A year ago, December 16, 2008, 2:30 pm. 

After a long flight, Nadine and Camellia arrived at the hotel exhausted. Nadine didn’t rest, her client was already waiting for her in the hotel lobby. After getting their suite keys, she left Camellia and went straight to him.

Camellia went to their suite; once inside, she shut the door behind her and took a quick look around. It was an open-air suite with a view of the opera house. It was so large that it looked like it was two separate apartments.

One half-built wall in the middle conceals half of the suite. Behind it were two large beds, each with white cotton sheets and two large pillows. Separated by a black nightstand with a silver modern lamp. The beds faced a floor-to-ceiling transparent glass window leading to the room’s private balcony.

Camellia smiled as she gazed out the window. It was her first time in Sydney. She opened the balcony glass door, intending to go outside to enjoy the warm weather and the smell of the sea, but the ringing of her phone stopped her. She entered to retrieve it from her bag. It was Adam.

“Hello,” Camellia said.

“How are you guys doing? I called Nadine, but she didn’t pick up... she’s definitely screaming from happiness now,” he joked.

“What?”

“Didn’t she like it?”

“What are you talking about?” Camellia said as she sat on one of the beds.

“The ring... the proposal,” Adam explained.

“What proposal?” Camellia was completely perplexed.

“My proposal to her. Didn’t she inform you?” Camellia frowned and remained silent for a few moments. “Hello, Camellia?”

“What happened?” Camellia exclaimed loudly.

“It was fantastic—”

One day earlier, at 10:48 am.

Nadine was finishing some work meetings at the office before heading to the airport. Adam went to see her in her office. He went inside after knocking on the door. “Hey, beautiful,” he murmured as he sat on the couch on the right side of the room. “I need to talk to you.”

“About what?” Nadine fixed her gaze on him.

“Not now, when you get back,” he said, smiling.

“I almost forgot to tell you... I’ll be there for two weeks,” Nadine stated casually.

“What?” he exclaimed, leaping from the couch, and taking a seat across from her desk, his jaw slightly open, “I thought it would only take a couple of days.” Nadine didn’t respond and gathered her belongings to get up. “Wait here, don’t go anywhere!” Adam said after ten seconds of staring at the floor. He stood up and took off running, while Nadine did not respond or even look at him.

Minutes later.

Adam returned and closed the door behind him. “Nadine!” he yelled. She moved her gaze lazily on him. His red face was covered in a thin layer of sweat. He was breathing heavily, his mouth wide open. He took a few steps closer to her desk without taking his gaze away from hers.

“What?” she asked, her brows furrowed.

He was only a few steps away from her. He got down on one knee and pulled a ring box from his pocket. “Will you marry me?” Adam said this with his trademark bright, charming smile.

Nadine stopped breathing, the blood pounded in her ears, and the frown on her face got stronger. “Don’t answer now, but I want to see you in two weeks wearing the ring.” Nadine clenched her jaw, yet Adam ignored her obvious anger.

He rose and kissed her on the forehead before helping her to her feet. “You know I love you, don’t you?” he squeezed her cheeks.

Nadine shifted her gaze away from his hands and toward the watch, she wore on her right wrist. “I have to go now,” Nadine said, her face frowning. She dashed to the couch to get her jacket, but she came to a halt when he suddenly grabbed her hand.

“Don’t forget this,” Adam whispered as he kissed her left palm. Nadine slammed the door behind her as she exited the office, clutching the box tightly.

“—I couldn’t wait two weeks,” Adam boasted.

“Right... so you just randomly proposed,” Camellia said, looking out at the sea, wondering why Nadine hadn’t told her. Adam was still talking on the other side, but Camellia wasn’t paying attention to him. She looked down at her phone and hung up, annoyed by his high-pitched voice.

Camellia disliked Adam because he seemed conceited and arrogant. She never expected him to propose to Nadine, and she never considered him marriage material. She knew why Nadine reacted the way she did, but all she could do was wait for Nadine to confirm it herself.

Two hours later.

Camellia had finished her lunch and was sitting on the balcony chair, drinking coffee. She heard the suite door close, followed by a slam on one of the beds. When she turned around, she saw Nadine lying down on her stomach. “How was the meeting?” she inquired aloud.

“Long and boring,” Nadine grumbled.

Camellia stepped inside and sat next to Nadine. “Tell me what happened to you?”

“He talked a lot, he wants to build a massive structure with so many designs that I don’t have the energy to do,” Nadine remarked, turning her body to face Camellia.

