ElizabethI step back into the hotel room, my legs trembling as I move. My entire body feels weak, like my bones can barely hold me up. Michael is already inside, his face full of concern as he hands me a glass of whiskey."Drink," he urges softly.I take the glass, my fingers barely able to grip it. I bring it to my lips, but I don’t drink. I just stare at the amber liquid, watching the way it swirls in the glass as if the answers to my missing memories are hidden somewhere inside."This is too much," I whisper. "Michael... how could I forget? How could I forget my own child?"Michael sighs, stepping closer, his hands reaching for me but stopping just short of touching me."Elizabeth, listen to me—""How?" I choke out, my breath coming in ragged gasps."How does a mother forget she had a child? What kind of mother does that make me?"Tears rush down my face, hot and relentless. My chest tightens with the weight of grief I can’t even fully comprehend. I picture him—the faceless myster
ElizabethI fiddle with my phone, my fingers tracing the edges of the screen, my hands slightly trembling. The weight of what I am about to do settles deep inside me like a rock. My stomach twists, and my breath comes uneven. I can do this, I tell myself. But the truth is—I don’t know if I can.“You can do this,” Michael says gently, his voice steady, grounding.But I don’t feel calm. I don’t feel steady. I feel like I am about to shatter.I exhale, staring at the phone like it’s a bomb about to explode. “I’m supposed to call people I don’t even remember, Michael. Convince them that I’ve risen from the grave. How?” I shake my head. “They’ll think I’m crazy.”Michael steps closer, his gaze unwavering. “Then let me do it. Let me call them first, see how they react.”It’s a good idea. A smart idea. I exhale in relief. “Okay.”Michael picks up his phone and dials. The ringing stretches endlessly, each tone dragging on, stretching my nerves thin. My heart pounds in my chest. What if th
ElizabethI am still in shock. I have a brother—a living, breathing connection to my past. But I don't feel it. I don't know him. I watch as Eric presses the elevator button, his face unreadable. My fingers subconsciously reach for Michael’s hand. I need the comfort, the grounding.We step inside, and an odd sensation washes over me. I feel drawn to something here. It tugs at me like an invisible thread pulling from deep within my soul. And then, as the elevator doors slide open, I feel it. I see it.Familiar. Yet different.I let go of Michael’s hand, stepping forward as if in a trance. Floor-to-ceiling windows bathe the room in sunlight. My heart pounds as I turn, my eyes darting across the space. It’s there—just at the edge of my mind. A memory so close, yet so far.“Elizabeth?” Michael calls out.I barely hear him. My breath catches. My hands tremble. “I’ve been here before.”Michael’s face twists in confusion. “How? When?”“I—I don’t remember.”Eric watches me, his gaze sharp, st
SebastianNew York City is loud, alive, and suffocating. The streets hum with a constant, unrelenting energy, but I feel nothing. I move through it like a ghost, invisible to the world around me.The last few months have been nothing but an escape—one city after another, one meaningless distraction after the next. But no matter where I go, no matter how many miles I put between myself and the past, she is still there. Elizabeth. The love I lost. The love I destroyed.I’ve tried to drown the memories in whiskey, in foreign shores, in work. Nothing helps. The weight of my guilt is a chain around my neck, unbreakable.Now, back in my penthouse, I force myself to pack. Another trip, another destination, another pointless attempt to forget. I toss a few shirts into my suitcase, roll up some ties. My hand hesitates over a navy blue sweater. Elizabeth used to love wearing my sweaters, always stealing them, always teasing me about how they smelled like home. I grit my teeth and shove it into
ElizabethI hear the voices downstairs—low, familiar, yet strange. My hands tremble as I fumble with the buttons of my blouse.“You’ll be fine,” Michael says softly.I know he’s trying to soothe me, but he can’t understand. He can’t feel this hollow ache inside me, the confusion that coils tight in my chest. How could he?“You should go downstairs,” I whisper, my voice barely holding steady.“No.” His answer is firm. “I stay by your side. Remember?”His certainty is a balm, and I manage a small smile. “How do I look?” I ask my voice light but uncertain.“Beautiful,” he says, without hesitation. “Like always.”I smile, but the fear beneath it gnaws at me. I drag a stray blonde lock behind my ear. “Who am I?” I murmur, more to myself than him. The question lingers, heavy and unanswered.My feet carry me forward—one step, then another. The hallway feels endless, shadows pooling in corners. The polished wood beneath me creaks softly as I near the banister. But then—A sudden chill, cold a
SebastianA sharp, burning pain cuts through my chest. "Who are you?" Elizabeth’s voice, cold and unfamiliar, hits me harder than any blow. She doesn’t know me. She doesn’t remember us. Her eyes, those eyes that once softened for me, are hard and distant. My throat tightens as she turns away, leaving me stranded in a room full of silent stares.I whip toward Michael, my voice low and biting. “What the hell happened to her?”Michael meets my glare, his expression calm, almost calculated. “She gets snippets,” he says, his tone firm. “She knows she has a son, but can’t place him.”I curse under my breath. “Has she seen a doctor?”“No,” Michael replies, his voice flat.“What?” My voice spikes, sharp and demanding. “Why the hell not?”Michael’s jaw tightens. “Because until yesterday, we didn’t know who we could trust—or who’s after her.”Before I can snap back, James Alexander strides into the room, his heavy presence commanding attention. Elizabeth follows her expression hard with determi
