55:Evan Cole

Evan Cole

Ophelia drove home without turning on the radio.

Her mind kept returning to the same name.

Evan Cole.

She had never heard it before.

Yet somehow, it had been written over Nathan's name in the university register.

That couldn't be a coincidence.

When she reached her apartment, she locked the door and placed her bag on the table.

She opened her notebook.

April Hayes.

Nathan Ashford.

Evan Cole.

The Spring Arts Festival.

The Fine Arts Annex.

She drew a line between the names.

There had to be a reason they were connected.

Her phone rang.

Anonymous.

She answered.

"You saw him."

"Yes"

"Did he see you?"

"I think so"

Anonymous was quiet.

"Then we have a problem"

"What did you find about Evan Cole?"

"Not much"

Ophelia frowned.

"That's not like you"

"I know"

She could hear the keyboard clicking on his end.

"Evan Cole attended the university during the same period as April and Nathan. He was involved with the arts department"

"Was he close to April?"

"I haven't confirmed that"

"What about his records?"

"Most of them are missing"

Ophelia leaned back in her chair.

"Missing again"

"Exactly"

She looked at the notebook.

"Someone keeps removing the same pieces of history"

"Which means someone is protecting something"

That evening, Ethan arrived at her apartment.

He carried a small box in one hand.

"I brought dinner"

Ophelia smiled.

"You really like bringing food"

"I've noticed you forget to eat when you're thinking"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Have you been studying me?"

"Maybe"

She laughed and stepped aside.

"Come in"

They sat together at the small dining table.

For a while, neither of them talked about anything serious.

Ethan told her about a meeting that had gone badly.

Ophelia told him about a difficult client at the gallery.

It felt normal.

Almost too normal.

Then Ethan looked at her.

"You've been distant"

She lowered her eyes.

"I'm just tired"

"You don't have to tell me anything you're not ready to talk about"

She looked at him.

"But I want you to know that you can trust me"

Something inside Ophelia tightened.

Trust.

The word had become dangerous to her.

She wanted to tell him everything.

About April.

About Olivia.

About Anonymous.

About the reason she had entered his life.

But she couldn't.

Not yet.

"Thank you"

Ethan reached across the table and gently squeezed her hand.

"I mean it"

She smiled.

For a moment, she allowed herself to forget the lies between them.

Later that night, after Ethan left, Ophelia returned to her investigation.

She opened her laptop and searched for Evan Cole.

The first few results were useless.

Then she found an old university article.

Student Artist Evan Cole Wins Regional Award

The photograph beside the article was badly faded.

Ophelia stared at the screen.

Then she noticed someone standing behind Evan.

April.

Her heart stopped.

She enlarged the photograph.

April wasn't looking at the camera.

She was looking directly at Evan.

And she was smiling.

Ophelia whispered her sister's name.

"April"

There was something else.

On Evan's jacket was the same small emblem she had seen in the Fine Arts Annex.

The Ashford crest.

Her phone suddenly buzzed.

A message from an unknown number appeared.

Stop searching for Evan Cole

Ophelia stared at the screen.

A second message followed.

You already lost your sister. Don't lose yourself too

Her expression hardened.

She deleted neither message.

Instead, she saved both as evidence.

Then she opened April's diary.

"Who were you trying to warn me about?"

The room remained silent.

But somewhere across the city, someone was watching her apartment.

And this time...

They knew exactly where she lived.