Rewriting Us

Chapter Nine: The Things We Don’t Know

The next morning, Alana woke up to the sound of Kai making coffee.

For a moment, she let herself enjoy the normalcy of it.

The rhythmic sound of the coffee machine, the faint clinking of a spoon against ceramic, the scent of something rich and dark filling the apartment—it felt right in a way she couldn’t explain.

Then her phone vibrated.

A single message.

Unknown Number:

"I know you don’t remember, but you need to. Call me. There are things you deserve to know."

Her breath caught.

She sat up slowly, her fingers tightening around the phone. Her heart pounded in her chest.

Who would send this?

What did they mean—things you deserve to know?

A shiver ran down her spine.

For months now, she and Kai had been piecing together the fragments of their past, relearning each other, rediscovering something that felt a lot like love. But the memories… they still came in scattered, fleeting moments. A laugh in the rain. A fight they couldn’t remember the words to. The warmth of his hand in hers.

Was this message a missing piece?

"Morning."

She jolted slightly at the sound of Kai’s voice. He stood in the doorway, two mugs of coffee in his hands, looking at her with quiet curiosity.

"You okay?" he asked.

She forced a smile and set her phone down. "Yeah. Just… waking up."

He didn’t look convinced, but he handed her a mug and sat down beside her.

"You were frowning," he pointed out, watching her carefully. "Bad dream?"

"No," she said quickly. Too quickly.

She wasn’t sure why she didn’t tell him about the message. Maybe it was because she didn’t know what it meant yet. Maybe it was because part of her was afraid—afraid that whatever truth it held might change everything.

Instead, she took a sip of coffee, letting the warmth soothe her nerves.

"I was just thinking," she said softly. "About us. About how far we've come."

Kai’s expression softened. He reached over, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. It was such a small thing, but it sent warmth curling through her.

"I think about that too," he admitted. "How crazy this all is. How we lost everything, and yet…"

"We still found each other," she whispered.

His thumb brushed against her cheek. "Yeah."

For a moment, she forgot about the message.

For a moment, there was only Kai.

And then, the phone vibrated again.

She barely stopped herself from flinching.

Kai noticed. "Lana?"

She hesitated. Then, before she could lose her nerve, she picked up the phone and glanced at the screen.

Another message.

Unknown Number:

"Please, Olivia. Don’t ignore this. Call me."

Her pulse pounded in her ears.

"Who is it?" Kai asked.

She hesitated. Then, finally, she turned the phone toward him.

His brows furrowed as he read the words.

His jaw tightened. "Do you know who it is?"

"No." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "But I think… I think they know us."

A long silence stretched between them.

Kai exhaled slowly, setting his coffee down. "Then we call them."

She swallowed hard. "What if we don’t like what we find out?"

His gaze met hers, steady and unwavering. "Then we figure it out. Together."

She nodded, gripping the phone tighter. Then, with trembling fingers, she tapped the number and pressed call.

The line rang once. Twice.

Then a voice.

"Alana."

A man’s voice. Deep. Familiar in a way that sent a shiver down her spine.

Her breath caught.

"Who are you?" she asked.

A pause. Then—

"You really don’t remember, do you?"

Her grip on the phone tightened. "No."

A sigh. "It’s Adam."

Kai stiffened beside her.

Adam.

The name sent a flicker of something through her mind. A shadow of a memory. A voice laughing. A hand reaching for hers. A fight—words sharp and angry, but the reason lost.

Her throat felt tight. "How do I know you?"

A heavy pause. Then—

"I’m your brother."

The air left her lungs.

She blinked, her mind racing. "No," she whispered. "That’s not—there was no record of a brother."

"I know," Adam said. "Because I left. A long time ago."

Kai leaned in closer, his hand resting over hers. His silent support grounded her, kept her from spinning into the unknown.

"Why are you reaching out now?" Kai asked, voice low and wary.

Adam exhaled sharply. "Because there are things Alana doesn’t know. Things about her past. About you two. About why you lost your memories in the first place."

The room seemed to shrink around them.

Alana’s fingers trembled against the phone. "You’re saying the accident—"

"Wasn’t an accident," Adam finished.

Silence.

Kai’s grip on her hand tightened. "What do you mean?"

Adam’s voice was grave. "You were running from something. Both of you. And someone made sure you wouldn’t remember why."

A chill ran down Olivia’s spine.

This wasn’t just about memory loss.

This was something bigger.

And suddenly, the love they had found again—the fragile, beautiful thing they had rebuilt—felt like it was teetering on the edge of something dangerous.

Something that could break them all over again.

An hour later, Adam was at their door.

Alana hesitated before opening it, her fingers trembling against the handle. Kai stood beside her, his presence steady and solid.

"Ready?" he murmured.

No.

But she opened the door anyway.

Adam stood there, looking both familiar and like a stranger all at once. He was tall, his dark hair a little unkempt, his eyes sharp with something unreadable.

For a long moment, he just stared at her.

"You really don’t remember," he said softly.

She shook her head.

Something flickered in his expression—pain, maybe. Regret.

Then he glanced at Kai. His gaze was guarded. "And you?"

Kai crossed his arms. "Nothing."

Adam exhaled and stepped inside. "Then we have a lot to talk about."

They sat in the living room, tension thick in the air.

Alana leaned forward. "Tell me everything."

Adam hesitated. Then—

"You and Kai… you weren’t in a good place before the accident."

She flinched. "What do you mean?"

"You were fighting. A lot. I don’t know the details, but I know you were planning to leave."

The words hit like a punch to the chest.

Kai stiffened beside her. "She was leaving me?"

Adam nodded. "I tried to talk her out of it. Told her to give it time. But something happened that night. Something bad."

Alana’s heart pounded. "And the accident?"

Adam’s jaw tightened. "You weren’t just driving. You were running."

The world tilted.

Alana shook her head. "No. That doesn’t make sense. We—we’ve been remembering things. Good things. Love."

Adam’s eyes softened. "Because love doesn’t just disappear. Even when it’s broken."

Her throat tightened.

Kai’s voice was rough. "Who were we running from?"

Adam hesitated. Then—

"I don’t know. But someone wanted to keep you quiet. Someone wanted to make sure you never remembered."

Alana’s pulse pounded in her ears.

This wasn’t just a love story.

This was a mystery. A puzzle with missing pieces.

And now, they had a choice.

Keep living in the fragile happiness they had found—

Or risk everything to uncover the truth.

Kai’s fingers brushed hers, grounding her.

She met his gaze.

And in that moment, she knew.

They couldn’t walk away from this.

Not now.

Not ever.

They had to remember.