Chapter 6

ASTRID

Kian’s hand remained gentle on my arm as he led me down the long hallway, but I could feel the tension radiating off him.

Somehow I’d allowed him to lead me away. I’d listened to his advice about needing rest and didn’t resist when he took my arm, but I wasn’t at peace.

The beautiful red walls of the mansion blurred in my vision as fresh tears threatened to spill. My heart wouldn’t stop racing. Everything felt like a trap I had willingly walked into.

“Astrid, please calm down. This isn’t the time to make such rash decisions,” Kian said softly, his voice steady. “You’re simply upset right now. This is your home, whether you remember it or not.”

I stopped walking abruptly and pulled my arm away from his touch. My chest heaved as the words burst out.

“I’m not ready to listen to any of this.” My voice trembled with a mix of fear and anger. “Just because I can’t remember doesn’t mean you all get to erase who I was before that. I had a life. I had parents. You can’t just stand here and tell me this is my home now like it’s nothing.”

Kian’s kind eyes filled with concern. “I’m not trying to erase anything, Astrid. None of us are. We’re your brothers and we just want what’s best for you. That means keeping you safe while you heal.”

His reasonable tone only made me more upset. I stepped back, shaking my head rapidly. “Safe? How do I know this isn’t some sick game? I don’t remember ever being pregnant. What if you’re lying to me?”

My voice grew louder, echoing off the high ceilings. I could feel the panic rising again, making my hands shake. The luxurious surroundings only made me feel smaller.

Like an imposter who had wandered into the wrong fairy tale.

Kian opened his mouth to reason with me again, his tone still patient. “Think about it logically. Why would we do that? What do we stand to gain by lying to you? How would you explain your pain and injuries? You need time to remem—”

“No!” I cut him off, my frustration boiling over. “Stop trying to make sense of this for me. I feel like I’m losing my mind and I want to go back to my real home. I have no siblings!”

My breathing came in short gasps. I felt dizzy, like I’d been here before in a similar argument, but something made me not speak; something shocked me into being quiet. A flicker of a voice echoed in my head and pain boomed inside my skull.

I winced, pushing all my crushing emotions into words. “Get me out of here!”

“Enough.”

Kaveh’s voice cut through the hallway like a whip. Both Kian and I fell silent immediately. I was shocked at how quickly my body reacted to him.

Even Arman, who was leaning against the wall a few feet away, straightened slightly. There was clear authority in Kaveh’s tone, the kind that didn’t invite argument.

He stepped closer, his tall frame casting a long shadow, his muscled shoulders dominating the space.

I instinctively moved back when he reached out to touch my arm, my body still wired from everything that had happened. His hand paused mid-air before lowering slowly.

Kaveh’s expression remained calm, almost unnervingly so. “If you want to go back home, Astrid, you’re free to do so. No one here will hold you against your will.”

Arman immediately went defensive, pushing off the wall. “Kaveh, what the hell are you saying? She’s not in any condition to—”

Kaveh shot his brother a single sharp look. Arman grumbled under his breath but closed his mouth, though his jaw remained tight. The power dynamic between them was clear—Kaveh wasn’t the middle brother, like I thought, he was the eldest.

I swallowed hard as Kaveh turned his full attention back to me. Surprisingly, his dark eyes weren’t hostile. They were steady, almost gentle in a reserved way, with a hint of something deeper I couldn’t name.

“Do you remember where your home is?” he asked quietly.

The question caught me off guard. Strangely, I did. An image flashed in my mind instantly— a modest two-storey house with a small garden in the front.

“Yes,” I whispered, surprised by the clarity. “I remember my parents’ house.”

Kaveh nodded slowly. “Then I promise I will take you there. But not today. You’re still recovering, and it’s getting late. A few nights here won’t hurt you.”

I searched his face, looking for any sign of deceit. His gaze didn’t waver. There was honesty there, raw and straightforward. For the first time since waking up, I felt a tiny sliver of trust.

“You’re really telling me the truth?” I asked, my voice small.

“I have no reason to lie to you, Astrid. I give you my word.”

The tension in my shoulders eased just a fraction, though the confusion remained a heavy knot in my stomach. Kian stepped forward again, silent now, and gestured down the hallway.

Without another word, he led me back to the ocean-green room. I could feel the brothers watching me, but no one spoke. When we reached the door, I stepped inside and shut it firmly in Kian’s face. The lock clicked loudly as I turned the key, sealing myself away from their world.

I leaned against the door, my forehead pressing into the cool wood.

I was missing something; I knew that now.

Gaps in my memory that I had no idea how to fill. I moved to the huge bed and sank down onto it, pulling my knees to my chest.

Why couldn’t I remember what had happened to me? The coma, the bleeding, the sidewalk. If it was traumatic as the doctor said, how could I forget?

I was sure my parents couldn’t have let me roam around. They had doted on me so much. My head was filled with memories of them.

So why was everything after that a blur? Had the trauma stolen parts of me?

I slipped a hand to my middle and clutched my stomach. Had I really been pregnant? By who?

Tears slipped down my cheeks as I curled up on the bed. “Mom… Dad… where are you? Why does everything feel so wrong?”

Exhaustion eventually pulled me under, but it was a restless sleep filled with hazy fragments and what looked like blood on snow.

***.

That evening, a sharp knock woke me. I sat up, disoriented, as the door handle rattled.

“Astrid! Open up.”

It was Soraya’s voice, laced with that same haughty tone from earlier. I hesitated but eventually unlocked the door. The girl stood there, her arms crossed and a superior smirk on her face.

“I can’t wait for you to crawl back to wherever you came from,” she said bluntly, stepping into the room without invitation. “This isn’t your place. You don’t belong with my family.”

I stilled my emotions, forcing myself to stay calm. “It’s not right for you to talk to me so disrespectfully, Soraya,” I said evenly. “I didn’t ask to be brought here. I’m just as confused as you are.”

Soraya laughed—a sharp, mocking sound that echoed in the large room. “Confused? Please. You must have paid someone to deceive my Baba. Acting all innocent, pretending you lost your memory. You think you can just walk in here and steal my family? My father? My grandfather? You’re nothing but a gold-digging stranger.”

I felt my hands clench at my sides. But Soraya wasn’t done. “I know you’re a liar. Just like the women my mother talks about. The ones trying to get close to my Dad, but you won’t last. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Soraya!” Kaveh stood in the doorway, his face thunderous. His eyes flashed with anger as he looked at his daughter. “That is enough. You will not speak to Astrid that way ever again. Go to your room. Now.”

Soraya flinched, her haughty expression cracking for a second before she quickly recovered and stormed out, muttering under her breath.

Kaveh turned to me, the anger in his eyes softening into an apology. He opened his mouth to speak but I stepped back, fresh tears running down my cheeks and slammed the door in his face.

The chapter of my life in this mansion had only just begun, and already, it felt like I was drowning.