Adeline stared at the folded newspaper clipping on the table.
She had read the name three times.
It was still there.
Dwayne Davies.
Her husband.
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the paper.
Malcolm watched her carefully.
"You know something."
Adeline looked up.
"I know my husband."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know."
She lowered her voice.
"What exactly did you find?"
Malcolm reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a thin folder.
"I spent most of the afternoon going through the local archives."
He placed several photocopies on the table.
"Blackthorn Academy appears in records going back years."
Adeline looked through them.
Old photographs.
School events.
Local newspaper articles.
A charity gala.
A graduation ceremony.
Then she saw it.
A photograph of several teenagers standing together.
Her eyes narrowed.
"These are the people?"
"Some of them."
"Some?"
Malcolm pointed toward the photograph.
"Look at the date."
Adeline did.
Ten years earlier.
Her eyes moved across the faces.
She didn't recognize everyone.
But she recognized one.
Dwayne.
Younger.
Different.
Yet unmistakably him.
Her stomach tightened.
"Why didn't he tell me?"
Malcolm didn't answer.
Because there was no answer he could give.
Instead, he pointed to another section of the article.
"Read this."
Adeline did.
The article mentioned a group of students who had been involved in an incident at Blackthorn.
But the details were strangely vague.
No names.
No explanation.
Only a reference to an investigation that had apparently been closed.
"That's all?"
"That's all the newspaper reported."
"Why?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out."
Adeline looked at him.
"Does Richard know you're looking into this?"
"Not yet."
"Then don't tell him."
Malcolm raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because I want to understand what I'm looking at before the newsroom turns it into another headline."
A small smile appeared on Malcolm's face.
"That's the first sensible thing you've said all day."
She gave him a look.
"Don't get comfortable."
He laughed.
Across town, Dwayne stood beside the hotel window.
His phone remained silent.
He had been waiting for Jarvis to return.
When the door finally opened, Dwayne turned immediately.
"What happened?"
Jarvis removed his coat.
"Nothing."
Dwayne frowned.
"Nothing?"
"She's fine."
"Then why do you look worried?"
Jarvis stared at him for a moment.
"Because she asked questions."
Dwayne's expression changed.
"What questions?"
"About Blackthorn."
Dwayne looked away.
"Of course."
"She knows your name is connected to it."
Dwayne turned sharply.
"What?"
"She doesn't know much."
"But she knows?"
Jarvis nodded.
"Malcolm found something in the archives."
Dwayne's face hardened.
"Malcolm."
"The new journalist."
"I know who he is, not facially though"
"Then you know why this is a problem."
Dwayne walked toward the desk.
He placed both hands against it.
"I thought those records were gone."
"So did I."
Jarvis studied his brother.
"You can't keep pretending this won't catch up with you."
Dwayne closed his eyes.
"I know."
"Then talk to her."
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because once I tell her, everything changes."
Jarvis's expression softened.
"Everything has already changed."
Dwayne looked at him.
Jarvis continued.
"She's your wife."
"She deserves the truth."
"… and I want to know the full story"
Dwayne said nothing.
Because he knew.
She did.
The following morning, Adeline woke earlier than usual.
She sat at the edge of the bed with the photograph Malcolm had given her.
The seven young faces stared back at her.
Seven friends.
Seven lives.
A past Dwayne had never mentioned.
She turned the photograph over.
Nothing.
No names.
No explanation.
Just a handwritten date.
October 16.
She reached for her phone.
Her finger hovered over Dwayne's name.
She wanted to call him.
Instead, she placed the phone down.
She wasn't ready.
Not yet.
At breakfast, Malcolm was already waiting.
"You look terrible."
"Good morning to you too."
"I meant tired."
"That's worse."
He pushed a cup of coffee toward her.
"Peace offering."
She accepted it.
"Thank you."
"Any progress?"
Adeline shook her head.
"Not really."
She lowered her voice.
"I want to ask Dwayne."
"Then ask him."
"It's not that simple."
"Why?"
"Because if he tells me nothing, I'll know he's hiding something."
"And if he tells you something?"