“I’m not asking about the meeting; I meant Adam.”

“Oh... right,” Nadine sighed.

“Yeah, why didn’t you tell me?”

“We didn’t have much time to talk,” Nadine shrugged.

“Really? We were on a plane for a day, so we had plenty of time,” Camellia contended.

“Well... you slept the majority of it,” she said, reaching for her bag on the floor next to the bed and pulling out the ring box. “I don’t know, I didn’t think about it,” Nadine said as she sat across from Camellia on the other bed.

“Did you ever consider marrying him or marriage in general? You love him, don’t you?”

Nadine took a deep breath and gazed out at the sea. “I do love him.”

“You don’t sound convinced,” Camellia said, taking the box from her grasp and opening it. “He doesn’t know you,” she sneered. Nadine frowned, unsure what she was saying. “the ring, wait... you didn’t open it? Look.” Camellia handed her the box, which contained a classic diamond engagement ring with a silver band and a 1.5-carat diamond.

“I don’t wear silver,” Nadine said, disgustedly looking at the ring.

“Exactly,” Camellia said as she pointed to it. “So... what’s your response?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Would you like my opinion? I believe—”

“I didn’t ask for it,” Nadine stated flatly.

“—rude.” Nadine grinned. “I think you should call it quits; you’re not in love with him,” Camellia stated emphatically.

“I love him!”

“I said in love, I didn’t say you hate the man, I mean it’s not a passionate love,” Camellia explained.

“You’re wrong, what gives you this strange idea?”

“You know what gave me this strange idea,” Camellia said, quoting herself. Camellia noticed her expressionless reaction. “Are you kidding me? You don’t know?” Camellia said as she stood up.

“Know what?” Nadine appeared perplexed.

“Liam.”

“What does Liam have to do with anything?” Nadine expressed her confusion.

Camellia’s phone rang again, and this time it was Liam. “Speaking of the devil... or, in this case, a handsome devil,” Camellia said before answering the phone, earning Nadine’s grumpy look. “Here’s the birthday boy,” Camellia joked.

“Hey, mate, where are you?”

“Nadine just finished her meeting. Tell me where the party is.”

“There isn’t a party. We’ll hang out at my place, and Ethan will cook,” Liam explained.

“Who?”

“My best friend, Ethan.”

“It doesn’t ring any bells.”

“I’m sure I mentioned him to you before.”

“No, it’s probably Nadine,” Camellia said, smiling.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Camellia said quietly.

“Anyways, don’t be late and tell Nadine to check her phone. I texted the address to her.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t.” Camellia hung up the phone and fixed her gaze on Nadine, not blinking. “Tell me... what does Liam have to do with anything?” Camellia spoke in a low tone.

“Nothing, Camellia! I love Adam, that’s that,” Nadine answered firmly, her eyes wide with uncertainty.

“Alright, if you say so,” Camellia responded, shrugging her shoulders.

Darling Point, Sydney, 6:00 pm.

Camellia and Nadine were on their way to Liam’s house. While Nadine was thinking about their earlier conversation, Camellia was talking and laughing with the taxi driver. It took them ten minutes to get to his house. They exited the cab and searched for the East Haven building.

It was a stunning modern ten-floor building. Liam’s place was on the eighth floor. When they arrived at the apartment door, Nadine was about to knock, but Camellia stopped her. “Hold on a minute... are you going to tell him?” Camellia whispered.

“Tell him what?”

“About the proposal.” They both moved their bodies and faced each other as they stood in front of the apartment door.

“No, and please don’t ask why!” Nadine said firmly and turned away; she raised her hands to knock again, but Camellia stopped her. She rolled her eyes and turned to face Camellia.

“Please, Nadine, just admit it!” Camellia said, dramatically shaking her hand.

“Admit what?” Nadine said, removing her hand from Camellia’s grasp.

“It’s because of Liam that you’re confused about the proposal,” Camellia exclaimed.

“I’m not confused, Adam just surprised me with the proposal, that’s all,” Nadine snarled angrily.

“It’s not the proposal, it’s Liam,” Camellia stated flatly.

“This isn’t about Liam.”

“It is,” Camellia said quietly. “You’re head over heels in love with him, and I’m sure he is, too.”

“What?! No!” Nadine said in a hushed tone.

“If you believe that, why do you want to keep it hidden from him?” — “If you’re not in love with him; just tell him what Adam asked you,” Camellia crossed her arms and said with a half-wry smile.

