The Amnesia Trap (Extended)
648 Words
The silence in the ICU was a cold, physical weight. Julian sat propped up against the pillows, his eyes scanning me with a detached curiosity that felt like a serrated blade across my heart.
"I’m sorry," he repeated, his voice raspy. "I remember the name 'Lia.' It’s in my files. You’re the... legal consultant I hired for the Osborne merger, right?"
Elizabeth’s hand tightened on his shoulder, a predatory gleam in her eyes. "That’s right, darling. She’s just an employee. She’s been very stressed lately she seems to have developed a bit of an obsession with our private lives."
I opened my mouth to scream the truth, to show him the marriage certificate I had tucked in my bag, but I caught the warning look from the doctor. Agitating him now could cause a permanent hemorrhage.
"Yes," I said, my voice trembling with a fury I had to swallow. "I’m the consultant. I came to... return these files."
I didn't give him the journals. Not yet. If he was in this state, Elizabeth would find a way to burn them before he could process the truth. I had to play the long game. I had to make him fall in love with the "stranger" all over again.
"You look tired, Ms. Leighton," Julian said, his brow furrowing. "Go home. Elizabeth will stay with me. She’s the only one I really need right now."
I walked out of the room, the sound of Elizabeth’s triumphant laughter echoing in my mind.
One Week Later: The Office
Julian returned to the firm much faster than the doctors recommended. He was a man driven by ego, and he couldn't stand the idea of Leighton & Cohen (as the board was now calling it) being run by a woman he didn't remember.
He walked into the boardroom for the weekly strategy meeting, looking impeccable in a midnight-blue suit. But he wasn't sitting at the head of the table. I was.
"Ms. Leighton," he said, nodding stiffly. He took a seat to my left. "I’ve reviewed your audit. It’s... impressive. But I’ve decided to reinstate Elizabeth Osborne as our primary consultant for the Vane files."
The room went silent. The board members looked at me, waiting for the explosion.
"Mr. Cohen," I said, leaning back in my chair and meeting his gaze with a coldness that matched his own. "Ms. Osborne is currently under investigation for potential collusion with Arthur Vane. Her presence in this firm is a liability we cannot afford. My decision stands: she is barred from the premises."
Julian’s eyes narrowed. "I am the Senior Partner of this firm."
"And I am the Managing Partner with 51% of the voting shares, thanks to the documents you signed before your... accident," I countered. "Unless you’d like to challenge the validity of your own signature in open court which would suggest you were mentally unfit even before the shooting you will follow my lead."
Julian slammed his hand on the table. "Why are you doing this? Why are you so determined to ruin my relationship with the only woman I trust?"
"Because I'm trying to save you from yourself, Julian," I said, standing up. "Even if you don't remember why."
I walked out of the room, but as I passed him, I dropped a small, white pill bottle on the table. It was the medication I used to bring him every night for his chronic migraines a detail only a wife would know.
"Take two, Julian. Your head is starting to throb on the left side. It always does when you lose an argument."
I didn't look back to see the look of pure shock on his face as he realized I knew his body better than he knew his own mind
- Writer
