Chapter Two: A Perfect Day

He returned the photograph to its envelope. “Don't be alone tonight. Whatever you see, call me first.” I made no promise. At eight, the perfect calm began to ebb. Weight returned to my shoulders; light irritated me again. By eleven, the thought of tomorrow's rota tightened my heart. At midnight, a flash of white passed behind me in the bathroom mirror. When I turned, no one was there. At 12:44, an unknown number sent a message: YOUR DEPOSITED MEMORY HAS ENTERED PLACEMENT. DO NOT FOLLOW. DO NOT CALL TO IT. Then a key entered my front lock. Only two existed. I held one; Wenchuan still had the other. But the person who entered was not my husband.