Chapter 9 Ready to go home

Husband. Three years. It all felt so foreign, so distant, as though Elena was talking about someone else's life, not hers.

How could someone she was supposed to be so close to feel like a stranger?

"But I can't feel it," Ava whispered, her fingers gripping the sheets beneath her. "I should know him, right? There should be something. A memory. A feeling. Anything." Her voice cracked, frustration mixing with fear.

How could someone be such a significant part of her life, yet evoke nothing inside her? It was as if the word husband was just that, a word. And it felt hollow.

Elena's lips tightened, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. She cast another quick glance toward the door, as if weighing her words carefully before speaking again. "Ava, you've been through so much. Trauma... it can do strange things to the mind. Maybe it's just temporary. Maybe it's the shock." Her voice wavered slightly, as if she was trying to convince herself just as much as she was trying to reassure Ava.

"But..." Ava's voice grew softer, her gaze dropping to her lap as her hands shook. "It doesn't feel right. The way he looks at me, the way he talks about us. It's like he's reciting a story, but I'm not a part of it."

Elena's silence stretched on, thick and uneasy. There was something guarded in her eyes now, as if she knew more than she was willing to share.

Ava could sense it, the slight shift in Elena's demeanor, the caution in her tone.

"Has anyone else come to see me?" Ava asked, a sudden desperation in her voice. "Any family? Friends? Anyone who might know me? My past?"

Elena hesitated, her fingers tightening around the clipboard. "You haven't had many visitors. Ethan made sure you were comfortable, that you had everything you needed... but no one else has come."

Ava's chest tightened. No one? The isolation she felt deepened. No friends, no family. No one who could help her piece together the fragments of her life. It was as though Ethan was the only thread connecting her to a past she couldn't remember, a past that now felt like a cage.

"And Ethan... he controls everything, doesn't he?" Ava's voice was barely above a whisper, her heart pounding in her ears. "The doctors. My recovery. All of it."

Elena's eyes flickered with something... an unease that she couldn't fully hide. "He cares about you, Ava," she said softly. "He's been by your side, making sure you're taken care of."

"But he decides," Ava cut in, her voice trembling with a growing sense of realization. "He's the one who decides what I know, when I know it. Isn't he?"

Elena's silence was answer enough.Ava's head spun. The hospital room, once bathed in soft daylight, now felt oppressive, suffocating. The sterile smell of antiseptic clung to the air, the rhythmic beeping of the machines around her growing louder, like a drumbeat pounding inside her skull.

She had been asleep for three years, her mind trapped in darkness. And now that she was awake, she still felt trapped. But this time, it wasn't her body that was keeping her captive. It was him.

Ethan.

Everything about him felt wrong, like a puzzle piece that didn't fit no matter how hard she tried to force it into place. His calm, composed demeanor, the way he controlled every aspect of her life, his version of events that didn't sit right with her instincts.. it all screamed danger.

But the worst part was that she couldn't even pinpoint why. She had no memories, no evidence, just a gut feeling that gnawed at her like a festering wound.

"I don't know if I can trust him," Ava murmured, almost to herself.

Elena reached out, her hand resting lightly on Ava's arm. Her touch was gentle, but there was something behind her eyes.. an urgency, a quiet plea for Ava to be careful.

"Just... take it slow," Elena said, her voice barely audible. "Don't rush anything. Your memories will come back when you're ready."

Ava nodded, but deep down, she knew that something wasn't right. Her instincts screamed at her to dig deeper, to question everything. But how could she, when the only person with the answers was the one keeping her in the dark?

At night..

The door creaked open, and both women stiffened as Ethan walked back in, his phone now tucked away in his pocket. His presence filled the room, an invisible weight pressing down on them.

"Everything okay?" he asked, his voice smooth, his eyes scanning the room as if he could sense the tension that had built in his absence.

Ava forced a smile, her pulse racing. "Fine," she replied, though her voice felt hollow, like an echo bouncing off the walls of the room.

Ethan smiled back, though there was a shadow in his gaze, something dark and unreadable. He moved closer, his hand gently cupping Ava's chin as he leaned down to kiss her forehead, a gesture that was meant to be tender but felt possessive, almost territorial.

As his lips brushed against her skin, Ava's breath caught in her throat, a chill creeping down her spine.

She stared out of the window, her heart heavy with the weight of the past she couldn't remember and the growing fear that maybe... she didn't want to remember it at all.

Because what if the truth was worse than the darkness she was already living in?

Next morning..

The hospital air clung to Ava like a thick fog, every sterile surface and faint antiseptic scent increased the emptiness in her chest. She sat on the edge of the hospital bed, staring blankly at the discharge papers in her hand. Her name was there, written in neat letters 'Ava Ethan Cole.' Yet it felt foreign, like a label that belonged to someone else.

Ethan stood at the door, leaning casually against the frame, watching her with that same eerie calmness he always carried. His eyes, sharp and dark, bore into her, and despite the gentle smile on his face, there was an undercurrent of possessiveness she couldn't ignore.

"Ready to go home?" His voice was smooth, almost soothing, but Ava heard the underlying command beneath it.

Home.

Ava looked up at him, her stomach twisting in knots. Home was supposed to be a place of safety, warmth, a sanctuary. But the thought of going anywhere with Ethan made her feel cold, as if she were stepping into a gilded cage she would never be able to escape.