Chapter 4

Jane's POV

When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying in a hospital bed.

My hand instinctively moved toward my stomach.

It was flat. Empty.

Matthew stood by the window with his back to me.

Then he turned around.

I'd expected to see some guilt in his eyes. Even the slightest hint of remorse.

But there was nothing.

"Just look at yourself," he said. "I told you your emotions were out of control."

My throat was so dry it felt like it might crack.

"What do you mean?"

"You're always like this, Jane. Suspicious, unreasonable, making a scene over nothing."

He walked over to my bed and looked down at me.

"The doctor said the miscarriage was caused by excessive stress."

I stared at him, feeling as though he were speaking another language.

"Beatrice pushed me..." My voice was hoarse. "I wasn't imagining things. You really were planning to take Zoe—"

"Enough." Matthew cut me off coldly. "You're still blaming other people? Beatrice only wanted to go to summer camp. You pushed her too far. If you weren't so obsessed with controlling everything, she wouldn't have reacted that way."

Tears finally spilled down my cheeks.

The whole thing was so absurd.

His own daughter had pushed me.

He was the one planning to abandon his wife and child.

And somehow, he was blaming me.

Matthew sighed and sat beside the bed.

"Listen, Jane. Your current condition is dangerous. You need help."

He paused.

"My clinic is researching a new treatment for severe emotional trauma. It can help your brain enter a temporary state of... hibernation."

"Hibernation?"

"It can suppress the painful memories." His voice softened, as though he were coaxing a difficult child. "You'll forget the miscarriage, the arguments, and everything that's happened. I'll send you to Serenity Hills. It's the best recovery center around. You can rest there for three months and get some proper sleep."

I stared at him.

"You want to erase my memories?"

"I'm doing this for your own good," he said. "While Beatrice and I are away at summer camp, staying alone in that house will only make you overthink things. You'll become depressed. You'll fall apart. Wouldn't it be better to go somewhere you can forget everything?"

He smiled faintly.

"When we come back, I'll help you restore your memories. By then, everything will be behind us. We can start over."

Start over.

What an enticing phrase.

But I knew exactly what he was thinking.

He wanted to get rid of the troublesome wife who might interfere with his plans, so he could enjoy his European getaway without a guilty conscience.

"What if I refuse?"

Matthew's expression turned cold.

"Then you can stay in that empty house and rot. Cling to the memories of your dead child, keep losing your mind, and destroy yourself completely."

He stood up.

"Is that really what you want?"

I closed my eyes.

My baby was gone.

My husband wanted to throw me away like garbage.

My daughter saw me as her enemy.

What was left in this world that was worth staying awake for?

"Fine," I said. "Send me there."

Serenity Hills was located in the mountains, with white walls everywhere and medical staff in white coats moving through the corridors.

"Whatever anyone asks, just tell them you're here to recover." Matthew stood at the doorway, not even bothering to look at me one last time. "Don't cause me any trouble, Jane."

"I understand."

"See you in three months."

The treatment began gradually.

First came the medication.

Then came flickering lights and the doctor's low, soothing voice guiding me through each session.

Little by little, the sharp edges of my memories began to fade.

But I still heard things I wasn't supposed to hear.

That afternoon, I was sitting on a bench in the garden, enjoying the sunlight, when I heard two nurses smoking around the corner.

"That new patient in Room 302 is so unfortunate."

"Mrs. Hayes? What's wrong with her?"

"She just had a miscarriage. You know that, right? Dr. Hayes admitted her for that experimental treatment. But honestly, he's only doing it so he can go off and enjoy himself."

"Oh, my God."

"I saw his pictures on Instagram. They're in Tuscany. He's there with that little girl and a young woman. They look like a happy family of three. You'd never guess he'd just lost a child."

My fingers tightened around the edge of the bench.

Tuscany.

Where had I heard that name before?

I couldn't remember.

The man named Owen appeared during my second week.

He was a volunteer here. He always carried a book and sat on the bench across from mine. He wasn't much of a talker, but sometimes he'd offer me a piece of chocolate.

Gradually, Owen and I became friends.

The names Matthew, Beatrice, and Zoe began to sound like echoes from a distant nightmare.

My memories were disappearing, little by little.

Matthew's POV

Two months passed quickly.

Tuscany had given me the breathing room I'd desperately needed. Beatrice was having a wonderful time, and Zoe was always by my side.

Still, I occasionally found myself thinking about Jane, whom I'd left behind at the recovery center.

That was until the phone call came.

That afternoon, Zoe and I were in bed when my phone began vibrating repeatedly on the nightstand.

I answered impatiently.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Dr. Hayes, this is Dr. Harris from Serenity Hills. I'm calling about your wife."

I sat up and gestured for Zoe to be quiet.

"What happened? Did something go wrong with the treatment?"

"No, quite the opposite," Dr. Harris replied. "We've carried out the memory-recovery procedure according to your instructions. Most of her core memories have returned."

"But, Dr. Hayes, something unusual has happened."

"What?" I frowned. "Has she started acting crazy again?"

"No. She's extremely calm. Unusually calm, actually." Dr. Harris sounded confused. "There's also a volunteer here named Owen. Your wife seems to have become quite close to him."

"A volunteer?"

"Yes. Jane seems perfectly content with her current situation. She hasn't shown any signs of distress."

My grip tightened around the phone.

She was content?

The woman who supposedly couldn't live without me was actually happy without me?

A powerful sense of losing control washed over me.

"I'll be coming back early," I said coldly. "Keep an eye on her."

I hung up.

Suddenly, Zoe wrapped her arms around me from behind.

"What's wrong, darling?"

I pushed her away and turned around.

"We're going home early."