CHAPTER FOUR: Moving Into the Past

The hallway outside Elias’s room was silent, but Sera’s heartbeat was anything but. She leaned against the cold wall, closing her eyes. Her legs were trembling, but she didn’t dare sit. If she stopped moving, she might break.

Did I ever love you?

The question still echoed in her mind. Three years ago, that question had never been part of the deal. They had agreed on silence, distance, and a clean break once the inheritance passed hands.

But things hadn’t gone according to plan. Nothing had.

And now Elias was back, without his memories, without his cold mask fully in place yet, but just as dangerous to her as ever. Because this version of him might ask questions. This version of him might care enough to notice the truth.

And that scared her more than the past ever had.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor, breaking her thoughts. A moment later, Victor appeared, dressed in his usual pristine black suit, his silver cufflinks gleaming under the hospital lights. His face was unreadable.

“I need a word,” he said, already turning toward the private lounge behind the nurse station.

Sera followed closely behind him.

The moment the door shut behind them, Victor turned to her sharply.

“What the hell did you say to him?”

“I didn’t tell him about Lily,” she replied evenly. “If that’s what you’re asking.”

“It is what I’m asking,” Victor said coldly. “And I hope you’re smart enough to remember what’s at stake if you do.”

Her hands curled into fists.

“You think I don’t know what’s at stake?” she snapped. “He’s my daughter’s father. I’ve spent three years protecting her. Keeping her hidden. Not because of you, but in spite of you.”

Victor’s eyes darkened. “Then keep doing it.”

Sera stepped closer. “He deserves to know.”

“Not now,” Victor growled. “Not when his mind is fractured. Not when he can barely tell a dream from memory. If he finds out about that child before he’s stable, he’ll spiral and you know it.”

“Or maybe you just don’t want him to remember what kind of man he used to be.”

Victor’s expression barely changed. But something dangerous flickered in his eyes.

“I won’t argue with you, Ms. Moore,” he said. “You’re still legally my son’s wife, whether you like it or not. That makes you his closest person on paper. Which means you’re going to do something for me.”

Sera folded her arms. “I’m already here. What more do you want?”

“You’re moving into the Knight estate.”

The words hit her deeply.

“No,” she said instantly. “Absolutely not.”

“You don’t have a choice. The press will find out eventually. Reporters have already begun sniffing around the crash site. We can’t keep this contained for long. Once word spreads that Elias is alive, the vultures will come. We need you both under one roof, where we can control the story. The hospital won’t be secure for much longer.”

“And you want me to pretend I’ve been living with him all this time?”

Victor stepped forward slowly. “If you don’t help us sell this marriage, everything collapses. The board and the investors.”

Sera laughed bitterly. “Your concern for Elias’s heart is truly touching.”

“I’m not worried about his heart,” Victor said. “I’m worried about his name and yours. Because if you don’t play along, I’ll make sure every news outlet in the country hears the real reason you agreed to marry my son.”

Sera’s heart dropped. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would,” he said smoothly. “I’d leak the contract. The payment transfer to your sister’s hospital. And I’d make sure the public knew exactly how you seduced my son into marriage for money.”

Her chest burned with fury. “You approached me.”

“But the media won’t care about that,” he said calmly. “They’ll call you a gold-digger. A nurse who sold herself, no one will believe a word you say about Elias or his memory loss. They’ll assume you’re manipulating him.”

Sera wanted to scream. Instead, she gritted her teeth and stared at him.

“What about Lily?” she asked. “If I move into your damn mansion, where do you expect me to hide my child?”

Victor was silent for a moment.

“You’ll keep her out of sight. For now.”

“She’s three. She asks questions. She sings. She draws him with a cape and calls him a hero. I’m not going to lock her in a room just so your empire stays shiny.”

Victor’s jaw ticked. “Then figure out a way to make it work, or I will.”

And with that, he turned and left the room, leaving the door open behind him.

Sera stood frozen, her hands shaking, her breath caught.

Move into the estate?

She couldn’t do that, not without exposing everything. Not without putting Lily at risk. But she also knew Victor well enough to understand one thing clearly, he never made idle threats.

If she didn’t play along, he’d ruin her. And worse, he’d drag Lily’s name through the mud just to protect the Knight legacy.

By the time she made it back to the nurse’s station, her head was pounding. She barely registered Dr. Rowe giving her an approving nod, or the other staff whispering about the mysterious VIP in the private room.

But she didn’t miss the whisper that trailed behind her:

“They say he was dead. Gone for years. Can you imagine waking up with no memory… and finding out you have a wife?”

Sera didn’t reply. She just kept walking.

Later that night, she stood in her small apartment, watching Lily sleep. Her daughter’s soft breaths rose and fell in rhythm, her tiny hand curled around a stuffed giraffe.

Sera sat beside the bed, brushing her fingers over Lily’s curls.

“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered. “I promised to protect you. I will protect you. But I don’t know how to do this without breaking everything.”

Lily shifted slightly in her sleep, mumbling something about cupcakes and clouds.

Sera blinked back tears. Her phone buzzed on the table. It was a message from Victor.

Car will arrive tomorrow. Ten a.m. You and your husband are going home.

Sera stared at the message for a long time. Then slowly, she turned to look at Lily again.

*********************

By morning, Elias was waiting in a wheelchair, arms crossed, eyes sharp. The bruises on his face had darkened overnight, but his gaze was clear.

He glanced at the overnight bag in her hand and then back at her face.

“So,” he said coolly, “we’re moving in together now?”

Sera didn’t answer.

He arched a brow.

“Careful, wife,” he said. “You’re getting better at lying.”