Chapter 3

I spent the whole walk back to the ward turning it over in my mind. When I got there, Estelle was waiting for me at the door.

"Where did you go?"

I dodged her hand as she reached for me and asked flatly, "You took my DNA test results, didn't you?"

The moment the words left my mouth, the room went dead silent.

"Who told you there was a DNA test?"

Estelle stared me down, her lips pressed into a tight line. The look in her eyes made it clear—if I so much as hinted that my memory had come back, she'd be ready to do whatever it took to shut me up.

After a few seconds of silence, I played it cool and shrugged. "Just overheard some people talking. Found out I was part of it too. So what did it say?"

Estelle relaxed visibly. "I checked it for you. You're not a match."

She seemed to think I was getting above myself, because her tone shifted into something almost preachy. "Don't get any wild ideas. Better to keep your feet on the ground."

She grabbed my shoulders and looked at me with exaggerated seriousness. "Nick, you know what I've always loved about you? You're not vain. You're not like other guys. So let's just focus on our own life and stop chasing things that have nothing to do with us."

I stared back at her coldly, scoffing inside. I couldn't wrap my head around how someone could be so shameless. After stealing my identity, she still had the nerve to tear me down like I was worthless.

In my past life, she'd sweet-talked me into signing the marriage papers, and within months, she was off to Neller City. My dream of having a wedding kept getting pushed back, year after year. Eventually, I took the cheapest train I could find and went looking for her. Instead, I walked in on her wedding to Derek.

I tried to storm in and confront her, but security dragged me out and locked me in a dog crate. Afterwards, Estelle showed not a shred of remorse—she just pointed at my head and tore into me.

"Why do you have to make my life so miserable?! I've been keeping you fed and housed back home—why can't you just be grateful?

"I'm trying to climb up in the world—isn't that for our family too?

"You've never done a thing to help this family. Stop dragging me down!"

She tore me to pieces, then tossed me a few hundred bucks like a consolation prize. Slap on the cheek, candy in the mouth. And I let her send me back home in a daze, too beaten down to fight back.

Now, Estelle seemed to think she'd talked me into line again. She turned around and started packing my things.

"Hospitals are too expensive. You don't have much savings anyway—better to save that for our future house. Let's go home for now, and once we're—"

"Don't bother. I'm staying a few more days. And don't come see me anymore."

I cut her off mid-sentence and reached for my suitcase.

Estelle's grip tightened, her face darkening. "What are you trying to say? Nick, why are you being so difficult all of a sudden? I'm doing this for your own good! Once your memory comes back, you'll understand. Besides, you don't have a penny to your name—what's there to be afraid of?"

Her ugly side was starting to show, the old pattern of twisting my head around. But I wasn't the same Nick she used to push to the breaking point. I just took my suitcase back and said calmly, "I don't know you. Don't come back."

Estelle's mind seemed to short-circuit. Her face went even paler. "What are you saying? Are you breaking up with me?"

I gave a slight nod. "You can put it that way."

Just then, the door swung open, and Derek rushed in, looking frantic. "Nick, what's going on? Why would you break up out of nowhere? You two were about to get married."

I didn't answer him. Instead, I held up my phone, showing a recent charge notification. "Did you use this?"

His face froze. He touched his freshly permed hair and threw an arm around my shoulder, all buddy-buddy. "You probably don't remember, but we're tight, man. You've always been super generous. Heh, don't sweat the small stuff, right?"

"Cash or transfer?"

They both blinked at me, confused. "What?"

I pulled my arm free and pulled up my banking app. "Cash or transfer?" I repeated.