[AMELIE]
“Millie…” a man called out to me after they approached my location. I almost killed him yesterday because at first, I felt he had no intention of stopping me from what I was doing. But in the end, he found a way to make me halt. I don’t really have amnesia. I can remember everything crystal clear. I remember the four men in front of me. I just didn’t expect to see him yesterday and today.
“Her name isn’t Millie! She’s Teacher Tasha!” shouted the children I was teaching. I don’t have a degree in teaching, but when I ended up in this place and saw these children who couldn’t afford an education due to life’s hardships, I decided to teach them how to read and write, at least to some extent. I smiled at one of the kids and calmed them down. I told them to read our next lesson quietly while I conversed with the strangers, who weren’t really strangers because I knew them quite well. One of them even challenged me to an annulment.
“Tasha is my name. It seems you’ve figured out my alternate identity. Tasha is the name I use in this charade.” I smiled at the others, making them think I was the nicest person here, but it changed when I looked at Gio. I had to do this; I have my mission. Besides, Gio still has a debt to pay to me. I haven’t fully forgiven him yet. I could see the guilt in Gio’s eyes. Clearly, he didn’t expect my supposed memory loss.
How did I end up here, anyway? I vividly remember what happened after the accident. I woke up in a bright room. My entire body hurt, especially my head. I couldn’t recall much of what happened, but suddenly, my life came back to me after regaining consciousness. Even the memories I couldn’t remember before returned to me.
“Is she awake? Call them.” I looked at the person who shouted. I saw a nurse who was surprised by my consciousness. I tried to sit up, but it only made my head and body ache even more. She gently urged me to lie back down.
The doctor arrived first. He examined me, probably checking if I had any brain damage because, if I remember correctly, my dad hit me on the head.
“How is her condition, doc?”
I looked at another person who entered the room. She must be the one who saved me from the brink of death. My eyes widened as I recognized who the woman was. I hadn’t expected to see her now.
Kyrie. She’s Valerio’s wife, who is Gio’s cousin. What was she doing here? Did she save me? Is Gio here?
I couldn’t understand why I felt excited at the thought of Gio being here, to the extent that it gave me a headache. The nurses and doctors immediately tried to calm me down because they were concerned it might harm me. Why was I excited to see Gio? After all, he wanted to break up with me.
I felt the pain again. My heart hurt more than my head now. Kyrie approached and spoke with the doctor. They assured me that my injuries, including my head, were taken care of. My scans were clear, so there was nothing to worry about.
The doctor bid me farewell after updating me on my condition. Kyrie stayed behind. “How are you feeling, Millie? The doctor has explained everything, but it’s better to hear how you’re feeling from you.”
“I’m fine,” I replied curtly. “Aside from the occasional headache, I’m okay.”
She breathed a sigh of relief at my response. I looked at Kyrie, knowing I had many questions for her that she needed to answer. “You’re the one who saved me? How? I really thought I was going to die during those times.”
“I am not technically the one who saved you. I was more like a companion to the person who saved you,” Kyrie explained. I furrowed my brow while maintaining my gaze on her. She smiled, but I didn’t like her way of smiling.
“She’s here. You can talk to her,” Kyrie said as someone entered the room. I turned my head toward the door, and my eyes widened when I saw who had walked in.
Gianna? She walked closer to my bed and observed me. She raised an eyebrow and stared directly at me. I could see the cold but sharp way she was looking at me.
“What’s happening? Why am I here?” I scanned the room, looking for someone. Was he here? Was Gio here?
“Your husband is not here if that’s who you’re looking for. He has no knowledge of your presence here,” Gianna explained. She cut off my thoughts about whether Gio was here. “This is a facility for my squad. Gio knows about this place, but he doesn’t have access. He can only come here if I allow it. Based on your situation, I know you don’t want to see him.”
I stared at Gianna for a long time. Did she know about our issues with Gio? I suddenly remembered the topic of annulment. I felt a pang in my heart, but I didn’t shed any more tears.
“How many days have I been unconscious?” I asked them.
“Days?” Gia sarcastically quipped. “You’ve been out for two weeks, Amelie.”
I bit my lip, unsure of what to say. “Do you remember that you were with your dad when the accident happened? We were in the same location and saw you in the passenger’s seat of the car. We were out to investigate something, and Kyrie was with me. Fortunately, we spotted you and decided to follow the car.”
I recalled the events with my dad. My eyes widened, and I asked where my dad was.
“Where’s My father?”
“Your father’s dead. We let him die there because I do think he deserved to die, suffering.”
I felt nothing when I heard that. I didn’t feel sorry or regretful. Was I a bad daughter for feeling this way? After all that I had gone through at my father’s hands and in my life, there was no love left in my heart for him.
“We saved you before you completely disappeared. Luckily, we managed to rescue you and got you to a hospital quickly, so you survived. We transferred you to our facility, thinking it would be safer here.”
Gia pulled up a chair and sat down. She didn’t break her gaze on me and remained focused on my eyes. I felt uncomfortable, so I kept avoiding her eyes.
“Do you plan to tell Gio where I am?” I asked her.
“Do you want me to tell him?”
I looked at Gia, and she responded with a meaningful look. I couldn’t understand her intentions. Her gaze sent shivers down my spine. I was confused about whether Gia was an adversary or an ally.
I didn’t answer. I didn’t know if I wanted to see Gio yet. I knew there were things we needed to discuss, but before that, I wanted to get myself together. When I faced Gio, I wanted to be in the right mindset and capable of making decisions I could stand by.
“I know what happened between you and Gio. My brother has been miserable since he found out about what happened to you. But despite that, I haven’t told him where you are. I know you don’t want that either.”
Gianna leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.
“After making my brother cry and hurt you, I think he deserves a little karma and suffering, right?” Gianna grinned, a smile I didn’t like. Gia never gave a friendly smile; it was more devilish, and it would send shivers down your spine when you saw it.