My picture-perfect boyfriend disappeared. The cops asked me, "You knew he was cheating, didn't you?" I calmly lowered my gaze and smiled. "I knew. But so what? That didn't change... the fact that I wanted to marry him." 1. I stared down at the photo that popped up on my phone. The faint morning light hit the sleeping face of a young man, long eyelashes, handsome features. On the pillow next to him, long black hair was scattered. The girl didn't show her face. Honestly, it was actually a pretty well-lit, well-composed photo. It would have been even better if... the man wasn't the boyfriend I was planning my wedding with. A rhythmic knock on the door pulled me back. I deleted the photo history, closed the messaging app, opened the door, and put on a smile for him. "Ethan." I'm Grace, a third-year grad student, sharing an off-campus apartment with my roommate, Chloe. Ethan was here to bring me breakfast. I took the still-warm takeout bag from his hand, playfully scolding him, "I told you not to bother. You're so busy at work, you should sleep in if you have the time." "But I missed you," Ethan said gently, hugging me and leaving a soft kiss on my cheek. "I'm heading to work now. I'll pick you up tonight for the movie, don't forget." I fought the urge to pull away, keeping the sweet expression plastered on my face. "Got it. Drive safe." I watched with a smile as he drove off, humming a tune as I tossed the breakfast into the trash can. Barring any surprises, I thought, this would be the last time I ever saw him. The next day, I got a call from the police. Ethan was missing. To everyone else, he was the model boyfriend. Good-looking, gentle personality, already a project manager at a big company just three years after graduation. Once his current project wrapped up successfully, a promotion and raise were practically guaranteed. Except for being too busy to reply quickly or spend much time with me, he did almost everything a boyfriend should. Flowers and thoughtful gifts arrived on time for every anniversary. A date at a nice restaurant every week without fail. He'd come over on Sundays to help with laundry and cleaning. He'd remind me two days in advance that my period was coming. If I caught a cold, he'd take care of me constantly. If work kept him swamped, he'd still text seven or eight times a day asking how I was, if he needed to take time off to drive me to the doctor... And this practically perfect boyfriend, on the very night we were supposed to have dinner and discuss getting married and buying a house, vanished without a trace. 2 The police told me his colleagues couldn't reach him all day. They went to his apartment, but no one was home. The project he was leading was at a critical stage. After confirming Ethan couldn't be contacted, the company reported him missing immediately. The investigating officer was young, Detective Miller. He seemed suspicious of me. Makes sense. In cases like these, the people closest are always the prime suspects. I answered his questions one by one. "When was the last time you saw him?" "Yesterday morning. He brought me breakfast, then went back to the office. We were supposed to meet last night, but late afternoon he texted, said something urgent came up at work, and canceled the date." I opened my phone and showed Detective Miller the text message Ethan sent me. "You didn't try to contact him after that?" "No. Things like this happened before. He's a workaholic, and his team has been crunching on a big project, it's in the final stages. So, I try not to bother him." "Are you aware of any conflicts he had, past or present?" I thought carefully, then shook my head. "Ethan's a really nice guy, he rarely gets into arguments. His project team competes with others at work, sure, but that's normal office stuff. They still hang out, go for drinks, company team-building events. Nothing serious, I think. At least, I never heard him complain about problems with people." "What about finances? Anything unusual lately?" "Not that I know of. He's been saving up to buy a house for years, he's always careful with money." "Does he have any close friends around here?" "He moved here for work after college, his family lives far away, none of his old friends are local. Besides a few colleagues he got close to after starting work, there's his cousin, Tessa. She's in her second year of med school. We'd usually get together with her, maybe every two weeks, grab a meal." "Okay, understood. Last question, where were you last night?" "I was in my apartment. Around seven, I had a video call with my advisor for about half an hour. After that, I stayed in my room working on my thesis, didn't go out... Oh, wait, around eight, I went downstairs to take out the trash. There are security cameras in the hallway