(Lydia)
When I stepped back into the bedroom, I jerked. Sarah was standing there. She eyed me closely and inquisitively.
“Are you pregnant?” she asked.
My face went pale. “No … no, not at all,” I bumbled.
Sarah’s eyes had hardened into steel.
“I’m going to murder both you and that stupid sister of yours if you are!” she frothed.
I clenched my fist at the fact that she’d brought Ruby into this, but seeing her face turn white with fear made me feel a little bit better.
I was about to talk back to her but realized that I now had a baby to think of. As a mother, I would not be petty. A mother … The thought inspired a clandestine delight inside.
“Why are you back?” I asked her instead. I noticed that she had tied her hair into a braided ponytail, exactly how I used to and had taught her how to do it.
Thomas appeared in the doorway behind her. He was holding up a box.
“Your things,” he told me.
“Just put them on the table,” I said quietly, “And then, could the two of you please leave?”
Thomas set the box on the floor. Sarah grabbed his forearm as they made their way out for the second time today.
***
I had known them both since university. I had been a bit of an outsider to them; I wasn’t as wealthy as either of these two. Thomas and Sarah had always been close, having known one another throughout their childhoods. We only became inseparable later. Sarah had been like a sister to me; she would lather me with praises for being a scholarship student and emulate everything that I did, wore, and said.
Sarah had been there when I had first gotten drunk; she had held my hair as I threw up and she had practiced plays with me as I pursued my degree in theater at Western Illinois. We would get matching outfits and parade around bars on the weekend.
Now, Sarah threatens my and my sister’s safety just to be with Thomas.
I don’t know how long Sarah had had an eye on Thomas, but when I had woken up from the coma, she stopped pretending.
“You know how much I loved him!” I had squealed, my eyes streaming with tears that I made no attempt to wipe off.
“Oh, Lydia, you were never good enough for Thomas,” she had said, sipping my favorite peach iced-tea that I knew she didn’t even like, “Him and I were always meant to be.”
Sarah had copied me in everything. She wore the same types of shoes and clothes as I, tried to walk and talk like me, picked up on the same fashion trends, and always looked like she was trying to become me and snatch my love away from me.
***
“Christ, can’t he at least get a new ring?” Ruby exclaimed with untrammeled exasperation. She was folding the laundry away and I was sipping a cup of hot tea, having just told her what had happened.
Ruby had arrived yesterday after I had called and told her that I was pregnant. She was calling herself “the caretaker regime”.
Now, she shot a glance in my direction and then walked up to and put her arms around me, “Lydia,” she said softly, “I know you loved the man. But if he had truly loved you as deeply as you did him, he would have remembered everything by now.”
“I know,” I whispered.
“I’ve been doing some research and amnesia isn’t supposed to last for that long. What if he and Sarah were secretly having an affair the whole time?”
“Ruby!” I growled, wounded. I clenched the mug.
“Okay, I’m sorry!” she raised her brows, “I won’t bring it up again.”
She returned to the laundry basket and began folding away the last of the clothes.
“I still think he loves me,” I admitted, “Why else would he have come here yesterday?”
Ruby didn’t say a word but passed me a scolding look before heading off into her bedroom. I crossed the living room to the window overlooking the city and watched the sun set again.
I resented Thomas’s mother for not allowing me to act. But after I had quit my theater auditions, I had made myself useful volunteering in community projects and setting up scholarship funds for students. Thomas had been supportive of me the whole time.
He had always so intently cheered me on and the joy was enough to make my heart burst. All of this only made it impossible to let him go when I lost him to amnesia.
Thomas was forever on my mind, or as I liked to think of it, etched into the creases of my heart.
The thought of it now made me shudder.
I would no longer think of him that way. I begged and cried. I had bent over backwards trying to remind him of our love and he had only responded with cold indifference.
When my children arrived in this world, I wouldn’t have time to think about Thomas. My sole focus would be on them: providing for, loving, and nurturing them.
I didn’t want my children to grow up in the same kind of household as myself. I would never neglect them. I would never be the kind of mother who was always staring out of the window in a dimly lit room and cursing her life.
I wanted to give them the joy they deserved.
Thinking of this gave me strength; the strength that I’d been looking for all this time.