I feel the ground beneath me slipping away, the little control I thought I had crumbling into dust. Why me? Why is it always me? What did I do to deserve this? My own husband poisoned me. Someone tried to kill me. Twice. Twice. The weight of it is suffocating.The room is a blur. Voices echo around me, each one louder than the last, crashing into my thoughts, drowning me. Sebastian. Michael. James. Eric. They’re all talking, arguing, debating what to do next. My head pounds, my chest tightens, and I can't breathe. The noise is unbearable.“Can everyone please shut the hell up!” I scream.The room falls silent. I can feel their eyes on me, but I don’t care. My hands are shaking, my breaths short and rapid. I force myself to meet Sebastian’s gaze.“Are you sure Christopher did this to me?” I ask, my voice sharp and demanding. I need to know. I need answers. I deserve answers.Sebastian nods, but there's hesitation in his eyes.“It could be him,” he says, his voice low but steady. “Or Ce
My eyes are glued to Elizabeth. She doesn’t look at all like the woman I once knew. Maybe it’s the blonde hair, I think. No, that’s not it. It’s something deeper, something that twists my insides and leaves me restless. Her eyes. There’s a coldness there now, a guarded distance that wasn’t there before. The woman I loved, the woman who once looked at me like I was her whole world, now barely acknowledges my presence.My mind is a whirlwind of questions, each one more pressing than the last. What happened to our baby? Did she lose it? Was it taken from her? How did she escape Christopher’s clutches? How did she survive? And why, after everything, is she shutting me out?I need answers. I need to talk to her, to hold her, to tell her that I’m sorry for everything. But she’s not even letting me get close. Every time I take a step toward her, she steps back. Every time I open my mouth to speak, she cuts me off. It’s like there’s an invisible wall between us, and no matter how hard I try,
ElizabethThe car is silent except for the engine's hum and the faint sound of the city beyond the tinted windows. My fingers tremble slightly against my lap, and I press them together, willing the tension away. The weight in my chest is unbearable, pressing down on me, suffocating.Sebastian hasn’t said anything since I laid it out for him—help me, or walk away. I can see it in the way his back is rigid, the way his fingers curl tightly around the steering wheel. His knuckles are white, and his jaw clenches every few seconds like he’s grinding his teeth to keep himself from speaking.I steal a glance at him, at the way the city lights cast flickering shadows over his sharp features. The man beside me is not at all what I thought. Or maybe he is, and I just don’t remember. Either way, this is harder than I thought. I hadn’t planned on Sebastian being part of my return and hadn't counted on his presence disrupting everything I had set in motion. But Eric called him, and now he’s here
ElizabethWhat is with this man? And why do i feel so at home in his arms.Sebastian’s scent drowns my senses, thick and musky, wrapping around me like a vice. It makes my thoughts sluggish, my resolve weaker than it should be.His arms are strong, unyielding, holding me close, pressing me against him in a way that feels too familiar, too safe. My body betrays me—I shouldn’t be melting into him like this. I shouldn’t crave the warmth, the security, the intoxicating pull of his presence. I shouldn’t want more.But Michael.No. I can’t do this. I can’t betray him. I’ve made my choice. If it means Sebastian has to believe our son is dead, then so be it. That lie is a small price to pay for protecting the only stability I have left.I force myself to pull away, even as my fingers itch to hold on. His grip loosens just enough, and I rip myself free, stumbling a step back, needing space, needing distance. My breath is uneven, my heart slamming against my ribs. His dark eyes lock onto mine,
My eyes are glued to Elizabeth. She doesn’t look at all like the woman I once knew. Maybe it’s the blonde hair, I think. No, that’s not it. It’s something deeper, something that twists my insides and leaves me restless. Her eyes. There’s a coldness there now, a guarded distance that wasn’t there before. The woman I loved, the woman who once looked at me like I was her whole world, now barely acknowledges my presence.My mind is a whirlwind of questions, each one more pressing than the last. What happened to our baby? Did she lose it? Was it taken from her? How did she escape Christopher’s clutches? How did she survive? And why, after everything, is she shutting me out?I need answers. I need to talk to her, to hold her, to tell her that I’m sorry for everything. But she’s not even letting me get close. Every time I take a step toward her, she steps back. Every time I open my mouth to speak, she cuts me off. It’s like there’s an invisible wall between us, and no matter how hard I try,
