Chapter 4: The Woman in the Photograph Walked Into the Funeral
Emily barely slept.
The photograph lay on her bedside table all night.
Every few minutes she picked it up again, hoping her eyes had somehow deceived her.
But they hadn't.
The woman in the picture wasn't just someone who looked like her.
She had Emily's eyes.
Emily's smile.
Even the tiny scar above her left eyebrow.
Someone had hidden her identical twin for twenty-six years.
The next morning, Emily hired a private investigator.
Former FBI agent Richard Mason studied the photograph in silence.
Finally, he looked up.
"This picture was taken three days ago."
Emily's heart raced.
"Can you find her?"
Richard nodded slowly.
"If she's still alive... yes."
But before he could leave, his phone rang.
His expression changed instantly.
"Emily..."
"You need to come with me."
An hour later...
They arrived at a quiet cemetery outside the city.
Black umbrellas covered the hill.
A funeral was underway.
Emily frowned.
"Whose funeral is this?"
Richard swallowed hard.
"The woman from your photograph."
Emily froze.
"No..."
She pushed through the crowd.
At the front stood a polished black coffin surrounded by white roses.
A framed photograph rested beside it.
The moment Emily saw the face...
She nearly collapsed.
It was her.
Not similar.
Not close.
Exactly her.
The guests whispered as Emily walked closer.
Several people gasped.
"Oh my God..."
"She came back..."
"Is that... a ghost?"
An elderly priest stared at Emily in disbelief before making the sign of the cross.
Richard quickly opened the funeral program.
The name printed beneath the photo made Emily's blood run cold.
Elizabeth Carter.
Date of Birth...
Exactly the same day as Emily.
She wasn't imagining it.
Elizabeth was real.
Her twin sister.
Emily slowly approached the coffin.
Her hands trembled.
"I have to see her."
A man in a dark suit stepped in front of the coffin.
"I'm sorry."
"The family requested that it remain closed."
Emily looked into his eyes.
"She is my sister."
The man suddenly became nervous.
"I... I don't know anything about that."
Richard leaned close to Emily.
"He's lying."
Emily pushed past him.
Just as her fingers touched the coffin...
A woman's voice echoed across the cemetery.
"Don't open it."
Everyone turned.
An elderly woman stood at the top of the hill.
She held a silver cane.
Her elegant black dress contrasted with her snow-white hair.
The moment Emily saw her...
A forgotten childhood memory flashed through her mind.
The woman smiled sadly.
"You've grown into your mother."
Emily whispered,
"Who are you?"
The woman answered without hesitation.
"I'm your grandmother."
Silence.
Emily's knees almost gave out.
"My parents told me my grandparents died before I was born."
"They lied."
The old woman nodded.
"They lied about many things."
She slowly walked toward the coffin.
Then placed one wrinkled hand on its polished lid.
"Your sister isn't inside."
Emily stared at her.
"What?"
The old woman looked directly into her eyes.
"This funeral is fake."
"The coffin is empty."
The crowd exploded into chaos.
Guests shouted.
Reporters rushed forward.
Richard immediately forced the coffin open.
Everyone held their breath.
The lid crashed backward.
Inside...
There was no body.
Only a single red rose...
A passport.
And a handwritten note.
Emily unfolded the paper with shaking hands.
It read:
"If you're reading this... they found me before I could find you."
Underneath was another sentence.
"Don't trust Grandma."
Emily slowly turned toward the elderly woman.
But she was gone.
Only her silver cane remained, lying in the grass.
At that exact moment...
Emily's phone buzzed.
An unknown number.
She answered carefully.
A woman whispered through heavy breathing.
"Emily..."
"It's Elizabeth."
"They're coming."
Then...
May you like
The line went dead.
To Be Continued in Chapter 5...
