Chapter 2

The room was quiet.

Too quiet.

Saria lay awake, staring at the pale ceiling of the hospital room. The beeping of the heart monitor had become the only thing keeping her company since Dan and Lucas had been escorted out after their heated argument.

Neither man had left her mind.

One claimed to be her husband.

The other claimed she had been planning to leave that husband.

Which one was telling the truth?

Or was neither of them innocent?

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

The nurse entered with a warm smile.

“Good morning, Miss Ben. How are you feeling today?”

“My body aches less,” Saria admitted.

“But my head…” She pressed two fingers against her temple.

“It feels like there’s a locked door inside my mind.”

The nurse nodded sympathetically.

“That’s common with memory loss.

Don’t force yourself to remember.

Sometimes memories return when you least expect them.”

“When I least expect them…”

The words echoed in Saria's head.

She thanked the nurse, who checked her bandages before leaving.

The silence returned.

Saria slowly reached for the A-framed wedding photo Dan had left on the bedside table.

She studied the smiling woman in the white dress.

The woman looked like her.

But she felt like a stranger.

“Who were you?” she whispered.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her skull.

The photograph slipped from her fingers.

“No…”

She clutched her head.

The room around her blurred.

Then…

Darkness swallowed everything.

A little girl’s laughter filled the air.

“Mommy!”

Saria turned.

A child no older than five ran across a field of white flowers. Her long black curls bounced as she laughed, stretching out her tiny arms.

“Catch me, Mommy!”

Saria's heart melted.

Without thinking, she smiled.

“I’m coming!”

She ran after the little girl.

The sun was warm.

The breeze carried the scent of fresh roses.

For one perfect moment…

Everything felt peaceful.

The child stopped and turned around.

Her bright smile slowly faded.

“Mommy…”

Tears welled in her tiny eyes.

“Why are your hands covered in blood?”

Saria froze.

Blood?

She looked down.

Her fingers…

Her palms…

Dark red blood dripped onto the white flowers beneath her feet.

“No…”

The little girl stepped backward.

“They’re coming.”

“Who?”

“They said if you remember…”

The child’s voice trembled.

“They’ll kill you.”

Everything around Saria shattered like broken glass.

The flowers disappeared.

The sky turned black.

A deep male voice whispered beside her ear.

“Forget.”

Another voice answered.

“Or die.”

Saria gasped as her eyes flew open.

She was back in the hospital.

Her breathing came in quick, uneven bursts.

Sweat covered her forehead.

“No…”

She looked frantically at her hands.

Clean.

No blood.

“It wasn’t real.”

Was it?

A knock sounded at the door.

Before she could answer, Dan walked in carrying a bouquet of roses.

His serious expression softened when he noticed her trembling.

“You’re pale.”

He placed the flowers on the table.

“Did something happen?”

Saria hesitated.

Should she tell him?

Something deep inside warned her not to.

“I…”

“I had a nightmare.”

Dan pulled a chair beside the bed.

“Nightmares are normal after trauma.”

She searched his face.

His concern looked genuine.

Almost too genuine.

“Dan…”

He looked up.

“If… if I remembered something…”

His body tensed ever so slightly.

“Would you want me to tell you?”

For the first time, she saw uncertainty glimmer in his gray eyes.

“I want you to remember everything.”

His answer came quickly.

Almost rehearsed.

“But only when you’re ready.”

Before she could respond, another knock echoed through the room.

Lucas entered, carrying a paper bag.

“I brought breakfast.”

The moment Dan saw him, his jaw tightened.

“I thought I told security not to let you in.”

Lucas shrugged.

“They like me.”

“No.”

“They pity you.”

Saria sighed.

“Please.”

Both men fell silent.

She looked between them.

“I don’t want to fight.”

Lucas gently placed the bag on the table.

“I brought your favorite cinnamon rolls.”

Favorite?

Saria frowned.

“I don’t remember liking cinnamon rolls.”

Lucas smiled sadly.

“You used to eat one every Sunday morning.”

Dan folded his arms.

“She also stopped eating them two years ago.”

Lucas looked surprised.

“You know that?”

“I’m her husband.”

The air between them grew colder.

Saria noticed something neither man realized.

Neither had asked what she dreamed about.

Almost as if…

Neither wanted to know.

A chill crawled down her backbone.

That evening, the doctor completed another examination.

“Your recovery is progressing well,” he said.

“If everything continues like this, you may be discharged in a few days.”

After he left, saria stood near the window.

Rain tapped softly against the glass.

Across the courtyard…

Someone was watching her.

A man dressed entirely in black.

He wore a cap pulled low over his face.

The moment their eyes met…

He smiled.

Not kindly.

Coldly.

Then he raised one finger to his lips.

A warning.

Be silent.

Before saria could react, he disappeared behind the trees.

Her heart pounded.

She hurried to the door and looked into the hallway.

No one.

When she returned to her bed, something caught her eye.

A corner of folded paper peeked out from beneath her pillow.

Her hands shook as she pulled it free.

There were only six words written in neat black ink.

Pretend you still have amnesia.

She swallowed hard.

Below those words was one final sentence.

Your life depends on it.

Saria’s blood ran cold.

Someone inside the hospital knew the truth.

And someone else…

Wanted to make sure she never remembered it.