Chapter 4

Restraints hung on the walls, and in the corner sat a treatment chair, so familiar it was almost haunting.

Even though I couldn't remember a thing, my body was already drowning in despair.

I turned and banged on the door, sobbing and begging them to let me out.

David forced me into the chair, his grip unyielding.

"Charlotte, I'm doing this for your own good," he said, his voice low and firm.

"Whenever you lost control before, this was how we fixed it," he added, his tone unwavering.

"Once you remember our little family, you'll be grateful to me," he said, his voice cold and certain.

I kicked and struggled against him with everything I had.

"You killed my baby!" I screamed, my voice raw with pain and fury.

"I'll never thank you for this!" I yelled, my voice shaking with rage.

David's face was grim, but he still tightened the restraints, refusing to let me go.

Vivian stood nearby, speaking in that gentle, coaxing voice of hers.

"Charlotte, just try to bear it for a little while, okay?" she said softly.

"David just wants things to go back to how they were," she added, her tone sweet and reassuring.

The moment the switch clicked on, a jolt of pain ripped through me.

I screamed, and a memory of a dim piano room suddenly burst into my head.

Back then, I was still a student at the music academy, playing piano gigs at night just to cover my mom's hospital bills.

David Reed saw me for the first time that night. He came up on stage with a bunch of flowers right after my last note.

He chased after me for ages.

Then my stepdad racked up a gambling debt and cornered me at a club, demanding I pay it back.

David burst in and saved me.

In the chaos, I took a knife for him.

That nasty scar on my waist? That's from that night.

He held me, blood all over both of us, and he was a wreck, tears streaming down his face.

"Charlotte, if anything ever happened to you, I'd never forgive myself," his voice breaking as he spoke.

Those words were why I agreed to marry him.

The pain crashed over me again, sharp and relentless.

More memories surged into my mind, fierce and overwhelming.

Vivian was his first love, but she ended up marrying his older brother, Henry.

After she came back, David changed.

She said her husband was abusive, so he brought her into our home.

She was terrified of having kids, so she snatched my newborn daughter right out of my arms.

She complained that my piano playing gave her headaches, so David locked me out of the piano room.

She said she didn't want another woman in the house, so David coaxed me into signing the divorce papers that very day.

When I refused to give her my daughter, he used my mom's medical bills to force me to give in.

Henry ended up dying in a car crash.

Vivian was the one driving that night.

She sobbed, saying all she wanted was to get away from her husband. She never meant to end up in jail.

David dropped to his knees in front of me, begging me to cover for her.

"Charlotte, she's been weak since she was little. If she ends up in prison, she won't make it out alive," he pleaded, voice shaking.

"Just do two years for her, and I promise, I'll come get you myself," he said, desperation written all over his face.

I refused.

So he stopped my mom's medical care and took my daughter away, refusing to let me see her.

I knelt outside the Reed Estate, sobbing until I was hoarse and no sound would come out.

In the end, I could only sign my name on the confession.

Even after I was thrown in prison, Vivian still wouldn't let me go.

She bribed people inside to crush my hands, the ones I played piano with, and dragged me into the laundry room where no cameras could see.

I kept writing letters to David, begging him to come get me out.

But I never got a reply. It was like they disappeared into nothing.

When my mom found out the truth, she dragged herself, sick as she was, to the Reed Estate to beg David for help.

Vivian threw her out into the pouring rain.

While my mom collapsed outside the door, David was inside, celebrating Vivian's birthday.

It wasn't until I got out of prison that I found out my mom was already gone.

The car sent to get me was full of the same people who'd messed up my life before.

I totally broke down, bailed out of the car, desperate to escape, and got slammed by a car and tossed straight into the river.

The moment my memories came rushing back, the pain just vanished.

I slowly lifted my head, staring at the two people in front of me. They looked so familiar, but at the same time, like strangers to me.

David was practically trembling with excitement as he fumbled to undo the restraints.

"Charlotte, you remember everything now, don't you?" he asked, his voice trembling with hope.

I slapped him across the face, hard and without hesitation, fury burning in my eyes.

"I remember now," I said, my voice icy and unwavering.

"You're the one who killed my mom and my baby," I spat, my words sharp as knives.

David's face went ghostly pale, and he stumbled back, like he'd just seen a ghost.

"What are you talking about?" David stammered, his voice trembling.

"I only asked you to take the fall for Vivian after that accident. I never wanted to hurt you!" he protested, desperation spilling out in his words.

Vivian immediately wrapped her arms around David, her voice gentle and coaxing.

"David, her memory is definitely not right," she said softly.

"Go upstairs for now. Let me try to calm her down," she added, her tone smooth and reassuring.

David hesitated for a moment, but then someone rushed in, out of breath.

"Sir, Lucas Harrison is here with the police," the person blurted out.

I ripped free from the restraints, adrenaline surging through me.

The softness in Vivian's expression disappeared in a flash.

She snatched a syringe from the medical kit and lunged at me, her eyes blazing with fury.

"Now that you remember everything, there's no way I'm letting you walk out of here alive!" Vivian snarled, her voice dripping with venom.

I barely managed to dodge her, smashing through the basement side window. Dragging my bleeding hand, I crawled desperately into the backyard.

Vivian was hot on my heels, completely unhinged as she chased after me.

By the time I scrambled onto the second-floor balcony, there was nowhere left to run.

Suddenly, Lucas's hoarse voice rang out from below.

"Charlotte!"

I looked at him, tears streaming down my face, and without a second thought, I climbed over the railing.