and elevator, they should be able to confirm that." "Alright. If anything new comes up, we'll be in touch. Please keep your phone on." I stood up as he did. 3 Suddenly, Detective Miller's sharp gaze landed on my brown leather bag hanging nearby. His expression turned serious. "What's this?" I paused, my eyes falling on the few splattered reddish-brown marks I hadn't noticed before. My heart gave a little jump. My roommate Chloe, who had been sitting quietly beside me, suddenly spoke up. "Oh, that's paint! I accidentally flicked some when I was painting the other day. See?" She pointed to her easel in the corner of the living room. On it was an unfinished painting of a sunset, the colors reflecting on a lake, red like blood. She stuck her tongue out at me sheepishly. "I was afraid you'd get mad I made a mess again, so I didn't tell you. Thought I'd cleaned it all up, didn't realize it got on your bag too..." Detective Miller's expression softened slightly, but he still carefully put on white gloves and picked up the bag, examining it closely. I unconsciously rubbed my fingers together, watching him intently... After a moment, Detective Miller hung the bag back up. "Looks like paint, alright." He glanced at me again. "You seem nervous, Ms. Hayes?" I managed a small smile. "This is my first time dealing with the police. Your presence just now... it was a little intimidating." Detective Miller smirked, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "As long as you haven't done anything wrong, you've got nothing to fear." I walked him downstairs. As I looked down, I quickly adjusted my expression, trying to stop the corners of my mouth from turning up. Turning back, I saw Chloe standing at the top of the stairs, watching me with an unnerving intensity. The afternoon sun hit her pale, gentle face. Her round eyes, like a small animal's, were full of innocence and concern. She's my childhood best friend. Always loved getting the same things as me, from hair clips and toothbrushes to lipstick, coats, dresses, even luggage. After high school, she insisted on applying to the same university as me, pestered me into renting an apartment together off-campus, continuing our inseparable routine. She looked at me deeply. "Grace, Ethan's missing... Aren't you worried?" I shrugged nonchalantly. "Just a cheating scumbag. Honestly, I kind of hope fate catches up with him." I looked directly at her surprised expression, meaningfully tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Chloe, I thought... you knew." We've known each other for so many years. I know her just like she knows me. Of course, I knew the girl Ethan was cheating with was Chloe. She hadn't exactly tried to hide how well she knew Ethan around me. She even deliberately used a fake account to add me, sending me all sorts of flirtatious messages and photos between her and Ethan, the kind where her face wasn't showing. Ha. My best friend, indeed. 4 Two more days passed in anxious waiting. Detective Miller came again. Chloe, as usual, sat beside me. I poured him some water, asking impatiently, "Any news about Ethan?" He shook his head slightly. His gaze no longer held suspicion, but a hint of something else... pity? I inwardly disliked this kind of condescending, cheap judgment, but kept my expression concerned and fragile. I'd rehearsed this scene a thousand times, guaranteed not to arouse suspicion. "Ms. Hayes, while investigating Ethan's social connections, we discovered... he wasn't exactly exclusive in his romantic relationships." Chloe, sitting next to me, stiffened slightly. My eyes widened, I almost dropped my glass. "What? You mean, Ethan... he was cheating on me?" "Ms. Hayes, during your relationship, did you suspect anything at all?" I instinctively shook my head. A few drops of hot water splashed onto the back of my hand. I ignored it, pressing urgently, "Is Ethan's disappearance related to this? Who was he cheating with? For how long? Is he... Is he still alive?" "It was someone you know. His cousin, Tessa." Chloe froze. And I, shocked, knocked over my water glass. "Ethan and Tessa? But... but they're cousins!" "According to Tessa herself, she was adopted as a child and isn't blood-related to Ethan. Furthermore, they've been involved for ten years. Tessa even had an abortion for him after high school." I started shaking violently. "Back then, back then Tessa was underage! What does that even mean? Was I the other woman?! No, wait, the three of us often hung out together, she always acted so naturally... Why would they team up to lie to me!" Detective Miller stood up, moved my overturned glass away, and placed a box of tissues near my hand. Belatedly, I realized tears were streaming down my face.
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