The Billionaire's Abused Bride

THINGS I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO SEE

CHAPTER 7:

I couldn't stop looking at the phone. The message was stuck in my head like it was carved there.

"You can run from me, Amara…. You will always come back."

My hands were shaking as I put the phone back on the bedside table. I was scared it might explode if I held it longer.

"Amara?"

Ethan's voice sounded away. It was muffled, like I was underwater. I took breaths trying to calm down.

"In. Out. In"

"Amara, " Ethan said, again softer this time. I turned my head to look at him. His eyes were on me. He looked worried.

"What happened?" he asked.

My lips opened. No sound came out. I didn't know how to explain something I didn't understand myself.

"I…" My voice cracked. "There's a message."

He frowned. "From who?"

"I don't know." That was the part. The number was unknown. There was no name.. Somehow it didn't feel like a stranger. It felt like someone who knew me well.

Ethan picked up the phone. Read the message. His face got darker. For a second I saw something in his eyes. It was tense. Then it was gone.

He put the phone down. "Probably just someone messing around, " he said.

I stared at him. "No, " I whispered. "It's not."

He hesitated. That pause said more than his words. "You don't know that, " he said.

"I do " I said, my voice stronger now. "It didn't feel like a joke."

The room was silent. It was heavy and uncomfortable. Ethan studied me before speaking

"Do you feel like you've seen this number before?" he asked.

I shook my head slowly. "No…. It feels familiar." That word again. Familiar. Everything felt familiar in a way. Like pieces of my life were out of reach.

Ethan exhaled quietly. Ran a hand through his hair. "Okay " he said finally. "We won't ignore it."

I felt relieved. "You believe me?" I asked.

He looked at me like the answer was obvious. " Course I do."

Something inside me softened a little.

The door opened. My whole body tensed.. It wasn't Kieran. It was a nurse.

"You have a visitor, " she said gently.

My stomach dropped. Ethan's posture changed.

"Who?" he asked.

The nurse hesitated. "Miss Lila Grant."

The name meant nothing to me.. Something about it made my chest tight.

"I'll stay, " Ethan said quickly.

The nurse. Stepped aside. Later Lila walked in. She was beautiful. Her features were soft. Her hair was perfectly styled. She was dressed like someone who had everything together.

When her eyes landed on me they were filled with tears. "Amara…" Her voice broke.

Before I could react she rushed toward me. "Oh my God " she whispered, grabbing my hand tightly. "You're alive."

I stiffened. Not because she was rough but because something felt… off.

"I…" I hesitated. "Do I know you?"

Her grip tightened a little. "I'm your friend, " she said, her voice trembling. "Lila. We've known each other since college."

Best friend. The word echoed in my head.. There was nothing there. No memory. No warmth. Just emptiness.

"I'm sorry " I said softly. "I don't remember anything."

Tears slipped down her cheeks. "That's okay, " she said quickly. "That's okay. We'll fix it."

Fix it. The way she said it made something inside me uneasy. Like my memory was something that needed to be repaired. Not understood.

Ethan stepped closer. "You shouldn't overwhelm her, " he said calmly.

Lila glanced at him. Her eyes flickered with something before softening again.

"And you are?" she asked.

"Ethan, " he replied. "I was there when she was brought in."

Lila nodded slowly, her gaze lingering on him for a moment. Then she turned back to me.

"You must be so confused, " she said gently.

I nodded. "That's an understatement."

She gave a sad smile. "I'll help you remember, " she said. "Everything."

Something in my chest tightened again. Not comfort. Not relief. Something else. Why did that sound like a promise…. A threat at the same time?

"What’s the last thing you remember?" she asked.

I hesitated. Then I answered honestly. "Nothing."

Her expression shifted. Just slightly. Disappointment? No… that wasn't it. Something closer to concern.. Deeper. More complicated.

"That’s okay, " she said again, forcing a smile. "We'll start small."

She glanced around the room back at me. "Do you remember your home?"

I shook my head.

"Your job?"

Another shake.

"Your husband?"

The word made my chest tight. "I remember how he makes me feel, " I said quietly.

"And how is that?" she asked carefully.

"Scared."

The word hung in the air. Lila went still.

"That doesn’t make sense, " she said slowly.

"It does to me, " I replied.

She opened her mouth like she wanted to argue. Then she stopped. Her eyes flicked briefly to Ethan. Then back to me.

"Amara… Kieran loves you " she said softly.

Something about the way she said his name felt practiced. Careful. Controlled.

"I don’t feel that, " I said.

Her jaw tightened slightly. "You're not thinking clearly, " she insisted. "You just woke up. You're confused."

"That doesn’t mean my feelings are wrong, " I shot back.

The room grew tense again. Ethan stepped in gently.

"Let’s not push her, " he said.

Lila exhaled slowly, clearly trying to calm herself. "You're right, " she murmured.

Something in her expression told me she didn’t mean it. Not fully.

She reached into her bag. "I brought something, " she said.

My heart skipped. She pulled out a photo and handed it to me.

The moment I looked at it something inside me shifted. It was me. Smiling. Happy. Standing next to Kieran. His arm was wrapped around me. Close. Possessive.

In the picture… I didn’t look afraid. I looked… in love.

My breath caught. "That’s you, " Lila said softly.

I stared at the image. My chest tightened painfully. Why didn’t I remember this? Why didn’t I feel this? Why did it feel like I was looking at a stranger wearing my face?

"I don’t understand, " I whispered.

Lila leaned closer. "You loved him, " she said. "You still do."

"No, " I said immediately. The answer came fast. Too strong. Because something deep inside me rejected it completely.

"I don't, " I repeated.

Her eyes hardened for a split second. Then it softened again. "You're just scared, " she said.

"No, " I said, my voice shaking now. "It’s more than that."

Silence filled the room. Heavy. Uncomfortable.

Ethan stepped closer to me. "You don’t have to decide anything now, " he said gently.

Lila straightened slightly. Her expression changed. More serious now. Less emotional.

"Amara, " she said carefully. "There are things you don’t understand."

My heart started racing. "What things?"

She hesitated. Just for a second. Then

"You were in danger before the accident."

The words hit me like a shock. "What?"

Ethan’s head snapped toward her. "Lila"

“She needs to know, " Lila interrupted.

Know what?

My heart was racing.

“What danger?" I asked.

Lila stared at me.

She really looked at me this time.

Not like a friend.

Like she was checking how much I could handle.

“You were part of something " she said slowly. "Something ”

I gasped.

“What was I part of?”

She hesitated again.

Ethan stepped in.

“That’s enough, " he said firmly.

Lila turned to him angrily.

“You can’t decide that.”

“And you can’t just tell her half of it, " he said back.

The tension between them snapped.

I looked at both of them feeling confused.

“What are you telling me?" I asked.

They were both quiet.

Neither of them answered.

That silence told me a lot.

They both knew something.

Something major.

Something about me.

I felt anxious.

“Tell me " I said, shaking. "Please.”

Lila started to say something

Then stopped.

Her phone buzzed.

The sound broke the tension.

She looked down at it.

Froze.

The color left her face.

“What is it?" I asked.

She didn’t answer.

Just stared at the screen.

Ethan noticed it.

“What happened?”

Slowly…

slowly…

Lila looked at me.

For the first time since she walked in

I saw real fear in her eyes.

“Amara…" she whispered.

My heart started racing

“What?”

Her voice was barely audible.

“They know you’re awake.”

I felt a chill.

“Who?" I whispered.

She swallowed hard.

Said the one word that made everything feel real

“Blackwood.”

The room was silent.

In that moment

I knew.

Whatever my past was…

It had just found me again.