Chapter 4

Ava’s pov

I wasn’t ready yet. No, not now.

“Who—” He croaked. “Who the hell are you?”.

I thought the ground would open and swallow me. I have rehearsed how I would act when he wakes up so many times but it just seemed like everything had left me.

“I—” I heard the lie leave me. “I’m your wife.”

For a minute he just stared, he blinked once, twice, trying to put things together.

“My wife.” He repeated, the words sounding foreign to him. “Right. Right… I—” His brow furrowed. “Are you—are you sure?” He sounded like he was asking himself as much as me. There was fear in it, too. Not the kind that came from threat, but the fear of a man who had woken into a life that felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

“You were in an accident” I said lowering my voice to sound comforting.

He watched me like he was studying me. “I don’t remember getting married”.

“We got married in a courthouse six months ago in Nevada” I repeated the lie faking a sob. “I know you won’t remember. The doctor said you will be suffering from partial memory loss. So it’s true”

I reached out my hands towards him seeking his. I watched him closely but he kept a straight face.

“Where is Daniel?”. He asked. Right, I needed to go call the nurse and Daniel. I left him in the room and stepped out to fetch them.

“Sir. You’re awake.” Relief hit Daniel first. The nurse rushed immediately to check Liam’s vitals and confirmed he was fine. Daniel’s gaze slid to me and settled there, watching and assessing me.

He walked closer towards me then stopped a couple of paces away giving me a look I could not mistake. I could still see the lack of trust in his eyes.

“You gave him quite a fright,” Daniel said. “You need to be careful.”

“I—” I started to explain, to say how I had been at his bedside for days, how I had been the one to hold his hand and talk to him using soothing words But Daniel’s look stopped me. My voice seized.

“He’s been through a lot,” I said instead. “He needs rest. I’m here. I’m his—” I paused to let the word settle, “—wife.”

Daniel’s jaw tightened. He glanced at the monitors, then back at Liam, then at me.

“Doctors said no visitors for a while,” he said, “Now that he’s awake we’ll have to be careful. Questions, memories… all of that.”

Liam followed the exchange “If she’s my wife,” he murmured, more to himself than anyone, “then… okay.”

Daniel paused before he decided to excuse us. The nurse followed suit leaving just me and Liam. He sat up and I rushed close to him as I sat on the chair close to him.

“So, tell me about us.” He quickly said.

I began.

“Where did we meet?” I offered, because meetings sound like fate and fate feels believable. “At a little bar in Las Vegas. You spilled your drink on me and then insisted on buying me another.” It was small, stupid, but it fit the narrative I had rehearsed.

He blinked. “Vegas.” He repeated the word, testing it on his tongue. “You said we—what did we do after?” His eyes searched me.

“We drove out to the lake and decided to keep seeing each other. Eventually we fell in love and decided to get married.” I said . He nodded slowly. “We kept it simple. You liked it quiet. You hated people who asked too many questions.”

He watched me the way someone watches a map they don’t quite trust. “What about the house?” he asked. “Where do I keep… important things? Files? Passcodes?”

“After we got married, I didn’t move in. You didn’t feel it was the right time yet. You told me you will let me know when eventually. I waited patiently until the accident. Though I know everything I should.” I slid into the part of the life I had stolen through observation. “Your office is on the top floor. You keep things locked, a file cabinet with three drawers. People come through your assistant and Mr. Reeve handles the public stuff. You keep a light on for headaches.”

Liam gave me a look which says he knew all these things I stated. Of course he did, the doctor said he only lost memories worth 2 years. “And you?” he asked. “Why are you the one here?”

My fingers had been folded in my lap. I uncrossed them and let my hand rest on the sheet. “Because I am your wife.” I said. “Because when everything else was chaos, I…” I stopped myself from saying the truth—that I was there to take everything back. “I was there. I stayed.”

“You make it easy, we really loved each other.” he said suddenly, voice rough. “You don’t ask too many questions. You stay when it would be easier to go.”

I wanted to tell him that was the point, that I would never leave until I had gotten what I wanted. Instead I let a softer truth slip “I would be here even if you didn’t know me.” It wasn’t all a lie.

He watched me for a long, ridiculous minute. “Do you—do you remember us?” he asked.

“I remember the important things,” I said. “The things that matter.” I avoided specifics.

His breath hitched. His eyes settled on me. The closeness made the hair on my arms rise. . My mouth went dry.

“You’re good at this,” he murmured. “You make it feel… right.”

I gave him a small smile. “We made vows to each other Liam. I’m not going anywhere.” I kept my voice steady.

He watched me. “Good,” he said. “Do you remember our first fight?” he asked after a long pause. The question surprised me.

“Yes,” I said. I forced the memory into being. “It was about a stupid dress I wore. You felt the dress wasn’t up to the standard of what I should be in, I loved being simple which you grew later to understand.” I smiled at the lie, because everyone remembers small fights. “And then you made it right with coffee and an apology note.”

He blinked and then he laughed. His hand reached out again. This time he didn’t touch the sheet. He moved it toward my knee and let his fingers hover there.

“Why did you stay?” he asked, quieter now. “Why didn’t you walk when things got ugly?”

“Because I wanted to,” I said simply. We were too close now.

“You said you are my wife. Prove it,” he said, low. He grabbed my wrist to draw me close.

My mouth went dry. I could step back and keep the plan tight and cold. I could build walls with the ledger and the files I still needed. I told myself I could use whatever came next. I told myself that any softness I showed would be armor.

He moved closer. His hand left my wrist and came to my cheek, heavy and warm.

I wanted to think. I wanted to plan. But he was already closing the distance, and the world had stilled to the sound of my own breath. His lips brushed mine a soft touch that felt like falling and like surrender all at once.