(Lydia)It had been difficult for me to afford a life in Denver so I had packed my bags and moved to Welby. Ruby marched beside me in the hospital corridor. We had spent the last few weeks discussing how we would raise the children. Ruby wanted to chip in but, thankfully, I could put my alimony to good use. Children, yes. The ultrasound from three months ago had told us that I was having twins: a little girl and a boy.Ruby had flatly informed me that she would spoil them. I gazed adoringly as she knitted their rompers. Her presence inspired so much gratitude: my sister had been a steady pillar throughout my pregnancy as she accompanied me to routine check-ups, fed me bread and bone broth, and signed me up for yoga classes. I had no idea how I would have handled this alone.“I want you to be strong!” she had said when I had expressed my appreciation, “I want you to remember who you are on the inside!”I had thought of Thomas a lot during the months leading up to pregnancy but I had,
(Lydia)When will I ever be able to erase him from my memory and never get reminded of him again? I thought as I stared at the email Pike had sent me.“Denver’s a big city!” Ruby protested when I repeated my concerns. “You would never run into him there. And, besides, it’s not as though you’re going to live there.”“Yeah, it’s only going to be for a couple of days,” chimed in Adam. He and Ruby had perhaps planned this intervention after I had first told Ruby about the offer.“Honey, this is a great opportunity for you,” continued Ruby. She clasped my hands into hers, her eyes pleading for me to acquiesce.“It’s literally your life’s dream,” agreed Adam, “I would never pass up a big shot like this.”He stared at me intently from across the table.“It’s just that …” I gasped in exasperation, “I’ve spent so long trying to forget him like he forgot me. If I catch even a glimpse of him, I’ll come crumbling down.”“Pfft!” Adam shook his head. “When has that man ever even been interested in
(Thomas)The theater lights dimmed and the stage lights went up. I squirmed in my seat. The palms of my hands were getting sweaty and I nervously rubbed them together. My stomach turned. I couldn’t believe that I was about to see her again.***Everything had been going well. In the beginning, Sarah had quarreled with me. She had been upset about the prolonged engagement and I had sometimes suspected jitters. It had seemed as though she felt as though the wedding would not take place at all.“Sarah,” I had once told her softly as we had dinner together. Her eyes had been shooting daggers at me all evening. She had thought I was putting off the wedding on purpose.“I’m trying to expand the business to New Mexico. I am completely swamped with work,” I had explained, showing her the palms of my hands “It doesn’t seem, to me, like the best time for a wedding.”She had sniffled and turned her eyes away. She would not say a single word. An emerald earring dangled from her lobe and sparkled
(Lydia)The shrill sound of the doorbell ringing punctured the peaceful quiet of my hotel room. I glanced at the wall clock. 11 p.m. Who could it possibly be?I pulled the blanket over my daughter’s back. Her sweet face glowed like an angel while she slept. Padding along the plush carpet, I peered through the peephole and felt my stomach churn.Sarah.I drew in a steadying breath, unbolted the door, and opened it a crack. “What do you want?” I exhaled in a harsh whisper.Sarah’s face was ashy white and her lips were drawn into a tight line. “Let me in!” she shrieked.She thrust herself against the door but I stood firm, blocking entry. “You need to leave. Now.” I said, quietly but firmly.A soft whimper came from the king-sized bed and my heart clenched. I couldn’t let this racket wake up my children. As I stepped aside to check on my daughter, Sarah took advantage of the distraction and brushed past me into the room.“Quiet. You’ll wake them up!” I hissed.“Is that … Thomas’s?” Sarah
(Lydia) “And after we’re done getting candy, we can then go to visit my house.” Thomas said. He stroked Miles’ chin and then cast me a look, seeking permission but all that I could feel was dread and overwhelm.What in the world was happening here?“Do you have a car?” Miles asked him.“Yes, I do,” Thomas replied.“Which one?” Mabel hopped up and down.“Well, let’s see. I have a Mercedes…”“A Mercedes!” Miles shrieked happily.“Mommy, can we go to see the Mercedes?” Mabel looked at me and Miles joined his sister. The twins gazed up at me expectantly, hope welled up in their eyes. Thomas’s eyes mirrored the same look.“No!” I snapped. And all three of their faces fell.I grasped Thomas by the arm and pulled him to the side. “What do you think you’re doing?” I whispered harshly.“Lydia, I’m just trying to get to know my kids.” Thomas reasonably explained.“They’re not you—”“Seriously? You expected me to believe that that boy,” he gestured towards Miles, “is not my son?”I didn’t thin
(Lydia)My jaw dropped when I stepped inside the mansion. I had been expecting that, after all these years, Sarah would have completely redecorated it. Or, perhaps, Thomas’s mother, at least. But the rotating crystal swan centerpiece that I had carefully selected and gotten installed inside the lobby was still glinting and shimmering in its spot. The wall-sized mirror with the gold rococo frame that I had hung up on the wall by the doorway had not been moved a single inch either.I turned towards the other side. The painting. Raphael. Thomas’s mother had never liked it. And yet it was still hung on the wall. I looked up at the ceiling. The golden chandelier. I took a step towards the corridor on the side. The tables. The décor. The candle-holders. I opened the door to the drawing room and let up a quiet exhale.The whole mansion, insofar as I had seen it yet, was exactly the way that I had left it.A torrent of memories carried me away: Thomas kissed my hand as he led me into this d
(Thomas)Mabel and Miles ran in circles all the time. The twins were an energetic bunch. Outside, their laughter soared the breeze like a beautiful melody that I had been waiting to hear my whole life. Every word that spilled out of their baby mouths was like music to my ears. Soon, the house was full of their toys.I had never been a happier man.Mabel hopped with her arms outstretched. My phone was ringing and she was trying to grab it. It was Lydia.She had been the first to Facetime me since she left. I felt my heart beat faster and joy well up in my chest. But it was not me she wanted to speak to.“Where’s Mabel and Miles?” she had asked as soon I answered the phone. So, I turned the camera around and showed her a live video of the twins playing with their new train set.“You don’t need to worry about them, Lydia,” I had said.“It’s the first time I’ve been away from them since they were born.”I understood her hesitation. So, I made sure to call her at least three times a day to
(Lydia)The last three weeks have been a whirlwind. We have traveled through Aspen, Aurora, and Boulder before making our final performance at Colorado Springs. I received so much praise and accolade from the audience there that I was glad I signed up for this.While I was touring, Adam phoned to let me know that he had signed on to a contractual research position for the Children’s Welfare Foundation for Leukemia. Since Adam had been one of the top candidates for the job, CWFL had been chasing him for a while now. But now that he was finally here, he had accepted the role.“Good luck for your tour,” he had said, sounding genuinely pleased at my report to him, “I know you’ll do great!”I had dreamed of acting since I was a little girl. And I felt that pursuing this goal now was important in the upbringing of my children. I needed to set a strong example for them so that Mabel and Miles, too, would grow up to chase after their passions.Even though we FaceTimed every day, multiple time