The Forgotten Guest

At Hazel’s wedding, the venue provided a stunning 50-person banquet. But when the photographer sent her the pictures, she counted 51 guests.

A woman in a red dress sat in the back row.

Curious, she asked her husband and parents, but no one recalled inviting her. When she checked the guestbook, she found a name written in smudged ink: Amara Whitmore.

Goosebumps rose on her skin. Amara Whitmore was her great-aunt, who had vanished fifty years ago—on her wedding day.

Hazel flipped back to the wedding photo. The woman in red was staring straight at her, smiling.