VANESSA POV

I was lying in bed when the memory hit me again.

Kay’s hand wrapped tightly around my wrist… the intensity in his eyes… the way he looked at me like I had done something wrong.

Why was he staring at me like that?

Like he was upset I went to talk to Jake.

Weren’t they best friends?

None of this made sense.

All I wanted was to recover… and figure out the truth.

Whether it was Emily… or Jake… who set up the accident.

I lifted my arm and placed it over my face, taking a slow, steady breath.

Think.

Observe.

Don’t rush.

That’s how I would find out.

I flinched slightly when I heard the door open.

Then close.

The soft click of the lock echoed through the quiet room.

A second later, I felt the mattress dip under his weight.

Kay.

I slowly lowered my arm, letting it rest beside my head as I turned my gaze toward him.

His back was facing me, but even from this angle, I could see it.

The tension.

It practically radiated off him.

Something had changed.

He was fine when he left the room.

So what happened?

My thoughts were interrupted when he slid under the blanket.

But instead of turning away from me…

He turned toward me.

One arm tucked beneath his head, his eyes already on me.

Watching.

My heart started racing.

And it wasn’t fear.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” he asked.

His voice was quieter now… calmer.

And for some reason, my mind went completely blank.

“I… couldn’t fall asleep,” I said.

It was the first thing that came out.

His expression shifted instantly.

The tension disappeared, replaced with concern.

“Does anything hurt?” he asked quickly. “Or did Emily come to disturb you?”

The change in his tone when he mentioned Emily didn’t go unnoticed.

I watched him carefully.

“No,” I said softly, lowering my gaze slightly, making sure my voice stayed weak… fragile. “I think I just slept too much.”

I made sure my expression matched it.

Vulnerable.

Innocent.

Convincing.

He seemed to accept it.

But he didn’t look away.

He just kept staring at me.

Silently.

And it made me nervous.

Jake had never looked at me like this.

Not like he was trying to read me.

Not like I was something… important.

Yet here was Kay—Jake’s best friend, pretending to be my fiancé—looking at me like…

Like there was something real behind it.

Something I didn’t understand.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

He smiled.

Soft. Almost innocent.

“Just admiring my fiancée,” he said.

Casually.

Like it meant nothing.

His hand lifted, brushing gently against my cheek.

My breath caught.

Heat rushed to my face so quickly it almost startled me.

Was I… blushing?

I didn’t even remember the last time that happened.

I needed to change the subject.

Fast.

“Come to think of it…” I said, forcing myself to focus. “You haven’t gone to work since I got out of the hospital.”

I met his gaze again.

“Is it really okay for you to stay away from work like this?”

His smile didn’t fade.

Not even a little.

“No,” he said simply. “I told my manager I won’t be able to attend anything for a while.”

His thumb was still moving lightly against my cheek.

Slow.

Absent.

Like he didn’t even realize he was doing it.

My face felt even hotter.

I nodded quickly, offering a small smile, but inside I was already panicking.

I had to look completely red.

“This is… too much,” I thought.

“Let’s just go to sleep,” I said quickly.

Too quickly.

Even I could hear how suspicious that sounded after I had just said I couldn’t sleep.

But I couldn’t help it.

The way he was looking at me… touching me…

It was making me feel things I didn’t want to feel.

He let out a quiet laugh.

“Sure,” he said. “If you suddenly feel sleepy.”

He pulled the blanket over both of us.

And just like that, the room fell quiet again.

I closed my eyes.

Pretending.

It was easier that way.

Easier than facing him.

For a moment, everything was still.

Then—

I felt it.

His arm.

It slid slowly around my waist.

Firm… but careful.

Like he was testing me.

Testing whether I would move away.

I froze.

My breath hitched before I could stop it.

His body shifted closer behind me, the warmth of him pressing gently against my back.

I could feel him.

The steady rise and fall of his chest.

The quiet rhythm of his breathing.

Too close.

Way too close.

My heart started racing again.

Faster than before.

But it wasn’t fear.

It was something else.

Something unfamiliar.

Something dangerous.

I forced myself to stay still.

My eyes remained closed, my breathing slow—steady enough to convince him I was asleep.

But it was getting harder.

His hand rested against my waist, his thumb moving slightly.

Small.

Unconscious.

The motion sent heat rushing straight through me.

I could feel it in my face.

In my chest.

Everywhere.

I was definitely blushing now.

“This is bad,” I thought.

“Really bad.”

Jake had never—

I stopped the thought immediately.

No.

I couldn’t think like that.

I shouldn’t compare them.

That would only complicate things.

But still…

This felt different.

Too natural.

Too comfortable.

Too… intimate.

I swallowed quietly, trying to keep my breathing even.

Trying not to react.

But then his arm tightened slightly around me.

Not enough to trap me.

Just enough to pull me closer.

Like he wanted to make sure I was still there.

Like he didn’t want any distance between us.

My fingers curled slightly into the pillow.

If I moved even a little…

He would know.

He would know I wasn’t asleep.

And for some reason…

That thought made my heart beat even faster.

So I stayed still.

Completely still.

Even as my cheeks burned.

Even as his warmth surrounded me.

Even as his presence felt impossible to ignore.

And slowly…

A realization settled deep in my chest.

This wasn’t just a situation I needed to observe anymore.

It wasn’t just part of my plan.

It was becoming something else.

Something far more complicated.

Far more dangerous.

And for the first time since I decided to fake my amnesia…

I wasn’t sure if I was the one in control anymore.