Butterflies

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Present Day
Emma
I left the café, not bothering to tell Max or Meredith where I was going. I didn't even know where I was going.

My mind kept circling back to Olivia.

Liv. My best friend.

She was supposed to be the one who knew everything about me, who could help me piece all of this together.

But Max had said we hadn't spoken in years.
Years? That didn't sit right with me.

I couldn't imagine a world where we didn't talk for years.

I needed answers, and there had to be some way I could reach her.

But the phone Max gave me... I barely knew how to use it.

The thing was huge, and half the apps on it were unfamiliar. My old phone back in Paris? I could navigate that thing in my sleep. This? This was like trying to solve a puzzle blindfolded.

As I walked along the marina, I scrolled through the phone, tapping every icon that looked like it could help me contact Liv.

I went through texts, emails, even old photos, hoping for some clue.

Nothing.

Then, just as I was about to give up, I stumbled on it. A folder tucked away in the notes app, not in the main menu but hidden in the settings. I almost missed it. The folder was named Olivia and Dylan.

 The folder was named Olivia and Dylan

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Dylan?

I hadn't even been thinking about him. My boyfriend well now ex.

What was his name doing with Liv's in an encrypted file?

I tapped on the file, but it was password-protected.

Of course, it was.

I groaned in frustration. I tried every password I could think of—old birthdays, pet names, even random numbers I thought might be significant.

Nothing worked.

I must've looked like a crazy person, sitting there on the footpath, hunched over my phone, frantically typing and re-typing passwords.

I knew I couldnt just ask Max if he knew what the password was after what happened a few nights ago at dinner.

Finally, after what felt like hours, I gave up.

The sea stretched out in front of me, calm and endless, I just sat there, staring at the water, my phone still in my hand, wishing I could make sense of any of this.

Bahrain, 22nd January 2019

Emma woke up with a pounding headache. She groaned as she shifted under the covers, her mind flashing back to the chaos of the previous night—shots, dancing, and... that kiss.

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