Livia barely slept.

The messages kept replaying in her mind.

Don’t trust Ethan.

Ask him about the night his father died.

And the final one:

Tomorrow, he will tell you a lie. And you will fall in love with him anyway.

By morning, Livia had convinced herself that she was being ridiculous.

She didn’t know Ethan well enough to trust him completely.

But she also didn’t know him well enough to accuse him of anything.

So she decided to do something simple.

She would ask him.

The problem was that Ethan didn’t answer her messages.

Not at eight.

Not at nine.

Not at ten.

At eleven, Livia finally received a message.

Ethan: Meet me at the old greenhouse. Noon. Please come alone.

Livia stared at the screen.

She almost laughed.

“Of course.”

A mysterious photograph.

Anonymous messages.

A secret meeting.

An abandoned greenhouse.

Her life had suddenly become a terrible romantic thriller.

She grabbed her coat.

---

The old greenhouse stood behind Rosewood Park.

It had been abandoned for years.

The glass roof was cracked, and wild vines covered the walls.

Livia pushed open the rusty door.

“Ethan?”

No answer.

She stepped inside.

The air smelled like wet earth and flowers.

Then she saw him.

Ethan stood beneath a broken glass roof.

He was holding his camera.

“You came.”

“You asked me to.”

“I wasn’t sure you would.”

Livia crossed her arms.

“Neither was I.”

He smiled faintly.

Then his expression became serious.

“You received another message?”

Livia’s eyes widened.

“How did you know?”

“Because they always send one before I tell someone the truth.”

“The truth about what?”

Ethan looked away.

“My father.”

Livia felt her heart tighten.

“Tell me.”

He took a breath.

“My father didn’t die in an accident.”

Silence.

Livia stared at him.

“What happened?”

“He was investigating someone.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I was seventeen. My father didn’t tell me everything.”

“What happened that night?”

Ethan looked down.

“There was a fire.”

Livia’s voice became softer.

“Where?”

“At a photography studio.”

“His studio?”

“Yes.”

“Was he inside?”

“Yes.”

“And you?”

“I was there.”

Livia swallowed.

“You saw him die?”

Ethan nodded.

“I saw the fire.”

He closed his eyes.

“I heard him calling my name.”

Livia stepped closer.

“What did you do?”

“I tried to get inside.”

His voice cracked.

“But the door was locked.”

Livia’s heart broke for him.

“I’m sorry.”

Ethan looked at her.

“I blamed myself for years.”

“Why?”

“Because I was the one who locked the door.”

Livia froze.

“What?”

“I was angry with him.”

He looked away.

“We had argued earlier that night. I locked the studio from outside.”

Livia stared.

“Then the fire started.”

“Yes.”

“And you couldn’t get back inside.”

“No.”

“That wasn’t your fault.”

“I know that now.”

“But you didn’t before?”

“No.”

They stood in silence.

Then Livia noticed something.

A small scar near Ethan’s wrist.

“What happened there?”

He looked at it.

“Fire.”

“You were burned?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“That night.”

Livia slowly reached for his hand.

Ethan didn’t pull away.

“I don’t think you caused his death.”

He looked at her.

“How can you be sure?”

“Because people who don’t care don’t carry guilt like this.”

Ethan’s eyes softened.

“You really believe that?”

“Yes.”

He smiled.

“You always know what to say.”

“No.”

She smiled.

“I just say what I believe.”

For a moment, they stood close.

Too close.

Ethan looked at her lips.

Then her eyes.

Livia felt her heart racing.

He whispered:

“Livia…”

“Yes?”

“I’ve wanted to do this since the first day.”

He leaned closer.

She didn’t move away.

Their foreheads almost touched.

Then—

CRASH!

A glass panel shattered.

They jumped apart.

Someone had thrown a stone through the greenhouse window.

Attached to it was a folded piece of paper.

Ethan picked it up.

His face became pale.

“What does it say?”

He handed it to Livia.

Three words were written across it.

