His eyes darted toward the window.
Then back to his plate.
It lasted less than a second.
But something about it stayed with her.
After dessert, Richard invited everyone into the library.
"I have something I'd like to show you."
The room was enormous.
Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stretched across every wall.
A fire crackled gently in the stone fireplace.
Richard walked toward an old glass cabinet.
"Our family has collected art for generations."
He carefully removed a small bronze sculpture.
"Ethan's mother adored this piece."
As everyone admired the sculpture, Ophelia quietly wandered toward another display.
An old framed photograph rested on a side table.
It showed a charity gala from nearly eight years ago.
Dozens of smiling guests.
Business leaders.
Volunteers.
Her eyes moved slowly across the faces.
Then she froze.
There.
Near the back.
A young woman.
Laughing.
Holding a glass of juice.
April.
April Hayes.
Her breath caught in her throat.
It was unmistakably her sister.
Before she could look closer, Nathan stepped beside her.
"You like old photographs?"
She quickly composed herself.
"I love history."
Nathan smiled.
"My father refuses to throw any of them away."
Richard chuckled from across the room.
"They're memories."
Nathan shook his head playfully.
"They're dust collectors."
Everyone laughed.
Except Ophelia.
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
Why was April here?
She had never told Ophelia she'd attended an Ashford charity gala.
What else had she kept secret?
As they prepared to leave, Richard walked them to the front door.
"I hope this won't be your last visit."
"I'd love to have you back."
"Perhaps next weekend."
Ophelia smiled warmly.
"I'd like that."
Ethan looked pleasantly surprised.
"So would I."
The drive home was quiet.
Ethan assumed she was tired.
He reached over and gently took her hand.
"I had a wonderful evening."
She forced a smile.
"So did I."
But inside...
Her mind was racing.
The photograph.
April.
The charity gala.
None of it made sense.
When Ethan dropped her off and waited until she was safely inside, Ophelia rushed to the locked safe in her study.
With trembling hands, she removed April's diary.
She turned page after page.
Then...
A folded newspaper clipping slipped onto the floor.
She picked it up.
The headline read:
ASHFORD FOUNDATION HOSTS ANNUAL CHARITY GALA
Beneath the headline was the same photograph she'd just seen.
This time, someone had circled April's face in red ink.
And written beside it...
"This was the night everything changed."
Ophelia stared at the words.
A chill ran through her body.
Someone had known.
Someone had left this clue inside April's diary.
She whispered into the silence,
"What happened to you that night, April?"
The answer, she feared...
Was waiting somewhere inside the Ashford Estate.