Erased vows

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

My phone buzzes on the kitchen table, Aunt Natty’s name glowing against the dim morning light. She’s not just my godmother, she’s the closest thing I’ve got to family. I grab it quickly, my heart already pounding.

“Aunt, what did you find?” I ask, pacing the tiny kitchen, the smell of coffee grounding me.

“Elsie, honey, hold still because this is a shocker,” she says, her voice sharp with that fire I’ve always loved. “I got Clara in records to pull Liam’s file again. It isn’t good. Dr. McMillian, the slick neurologist who signed his release.”

There was a pause

“But there’s no medication listed. None. No painkillers, no anti-seizure meds, nothing. For a man in a coma for three weeks? That’s not a slip-up. That’s suspicious.” She continued.

My stomach twists. Last week when I told her about McMillian resigning, I saw the suspicion spark in her eyes. She knows the hospital better than anyone, and just his name set her off. “You think he was hiding something?” I whisper, my grip on the phone so tight my knuckles ache.

“I’d bet my best earrings on it. Clara’s digging into his other cases to see if this is a pattern. But don’t go charging at him yet. Play it smart. You talked to Liam?”

My chest pulls tight. Liam. My ex-husband. The secret I only trusted Natty with when we reunited last week. Our marriage burned fast and bright, and then the accident stole everything, his memories, even my face from his world.

“Not yet,” I admit, my voice uneven. “Talking to him feels like… talking to a ghost who doesn’t know he’s haunting me.”

“What do I tell him I asked.

‘I don't know if he will believe me,” I whispered to myself.

Natty softens. “I know, sweetheart. But we’re doing this for him. I’ll let you know what Clara finds. You hang in there.”

When the call ends, I’m still shaking. Aunt Natty and I two detectives fumbling our way through something dark. His recovery was called a miracle, but miracles don’t leave people hurt and holes in memory.

——-

It was past Noon when I decided to head out.

I sling my purse over my shoulder, the weight of my boss’s black office card heavy inside. Greece is coming up, he says a work trip to look at a new hotel expansion. Tara’s meeting me at the mall to shop, but my head’s a mess.

The mall’s a blur of noise music, chatter, and bags rustling. Tara, all curls and confidence, drags me into a boutique and holds up a sharp blazer with a grin. “Nita, this screams ‘Greece business trip chic.’ You’re gonna crush it with the CEO. That black card’s practically begging.”

I force a smile, brushing a silk dress with my fingers. “Yeah, it’s a big deal.” The words sound flat, my mind stuck on Liam and Aunt Natty’s call. “I just need something that says professional but not stiff.”

Tara tosses me a flowy top. “Something that says ‘I run the show.’ Maybe even catch Liam’s eye while you’re at it.” She winks, casual as ever.

Typical Tara.

My heart stutters. She doesn’t know. Nobody knows. But I can’t keep this secret anymore. “Tara,” I say, my voice low, almost drowned out by the mall’s hum. “There’s something I need to tell you. About Liam.”

She stops in her tracks, brows up. “Okay, that tone… spill.”

I twist a scarf in my hands, the words heavy. “Liam and I… we were married.” Saying it out loud feels like dropping stones into water. “That spring before the accident. No one knew. It was impulsive, reckless. We loved each other. Or thought we did. And then the crash happened, and he forgot… everything. Even me.”

Tara’s mouth falls open. “Anita. Married? To Liam? And you didn’t tell me?” She pulls me onto a bench, gripping my hand. “How did I miss this?”

Winning a war against myself, I decided to open up.

“My name is not Anita either, my name is Elsie Monroe,” I blurted out.

For some unknown reason, I feel I could trust her.

I feel like I have found my person who would listen to me.

She breaks my thoughts, “How don’t I know this?”

Tears prick at my eyes. “Because it was just ours. Our little secret. And now he doesn’t even know me.”

Her expression softens, her usual fire dimming. “Nit….sorry Elsie, I’m so sorry. That’s heavy.” She hesitates, then says, “But you know, he was planning something before the accident. Something big. We were at that bar on Fifth, a week before it happened. He was nervous, said he had a ‘major personal revelation.’ Like it was gonna change everything.

Her words hit hard, tangled with what Aunt Natty just told me. “There’s more,” I whisper. “Liam’s hospital file Dr McMillian signed off, but there are no meds listed. Not one. Aunt Natty’s checking if he’s done this to other patients.”

Tara stood up, “Heyyy take it slowly, who is Dr McMillan and who is Aunt Natty?”

“Dr McMillan was Liam’s neurologist and Aunt Natty is my Godmother,” I said, playing with my fingers as a form of distraction.

“Okay I think I need time to process all this,” she cut off.