Emilia Hayes had it all-a thriving career, a fiancé who adored her, and a future full of promise. But when a tragic accident robs her of her memories, she wakes up in a hospital to find herself engaged to Julian Cross, a cold and enigmatic billionaire she doesn't remember. Julian claims they were once deeply in love, but something doesn't add up. As Emilia pieces together fragments of her past, she discovers a twisted web of secrets, betrayals, and hidden dangers. Torn between trusting the man who says he loves her and the nagging feeling that he's hiding something, Emilia must uncover the truth before it's too late. Because in the game of love and deception, her heart may be the ultimate pawn.
Chapter 1 Lost in the Dark
A sharp, rhythmic beeping pulled Emilia Hayes from the depths of unconsciousness. The air smelled sterile, laced with the faint scent of antiseptic and something metallic-blood? Her body ached, every muscle stiff as if she had been in a battle she didn't remember fighting.
Her eyes fluttered open, and blinding white light forced her to shut them again. A dull pounding throbbed in her skull. Where was she?
Slowly, she turned her head to the side, her fingers weakly gripping the stiff bedsheets beneath her. Machines surrounded her, their screens flickering with numbers she couldn't comprehend. An IV was taped to her arm. The realization hit her in waves. A hospital. She was in a hospital.
Panic coiled in her chest. She tried to sit up, but a gentle yet firm hand pressed against her shoulder.
"Easy, sweetheart."
The deep voice sent a shiver down her spine. It was warm, intimate, yet completely unfamiliar.
She forced her eyes open again, blinking away the blur. A man sat beside her bed, his sharp blue eyes watching her with an intensity that made her breath hitch. His dark hair was neatly styled, his chiseled jaw tense as if he had been clenching his teeth for hours. He was breathtaking-hauntingly so.
But she didn't know him.
"Who..." Her voiceHer voice cracked, weak from disuse. She tried again. "Who are you?"
The man's expression didn't flicker. If anything, something unreadable passed through his gaze.
His fingers flexed against the bed frame before he spoke.
"Emilia," he said, his voice softer now, as
if he were choosing his words carefully.
"Emilia, it's me. Julian."
The name meant nothing. It rang hollow in her mind, an empty echo with no memories attached.
She licked her dry lips, trying to push through the fog in her head. "I... I don't know you."
Something flickered in his eyes-pain? Frustration? It was gone before she could be sure.
Julian leaned forward slightly, his presence overwhelming. "You were in an accident," he said slowly, watching her reaction. "A car crash. You hit your head, and you've been unconscious for three days."
An accident. A car crash.
Emilia closed her eyes, willing her mind to cooperate, but it was like reaching into a void. No images, no sounds, no sensations-just an aching emptiness where her memories should have been.
Her fingers curled into the sheets. "I... I don't remember."
Julian exhaled, as if he had expected this but still hated hearing it. "The doctors said you might have memory loss. But they also said it should come back with time."
She opened her eyes again, searching his face. "Who are you to me?"
A muscle in his jaw ticked. Then, after a beat, he said, "I'm your fiancé."
The words hit her like a punch to the chest.
She stared at him, her heart pounding. "No... that can't be right."
But Julian didn't flinch. He simply reached into his pocket, pulled out a small velvet box, and flipped it open. Inside sat an engagement ring-simple yet elegant, a gleaming diamond set in platinum.
"This is your ring," he said, his voice firm but laced with something deeper, something vulnerable. "I gave it to you a year ago."
Emilia's breath came short and shallow. None of this felt real. She didn't remember him. She didn't remember their engagement.
She didn't remember anything.
Panic rose in her throat. She looked down at her hands, as if they belonged to a stranger. Her fingers trembled. "I don't-"
Julian reached for her hand, his touch warm and familiar-too familiar for a man she had no recollection of. "Emilia, please. Just breathe. I promise, we'll figure this out."
She wanted to believe him. She wanted to trust the steady strength in his voice.
But something deep in her gut twisted.
Something told her that Julian Cross was hiding more than he was saying.
Emilia's breath came fast and uneven. The walls of the hospital room seemed to close in, the beeping of the machines growing louder, sharper.
She willed herself to remember-anything. The way Julian's fingers lightly traced over her knuckles, the way his gaze burned into hers as if willing her to remember him. But there was nothing. Just an empty void where her past should have been.
She forced herself to look at him again. His face was unreadable, though a flicker of something-desperation?-lingered in his eyes.
"If we were engaged," she said slowly, "then why don't I feel anything for you?"
Julian flinched, just slightly, but it was enough.
Emilia wasn't sure why she said it, but deep down, she expected to feel something-a rush of familiarity, a sense of safety, love, anything. But instead, all she felt was a growing unease.
Julian's grip on her hand tightened just enough for her to notice before he let go. His lips pressed into a thin line.
"You've been through trauma," he said carefully. "Your emotions need time to catch up. But trust me, Emilia-we were happy."
The words should have reassured her. They didn't.
She glanced down at the engagement ring still sitting in the open box. It was beautiful, expensive, something she might have once dreamed of wearing. But now? It felt foreign.
Julian reached out and gently tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. It was a tender gesture, but instead of comfort, it sent a chill down her spine.
"You don't have to force yourself to remember everything right away," he murmured. "Just trust me. I'll take care of you."
A part of her wanted to believe him. Wanted to lean into the warmth of his words.
But another part of her-the part that felt like it had been screaming from deep inside the fog of her mind-was telling her to run.
She didn't know why.
She just knew that something about Julian Cross didn't feel right.
And if she wanted the truth, she would have to find it herself.
Chapter 1 Lost in the Dark
02/03/2025
Chapter 2 A Stranger's Promise
02/03/2025
Chapter 3 Whisper's of the past
03/03/2025
Chapter 4 The Illusion Of The Truth
03/03/2025
Chapter 5 The Breaking Point
03/03/2025
Chapter 6 The Man She Forgot
04/03/2025
Chapter 7 The Man From The Shadows
04/03/2025
Chapter 8 Cracks In The Lies
04/03/2025
Chapter 9 A Heart's Betrayal
04/03/2025
Chapter 10 A Fragile Freedom
04/03/2025
Chapter 11 Nowhere To Hide
04/03/2025
Chapter 12 Shadows In The Dark
13/03/2025
Chapter 13 No Way Out
14/03/2025
Chapter 14 Stolen Memories
14/03/2025
Chapter 15 A life of perfection
15/03/2025
Chapter 16 A Life without shadows
16/03/2025
Chapter 17 A day of simple joy
17/03/2025
Chapter 18 A Life Of Sweetness
19/03/2025
Chapter 19 Preparation for anna birthday
19/03/2025
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