AUSTIN’S POV I was stuck on Chloe’s last words long after they took her away.“Think about it, Austin. You put me here. But you will be the one to pay the price.”I sat there, fists clenched trying to shake her words. But it stuck with me, igniting my hidden fears.She was desperate, cornered, broken down by cold walls and endless nights behind bars, and yet… her words had found their mark.Yes, I had lied to Zoe. I had twisted her memory loss into something that served me, that tied her closer to me than truth ever could. But it was for her own good. For Jamie’s good. For us.Wasn’t it?I had built walls around Zoe, carefully and deliberately, but Chloe’s sneer made me wonder how long those walls could really hold.I told myself I’d done it to protect her—from Chloe, from Owen, from the shadows of a past that would only hurt her if she remembered. But tonight, when Zoe looked at me and asked why there's no pictures of our wedding day, I saw something in her eyes that I couldn't esca
AUSTIN’S POV “Austin… Why is there no picture from our wedding day?” Zoe spoke with uncertainty. I froze. Panic set in as the question hung in the air. She was watching me with that searching look that made me feel uneasy.I couldn’t let her see me falter. Not now.I forced a soft smile “You told me you didn’t want them Zoe,” I spoke softly, sounding hurt. “You said you wanted the memory to live in your heart, not in a frame. I respected that.”Her brows knit together. She looked uncertain, but that was good—uncertainty I could work with. Doubt could be shifted.I leaned in, whispering. “I remember the way you said it that night, that it didn’t matter if the world saw us or not. All that mattered was us.”I let the words hang, heavy with intimacy. Manipulation disguised as devotion.But inside, I was already on edge. She was asking questions now, questions that might expose the truth.She kept looking at me, and for a second I thought she might confront me. That she might say no, t
OWEN'S POV Zoe’s eyes followed me out of the café, like she needed more. I was hurt by the words that slipped out of me. I wish I hadn't said that. It was probably too much. But she'll never know if I keep quiet.I saw the confusion in her eyes. I wish I could tell her everything but I couldn’t. Not there. Not if it will hurt her more.So I left her with a fragment. A thread she could tug at when the silence in Austin’s house grew too loud. A breadcrumb pointing to the day that changed everything for her—for both of us. If she followed it, maybe she’d find me again. Maybe she’d find herself.Still, walking away from her felt like walking away from air. I was tight with rage. Because I remember even if she doesn’t.When I got into the car, I felt trapped. I didn’t start the car. I sat frozen, holding the wheel tightly. My chest hurt more. I couldn’t sit still. I pulled out my phone and called my lawyer.“Any progress?” My voice was sharper than I meant it to be but I didn’t care.He
ZOE'S POV I was in the bedroom after dinner when Austin came to meet me, his steady voice seemed too forced when he said “Zoe, about the trip…we won’t be leaving tomorrow.”I paused and looked up from folding Jamie’s clothes, confusion crossed my mind. “What do you mean? I thought everything was ready.”His smile came quickly. “It is. But an emergency came up at work. It'll only be a few days’ delay that’s all. I have to take care of this before we go. I wouldn’t want anything to distract me while we’re there.”I pretended to be calm but I was nervous. He had a gift of finding the right words, the kind that sounded reasonable. But his tone bothered me, like there's something he didn’t want me to know. “Just a few days?” I asked quietly.“Yes” he said, his hand wrapping around mine. “You and Jamie deserve this trip. I promise we will leave as soon as this is handled.”I had no choice but to agree. But his words didn’t convince me. An “urgent work matter” — maybe it was true. Maybe. S
ZOE'S POV “Austin… Is everything okay? I asked carefully.He wasn’t smiling anymore.He put the phone down slowly, his face tensed up briefly before he hid it with a smile.I set my fork down, watching him. There it is again. That flicker he thought I wouldn’t notice.Austin forced a smile and waved a hand casually. “Yeah. Everything’s fine. Just… work stuff. Nothing important.”But I knew better. Something about the way his jaw clenched, the way his eyes avoided mine for just a fraction too long—it wasn’t just work. He’d been off for weeks now, even more so since Owen asked him that strange question in the office yesterday. Are you really her husband?That moment kept playing in my mind. I didn’t understand it then but I had seen the way Austin froze, like a man caught in a spotlight. They both knew something I didn’t. Something about me.And now, Austin was rushing a trip that had once been planned as a vacation, brushing off questions with easy smiles that no longer reached his ey
AUSTIN’S POV “Are you really her husband?” Owen repeated the question slowly.Each word cutting deeper. I felt closed in despite being in an open space. Zoe froze, her wide eyes went from Owen to me. Her mouth dropped open. I felt a knot in my chest. I stopped breathing.Zoe frowned. “What… what are you talking about?” Owen kept his eyes away from her. He stared at me. A calm, unnerving stare. His smile was almost mocking like he had found my weakness.“Ignore what I said.” He played it cool but you could see the weight of the unspoken words in his eyes. “We will talk about that project later Zoe. Another time.”And just like that he turned and walked away leaving her confused and me reeling.I felt Zoe staring at me intensely. “Austin… what did he mean by that?”My mouth went dry. I felt a lump in my throat. My mind was racing with ideas, I was desperate for answers. But nothing came out. For a second, I just stood there staring at the empty space Owen had left, my heart was hamme