All Chapters of ERASE ME, THEN WATCH ME RISE : Chapter 1 - Chapter 6

Chapter 1: The Man Who Held My HandThe first lie they told me was that the man holding my hand was only a friend.I believed it for eleven days.I believed it when Daniel Hartley sat beside my hospital bed every evening with his tie loosened and his eyes tired. I believed it when he peeled an orange for me and handed me each piece like I might break. I believed it when he said, "Don't worry about anything, Nora. We're taking care of you."We. I should have noticed that word.The doctors called it retrograde amnesia. A car, a wet road, a screech of metal I couldn't remember. When I woke up, my life was a blank white wall. I knew my name only because a nurse said it. I could hold a spoon and read the clock above the door, but I had no idea who I was or who was waiting for me.Daniel said I was a close friend of his family. He said I had no one else in the city. He said he would cover the bills and I shouldn't think about it.I thought he was the kindest man alive.Yesterday afternoon,

Chapter 3: Take Me Out of HereFor one second, I forgot how to be a person.My lungs stopped. Every thought went white and silent. The only thing left in the world was a trembling five-year-old kneeling on my hospital bed with his fingers wound into my sleeve.I saw what Aunt Vivian did to your car."Ethan." The mask was slipping. I could feel it. "Say that again. Slowly."He glanced at the door, then back at me. His lip wobbled."The night before, I woke up thirsty, and the garage light was on. Aunt Vivi was on the floor under your car with a flashlight. She had Daddy's tools." He dropped his voice. "She saw me. She put her finger like this." He pressed one small finger to his lips. "She said it was a surprise for Mama. And surprises are secrets. And good boys keep secrets."The room tilted."And the next day?""You took me to school. We went down Marrow Hill, and you pushed the pedal and nothing happened." His eyes filled. "You pushed and pushed, Mama. You yelled hold on, Ethan, and

Chapter 5: The Wife Who Wasn'tI have never dressed so fast in my life.Adrian was already pulling on his trousers, his face calm and hard, the laughter of five minutes ago wiped clean. "Stay here," he said, buttoning his shirt. "I'll meet him at the door.""No." I yanked the borrowed robe tight and knotted the belt with shaking fingers. "He thinks I'm a confused invalid who wandered off. If I hide, I'm a coward in a rival's bedroom. If I walk down those stairs looking lost and sleepy, he has nothing.""Nora.""He built this lie himself, Adrian. Let me watch him choke on it."Something dark and approving crossed his face. He took my chin in his hand and kissed me once, hard and quick."Then be good at it," he said. "I'll be behind you."The pounding started before we reached the landing. Three heavy knocks. A pause. Three more.Mrs. Bell appeared in the hall in her dressing gown. Adrian nodded. She sighed, tightened her belt, and went to answer with the weary dignity of a woman who ha