I feel the ground beneath me slipping away, the little control I thought I had crumbling into dust. Why me? Why is it always me? What did I do to deserve this? My own husband poisoned me. Someone tried to kill me. Twice. Twice. The weight of it is suffocating.The room is a blur. Voices echo around me, each one louder than the last, crashing into my thoughts, drowning me. Sebastian. Michael. James. Eric. They’re all talking, arguing, debating what to do next. My head pounds, my chest tightens, and I can't breathe. The noise is unbearable.“Can everyone please shut the hell up!” I scream.The room falls silent. I can feel their eyes on me, but I don’t care. My hands are shaking, my breaths short and rapid. I force myself to meet Sebastian’s gaze.“Are you sure Christopher did this to me?” I ask, my voice sharp and demanding. I need to know. I need answers. I deserve answers.Sebastian nods, but there's hesitation in his eyes.“It could be him,” he says, his voice low but steady. “Or Ce
SebastianA sharp, burning pain cuts through my chest. "Who are you?" Elizabeth’s voice, cold and unfamiliar, hits me harder than any blow. She doesn’t know me. She doesn’t remember us. Her eyes, those eyes that once softened for me, are hard and distant. My throat tightens as she turns away, leaving me stranded in a room full of silent stares.I whip toward Michael, my voice low and biting. “What the hell happened to her?”Michael meets my glare, his expression calm, almost calculated. “She gets snippets,” he says, his tone firm. “She knows she has a son, but can’t place him.”I curse under my breath. “Has she seen a doctor?”“No,” Michael replies, his voice flat.“What?” My voice spikes, sharp and demanding. “Why the hell not?”Michael’s jaw tightens. “Because until yesterday, we didn’t know who we could trust—or who’s after her.”Before I can snap back, James Alexander strides into the room, his heavy presence commanding attention. Elizabeth follows her expression hard with determi
ElizabethI hear the voices downstairs—low, familiar, yet strange. My hands tremble as I fumble with the buttons of my blouse.“You’ll be fine,” Michael says softly.I know he’s trying to soothe me, but he can’t understand. He can’t feel this hollow ache inside me, the confusion that coils tight in my chest. How could he?“You should go downstairs,” I whisper, my voice barely holding steady.“No.” His answer is firm. “I stay by your side. Remember?”His certainty is a balm, and I manage a small smile. “How do I look?” I ask my voice light but uncertain.“Beautiful,” he says, without hesitation. “Like always.”I smile, but the fear beneath it gnaws at me. I drag a stray blonde lock behind my ear. “Who am I?” I murmur, more to myself than him. The question lingers, heavy and unanswered.My feet carry me forward—one step, then another. The hallway feels endless, shadows pooling in corners. The polished wood beneath me creaks softly as I near the banister. But then—A sudden chill, cold a
SebastianNew York City is loud, alive, and suffocating. The streets hum with a constant, unrelenting energy, but I feel nothing. I move through it like a ghost, invisible to the world around me.The last few months have been nothing but an escape—one city after another, one meaningless distraction after the next. But no matter where I go, no matter how many miles I put between myself and the past, she is still there. Elizabeth. The love I lost. The love I destroyed.I’ve tried to drown the memories in whiskey, in foreign shores, in work. Nothing helps. The weight of my guilt is a chain around my neck, unbreakable.Now, back in my penthouse, I force myself to pack. Another trip, another destination, another pointless attempt to forget. I toss a few shirts into my suitcase, roll up some ties. My hand hesitates over a navy blue sweater. Elizabeth used to love wearing my sweaters, always stealing them, always teasing me about how they smelled like home. I grit my teeth and shove it into
ElizabethI am still in shock. I have a brother—a living, breathing connection to my past. But I don't feel it. I don't know him. I watch as Eric presses the elevator button, his face unreadable. My fingers subconsciously reach for Michael’s hand. I need the comfort, the grounding.We step inside, and an odd sensation washes over me. I feel drawn to something here. It tugs at me like an invisible thread pulling from deep within my soul. And then, as the elevator doors slide open, I feel it. I see it.Familiar. Yet different.I let go of Michael’s hand, stepping forward as if in a trance. Floor-to-ceiling windows bathe the room in sunlight. My heart pounds as I turn, my eyes darting across the space. It’s there—just at the edge of my mind. A memory so close, yet so far.“Elizabeth?” Michael calls out.I barely hear him. My breath catches. My hands tremble. “I’ve been here before.”Michael’s face twists in confusion. “How? When?”“I—I don’t remember.”Eric watches me, his gaze sharp, st
ElizabethI fiddle with my phone, my fingers tracing the edges of the screen, my hands slightly trembling. The weight of what I am about to do settles deep inside me like a rock. My stomach twists, and my breath comes uneven. I can do this, I tell myself. But the truth is—I don’t know if I can.“You can do this,” Michael says gently, his voice steady, grounding.But I don’t feel calm. I don’t feel steady. I feel like I am about to shatter.I exhale, staring at the phone like it’s a bomb about to explode. “I’m supposed to call people I don’t even remember, Michael. Convince them that I’ve risen from the grave. How?” I shake my head. “They’ll think I’m crazy.”Michael steps closer, his gaze unwavering. “Then let me do it. Let me call them first, see how they react.”It’s a good idea. A smart idea. I exhale in relief. “Okay.”Michael picks up his phone and dials. The ringing stretches endlessly, each tone dragging on, stretching my nerves thin. My heart pounds in my chest. What if th