Forgotten Vows

Chapter 4

“If I may?” Lucian said, reaching out for me to hand my phone over to him.

I was torn between asking Mira what she was talking about. Why did she sound so bitter? What did she mean by “again”? What was Lucian hiding from me?

“Answer me, Aurora.”

Before I could speak again, I was defeated by a scream. The scream was so familiar that I knew who it was immediately. It was my own scream. I was having a flashback, and in that memory, I was screaming.

The walls were white and enclosed. I couldn’t quite put my finger on where I was.

“Lucian!” I called out in that memory. “Please, help! Lucian, please!”

By the time I was drawn back to reality by Lucian, my head was pounding as if it was being hit over and over by something sharp.

“My head…” I bent over, unable to move any further.

“Here, I’ll help.” Lucian led me into the bedroom and helped me sit on the bed, helping me with my medicine.

I sat there with my thoughts whirling. Why was I pleading? Lucian wasn’t in this memory, but I kept calling out for him. Why? Did he have something to do with me in that room, begging for help?

“Have you ever locked me up in a room before?” I was quick to ask, hoping he would have the decency to tell me the truth since he promised.

“No,” he said swiftly. “I already told you, Aurora. I would never hurt you. Even if you don’t remember the past three years, I’ll tell you now that I’ve never done anything like that to you. I wouldn’t be this confident about telling you since I know you’re getting your memories back.”

He was right. He knew I would get them back in a moment. He didn’t have to lie. I was being paranoid. Maybe I just needed to sleep.

I laid down, blinking as I stared up at the ceiling and he joined me in bed after making one of his many secretive calls.

“Mira didn’t sound too happy about me being here,” I revealed.

“Well, you know her. She always feels things for you on a much larger scale. She was angry about a small argument we had and she hasn’t forgiven me for it.”

I hummed in response, sleep taking over me again.

Once again, my dreams were plagued with more screaming and more glasses breaking. I didn’t know where the lines blurred between the dream and what had happened in the past.

The next morning, I didn’t ask Lucian about it. I got a call from Mira, who told me she was going to be taking care of work and all I needed to do was sit and rest. I didn’t want that to happen since I cared a lot about my work, but I had no other choice.

“You really didn’t have to,” I said that morning as he made me breakfast. He didn’t burn the toast this time.

“I wanted to,” he said. “I made sure to cancel all my meetings so I could have more than enough time to take care of you and attend to your needs.”

“Lucian, don’t. There’s more than enough staff walking around that could help with whatever I want. I really don’t need you to cancel your meetings,” I told him in protest.

“It wouldn’t be the same.” His phone rang, and he stood up. “Excuse me. It’s an important business call.”

As he walked away, I finished my breakfast and found it odd that he still hadn’t returned.

“Ma’am?” One of the members of staff called as she walked into the kitchen. “The private press officials are here. They came for a private meeting with Mr. Lucian, but he’s nowhere around.”

“Press officials? I didn’t know he called a meeting with them.” I stood up and followed her into the living room where the press officials were seated. A woman sat there with a notepad and a man sat with recording equipment.

“Mrs. Aurora!” The woman greeted, standing up and looking as if she had just seen a ghost. “It’s a pleasure and quite a surprise to see you.”

I understood why she would be surprised to see me. I didn’t like to be in the spotlight with Lucian and his work. As a billionaire, people followed him around to find out what he was doing, especially the press. I did everything I could to hide in the shadows.

“Yes, well I didn’t know there was a meeting. What would you like to have? We can make arrangements. Lucian is on a business call right now, but I can entertain you until he gets back.”

“Um…” The woman looked back at the man, who was staring at me with narrowed eyes. “Sure. I would like a glass of water. Barry here would like a glass as well.”

I nodded as the staff who was standing with me retreated into the kitchen for their glasses of water.

I sat on a couch across from them, not quite sure where my newfound confidence came from. Maybe it was because they were in my territory and I wasn’t in theirs. I called the shots, in a way.

“So, what Lucian called you here for… is it confidential?” I asked, trying to figure out if it had anything to do with my accident. Perhaps he was trying to keep it under wraps. I hadn’t gone on the internet in a while, so I wasn’t quite sure what they were saying if they were saying anything.

“Well, not exactly. It’s not something too serious. We’re looking into a case on his business. We’re not an invasive group, so he does love to call us first to get the inside scoop. That’s one thing that works for us. People trust us.”

I nodded. That was one good thing, at least.

It was quiet as the staff brought the water they requested. I couldn’t tell if the silence was awkward just on my end or if they both felt it. I could see them shifting uncomfortably, but I didn’t want to think it was about me. Where the hell was Lucian anyway?

“Mrs. Aurora,” the woman said, clearing her throat. “I know I did say we’re not invasive and trust me, we really aren’t. But it would be quite strange if we didn’t do our jobs. Journalists are very curious people, and I’m sure you know that.”

I didn’t know where she was getting at, but I nodded along.

“It would be quite strange for us to sit here and refuse to address the elephant in the room. If you don’t mind my next question, I would like to know… Should I carry on?”

I believed the elephant in the room she was talking about was my accident, so I permitted her to ask.

“Well, as soon as I saw you in here, I had just one question in mind. I’m sure it’s a question that a lot of people will have when they walk in and find you here.” She looked at the man as if silently asking for his permission. He nodded at her.

“If you have a question, you can just ask,” I encouraged with a smile. “I know I shy away from the press, but I do know my limits.”

“Well, we would love to know why you’re living with Mr. Blackthorn three years after you both got divorced and finally separated from each other.”