Chapter 2 Shadows of the past

Aurora stared at the photo frame on the bedside table. It was a picture of her and Aiden, smiling warmly, wrapped in a cozy embrace. But the image felt like a stranger's dream-one she couldn't quite grasp.

"Why don't I remember any of this?" she whispered.

Aiden sat beside her, his fingers lightly brushing her arm. "Memory is tricky," he said softly. "Your mind is protecting you-from something you're not ready to face."

She pulled away gently, frustration rising. "Protecting me? From what, exactly?"

His eyes darkened with a sadness she couldn't place. "The accident wasn't just an accident, Aurora."

Her heart pounded. "What do you mean?"

He hesitated before answering, "There are people who don't want you to remember. People from your past life... people who want to keep you from the truth."

Aurora felt a chill ripple down her spine. Her perfect world, the one with Liam and everything she thought she knew, was slipping through her fingers like smoke.

"Who?" she demanded. "Who would do this to me?"

Before Aiden could answer, the phone on the nightstand buzzed loudly. Aurora jumped. Aiden glanced at the screen and frowned.

"It's your sister," he said.

Aurora's hands shook as she answered. "Hello?"

Her sister's voice was urgent, "Aurora, please be careful. Not everyone is who they seem. I don't know who to trust anymore."

The line went dead.

Aurora sank back onto the bed, her mind swirling with questions she wasn't sure she wanted answered. But one thing was clear-her life was no longer her own.