Chapter 3

I looked first at the officers, then at my nervous family, and finally at Zach and Jeffrey.

Their faces had gone pale. Their eyes were full of pleading fear.

I blinked slowly. "Police?" I repeated, as if I didn't understand.

"Yes," the officer said gently. "Don't be afraid. Just tell us what you remember."

I lowered my gaze to my hands, as if I were trying hard to think.

After a long pause, I looked up again. My eyes were empty.

"I don't remember," I said. "When I woke up, I was already here.

"My head hurts. I can't think of anything."

Zach and Jeffrey relaxed at once. Their shoulders dropped.

But the officer wasn't done.

He glanced at Zach and Jeffrey, then turned back to me. "Do you remember anything at all? Were you talking to someone before you fell? Was there an argument?"

The question was sharp, cutting right to the core of things.

I could feel Zach's gaze on me, cold and threatening.

I shrank back slightly and pulled the blanket up.

"An argument?" I echoed, frowning as if the effort hurt. "I don't know. My head hurts when I try to remember."

Grace quickly stepped in front of me. "Officer, I'm sorry. My daughter has memory loss again. The doctor said she shouldn't be stressed."

Ellery followed up, firm and controlled. "It was just an accident. We'll handle it as a family. No need to trouble you further."

The officer glanced at me, then at Ellery and Grace, who were clearly determined. Then he closed the notebook. "Alright. Get some rest, Ms. Clarke. If you remember anything, contact us."

The officers left a business card and walked out.

The door to the hospital room closed, shutting out the rest of the world.

The room fell into an eerie silence.

Zach and Jeffrey stood there, awkward, not knowing what to do with their hands.

"Melody, you scared me," Grace said, sitting down beside me and patting her chest.

I didn't look at her. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no. You did nothing wrong," she said quickly.

The harder she tried to soothe me, the more ridiculous the whole thing seemed.

She wasn't comforting me. She was just trying to keep a ticking time bomb of evidence from going off at any moment.

Ellery walked over to Zach and lowered his voice, but I still heard every word. "Listen carefully. This ends here. If something like this happens again, I'll break your legs."

Zach gritted his teeth and nodded.

They thought it was over. They thought everything was under control.

But they had no idea that the first seed of doubt had already been planted. Once planted, it would take root and grow.

*****

That night, my parents went home. Zach was the only one who stayed behind to keep me company.

He sat on the sofa across the room, scrolling on his phone. We didn't speak.

Late into the night, I pretended to be asleep.

He quietly got up and walked over to my bed to check if I was really asleep.

I felt his breath close to my face.

In the darkness, I heard him whisper in a low voice filled with hate and fear, "Why did you have to come back?"

Under the blanket, my hands tightened slowly.

This was just the beginning.

*****

The next morning, Grace came in with red, swollen eyes. She obviously hadn't slept much last night.

She fed me oatmeal and chatted casually.

She said, "Melody, don't be angry with Zach. He has a bad temper, but he cares about you."

I said nothing. I just kept eating.

She sighed and added, "This is our fault. We never should have brought Regina into this house. Now that you're back and she's gone, Zach is upset. That's why—"

She didn't finish. She didn't need to. Blame shifted neatly onto the adopted daughter, Regina.

It was almost amusing. They were the ones who started all of this.

Grace noticed my lack of reaction and quickly changed the subject.

"Melody, I won't let you suffer anymore," she said. "We've decided that on your birthday next month, we'll officially introduce you to everyone.

"And as an apology, we'll transfer ten percent of the company's shares to you."

She looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for me to gasp and thank her.

My hand paused for a split second.

The shares would be very useful.

I slowly raised my head and looked at her, finally showing the first real smile in days. But it was cold.

"Mom, is that true?" I asked softly.

She seemed surprised. She clearly hadn't expected someone with "amnesia" to show such interest in company shares.

But she quickly pulled herself together and nodded. "Of course. I would never lie to you."

I smiled again.

My plan had just found its starting point.

Over the next few days, I acted like everything was normal.

I smiled. I spoke gently. I called them by their proper roles.

They relaxed. They thought the sweet, docile Melody had returned.

Only I knew the truth. The fire inside me had never gone out.

*****

The day I was discharged, Jeffrey came to see me.

He looked at me with a complicated expression.

"Melody, I'm sorry," he said quietly.

I looked at him. Once, I had loved him. Now, all I felt was disgust.

"Jeffrey, what are you apologizing for?" I asked, smiling innocently as usual. "I don't remember anything."

He froze, not knowing what to say.

Back at the Clarke family house, everything looked the same.

My room was exactly as it used to be.

But the air still carried Regina's scent.

That night, I lay in bed when my phone lit up.

It was a single message from an unknown number. [I know you're faking it.]

My eyes widened in shock.