I'll throw this glass at you-lovingly."

Naomi sighed, finally setting the wine down. "Okay... something's off. I just-" she paused, glancing around the room like the walls might be listening. "I think Damien is keeping something from me. Like... a really big something."

Rachel's face didn't go all dramatic like in movies. No, she just raised a single brow and sat up straighter. "Define big. Like he bought a secret yacht or has a whole second family in Tokyo kind of big?"

Naomi rubbed her arm, suddenly unsure if saying anything had been a mistake. But Rachel was her best friend. Her person.

"There was this letter," she began cautiously. "I found it in one of his drawers."

Rachel's eyes widened.

"I didn't mean to snoop," Naomi added quickly. "I was just looking for something - and it was just there."

Naomi almost smiled, but the weight in her chest was too heavy. "It was a letter. From our wedding day."

Rachel straightened. "A love letter? Or...?"

"No." Naomi shook her head, her voice dropping. "It wasn't sweet. It was... intense. Like, really intense."

Rachel leaned in. "Define intense."

Naomi's voice trembled, just a little. "The kind of thing that makes your stomach drop. The kind of thing you don't joke about. Whoever wrote it knew him. Knew something."

Rachel blinked, the humor slowly draining from her expression. "And he just had it in his drawer?"

Naomi nodded.

"Did he know you saw it?"

"I haven't told him."

Rachel's mouth opened slightly. "Wait, so you're sitting on a possibly explosive letter and pretending like everything's fine?"

Naomi gave a helpless shrug. "I don't know what else to do, Rach. What if it's nothing? What if I'm overthinking? But then again... what if I'm not?"

Rachel fell silent, studying her for a long second.

"You're not crazy," she said finally. "But you also don't have to decide everything right now."

They sat in silence for a moment.

Naomi noticed Rachel's face - not just concern, but something else. Stillness.

"Hey," Naomi said. "You okay?"

Rachel blinked. "Yeah. Yeah, I just... wasn't expecting that."

Before Naomi could reply, Rachel stood abruptly. "Let me grab us some wine. You definitely need it."

Naomi nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Rachel stood and stretched. "Okay, wine coming right up. I swear, if your husband stocked the fridge with only sparkling water, I'd start a protest."

Naomi let out a soft laugh, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Rachel turned and headed for the kitchen. But the moment she stepped in, she froze.

"Uh... Naomi?"

Naomi tensed. "What?"

Rachel's voice was quieter now. "There's... there's a photo in here."

Naomi frowned. "A photo?"

Rachel stepped back into the room, holding a framed picture Naomi had never seen before. One that hadn't been there yesterday. One that definitely didn't belong in the kitchen.

It was an old photograph. Faded at the edges. Naomi's breath caught as her eyes scanned it.

Three people. Two of them were Damien's parents. The third was her mother.

Smiling.

Standing between them like she belonged.

Naomi's entire body went cold.

Rachel looked at her. "Naomi... what the hell is your mom doing in a picture with your in-laws?"