Photograph

Mia and I became friends when we were fifteen.

We were seated next to each other because our last names both started with the same letter. During role call we would say "here" at the same time, since as soon as the teacher called "Alice Harnet", "Mia Hernandes" would follow. Back then we were inseparable, until we liked the same man.

Mia fell in love with Julian when they met during a business retreat. The Leonhart family's company had decided to acquire Mia's father's company. When the two families went on a vacation to "discuss terms", Mia had fallen in love at first sight. I didn't learn of this until much later, but whenever Mia would talk about her crush, I remember encouraging to arrange meetings with him. I had no idea at the time her crush was the same as my fiance.

The day I discovered Mia's true feelings towards both myself and Julian was still burned into my memory.

I was attending an event with Julian for a local film festival about three months after our wedding. I was wearing a beautiful new purple gown that brought out my brown eyes. Julian had purchased me a new necklace, and though even then I should have known better, it made me feel as though I was being cared for even if in a small way. When I had arrived at the venue, Julian was there talking to Mia. In public, Julian had to be polite to me and those close to me so no one would find out he had abandoned his young new wife. I had introduced Mia and Julian to each other after the engagement, but then I saw what Mia was wearing.

On Mia's neck hung the exact same necklace as mine.

Rather than shove her hand away from his arm as he would have done to any other woman, he had smiled amiably at her. I had watched her finger that necklace, the same one that hung around my throat. She laughed at something he said and when she threw back her head, I saw it. The unmistakable emotion in her eyes of uninhibited love.

I tried to confront her, but Mia turned cruel. I never knew betrayal until that moment. I had been raised a pampered princess, sheltered and cared for by everyone around me. Even Mia used to spoil me. I had no idea just how deeply her resentment went until the end of my first life when she became Julian's mistress and sent me to my death.

Now I stood at that same woman's front door. I didn't want to ever see her face again, if it were possible. But I needed answers. I raised my hand and pressed the doorbell, listening to the loud chimes ringing on the other side of the door.

Mia lived in one of her father's large condos in the city. Because she lived alone, she was rather unrestrained. She would often go clubbing and out to bars without a care in the world of who took her home. I used to believe she was free, but I now knew she really was just seducing men to get what she wanted.

After a moment of silence I heard stirrings inside the condo. Mia slowly opened the door, looking like she had just woken up. It was already 11AM, yet she was just barely getting out of bed. I gave her the best smile I could manage without letting my disdain show.

"Alice?" Mia asked with some confusion. I hadn't contacted her since my wedding three days ago.

"Would you like to go to brunch?"

Mia took a moment to process my question before she plastered a fake smile on her face. "Of course, I'd love to! I just need a second to get dressed."

I gave her an even larger smile in return as she invited me inside. I wasn't interested in brunch with Mia, but unless I invited her out, she wouldn't leave me alone in her house. The only opportunity I had to snoop would be while she was distracted making up her 'face'. If I had only asked to hang out, she would've just invited me into the living room to read some gossip magazines and waste away the day.

I watched Mia disappear upstairs before I immediately began searching for her photo albums. I knew she kept them in the living room on one of the bookshelves. None of her shelves really contained any books she would read. They were all there for aesthetic purposes. I scanned the shelves and moved decorative ornaments out of the way to search.

I was doing my best to be as quiet as possible. Mia would take at least twenty minutes to get ready, but with any luck, she would take longer. I listened to her moving about upstairs and heard the sound of the shower turning on.

After searching through three shelves, I finally managed to find the photo albums. The pictures were all slipped into clear photo sleeves. I flipped through the pages of the first heavy book, searching for any of Julian or myself.

I didn't find anything in the first album or the second. Mia finished her shower and I heard the hairdryer start up as I began looking through the third album. I finally started to find photographs of myself. Mia didn't have many and every photo I appeared in, she was also there. Perhaps in my first life I would think she wanted photos showing our friendship, but I knew she wouldn't have any photos of just me unless they were cut into pieces somewhere.

After flipping to almost the end of the third album, I finally found a photo of Mia, Julian, and me.

The photo showed the three of us standing together at the beach. I was grinning in the middle, holding a beach ball in front of my stomach. I had sand covering my knees and my hair was messy from the ocean. Mia stood on my side, but her smile did not look nearly as happy. And on my other side, Julian's face had a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. There was something to his face that looked as though he was forcing himself.

I didn't remember when this photo was taken. I flipped the photograph over, but there was no date. Upstairs, I heard the hair dryer turn off. I quickly folded the photo and slipped it into my dress pocket. I flipped through the next pages, but I didn't discover any more photos with Julian in them. I pushed the photo albums back onto the shelf just as I heard Mia descending the stairs.

I hadn't gained much besides a photograph I didn't remember, but it was a clue nonetheless.