LOGINAnna POVHe turned the monitor slightly back toward himself.“She has amnesia.”I blinked.“What?”“She has significant memory loss.”My mouth fell open slightly.“Like…”I struggled to find the words.“Total amnesia?”“No.”He shook his head.“It’s not total amnesia.”I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.“Then what kind?”“It’s more consistent with retrograde amnesia.”I stared at him.He immediately seemed to realize that the medical terminology wasn’t helping.“Basically,” he explained, “she has lost access to memories from a period of her life before the injury.”I nodded.“Okay.”“However, it isn’t affecting all of her memories equally.”I frowned.“What does that mean?”He turned toward me again.“She can remember parts of her life from before her college years.”I stared at him.“So…”I tried to process it.“Anything after college?”He nodded.“She doesn’t remember.”My heart sank.“Anything?”“As far as we can tell, yes. Her more recent autobiographical memorie
Anna POVThe moment I kissed the twins on their cheeks and watched them disappear in the direction of Lydia’s ward with Dave, I turned around and started walking toward the doctor’s office, exactly in the direction the nurse had prescribed.And honestly, it was only when I started walking that I realized something.I had not actually looked at this hospital properly.Like, properly properly.Because this place was huge.Huge, huge, huge.I slowed down slightly as I looked around me, taking everything in with a little more attention than I had the last time I was here. There were corridors stretching in almost every direction, glass doors leading into different departments, nurses moving briskly from one end to another, people sitting in waiting areas, doctors walking around with files and tablets in their hands.It suddenly reminded me of Grey’s Anatomy.You know those hospitals in Grey’s Anatomy that are so ridiculously huge that you could literally walk for five minutes and still no
Dave POVAnna took a moment before answering. “She was hurt enough that she needed surgery.”“Is she still hurt?”“Yes.”“Is she in pain?”“I don’t know yet.”“But she’s awake now,” Eli said.“Yes.”“So she can tell us if she’s in pain?”“Hopefully, yes. If she’s able to talk.”That answer seemed to frighten Ava a little. “What if she can’t talk?”Anna looked at her through the mirror. “Then we’ll be patient with her. We don’t know exactly what her condition is yet, okay?”“Will she have machines around her?”“Probably some medical equipment.”“What kind?”“I don’t know exactly.”“Oxygen?”“Maybe.”“Bandages?”“Possibly.”“Will she look scary?”That question made Anna’s expression change.“No,” she said immediately, though her voice softened afterward. “She might look tired. She might have some injuries or medical equipment around her, but she’s still your mom. Don’t let the hospital make you forget that.”Ava nodded slowly.Eli was quiet for a few seconds before asking the question n
Dave POV I stared at the phone. Then at Anna. Then at my children. Ava was already standing. Eli had lifted his head, his tear-stained face suddenly filled with something I hadn’t seen there all evening. Hope. “Dad?” Ava whispered. I smiled. “Mom is awake.” Eli’s eyes widened. “Mom?” I nodded. “She’s awake.” And before I could say anything else, the twins rushed toward each other, their arms wrapping around one another as Ava laughed through her tears. “Mom is back,” Eli whispered. And for the first time that night, those words didn’t feel like a desperate wish. They felt like the beginning of a miracle.“Auntie Anna, let’s go now,” Ava said almost immediately, her voice carrying that impatient urgency that had taken over the entire room since we got the news that their mother was awake.Eli was already standing beside her, looking just as ready to bolt out of the house. “Yeah, Auntie Anna, please. Let’s go.”Anna, however, looked at both of them and shook her head. “
Dave POVMy entire body stiffened.I blinked.What?Eli’s eyes were already glistening with tears, but he wasn’t crying yet. “Maybe it was his stress that caused all these. Maybe he was always the problem. Mom actually never really wanted him back if it weren’t for us.”The words landed harder than I expected.I looked away.For a horrible second, they found a place in my mind where I didn’t want them to be. Was I really the problem? Had I brought too much stress into her life? Had I somehow made everything worse?“Aren’t you going to say something?” Eli asked.Before I could respond, Ava stood up.“Eli, that’s enough.”“But—”“No.” She shook her head firmly, tears still clinging to her lashes. “You know Mom is a fighter. She’d definitely bounce back and come back how we left her.”I looked at her, and somehow that tiny bit of certainty from my daughter gave me something to hold on to.“She will,” I said quietly.Eli looked at me. “You don’t know that.”“No,” I admitted. “I don’t.”Th
Dave POV“Is Mom fine?”Ava’s question almost undid all the emotional stability I had managed to build.For a second, I just stared at her, completely caught off guard by how much those three words could hurt. I had been sitting there trying to hold myself together, trying to remember that I was their father and that whatever happened, I had to be the strong one. I couldn’t afford to fall apart in front of them, not when they were already scared and confused and looking to me for answers I wasn’t even sure I had.But hearing Ava ask about her mom like that made me want to pull both of my kids into my arms and give them a reassuring hug, even though I knew there was no reassurance I could honestly give them anymore.I was almost certain they already had an idea of what I was about to say.Or rather, what we were about to say.I glanced at Anna, and she seemed to understand immediately. She shifted in her seat and tried to force a smile before saying, “So, kids, I’d have loved to crack
Lydia POVAfter what seems like forever, a black Rolls-Royce pulled into the court compound, I had already imagined three different ways to murder my husband.Future husband.Potential husband.Missing husband.Whatever.At that point, I wasn’t being picky.The sleek black car glided through the ga
Lydia POVOh.That was… unfortunate.Because he was beautiful.In a sharp, expensive, dangerous kind of way.Dark suit.Sharper jaw.Dark eyes that looked almost black under certain lighting.Everything about him looked controlled.I clicked another picture.Still no smile.Another.Same expression
Lydia POV“You’re getting married to Dave Ashton tomorrow by eight a.m.”Those were the words that ended my life as I knew it.One sentence.One Tuesday evening.One announcement delivered with the same emotional weight my father would have used to ask someone to pass the salt.For a moment, I hone
Bernard stepped in, hands clasped neatly in front of him.“I apologize for disturbing you, ma’am. I came by earlier, but there was no response.”I rubbed my eyes. “I was asleep.”“Yes, ma’am.”He said it so respectfully that I almost felt bad for sounding irritated.Almost.“Would you like dinner?”







