Chapter 2 - The Luggage Was Already Packed
The emergency clinic cleared Amelia to leave several hours later.
Her eyes remained irritated, but there was no severe chemical injury.
The doctor was more cautious about the pregnancy.
At eight weeks, there was only so much anyone could promise from one examination.
For now, there were no immediate signs that the fall or impact had caused a complication.
Amelia was told to rest, return for follow-up, and seek urgent help if anything changed.
She listened carefully.
Preston was not allowed into the room.
Neither was Veronica.
Amelia called her older cousin Grace instead.
Grace drove her back to the villa after midnight only because Amelia refused to spend another night wondering what belongings Preston might remove.
Security accompanied them.
The glass-walled room looked frozen in the aftermath.
The wedding photograph remained broken.
The stone planter had shifted.
Veronica’s spray bottle had been taken as evidence of the incident.
And Amelia’s luggage still stood beside the garden doors.
Grace reached for it.
Amelia stopped her.
“I didn’t pack those.”
Grace looked at her.
“What?”
“I packed for the honeymoon upstairs.”
“These have your initials.”
“I know.”
Amelia opened the first suitcase.
Inside were clothes.
But not the clothes she chose.
Conservative dresses Veronica had bought for her.
Soft shoes.
Nightwear.
Toiletries.
No laptop.
No design portfolio.
No business clothing.
No charger for the phone she used for work.
The second suitcase was stranger.
Personal photographs.
Medication.
A favorite book.
Her jewelry case.
Several small items from the apartment she shared with Preston.
Grace stared.
“This looks like somebody packed you to leave for more than a honeymoon.”
Amelia’s heartbeat changed.
She searched the side pocket.
Her passport was inside.
She had left it in her locked desk upstairs.
“How did this get here?”
Grace said nothing.
Amelia checked for her car keys.
Missing.
Apartment keys.
Missing.
Office key card.
Missing.
Then she saw the luggage tags.
Not the Amalfi Coast hotel where she and Preston were supposed to spend ten days.
Caldwell House, Lake Briar.
The family’s secluded property six hours north.
Amelia stared.
May you like
The honeymoon luggage had been replaced.
And somebody had packed her for a destination she had never agreed to visit.
Related Stories
