Chapter 5 The broken bond

Emma stood by the tall windows of the reading room, watching the garden below. The sky was gray, the clouds thick and unmoving-almost like her thoughts. A chill pressed against the glass, but it was nothing compared to the coldness that had settled deep in her chest since waking up in this life she was supposed to call hers.

She'd eaten breakfast with Julian. She'd had conversations with staff who bowed with stiff politeness. She'd walked through marbled halls wearing silk. And now, as she stared down at the world outside, she still didn't feel any closer to belonging.

A sharp knock broke the silence. Eliza, one of the maids, stepped in with a tablet in her hands, face pale.

"Ma'am," she said carefully, eyes lowered. "There's... coverage of you on the news. I thought you should be aware."

Emma turned slowly, her brow furrowed. "Coverage?"

Eliza handed her the tablet and quickly left the room, as if the screen might explode at any moment.

Emma tapped the screen.

A video loaded-her image smiling faintly beside Julian at some past gala. The headline read: Julian Crane's Devoted Wife Finally Returns Home After Tragic Accident.

The footage shifted-an old clip of them walking into a charity event, her hand wrapped delicately around his arm. The world around them blurred in a sea of flashing cameras and screaming reporters, but Emma-her past self-looked composed, elegant, content.

She barely recognized that woman.

The news anchor's voice played over the montage:

"After weeks of speculation, the billionaire mogul Julian Crane has confirmed that his wife, Emma Crane, is home recovering following a serious car accident. Known for their elusive but passionate relationship, the couple has long been a favorite among high-society watchers. Sources say Julian has cleared his entire schedule to be by her side."

Emma's lips parted, stunned.

Another segment rolled. A gossip columnist with a bright smile appeared.

"We've always admired Emma Crane-poised, graceful, and impossibly private. She's been a mystery from the start, and now her return has sparked a media frenzy. The Cranes are the closest thing to royalty in the business world."

Emma paused the video.

Graceful. Private. Devoted.

Was that how the world saw her?

Was that really who she'd been?

It felt like watching a stranger-a beautiful, poised stranger wrapped in jewels and secrets. There was no trace of the fear she felt now. No indication of the distance between her and Julian. No hint of the memory fragments that whispered betrayal.

The world saw a fairy tale.

But she was trapped in the pages of a storybook written by someone else.

Her fingers curled tightly around the edge of the tablet. She didn't know which was worse: that people believed it... or that she almost wanted to.

Because the idea that she had once loved Julian-that he had once made her smile like that-was a hope she couldn't afford to carry. Not when every look from him made her chest tighten with unease.

Her thoughts spiraled again, dragging her down into the questions she was tired of asking.

Who was she before the crash?

Who had she become to survive being Julian Crane's wife?

And what had broken her so deeply that she'd tried to leave?

A soft chime from the hallway broke her trance. Footsteps-measured and deliberate-approached.

Julian.

He entered the room in his usual tailored perfection, eyes flicking briefly to the paused video on the tablet before settling on her.

"You've seen it," he said, his voice unreadable.

Emma nodded, placing the tablet down on a nearby table.

"I don't remember being that woman," she said. "The one they're showing. Was I really so... perfect?"

Julian's lips twitched into something between a smirk and a sigh. "Public image is rarely accurate. But yes, you played the part well."

"So it was a part."

He paused. "In public, we were unified. Strong. Untouchable. That's what people wanted to see."

"And in private?" she asked, crossing her arms.

His gaze darkened slightly. "Complicated. Messy. But real."

Emma looked away. "I don't feel real, Julian. I feel like a ghost wearing someone else's skin."

"I know," he said quietly. "But you're not alone in this."

She looked up, surprised by the sincerity in his voice-but also wary of it.

"I may not remember who I was," she said softly, "but I know what it feels like to be unloved. And I feel that... every time I'm near you."

The words hung between them like a slow-moving storm.

Julian's jaw tightened, but he didn't deny it.

Instead, he stepped closer and said, "I made mistakes. I let my ambition drown us. But I never stopped caring."

Emma searched his face for a lie, but all she saw was restrained emotion-buried too deep to trust.

"I think," she said slowly, "there was a time I believed you. Maybe even loved you. But something broke between us. Something big."

He looked away for the first time. "Yes."

"And you're not telling me everything."

"No," he admitted. "Not yet."

Her stomach twisted. "Then how can I trust you?"

His reply was simple. "You can't. Not yet. But I'm not going to walk away from you, Emma. No matter how long it takes."

She wanted to scream. Cry. Run. Something.

Instead, she stood there as he left the room, leaving behind the weight of too many truths unsaid.

And when the silence returned, Emma looked once more at the woman on the screen-the woman the world adored, the woman she used to be.

She didn't know if she wanted to become her again.

But she was going to find out why she left.

Even if it meant tearing down the illusion one memory at a time.