The Wife He Wasn’t Supposed to Remember

The first thing Amara Bennett became aware of was the silence. Not the peaceful kind. It was as if something terrible had happened while she was unconscious. A beep. A beep. A beep. Amara opened her eyes. White ceiling. Bright lights. A strange smell. She blinked a few times trying to focus, trying to remember what happened. Her head was killing her and her body felt heavy. She tried to sit up, but a wave of pain crashed over her and she gasped. "Don't move." The voice was coming from the other side of the room. Amara turned her head and saw a man standing by the window. He was good looking, well dressed in a black suit with dark hair and a strong profile. He looked like he belonged in the financial district not a hospital. His eyes locked on to hers and something in his expression made her heart race. "Who are you?" There was something strange about the way he was looking at her. A flicker of relief even before it was gone. "My name is Adrian." She frowned. "Adrian what?" "Vale." The name sent a strange thrill down her spine. "Do I know you?" He hesitated before answering. "Yes." "From where?" His gaze was still on her face. "I've known you for years." Amara frowned. “I don’t remember you.”I know." The way he said it made her even more confused. Before she could ask another question the door opened and a nurse walked in with a clipboard. “Oh, you’re awake.”Where am I?" "St. Catherine's Hospital." "What happened?" "You were in an accident." "When?" "Three days ago." Three days. Amara stared at the ceiling trying to remember what had happened. "What kind of accident?“We’re still investigating.” She turned to Adrian. "Why is he here?" The nurse looked at him. "He hasn't left since you were admitted." Amara's stomach twisted. "Why?" The nurse hesitated. Adrian cleared his throat. “Because I’m your husband.” Amara turned to look at him. Then she laughed. It sounded strange, nervous. "I'm sorry?" The nurse looked down at the floor. Adrian remained silent. “I’m your husband, Amara.”No." The word came out before she could stop it. "I would remember getting married." Adrian's jaw tightened. "You don't remember a lot of things." Her smile vanished. "What does that mean?" Before he could respond the door opened again and a doctor walked in. He checked the monitor before turning to Amara. "Good morning, Ms. Bennett. How are you feeling?" "Confused." "That's understandable.“Everyone keeps telling me I’m married.” The doctor gave Adrian a strange look. Amara followed his gaze. "How long have I known him?" The doctor sat down on a chair next to the bed. "That's difficult to say." "Try." He sighed. "You suffered a traumatic brain injury. Your scans show that you have memory loss." Amara swallowed. "How much memory do I have?" "We don't know yet." "Days?" "Perhaps." "Weeks?" "Perhaps." "Months?" The doctor hesitated. Amara's voice was barely a whisper. "Years?" He nodded. "We believe you may have lost approximately three years of your memory." Her heart sank. Three years. Gone. She closed her eyes, trying to remember something, anything. She remembered her name, her childhood, her college days, and her friends. But it all stopped there. Then suddenly another memory surfaced. Rain. A man's hand. A wedding ring. A whisper of something she couldn't understand. It all vanished as quickly as it came. Amara opened her eyes and looked at Adrian. "What did you remember?" "Nothing." "Are you sure?" She frowned at him. "Why do you care so much?" His expression softened. “Because I love you.” The words should have meant something. They made her feel uncomfortable instead. Amara turned away from him. "If we're married, where is your ring?" Adrian looked down at his bare hand. "I lost it." "When?" "A while ago." She didn't believe him. She wasn't sure why. But something inside told her he was lying. The doctor stood up. "We'll do some tests. In the meantime, you need to rest." Amara nodded, but her thoughts were racing. Her husband. A man she couldn't remember. A man who apparently knew everything about her. The door opened and a woman walked in. She was beautiful, elegant, and well-dressed. Her gaze locked on to Adrian, then on Amara, then on the ring on her finger. Her face drained of color. "Oh God." Amara looked at the woman. "Who are you?" The woman didn't answer. She looked at Adrian. "You didn't tell me she was awake." Adrian's expression hardened. "Victoria, leave." Victoria turned to Amara. "You really don't remember me?" "No." Victoria's eyes narrowed. "That's impossible." "Who are you?" She turned back to Adrian. "Does she remember anything?" "No." "Then you need to keep it that way." Amara narrowed her eyes at Victoria. "What does that mean?" Adrian stepped forward. "Leave, Victoria." She took a step back, but Amara was surprised to see that she wasn't angry with him. She was afraid of him. Victoria turned and walked away. Before she left, she looked at Amara one more time. "You should have stayed forgotten." The door closed behind her and Amara turned to look at Adrian. "Who was that?" "Someone from my past." "Your ex?" Adrian said nothing. That was answer enough. Amara turned to look at him. "You expect me to believe we're married while your ex walks into my hospital room and acts like she knows something about me?" "I don't expect you to believe anything." "Then what do you expect?" He studied her for a long moment. "I expect you to stay alive." The words sent a chill down her spine. "Why wouldn't I?" He didn't answer. Instead, he took out his phone and unlocked the screen. He handed it to her and waited. Amara looked at the screen. The first photo showed her and Adrian. She was wearing a white dress and her hand was on his chest. They were smiling, but her eyes were locked on Adrian's face. He looked at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world. "That's me." "Yes." "I don't remember this." He swiped to the next photo. They were having dinner, then on the beach, then she was laughing with her arms around his neck. They looked happy. Truly happy. She continued swiping until she saw a photo that made her blood run cold. It showed her standing in a dark hallway, her face pale. Her eyes were wide with something that looked like fear. "Why do I look like that?" Adrian took the phone from her hands. "That's enough." "No." She looked at him straight in the eyes. "Tell me why I was afraid." He didn't answer. Her head was suddenly pounding. A memory surfaced. A locked door. Rain. Her own voice. "Don't let him find me." Then Adrian's face appeared in the darkness. He was standing in front of the door, looking at her. Amara gasped. The memory was gone. Adrian was suddenly right next to her. "Amara." She moved away. "You were there." His face tightened. "Where?" "I don't know." She pressed her fingers against her temples. "I was afraid." "You're confused." "No." She met his gaze. "I remember being afraid of you." There was a long pause. For the first time, Adrian looked genuinely frightened. The door opened and a nurse walked in with a small brown envelope. "Ms. Bennett?" "Yes?" "This was found among your belongings." Amara took the envelope. There was no name on it, only three words. IF YOU FORGET. Her hands were shaking. She opened the envelope and pulled out a small black notebook. She opened it and looked at the first page. Her heart pounded in her chest. The handwriting was unmistakable. It was hers. There was only one sentence written on the page. Amara read it again and again, until her blood turned to ice. If you're reading this, it means I was right not to trust Adrian Vale.