SHE REMEMBERS EVERYTHING.

Livia looked at Ethan.

“Who is she?”

“I don’t know.”

“You said you didn’t know who was watching you.”

“I don’t.”

“Then why do you look scared?”

“Because I know that handwriting.”

Livia’s heart sank.

“Whose is it?”

Ethan didn’t answer.

“Ethan.”

He looked at her.

“My mother.”

---

They left the greenhouse immediately.

Neither spoke until they reached the park.

Livia finally stopped.

“Your mother is alive.”

Ethan shook his head.

“No.”

“But you recognize her handwriting.”

“Yes.”

“Then how?”

“I don’t know.”

He pulled his phone from his pocket.

There was a photograph on the screen.

It showed a woman standing outside the same greenhouse.

Ethan’s mother.

The date beneath the photograph was from two days earlier.

Livia stared.

“She was here.”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want you involved.”

“You already involved me.”

“I know.”

“And now I want the truth.”

Ethan looked at her.

“I don’t have it.”

“Then let’s find it.”

He smiled sadly.

“You really don’t know when to walk away.”

“No.”

“That’s one of the things I like about you.”

Livia’s heart skipped.

“You like me?”

Ethan looked directly into her eyes.

“More than I should.”

The words were quiet.

Honest.

Livia smiled.

“That’s probably a problem.”

“It is.”

“Because?”

“Because I’m falling in love with you.”

She forgot how to breathe.

Everything around them seemed to disappear.

The sounds of the park.

The wind.

The cars.

Everything.

Only Ethan remained.

Livia whispered:

“You barely know me.”

“I know enough.”

“How?”

“The way you laugh when you’re trying not to.”

She smiled.

“The way you look at people when you think they’re hiding something.”

She looked away.

“The way you always give the last piece of cake to someone else.”

“You noticed that?”

“I notice everything about you.”

Her eyes filled with tears.

Ethan stepped closer.

“And I know the way you looked at me the first day.”

“How did I look at you?”

“Like I was someone you had been waiting for.”

Livia smiled through her tears.

“Maybe I was.”

He gently touched her cheek.

Then kissed her.

It wasn’t dramatic.

It wasn’t perfect.

It was soft.

Warm.

A little nervous.

But it felt real.

When they pulled apart, Livia laughed quietly.

“So…”

“So?”

“Are we officially in trouble?”

Ethan smiled.

“Definitely.”

She leaned against him.

“I don’t mind.”

For a few moments, they forgot about the mystery.

They forgot about the photographs.

They forgot about the messages.

Then Ethan’s phone rang.

He answered.

His expression changed immediately.

“Hello?”

Nobody spoke.

Then Ethan’s face went completely white.

He slowly lowered the phone.

“Who was it?” Livia asked.

He looked at her.

“My mother.”

Livia’s heart stopped.

“What did she say?”

Ethan swallowed.

“She said…”

He paused.

“She said she knows we’re together.”

Livia felt cold.

“Anything else?”

Ethan nodded.

“She said to tell you something.”

“What?”

He looked into Livia’s eyes.

“She said…”

His voice trembled.

“Your mother was there the night my father died.”

Livia couldn’t move.

“My mother?”

Ethan nodded.

“And she said there is something your family has been hiding from you.”

Livia stepped backward.

“No.”

“Livia—”

“No.”

She shook her head.

“My mother would never—”

A car suddenly stopped across the street.

A woman stepped out.

Long dark hair.

Silver necklace.

Ethan’s mother.

She looked directly at Livia.

Then she raised one finger to her lips.

Don’t speak.

The car drove away.

Livia stood frozen.

Ethan took her hand.

“We’re going to find the truth.”

She looked at him.

“Together?”

He squeezed her hand.

“Always.”

Neither of them noticed the small camera hidden in the tree across the street.

Someone had been watching them.

And behind the camera, a voice whispered:

“They finally fell in love.”

A pause.

Then:

“Now we can begin.”

To be continued…