Everywhere was silent.
At Harrison’s private villa, the only sound came from the rhythmic pounding of his feet against the treadmill.
He ran harder.
Faster.
Sweat rolled down his face and along his muscular body as his breathing grew heavier but he didn’t stop.
His mind was still trapped in the events of the previous night.
The auction,the announcement, Emily and his so-called future marriage.
Harrison’s jaw tightened.
He still couldn’t believe it.
He had allowed himself to be trapped into an alliance he had never agreed to.
And worse…He had accepted it publicly.
He slammed his hand against the treadmill controls and increased the speed.
“Damn it.”
He couldn’t understand how his father had managed to put him in such a position.
He hated being controlled,he hated being forced into decisions and most of all, he hated the fact that everyone had made a decision about his future without even asking him.
His thoughts suddenly shifted.
Valentina.
Harrison’s movements slowed slightly.He remembered the first time he had found her.
The injured woman lying alone in the rain.
The helpless look in her eyes.
The way she had depended on him when she couldn’t even remember her own name.
Then he remembered her leaving.
A notification suddenly sounded from his phone.
Bing.
Harrison ignored it.
A few seconds later…
Bing.
Another message.
His eyes moved toward the phone.
The notification displayed one name.
Valentina.
Harrison immediately stopped.
He picked up the phone.
The message contained an update about her.
Valentina’s family had finally been found as she was now under their care.
Harrison stared at the screen for several seconds and for some reason he felt relieved.
At least she had found the people she had been searching for.That was what she wanted.
Wasn’t it?
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
“Good for you.” He whispered.
But the smile disappeared almost immediately.Something inside him still felt heavy but he didn’t understand it.
He had known Valentina for only a few days.
So why did her absence feel so significant?
Harrison lowered the phone.
“Forget it.”
He turned away.
But no matter how hard he tried…
He couldn’t.
Meanwhile…
Luna finally returned home.
Or at least, the place everyone told her was home.
Her family welcomed her warmly.
Her mother immediately took care of her, helping her change and showing her around the house.
Her father stayed close.
Her younger brother kept trying to make her laugh.
Aliana and Becca remained nearby, doing everything they could to make Luna feel comfortable.They showed her old photograph,stories from their childhood and they pointed out places around the house.
“Do you remember this?” Aliana asked hopefully.
Luna looked around.
She shook her head.
“I’m sorry.”
Aliana forced a smile.
“Don’t apologize.”
Becca quickly added,
“You’ll remember eventually.”
Luna smiled.
She wanted to believe them.
The neighborhood also seemed strangely familiar.
As they walked through it, several people looked at her.
Some whispered while others quickly looked away.
Luna didn’t understand why.
She simply assumed they were curious because of what had happened to her.
She didn’t know what they knew.
She didn’t know what she had forgotten.
When she entered her room, she stopped because everything felt unfamiliar.
The bed,the walls,the decorations even the room itself didn’t feel like hers but then her mother opened the wardrobe.
Inside were clothes.
Luna touched one of the dresses.
Something about the fabric felt familiar.
She recognized some of the clothes.That gave her a strange sense of comfort.
Maybe this really was her home.Maybe these really were her family.She wanted to believe it and for the rest of the day, they treated her with nothing but kindness.Her father spoke to her gently.
Her mother prepared food for her.
Her brother joked with her.
Aliana and Becca stayed beside her.
For the first time since waking up in the hospital, Luna felt somewhat safe.
Maybe she had finally found where she belonged.
But that night…something changed.
Luna was alone in her bedroom when she noticed something inside one of the drawers.
A small box,she opened it.Her breathing suddenly stopped.
Inside was a necklace.She reached for it.
The moment her fingers touched it, a strange sensation rushed through her body.
She already knew it,her hand instinctively moved toward the necklace around her neck.
The one she had been wearing since the night she was found.
They looked almost identical.
Luna stared at both necklaces.
“Why…?”
Her heart began beating faster.
She closed her eyes as flash suddenly appeared in her mind.
A man’s face.
A pair of rough tattooed hands.
Someone trying to drag the necklace around her neck.
Then…
Darkness.
Luna opened her eyes sharply as her breathing became uneven.
Another image appeared.
A deserted building.A man’s voice and approach.
Then a terrifying scream.
She covered her ears.
“Stop…”
The memories disappeared as quickly as they had come.
Luna looked around the room,her heart was pounding.
She didn’t understand what she had just seen.
She tried to remember more but nothing just only fear.
She looked down at the necklace in her hand.
Why did it feel connected to something she was afraid to remember?
And why did the necklace in her room look exactly like the one she had been wearing when Harrison found her?
Luna slowly touched the necklace around her neck.
For some reason…Her heart whispered a name.
Harrison.
She froze.
She didn’t know why but somewhere deep inside her broken memory…
The necklace seemed to remember everything.
Even if she couldn’t.