VANESSA POV

I bit down hard on my lip as my thoughts dragged me back to the night of the crash—the screech, the impact, and the shadow of my killer standing over me.

My heart lurched just as the doctor walked into the room with a bright smile.

“Mrs. Mullerova, Jake—your fiancé—finally arrived.”

My stomach dropped.

Fear washed over me so suddenly my palms grew slick with sweat. I rubbed them against the blanket, trying—and failing—to steady my breathing.

“O-Okay… thank you, doctor,” I managed, though my voice trembled terribly.

He nodded and left me alone again.

I’d spent hours awake, drifting between painkillers and needles, but none of that mattered. In minutes, the three people I least wanted to face—my fiancé, my friend… and Kay—would be standing right here.

And I wasn’t sure if I could keep acting.

The door swung open.

Jake walked in first. Emily clung to him like she owned him. Kay followed… but I forced myself to keep my expression neutral and confused, as if I had never seen any of them before.

Seeing Emily draped over Jake—my fiancé—burned like acid, even though I already knew there was something going on between them.

But what shocked me more was when Kay introduced himself as Jake…

and Jake introduced himself as Kay.

What the hell are they playing at?

I was so focused on those two that I didn’t even notice Kay kneel beside my bed until his hand touched mine. I flinched hard.

“Shhh… it’s just me. Your fiancé,” he whispered, voice soft and strangely soothing.

My eyes snapped to him.

This was too much. Too confusing. Too overwhelming.

I could feel panic rising in my throat.

Emily suddenly piped up. “Vany, for your safety, we’re all going to live together in one mansion! We’ll take care of you.”

Shock froze me.

Live with them?

I forced a shaky smile. “D-Does… does that mean I get to go home?”

“Yes! Tomorrow morning,” Emily beamed. “You don’t need to stay in this ugly hospital!”

But fear tightened around my ribs.

Kay’s thumb brushed against my wrist gently, grounding me a little.

He hardly said anything—but his silence made me even more anxious.

I stared at the three of them, studying each face carefully.

Someone in this room wanted me dead.

But who?

KAY POV

The moment Vanessa’s eyes flicked between the three of us, something inside me twisted painfully.

She looked terrified.

Confused.

And so heartbreakingly fragile.

For a second, I wondered if maybe she wasn’t acting. If maybe the crash and the fear truly shattered her memory.

I shouldn’t have knelt beside her.

I shouldn’t have touched her.

But when she recoiled from my hand, guilt slammed into me so hard I almost flinched too.

Nothing about this situation was right.

Jake stood beside Emily, acting like everything was unfolding perfectly. Emily clung to him like a woman starving for attention. She pretended to be the sweet best friend—but her eyes kept darting toward Jake with a hunger she could barely hide.

And me?

I was pretending to be her fiancé.

A lie I wasn’t proud of.

A role Jake forced on me.

A role I didn’t deserve.

I tightened my hold on her cold wrist—not to keep her still, but to anchor myself—because for a moment, her eyes met mine with such sharp suspicion it felt like she saw straight through me.

Saw the lie.

Saw the danger.

Saw the monster lurking between us.

And I realized…

Maybe she already knew.

“This is for your safety,” I said softly, though the words tasted bitter. “We’ll take care of you.”

But when Jake stepped closer, when Emily smiled too sweetly, when Vanessa’s body tensed with fear—

I felt a chill crawl up my spine.

Someone here wanted her dead.

And whether she remembered anything or not, I already knew one thing:

I had to protect her.

The doctor reappeared. “Her test results look good. You can take her home tomorrow morning after the final checkup.”

Vanessa didn’t look at Jake.

Didn’t look at Emily.

Her eyes were locked on me now.

When the doctor left, Emily reached for Vanessa’s hand, but Vanessa recoiled instantly.

Before Emily could try again, I caught her wrist.

“I think you two should leave,” I said firmly. “I’ll stay with my fiancée.”

Jake smirked, misinterpreting everything, probably thinking it was just an excuse to be alone with Emily later.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and walked out without another word.

Vanessa’s body seemed to relax the second they disappeared.

I exhaled and turned back to her. “Do you need anything, sweetheart?”

She pointed shakily at the table. “M-My phone…”

Her voice was so small it punched straight through my chest.

I swallowed hard, grabbed her phone, and placed it gently in her hand.

And as her trembling fingers closed around it, I felt the truth hit me like a blade:

Vanessa wasn’t the only one in danger anymore.