"I'll have to ask why he kept it from me."
Malcolm nodded.
"Fair."
She looked at him.
"Have you ever had someone you trusted keep something important from you?"
His smile disappeared briefly.
"Yes."
"What happened?"
"I found out eventually."
"How?"
"I stopped asking questions."
Adeline frowned.
"That doesn't make sense."
"It will."
Before she could ask anything else, his phone rang.
He answered.
"Malcolm Carrington."
He listened.
His expression changed.
"Understood."
He ended the call.
"What is it?" Adeline asked.
"The archive office."
"What about it?"
"They found another file."
Her heart began beating faster.
"Blackthorn?"
He nodded.
"They've agreed to let us see it."
"When?"
"Today."
Adeline stood.
"Then let's go."
The archive building was small and old.
Dust filled the air.
Rows of shelves stretched across the room.
An elderly archivist greeted them.
"Blackthorn?"
Malcolm nodded.
"Yes."
The archivist disappeared into the back room.
When he returned, he carried a thick brown file.
He placed it carefully on the table.
"This is all we have."
Adeline stared at it.
"Is there anything unusual about it?"
The old man hesitated.
"There are pages missing."
"Missing?"
"Yes."
"How many?"
"I don't know."
He looked uncomfortable.
"Somebody removed them years ago."
Malcolm exchanged a glance with Adeline.
"Who?"
The archivist shook his head.
"There's no record."
He walked away.
Adeline slowly opened the file.
The first pages contained routine information.
School records.
Student lists.
Administrative notes.
Then she reached the middle.
Her breath caught.
A list of names.
Seven names.
She read them one by one.
Her eyes stopped at the final name.
Dwayne Davies.
Malcolm leaned closer.
"Those are the seven."
Adeline swallowed.
"Seven friends."
"Apparently."
She looked at the page again.
Then something caught her attention.
There was a blank space beneath the seven names.
Not enough room for another full entry.
But enough for a handwritten note.
Someone had written:
There was another.
Adeline's blood ran cold.
"Malcolm."
"I see it."
Neither spoke.
The archivist was already gone.
Malcolm took a photograph of the page.
"Don't touch anything else."
Adeline looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because we don't know what we're dealing with."
She stared at the words.
There was another.
For the first time, she wondered whether the story of Blackthorn had ever truly been about seven people.
That evening, Jarvis found Adeline sitting alone outside the hotel.
"You look troubled."
She looked up.
"Do I?"
"Yes."
He sat beside her.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Adeline sighed.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Did you know Dwayne had friends from Blackthorn?"
Jarvis went still.
Only for a second.
But Adeline noticed.
"You did."
Jarvis looked at the ground.
"I knew about some people."
"Seven?"
He hesitated.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"Dwayne never told me everything."
Adeline studied him.
"So there are things you don't know either."
Jarvis smiled sadly.
"There are many things I don't know."
She looked away.
"That almost makes me feel better."
"Why?"
"Because I was beginning to think I was the only person being kept in the dark."
Jarvis didn't respond.
He wanted to tell her that Dwayne's silence wasn't because he didn't trust her.
It was because he was terrified of losing her.
But that wasn't his secret to reveal.
Instead, he said:
"Whatever you're looking for…"
Adeline turned toward him.
"…be careful."
"Why?"
"Because sometimes the truth hurts more than the lie."
She studied his face.
"You sound like you know something."
Jarvis smiled faintly.
"I know my brother."
Across the road, Dwayne watched them.
He couldn't hear what they were saying.
He didn't need to.
He could see the expression on Adeline's face.
She was beginning to understand.
The walls he'd built around the past were coming down.
One piece at a time.
His phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
Dwayne stared at it.
He didn't answer.
A second message appeared.
She is asking the right questions.
Dwayne's face went pale.
Another message followed.
Soon, she will ask the question you fear most.
Dwayne locked the phone.
His eyes returned to Adeline.
For ten years, he had been afraid of the past returning.
Now he understood something far worse.
The past wasn't returning.
It had never left.
And this time…
It was getting closer to his wife.