The argument did not last much longer.
The hotel security guards moved in before Magnus or Nova had the chance to make another scene.
One guard seized Magnus by the arm while another caught Nova, and despite their protests, neither of them was given the opportunity to stay.
“Let go of me!” Magnus shouted, twisting against the guard’s grip.
“I can walk by myself!”
Nova wasn’t nearly as composed.
She fought against the hand holding her arm, tears already running down her face as she shouted that she had every right to be there.
Her voice carried through the lobby, drawing even more attention from the guests who had already witnessed their humiliation.
Nobody came to their defense.
Within seconds, the glass doors closed behind them, swallowing the last of their shouting.
The lobby gradually fell quiet again, although the guests were still exchanging glances and murmuring among themselves.
I watched the doors for a moment.
Wilder didn’t.
He didn’t even bother turning around.
His arm settled around my waist, his hand firm against my side as he guided me toward the hotel entrance.
His attention seemed to have already shifted away from Magnus and Nova, as if they had become nothing more than an unpleasant interruption to an otherwise successful evening.
A black luxury sedan was waiting at the curb.
One of the hotel attendants opened the rear door for us, and Wilder placed his hand against my back as I stepped inside.
A moment later, he followed.
The door shut behind us.
The noise of the hotel disappeared almost instantly.
Inside the car, the world felt strangely distant.
The tinted windows separated us from the lights outside, leaving only the muted hum of the engine and the soft movement of the city passing beyond the glass.
I sat beside Wilder, suddenly much more aware of the small space between us.
He reached across me and pulled the seat belt toward my shoulder.
His movements were calm and familiar, as though nothing unusual had happened.
The buckle clicked into place.
I thought that was the end of it.
Then Wilder’s hand remained near my face.
His thumb brushed across my lower lip.
I froze.
The kiss had left my lips slightly swollen, and the gentle touch felt almost absurdly tender compared with the intensity of what had happened only minutes earlier.
Wilder’s thumb moved across my lower lip once, carefully, almost affectionately.
But when I looked into his eyes, there was nothing casual about his expression.
He was watching me.
Studying me.
The tenderness in his touch only made that gaze more dangerous.
The car began to move.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then Wilder’s voice broke the silence.
“Did you remember anything earlier, beloved?”
My heart skipped.
So that was what this was about.
I kept my expression calm and looked out the window before turning back toward him.
“No.”
His eyes remained on me.
“I don’t remember anything.”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he watched my face as though he were trying to determine whether my answer had come too quickly.
Then he asked, “Nothing at all?”
I shook my head.
“Nothing.”
His thumb left my lip, but his hand settled against my cheek.
“So you didn’t remember anything when Magnus claimed you were his girlfriend?”
I knew exactly what he was doing.
He wasn’t asking because he was curious.
He was testing me.
I had to choose every word carefully.
“Why would I remember that?” I asked, keeping my voice soft.
“I’m your wife.
Magnus is Nova’s fiancé.
He isn’t my boyfriend.”
For a moment, Wilder said nothing.
His gaze stayed fixed on me.
Then he asked, “So you only remember that you’re my wife?” This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“Yes.”
The answer came quickly enough that I almost regretted it.
“You told me yourself.”
A faint tension appeared in his jaw.
“I did.”
“Yes.”
I gave him a small, confused look, hoping it would discourage him from asking anything else.
It didn’t.
“Do you remember anything about Magnus?”
“No.”
“Anything about Nova?”
“I know she’s my sister.”
“Do you remember what Magnus meant to you before the accident?”
My fingers curled against the fabric of my dress.
“No.”
“Do you remember how long you knew him?”
“No.”
“Do you remember why he was so angry when he saw me kiss you?”
My throat tightened.
I forced myself to shake my head.
“No.”
The questions kept coming.
Each one seemed harmless on its own, but together they formed a trap.
Wilder was taking apart every answer I gave him, searching for the smallest inconsistency.
He wasn’t raising his voice or accusing me of lying.
That would have been easier to handle.
Instead, he remained calm.
That was what frightened me.
I had to keep pretending that my memory was broken while making sure I didn’t accidentally reveal something I shouldn’t know.
