Page 95 of Only Be Mine

The first voicemail was exactly what I expected - a bright, professional voice, cheerful and oblivious.

“Hi, Cate! Just calling to confirm tomorrow’s reception. Please give us a call back tonight if you can to finalize timing. Congratulations again!”

I laughed once, harsh and humorless.

Congratulations.

I ended the voicemail before it finished and dropped the phone onto the counter like it had offended me.

I poured another drink.

I didn’t need to hear the second one. I already knew what it would be. Another confirmation. Another reminder. Another voice assuming I was a normal bride about to have a normal day.

But the second voicemail sat there like it had weight. Like it was different. Like it had a pulse.

I shouldn’t.

I did.

My thumb hit play.

“Cate.”

Just my name. No bright tone. No false cheer.

My body went cold.

It took me a second to place the voice, because it didn’t belong in my present life.

Because it had lived ten years back, in that other world, the one with John’s laughter and Baby’s nails clicking on the hardwood and the smell of rain in the garage.

“Cate, it’s me. Seth.”

My grip tightened on the edge of the counter.

“I know I’m the last person you want to hear from right now,” he went on, voice low, rough around the edges like he hadn’t practiced saying these words out loud. “I got the invitation. That’s not why I’m calling.”

My heart hammered once, hard enough to make my vision flash.

There was a pause, just long enough for my brain to start screaming no, for my body to brace for something it didn’t have language for.

Then Seth said it.

“They found John. Call me as soon as you get this. We need to get down to the police station.”

I didn’t move.

I couldn’t.

The air in the room felt wrong, like pressure before a storm. Like the house itself had shifted on its foundation.

I hit replay.

“They found John.”

I hit replay again, my thumb slipping, my hands shaking.

“They found John.”