Chapter 3

"I don't have the right tools here. I've already called a tow truck," Ethan said.

"Sorry about this. I guess we'll have to hail an Uber to the hospital."

My conversation with Chloe was cut short. Ethan didn’t leave us alone for the rest of the day.

But as the hours went by, he didn’t do anything to us. In fact, he behaved like a perfect gentleman. There wasn’t a single trace of violence in him.

When we finally got home, Chloe’s hands were full of shopping bags—all expensive gifts Ethan had bought for us.

My parents beamed from ear to ear. "Ethan is such a wonderful young man. Built his own business from scratch, and he’s so devoted to you, Luna."

"Sweetheart, most guys would have run a mile if their date went through what you did. But Ethan didn't care. He treats you even better now. You won't find another man like him if you tried."

The house was warm, filled with the rich aroma of my favorite dinner.

Chloe led me to the bathroom to wash my hands. "By the way, Luna, when you said Ethan was 'dangerous' in the car... was it just because you forgot him but still felt some weird familiarity?"

My parents stopped what they were doing and looked over.

All three of them were smiling, waiting for my answer.

I opened my mouth to tell them the truth, but a deep, sickening sense of wrongness suddenly gripped my chest.

I looked toward our kitchen. It was modern, sleek, and dead silent.

But I vividly remembered our old apartment. The kitchen window there was broken. It used to rattle against the frame constantly. That irritating noise was practically engraved in my soul.

And Chloe. She had always been cruel and domineering. Every memory I had of her was of her bullying me.

Yet, my parents claimed I was remembering it wrong.

The psychiatrist had also assured me that suppressing the trauma of the assault had temporarily scrambled my other memories.

I had believed them.

But now, I didn't.

My memories could be scrambled, but my body's physical reaction to terror could not.

The feeling of absolute dread hadn't faded or twisted since it woke up. It was constant.

Ethan was dangerous. I could never have been in love with him.

My parents and Chloe were lying to me.

But why?

Did the old, broken apartment actually exist?

Was Chloe's sudden sisterly love just an act?

A cold dread crept up from my feet, freezing me in place.

I forced a tight smile. "Yeah, Chloe. I couldn't remember his face, but he felt so familiar. It just freaked me out a little."

Chloe let out a visible sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, Luna. We can all see how much he loves you."

"Just try to spend more time with him. Having him around will help you get back to normal faster."

I nodded, acting as natural as possible as we sat down to eat.

Halfway through the meal, I asked casually, "Oh, by the way... did the police ever catch the guy who assaulted me?"

The table went dead silent. My parents' eyes turned red, and they quickly looked down at their plates.

Chloe bit her lip, looking guilt-ridden. "I'm so sorry, Luna. We were useless. It was pouring rain that night, and there was no evidence left behind. The police have been looking, but... there’s been no progress."

I immediately changed the subject and stopped asking.

But inside, I was desperately trying to piece together the fragments of my memory.

I vaguely recalled that the place where I was taken wasn't isolated. There must have been security cameras nearby.

So why was there no progress?

And why were they trying so hard to push me into the arms of Ethan, the man who triggered my ultimate terror?

I didn’t dare think any further.