On a normal Sunday, I sat in “Paprika,” a café where my late wife, Kate, and I spent many weekends. Though the café was lively, I felt alone, surrounded by memories of Kate. I missed her deeply and often called her old number just to hear her voicemail, “Hi, you’ve reached Kate…”
Kate’s funeral was tough. She died in a car accident. After her death, her twin sister Amanda and her husband Kyle were my only support. One day at the café, Carmen, a relative of Kate’s, told me Kate’s voice was still on the answering machine at their family country house. Intrigued, I called the number and heard Kate’s voice, but then someone picked up, saying, “What are you doing? NO!” before the line went silent.
I told Amanda about the call, and she suggested it was my grief playing tricks. I visited the country house, finding it abandoned but with fresh signs of life. This mystery deepened when Detective Johnson revealed Kate’s car had been tampered with, suggesting her accident was staged. I also found photos in Kate’s belongings showing me and Amanda in compromising situations, which Kate received before her accident.
Determined to uncover the truth, I went to Amanda and Kyle’s house but found it deserted. I then spotted Amanda at a bank. Pouring coffee on her leg, she jumped up, revealing she wasn’t paralyzed. It was Kate pretending to be Amanda. Detective Johnson arrived and arrested Kate and Kyle, uncovering their plan to kill Amanda, fake Kate’s death, and frame me to collect the insurance money. The revelation left me with more grief and questions about my past.