One wrong answer could destroy everything.
I turned toward the window again, pretending to watch the city.
Inside, panic was beginning to spread through me.
How much longer could I keep doing this?
Wilder knew too much.
He watched too closely.
And if I continued answering his questions, eventually he would find something I couldn’t explain.
I needed to stop this before I trapped myself.
Then an idea came to me.
If he wanted to use my supposed memory loss against me, I could use it against him.
I raised one hand to my forehead.
At first, Wilder didn’t react.
I pressed my fingers against my temple and closed my eyes.
A faint groan escaped my lips.
“Ah…”
Wilder immediately turned toward me.
I rubbed my temples harder, breathing unevenly as though a sharp pain had suddenly spread through my head.
“Nyxia?”
I didn’t answer.
I kept my eyes closed and lowered my head.
“My head hurts.”
Wilder’s expression changed.
I opened my eyes and looked at him.
“What do you want from me?” My voice trembled.
“Why do you keep asking me all these questions?”
He stared at me.
I pressed my palm against my forehead again and forced my breathing to become more uneven.
“I already told you I don’t remember.”
“Beloved, calm down.”
“How am I supposed to calm down?” I looked at him with wide, frightened eyes.
“First you tell me that you’re my husband.
Then Magnus says I’m his girlfriend.
You keep asking me questions about him as if I’m supposed to know something.”
Wilder’s face had lost some of its earlier confidence.
I continued before he could interrupt.
“What if Magnus really was my boyfriend?”
“And what if you’re not actually my husband?”
“Nyxia.”
“Which one is true?” I gripped the side of my head.
“My memories don’t make sense anymore.
They’re all mixed together, and I don’t know which parts are real and which parts aren’t!”
The effect was immediate.
The calm man who had been questioning me only moments ago disappeared.
Wilder reached for me.
“No.
No, that’s not what this is.” He pulled me against him, one arm wrapping tightly around my body while his other hand cupped my face.
“Listen to me.” His voice was no longer cold or controlled.
It was urgent.
“You’re my wife.”
I looked at him through confused, frightened eyes.
“Wilder…”
“Magnus is Nova’s fiancé.” He said it with absolute certainty.
“You never had a relationship with him.
You were never his girlfriend.”
I stared at him.
“But he said…”
“He was angry.” Wilder’s thumb moved anxiously across my cheek.
“He made a mistake.
That’s all.”
I said nothing.
He pulled me closer, as though keeping me in his arms could somehow prevent my doubts from growing.
“You’re my wife, Nyxia.
You have always been my wife.” His breathing had become uneven.
The man who had been so composed only minutes ago now looked genuinely afraid.
I almost couldn’t believe how quickly the situation had changed.
A few minutes ago, I had been trying to survive his questions.
Now he was the one desperately trying to convince me of something.
I lowered my eyes.
“Is that really true?”
“Yes.” His answer came without hesitation.
“Then why did you keep questioning me?”
Wilder fell silent.
The question seemed to hurt him more than I expected.
“I wasn’t trying to frighten you.” His voice softened.
“I was worried.”
“About what?”
“That you might remember something.”
I looked up at him.
He seemed to realize what he had admitted, but he didn’t take the words back.
Instead, he pulled me closer.
“I was afraid that you were remembering Magnus.
I thought perhaps something had triggered your memory, and I needed to know.” His hand slid gently through my hair.
“I shouldn’t have pushed you.”
I kept my expression uncertain.
He leaned down and kissed my forehead.
Once.
Then again.
The second kiss lingered a little longer.
“I’m sorry, my love.” Another kiss touched my forehead.
“I didn’t mean to make you question us.” His arms tightened around me.
“You’re my wife.” His voice dropped to a whisper.
“I love you.” He kissed my forehead again.
“You’re mine, Nyxia.”
I stayed quiet in his arms.
From the outside, I probably looked shaken and confused, still struggling to understand what was real.
But hidden against his chest, where he couldn’t see my face, I allowed the smallest smile to appear.
The predator had spent the entire ride trying to corner me.
And in the end, all I had needed to do was make him afraid of losing me.
For now, at least, Wilder had stopped asking questions.
And that was exactly what I wanted.