The Lie

I couldn't remember my own name, but I remembered the boy's cold eyes.

My head was throbbing, a dull, heavy ache that spread down to my neck. I tried to lift my hand to touch it, but an IV needle tugged at my skin.

"You’re awake!"

A man rushed to my bedside. His cufflinks were gold DF, in an expensive suit, with worry all over his face. A little boy, about five years old, clutched his hand tightly.

"Thank God, you're awake," the man said, his voice gentle. "You had us so worried."

I stared at him blankly. My mind was completely empty. I knew my name was... what was my name? The nurses said it was Sarah. But beyond that, nothing.

"I... I don't remember you," I whispered, my voice hoarse.

His expression flickered, just for a second. Something like relief, then it was gone, replaced by practiced sadness.

"Of course you don't. The doctor said you have temporary amnesia from the accident. But don't force yourself to remember. It’s me, Daniel. Daniel Foster. We’ve been friends for years."

He gestured to the boy. "This is Ethan. You love him so much. You used to babysit him."

Ethan stared at me with big, cold eyes. He didn't look like he knew me at all.

A woman entered then, beautiful, elegant, she held a Birkin bag, the same bag Daniel said we could never afford. Her perfume was strong.

"Sarah, honey, you scared us," she said, sitting on the other side of my bed. She took my hand, but her touch was cold. "I'm Lisa. Your best friend."

I frowned. Something felt wrong. If he was my friend and she was my best friend, why did this feel like I was looking at strangers acting out a play?

Later that afternoon, they came again. Daniel brought flowers. Lisa linked her arm through his casually. Too casually.

"Mommy, when are you coming home?" Ethan asked Lisa.

I froze.

My head gave a sharp, stabbing pain. "M... Mommy?"

Lisa laughed quickly, a little too loud. "Oh, sweetie, you’re confused. Sarah is just our friend. She’s not your mommy. She got hurt in an accident and forgot things. Remember what Daddy told you?"

Daniel nodded at me apologetically. "Kids say the silliest things. Ethan has been calling everyone Mommy lately."

I forced a smile, but my chest felt tight. I was Sarah, a woman with no memory, lying in a hospital bed, being told who I was by people who felt like liars.

They left before dinner. I was alone, staring at the white ceiling, trying to pull any memory out of the fog. Nothing came except the headache.

The door to my room opened again. I thought it was a nurse.

It wasn't

A man stood there. Tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He had sharp, cold eyes and a presence that made the entire room feel smaller. He was devastatingly handsome, but in a dangerous way. Not like Daniel's soft handsomeness.

He looked at me, and his cold eyes softened with something that looked like pain.

"Sarah."

My breath caught. How did he know my name?

"Who... who are you?" I asked.

He walked closer, slowly, as if he was afraid to scare me. He didn't touch me. He just stood at the foot of my bed.

"My name is Alexander King. And I need you to listen to me very carefully, because you are being deceived."

My heart started beating faster. "What?"

"Daniel lied to you," he said, his voice low and steady. "He is not your friend. He's actually your husband. And you have a son together."

My throat went dry. The IV line tugged when I clenched my fist.

"That's... that's impossible," I stammered. "He said... he said Ethan is not my son. He said that woman..."

"Lisa is his first love. Not your friend," Alexander cut in, his jaw clenched. "That little boy who was just here, Ethan, is your son. Your biological son. He's five years old. You sacrificed your career as a designer to raise him. To take care of that family."

I shook my head violently, and pain shot through my skull. "No, no, you're lying! Why would my own husband lie about being my husband? Why would my own son call another woman Mom?"

"Because they are taking advantage of your amnesia," he said bluntly. "Lisa came back to the country a month ago. Daniel never got over her. Now that you lost your memory, he saw a perfect chance. He can finally be with her, and pretend you were never his wife. He told Ethan to call Lisa Mommy. He told you that you were just a family friend so you wouldn't fight for your marriage."

His words were like knives, each one cutting deeper.

"That's crazy! That's insane!" I shouted, tears springing to my eyes. "Why should I believe you? I don't even know you! Maybe YOU are the liar!"

Alexander didn't get angry. He pulled out his phone and placed it on my bed table. On the screen was a photo.

It was me. Happier, with longer hair, smiling brightly. I was holding a little baby, kissing his cheek. And standing next to me, his arm around my waist, was Daniel. We were in front of a small house with a garden. We looked like a family.

My hands started to tremble.

"I... this is..."

"I took that photo," Alexander said quietly. "Three years ago. At Ethan's second birthday party. You invited me. We are... business partners. And I have been in love with you since the day I met you, but you chose him."

I stared at the photo, my breathing ragged. The headache was getting worse, a blinding pressure behind my eyes.

Images flashed. Daniel's voice: "Sarah, you don't need to work, just stay home." My own voice, arguing. Ethan crying: "Mama, don't go!" Lisa's laugh in my living room.

"Ah!" I cried out, clutching my head. It felt like my skull was splitting open.

"Sarah!" Alexander reached out but stopped himself.

And then, like a floodgate breaking...

I remembered.

I remembered the car accident. I was driving to pick up Ethan from kindergarten. I remembered the truck running the red light.

I remembered before that. I remembered Lisa returning. Daniel's coldness. Him saying, "Sarah, let's separate for a while. Lisa has nowhere to go."

I remembered Ethan, my sweet boy, looking at me last week and saying, "I wish Aunt Lisa was my mommy. She's prettier than you and she doesn't nag Daddy."

I remembered everything.

My hands stopped trembling. The tears dried on my face. A cold, terrifying clarity washed over me.

I looked up to Alexander King, and let my eyes go blank again.

“Who is Daniel? I...” My head hurts, I don't remember anything.