“For the love of God, I’m not telling LIAM!” Nadine yelled out his name.

“Tell me what?” Liam inquired. Camellia and Nadine were startled when the door surprisingly opened.

“Did you hear us?!” Nadine raised both of her eyebrows at his sudden appearance.

“You yelled my name,” Liam said, smirking.

“Well, I forgot to buy you a gift, so I asked Nadine not to tell you.”

“Right,” Nadine said, looking at her befuddled with her mouth open. Camellia returned her gaze with a wink.

“You didn’t have to get me anything, just come in,” Liam said as he pushed the door open completely.

It was a massive, well-kept apartment with a breathtaking 180-degree harbor view. The walls are white, and the floor is a light grey, smooth carpet. Several paintings hang on the walls, lending the space an artistic feel. The furniture was modern black and dark gray, with yellow art pieces on every corner. An L-shaped kitchen layout with an island workspace filled with delicious food was on the left side.

“You must be Nadine,” said a six-foot-tall man who emerged from behind the counter. He approached Nadine and unexpectedly hugged her. He wore his long blonde hair in a loose man bun and sported a full beard. Dressed in dark blue jeans, a white tee, and a black apron.

“Oh... Hello,” Nadine said, tapping on the man’s muscled back.

“Hello, I’m Ethan,” he said, releasing her from his unexpected hug. Nadine smiled at him, then looked at Camellia and Liam, who was still standing at the door and seemed to be whispering over something.

6:55 pm.

After they finished eating what Ethan cooked for them. Liam asked them what they wanted to drink, all of them wanted black tea but Nadine was tired; she couldn’t resist a big cup of coffee. She left them and went to the bathroom to wash up. The bathroom was on the left side of the apartment.

Nadine walked down a long hall to reach it at the end. She washed her face and hands; feeling a sudden need to sleep. She put her hair in a high ponytail and went outside. She noticed that one door of the other rooms was open.

She wasn’t the most inquisitive person, but something piqued her interest: a large painting of a beautiful woman in her early thirties, drawn in a detailed portrait that looked like a photograph from a distance. Nadine entered the room without a second thought.

It was Liam’s office room, and it was as neat and spacious as the rest of the apartment. On the right side was an L-shaped glass desk with black stationery and a silver-colored desktop computer, and on the left side was another L-shaped glass desk with work papers and books.

Two large paintings hung on the right wall, and a portrait of the woman and unique pictures hung on the left wall. Nadine examined the painting and noticed the painter’s signature. “Mark... wow,” Nadine thought to herself.

She took two steps forward to see the rest of the pictures. It was a collection of photos of Liam with his friends on various occasions. She was drawn to one particular image. It was Liam, dressed in his graduation robe, standing between his parents, the same woman in the portrait. But as she grew older, she appeared more elegant. Liam appeared younger, with shorter hair and a shaved face.

Nadine grinned. The image of the same location flashed through her mind. I’ve seen this before, she whispered. For a few moments, it felt like déjà vu.

Her gaze shifted to Liam’s father, and her smile faded slowly. Nadine took a deep breath and her eyes widened in surprise. She took a step back, puzzled by what was happening to her. When she saw Mark’s face, a vague sense of familiarity washed over her.

An image appeared in front of her eyes, she lost all sense of reality. She blinked hard, her vision blurred, and flashes beamed across her. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them to look around.

Darkness with weak lighting coming from some candles. Everything seemed slow. Too slow to her liking. She felt her body unable to move. Some force was holding her tight. The moment her brain grasped where she was, everything began moving normally.

She moved her head, looking at the force holding her, a number of dark strings squeezing her hard, the strings were increasing, and moving upwards, reaching her neck, and choking the life out of her. Her panic was rising, her gaze fell on shadows of two men fighting far from her pinned body.

She wanted to scream, but her terrified body was immobilizing her voice. One of them approached her. It was Mark. He was younger, with messy medium-length hair covering the sides of his face and dressed in a white linen shendyt and a tunic with blood running out of his nose.

She looked at his anguished face and eyes; he was screaming in a language she didn’t grasp, but she understood every word he said. Mark hugged Nadine, and the ground shook violently.

“Nadine!” Liam said loudly, his hand nudging her shoulder.

Nadine took one step back after looking at him, losing her balance for a second and gasping.

“Are you okay?” Liam inquired; his face concerned.

“Yeah… I’m fine, I was just...” — Nadine gave him a half-smile before returning her gaze to the graduation photo — “thinking.”