Memories of the past

Suzanne Smith, now Mrs. Langford, had once had it all—wealth, status, and a future mapped out as the heiress to a powerful dynasty. Three years ago, she made the decision to walk away from her father. She had convinced herself that Charles was everything she needed. He was her prince charming, the man who would provide the love and security her father’s empire never gave her. She had been so sure that he was the one, that she would never need another penny from her father again, as long as Charles had it all. But after they married, Suzanne quickly realized how wrong she had been.

The man she thought was her savior had turned into her captor. Charles mocked her in private, humiliated her in front of others, and made her feel small every single day. She had once been the darling of society, the perfect picture of wealth and beauty. But now, she was a joke—people whispered about her inability to give Charles the one thing he wanted: a child. Rumors spread like wildfire. They said she had "eaten" her babies with witchcraft, that she was cursed, or worse, that she didn’t really love Charles and was still pining for her high school lover. How they knew about that secret was a mystery, but the whispers didn’t stop.

Before all of this, Suzanne had dreamed of a career in acting. She had always been drawn to the spotlight, finding solace in the art of performance. It was her escape, her way of feeling truly alive. But when her father discovered her passion, he didn’t understand. He cut her off from the family, demanding that she stop acting and focus on her inheritance. He had wanted her to follow in his footsteps, to maintain the family’s image, but Suzanne had wanted more. She had wanted to tell stories, to be someone else on screen, to feel the thrill of the spotlight. Her father’s disapproval had broken something inside of her, but she fought back. She moved to Los Angeles, built a career for herself, and found fleeting success in the industry. But just as she was beginning to find her footing, Charles came into the picture.

When they married, Suzanne hoped that Charles would support her ambitions, but instead, he shut them down. He wanted her to be a wife, not an actress. His jealousy and control over her life grew with every passing day. Soon, she found herself giving up her dreams once again, this time for a man she thought she loved.

And now, here she was, lying in a sterile hospital bed, no career, no family, no love—just the remnants of a life that was supposed to be everything. The walls of the hospital room felt suffocating, but they were nothing compared to the prison of her own mind. Suzanne had given everything up for love, only to find herself more isolated than ever.

As she stared at the ceiling, lost in the hollow space of her thoughts, she heard the door creak open. A nurse walked in, her soft footsteps cutting through the silence.

"How are you feeling today, Mrs. Langford?" The nurse asked, her voice quiet but professional.

Suzanne blinked, pushing back the tears that threatened to surface. She tried to sit up, but the weakness in her body reminded her of how far she had fallen. She wanted to say something, wanted to explain that she felt far from fine, but the words stuck in her throat. Instead, she forced a small smile, the same smile she had perfected over the years to hide the pain from everyone around her.

"I'm... I'm okay," she replied quietly, her voice cracking with the weight of the lie.

The nurse smiled, though there was a hint of concern in her eyes. She began checking the monitors beside the bed, adjusting the IV drip and making sure everything was in order. Suzanne stared at the ceiling again, lost in thought. How had she ended up here?

Suzanne shifted slightly on the hospital bed, the weight of the silence pressing down on her. She glanced at the nurse, her curiosity piqued. "What’s wrong with me?" she asked, her voice quieter than she intended. The question felt strange coming out of her mouth, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was at play here.

The nurse smiled politely, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Dr. Liam Carter will be here soon," she replied calmly as she continued her work, adjusting the machines and checking the paperwork.

The name struck Suzanne like a bolt of lightning. Dr. Liam Carter? Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a rush of confusion and disbelief. Liam? It couldn’t be. She hadn't heard that name in years—at least not in any context other than fleeting memories.

Her breath caught in her chest as memories of her high school years flooded her mind. Liam had been everything to her back then. They were inseparable, sharing whispered secrets and stolen kisses behind the school gym, dreaming of a future that seemed as limitless as their young love. She hadn’t thought about him in so long, and now his name had come rushing back into her life, like a ghost she couldn’t escape.

Liam had been her boyfriend before everything changed—before her father disowned her for pursuing her acting dreams, before she met Charles, and before everything about her life became a lie. Liam had been the one person who understood her, who made her feel like she was enough, before the world she had built with Charles started to unravel.

Suzanne’s hand gripped the edge of the bed, her pulse racing. What was he doing here? She tried to steady her breath but found it difficult. Was it a coincidence, or was there something more to this?

Suzanne forced herself to take a deep breath, her heart still racing in her chest. It couldn’t be him, she told herself, her mind desperately trying to convince her that it was just a coincidence. Liam left for the state to study medicine years ago. He wouldn’t be here now. It’s just someone with the same name, someone who looks like him.

She tried to steady her breathing, but the memories—of him holding her hand under the stars, of their whispered promises—kept flooding her mind. She couldn’t let herself believe it. 

Even as she sat there, she could hear footsteps approaching the room.