Warning: Mention of abuse.
Valentina pov
“So, you’re telling me you don’t remember anything at all?” Sera asked as we sat in her study.
After she had questioned who I was and insisted I wasn’t her daughter-in-law, we had moved to her office. Despite my reluctance to leave Felix alone outside, I knew I had to explain everything.
Now, sitting across from her, I told her how I had been in a coma for about a month and had lost all my memories. That, at least, might explain why I didn’t recognize her.
I nodded my head, a smile tugging at my lips.
“I don’t remember anything from my past. All I know is that I’m Alexander’s wife and Felix’s mother.” I said, giggling softly as the thought crossed my mind.
To be honest, by now, I’d already accepted my role as a wife and mother, and it no longer felt awkward, though it never really had. At first, I had been a little scared because it felt like I was thrust into a life that was unfamiliar.
But now…
My grin widened as I remembered how perfect our picnic had been, before… well, before we were kidnapped by Alexander’s mother.
I watched as Sera raised a brow before leaning on the desk, the corners of her lips curving into a frown and her eyes trained on me.
“Hm, there’s something off here,” she said, rubbing her bottom lip in thought. “Do people’s personalities change when they lose their memories? I mean, forget the personality part, it feels like your whole demeanor has shifted. You’re like a completely different person now.”
I swallowed nervously at her words. Had I really changed that much? Was I so different from the person I used to be?
I remembered how, when I first woke up, the maids treated me like I might snap at any moment, often apologizing for the smallest mistakes like I might eat them alive. And then there were Daniel’s words from that day, when he described me as jealous and possessive when I asked him how I had been before the accident.
Was that what she was referring to?
Sera clicked her tongue, her gaze sharp as she leaned back against the seat, her legs crossed.
“I really don’t understand this,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “You used to hate Alexander. You hated him with every fiber of your being. You felt disgusted by him. But now… now it’s like you actually like him. What happened?”
I went deadly still at her words, my eyes widening in disbelief.
What?
“W-what do you mean I hated Alexander? I don’t understand… I mean, I don’t remember anything,” I asked, my voice laced with genuine confusion.
No one had ever told me that I disliked Alexander. Sure, he didn’t seem to like me much either, but if you asked me, he was slowly warming up to me.
She gave me an assessing look, muttering under her breath, “Huh, you really don’t remember anything? You’re not just pretending?”
Her gaze brightened, and a slow, mischievous smirk curled at the corner of her lips. A humorless chuckle escaped her.
“Wow, this is getting interesting! I don’t know whether I should feel sorry or relieved for him. His dear wife doesn’t even remember him,” she laughed bitterly.
She stood from her seat, clasping her hands together.
“But don’t worry, darling,” she said with a smile. “I’ll be more than happy to tell you everything you need to know about Alexander Knight, my son, and why you hated him so much.”
Crazy.
That was the first thought that crossed my mind as I watched her. I should have known from the very start that she was unhinged, after all, she kidnapped both Felix and me. But right now, I couldn’t quite place what I was feeling as I stared at her.
Fear? The intense urge to run?
Either way, I found myself frozen in place as she began speaking.
“Ah, now where should I start?” She giggled, walking around the study, her heels clicking with each step.
“Should I start from the moment I first held him in my arms? When I felt that spark as I touched and stared at my Alexander…”
She paused and turned around, holding a finger up. “No! Let me start with my story. You see, I was the daughter of a gambler, an alcoholic, and a lowlife thug. My life was a constant struggle. Every day felt like torture. If I wasn’t working tirelessly to put food on my father’s table, I was being mistreated by him, enduring the pain he caused. I didn’t just suffer emotionally- I was violated in ways that no child should ever have to endure. Every day, my hope for a better life felt more out of reach. I was trapped, with no way out.”
My heart hammered against my chest, and my mouth hung open in shock at her words. She, however, seemed completely detached, almost like she was recounting someone else’s life as she casually strolled around.
“Every day was pretty much the same,” she continued, her tone eerily calm. “I’d wake up with bruises all over my body, find my father passed out on my bed, and then drag myself to work at some rundown local restaurant.” She paused, tilting her head slightly as if trying to remember something. “Can’t even recall the name of the place… Anyway, when I’d get back home, I already knew what was waiting for me.”
She stopped walking, a low chuckle escaping her lips. She turned around, holding up a finger.
“First, he’d ask for the money I earned that day so he could gamble it away.”
She raised another finger.
“Second, he’d smack the shit out of me if it wasn’t enough for his liking.”
Her smile faded as she raised a third finger, her voice growing cold.
“And third, he’d drag me to my room, and the real horrors would begin from there.”
My hands clenched at my sides, and I opened my mouth to say something- anything but the words just wouldn’t come. This was too much to process all at once. She let out a tired sigh and walked over to the desk, sitting at the edge, her gaze still locked on me as she continued.
“Anyway, to cut a long story short, the day he got too drunk and almost strangled me to death was my final wake-up call. That was the moment I knew I had to take control of my life because running away wasn’t an option. The man would always find me and drag me back, and the treatment would only get worse. So, I thought to myself, if I wanted to survive, I needed power. I needed to be strong.”
“And that’s when I realized I needed to find the most powerful man to be my shield. Someone more powerful than my father, more powerful than the cops who were his friends. A man so powerful that no one would ever dare take advantage of me again,” she hissed through her breath. Despite the smile on her face, her hands trembled as she spoke.
“And after some research, I found my answer- Ezra Knight, Alexander’s father. A criminal, yes, but a man who practically ruled the entire country. No one could cross him and live to see the next day. The cops feared him, politicians bowed to him. He was the hidden force behind the scenes, and once I learned that, I knew I had to get close to him and to get his attention, I had to drug him. afterwards, we… well, we had sex.”
“What?” I blurted out before I could stop myself. She chuckled at my shocked expression before continuing.
“You see, luck was on my side. Ezra needed an heir, he was supposedly infertile. But I happened to be carrying his children, which forced his hand. He married me- not out of love, but because he needed someone to carry on his legacy. He promised me power, wealth, the finest jewelry, and, most of all, revenge.
But in return, I had to give him and raise an heir worthy of his empire. Someone ruthless, someone who could kill without hesitation. ‘A monster,’ he called it.”
“An heir to his legacy… that was all he needed. And who better than the child who didn’t even cry when I gave birth to him?”
A shiver ran down my spine as the corners of her lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk.
“Alexander was the perfect candidate for that position, he was my ticket to wealth and power”