Chapter 25
Three days into his trip.
Singapore. 11:42 p.m. his time. 11:42 a.m. her time.
My phone buzzed. Unknown number. No name. Just a photo.
Laura. Hotel bar. Dim light. Alexandra in a suit, no jacket, sleeves rolled up. She was next to him. Leaning in. Her hand on his chest. His head turned toward her. Mouth lose to her ear. Like he was saying something private.
I stared at it. My hands went cold.
He didn't touch her. Not really. But the angle. The light. The way her body curved into his. It looked… wrong.
I didn't reply. I didn't block. I just sat there. With my coffee. With the photo.
---
Hong Kong. Two days later. 9:16 p.m. his time.
Another number. Another photo.
Hotel room. Not a bar. A room. Alexandra on the couch, phone in his hand, tie loose. Laura behind him. Arms around his shoulders. Head on his shoulder. Eyes closed like she belonged there.
Caption: He says hi. He misses you. Not.
My stomach dropped.
I zoomed in. His eyes were on his phone. Not on her. His face wasn't smiling. It was blank. Alexandra blank.
But her arms. Her face. The room. It looked like after. Or before. Or during.
I put my phone face down. Picked it up. Put it down again.
---
London. Five days later. 1:03 a.m. his time.
Two photos. One after the other.
First: Restaurant. Low light. Candles. Her hand on his. His hand wasn't moving away.
Second: Elevator. Mirrored walls. She was pressed to his side. His arm was around her waist. Her head on his chest. His eyes were closed.
Caption: Oops. Didn't mean to send that one. But since you saw… London loves us.
I didn't cry. I didn't throw my phone. I just sat on the edge of my bed. 1:03 a.m. my time. Same as his.
And I didn't know.
Because the Alexandra in those photos wasn't the one who explained Shanghai to me by candlelight. Wasn't the one who fell asleep two feet from me and didn't touch me. Wasn't the one who said It wasn't you.
But it was him. His suit. His scar on his knuckle, visible in the elevator shot. His face.
Laura was lying. She had to be. She lied about everything. She lied about Mateo. She lied about the blouse. She lied about existing.
But photos don't lie. Do they?
They can. Angles lie. Crops lie. Pauses lie. A second before or after changes everything.
I didn't know what to believe.
He hadn't called. Not once. Not a text. Driver's on call. If you need anything, text Legal. Or me. That was the last thing he said to me.
Three weeks. He was on week one.
And I was here. With four photos. With my chest tight. With angry and sad and confused all fighting for space.
I was angry at her for sending them. Angry at him for being in them. Sad because maybe I was stupid. Confused because every piece of evidence said he was with her, but every piece of memory said he wasn't.
I didn't know what to do. So I did nothing.
I put my phone on silent. Went to work. Talked to Elias about Q3 projections. Didn't mention Hong Kong. Didn't mention Laura. Didn't mention anything.
But at 3:47 p.m. I opened the elevator photo again. Zoomed in. His hand on her waist.
His fingers weren't curled. They were flat. Like he wasn't holding. Like he was being held.
Hypothetically. That's what Elias said. Hypothetically, you get mad when someone else makes them laugh and you don't know why.
I wasn't mad about laughing. I was mad about lying. Maybe his. Maybe hers. Maybe mine to myself.
I didn't know.
---
Saved to memory – Chapter 25 canon:
Alexandra is on a 3-4 week business trip: Singapore → Hong Kong → London.
Laura travels to meet him in each city and takes selfies in compromising positions. Photos are misleading: angles, timing, cropping make it look intimate, but Alexandra is not reciprocating. Laura is faking/manipulating the narrative.
Katrina receives: 1 photo from Singapore (bar), 1 from Hong Kong (hotel room), 2 from London (restaurant + elevator). Laura claims it's real, sends captions to hurt Katrina.
Katrina is sad, angry, confused. She doesn't know whether to believe Laura or trust her memories of Alexandra from the parlor/candlelight night. She has evidence of his physical presence with Laura, but no proof of intent.
Alexandra has not contacted Katrina during the trip. No calls, no texts.
No confirmation of affair. No confrontation yet. Tension peaks.
---
My suggestion for what to write next:
You've got three strong paths. Pick the tone you want:
Option 1: Slow burn + doubt eats her alive
Next chapter stays with Katrina in New York. No contact from Alexandra yet. She spirals a little. She replays every moment from the past 2 months: the brown dress, the parlor, the "It wasn't you." She compares it to the photos. She talks to Elias — not about Laura, but asks him "hypothetically, can you trust someone who doesn't call?" She doesn't accuse Alexandra to anyone. She just sits in the not-knowing. End the chapter with her making a choice: delete the photos, or save them, or text him first.
Why: Builds tension. Makes his eventual return hit harder. Shows her internal shift without external drama.
Option 2: Confrontation via text/call
Katrina breaks. She sends one text to Alexandra: Are you with her? No context. No explanation. Just the question. End chapter on sent. Don't show his reply.
Why: Closes the distance. Forces Alexandra to react next chapter. Moves plot forward but keeps power in her hands.
Option 3: Cut to Alexandra's POV in London
Show what actually happened. Laura ambushed him at the bar. Used an assistant to take the photo while she "thanked him for the deal." Hotel room? She walked in when his door was open, sat behind him for a photo while he was on a work call, he stood up and left 10 seconds later. Elevator? She threw herself at him, he put his hand out to stop her from falling, camera snapped. He's oblivious that she's sending them. He's confused why Katrina hasn't texted. He thinks she's mad about the trip.
Why: Gives reader relief, dramatic irony, and sets up a brutal confrontation when he gets home and realizes what Laura did.
My vote: Option 1, then Option 3 after. Let Katrina stew for one chapter. Let the reader feel her confusion. Then show the truth. The payoff when he finds out Laura sent fake photos will be massive.
But it's your story. Tell me which direction feels right, or give me your plot and I'll write it.