All Chapters of I'm the Only One Stuck in the Past: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

Audrey's POVI stood frozen in my striped hospital gown, overwhelmed by a tangle of emotions.The warm, happy scene inside was everything I'd once wished for, yet there had never been a place for me in it.Memories flashed through my mind. They had cried and begged me to keep living for Ethan Cregger.Yet, they were also the ones who had nearly gotten me killed time and time again.The wind drove the rain against me, and I shivered from the cold that seemed to seep into my bones.Then I felt something wet on my face. I reached up, only to realize that at some point, tears had started streaming down my cheeks.I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. But my feet felt rooted to the ground, impossibly heavy, and I couldn't move.Suddenly, the front gate swung open.The young boy everyone had been fussing over came running toward me under a child-sized umbrella, holding out another one. "Ma'am, this is for you. It's raining. You should hurry home."My hand trembled as I took it, my e

Chapter 2

Audrey's POVI found my old bedroom and stepped inside, only to be greeted by rows of neatly arranged bookshelves.Everything that had once belonged to me was gone.A hanging chair sat on the large balcony. It was different from the one I'd had before, beautifully crafted and clearly new.Ethan must have made it."This room gets the best natural light, and Mia loves to read, so…"I turned around. Ethan stood behind me, his eyes filled with guilt.Suppressing the ache in my chest, I asked, "When exactly did you two get together?"Ethan pressed his lips together and took hold of my hand. "Audrey, let me explain. What happened was an accident. Mia was a victim too. Don't blame her."He was still defending Mia. "Your health was already poor, and you've always been sensitive. Then Mia got pregnant. She was terrified and cried constantly, and eventually fell into depression. I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to either of you."So I had no choice but to fake my death

Chapter 3

Audrey's POVThe next morning, Maggie happened to stop by with some clothes for me.She looked uncomfortable as she held them out. "Ms. Audrey, when we cleared out your room, some of your clothes were accidentally thrown away... Mrs. Bennett thought you could wear some of Ms. Mia's things for now."I ran my fingers over the fabric. It was incredibly soft and expensive. They were most likely designer.Clearly, Mom and Dad had spared no expense when it came to Mia.It had only been three years, yet somehow every trace of me had already disappeared from this house.I remembered how Mom and Dad used to tell me over and over that we were barely getting by, that the family was drowning in debt. There had even been a time when we couldn't afford another extension on the hospital bills, and I'd gotten down on my knees in front of the hospital administrator, begging for more time.I blinked hard, forcing back the sting in my eyes.By the time I came downstairs, there was barely any br

Chapter 4

Audrey's POVMy heart sank a little further with every passing second.Ethan's eyes met mine across the room. For the briefest moment, he looked straight at me.Then, as if I were no one at all, he calmly looked away.His arm rested loosely around Mia's waist as she beamed at the crowd.Applause thundered around me, one wave after another, yet all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart.Years ago, when Ethan first founded Solara, he needed a signature piece, something that would put the brand on the map. I hadn't hesitated. I'd handed him my favorite design.And it had done exactly what we'd hoped. The moment it launched, it became a sensation, the breakout piece that made people notice Solara.I could still remember Ethan sweeping me off my feet and spinning me around, so excited that he could barely contain himself.He'd promised me that one day, when Solara became successful, he'd build me a beautiful design studio of my own.In the end, he kept his promise. He bu

Chapter 5

Third-Person POVThe launch had gone off without a hitch. But inside the car, no one felt much like celebrating.Audrey's mother, Flora Bennett's right hand, was still trembling. "I hit her," she murmured as she stared down at her fingers. "How could I have hit her?" She turned to Audrey's father, Jack Bennett, guilt and worry written all over her face. "Why didn't you stop me? Audrey's only been home for a day. She hasn't smiled once since she came back, and I..." Her voice faltered. "I actually hit her."Only now did it seem to occur to them just how quiet Audrey had been all day. She hadn't been the one picking fights. If anything, they had been the ones pushing her again and again. Jack sighed and put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Don't worry too much. You know Audrey. She's always had a good heart. She won't hold it against us."Mia quickly nodded. "Dad's right. Audrey's always been understanding. You raised her that way. Besides, you two have always doted on he

Chapter 6

Third-Person POV"Her heart condition…"Adrian had heard every single word perfectly clearly, yet somehow his mind went completely blank.He grabbed the staff member by the shoulders, too rattled to care how he looked. "Which hospital? Was her name Audrey Bennett?"The staff member jumped at his sudden reaction. "I… I don't know her name…"One look at Adrian's expression, though, and he hurried to add, "They took her to the hospital just a few blocks away. By the time I got here, there was already a crowd around her, and the ambulance arrived really fast. I'm sure she's going to be okay."Only then did the knot in Adrian's chest loosen.He let go of the staff member's shoulders and exhaled in relief. "You should've told me earlier. You made it sound like she was dying."By the time the celebration dinner ended and everyone returned home, Audrey still hadn't come home. Instead, they found Adrian sitting on the couch, as pale as a ghost.He looked completely shaken, his eyes u

Chapter 7

Third-Person POVThe results came back quickly.And just as Ethan had suspected, everything pointed in the same direction.Downstairs, Mia was feeding Noah dinner.Children were sensitive to tension, and with the entire house weighed down by grief over the past few days, even Noah had become unusually quiet.Ethan walked into the dining room and slammed a stack of evidence onto the table. "Explain this! Did you have something to do with Audrey's death?"Mia's hand jerked, but she quickly forced herself to stay calm. "What are you talking about? I know you're devastated about Audrey, but she died because of her heart condition. How can you possibly blame me for that?"Noah was too young to understand what was happening. He burst into tears. "Mommy… Daddy… Please don't fight!"Mia calmly set down the fork. She leaned toward her frightened son and gently stroked his hair. "Hey, it's okay. Don't be scared. We aren't fighting. We just need to talk about something. Why don't you go u

Chapter 8

Audrey's POVI felt much better after the second surgery.The donor heart had been a good match, and little by little, I could feel myself getting stronger.The only problem was the human teakettle sitting beside my bed. All that sniffling and crying was enough to make my brand-new heart start pounding."I'm sorry, Audrey. I should've gotten to you sooner." Julian Foster was a six feet and two inches tall grown man, yet there he was beside my bed, choking on his words like he was the one who'd nearly died.I'd lost count of how many times I'd heard Julian cry during my recovery. Sometimes, I'd even wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of muffled sniffling from somewhere beside me.I finally lost patience with him."Would you stop crying? I'm not dead. I'm right here, alive and getting better. Keep this up and anyone walking past is going to think you're mourning me."Julian immediately panicked. He knocked on the wooden side table. "Don't say things like that! I bare

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