Chapter Two: A Wedding Without a Bride

“The report also said every recovered object was sealed.” Mira’s mother had died twelve years ago too. Her family called it a car accident, but there had been no body, only an empty urn. Mira had been seventeen. The more questions she asked, the sicker her grandmother became, until silence felt like mercy. “What was your aunt’s name?” “Clara Gu. Her wedding photographer was Lena Shen.” Mira’s fingers shook. That was her mother. The brooch slipped from its velvet groove. Instinctively, she caught it. Pain speared through her palm. She saw a deck under violent rain. A bride lay bleeding beside the rail. A younger Lena backed away with a camera, filming men moving black cases. One turned.