maliciously.
“Yet, in the end, you still gave me her heart, didn’t you? I originally planned to have someone take care of her–kill her off and
bury her in some deserted place. But who would’ve thought Leah would be so considerate? She threw herself off a cliff and saved
me the trouble of cleaning up the mess.”
Paxton struck her so hard across the face that the corner of her mouth split open, her cheek swelling instantly.
Even so, all Georgina did was laugh.
“You can kill me if you want, but Leah is already dead. If I can’t have something, then neither can she.”
Georgina was locked away, but time was running out. Paxton and Sam feared that all their efforts would be in vain.
Day and night, they waited by the shore, watching as the search teams combed through the vast sea. Yet, no matter how hard they
searched, there was no sign of me.
With each passing day, they lost hope.
“Leah… you must hate me, don’t you?”
Paxton sat by the cliff, numbing himself with alcohol. If only he had realized his feelings earlier, would things have turned out differently?
Sam, on the other hand, shut himself away in the villa we once shared, refusing to see anyone.
He had used me as a stand–in–that was true, but the feelings were real, too. By the time he finally realized, it was too late. And
maybe, just maybe, it was beyond saving.
:..
1/2
Chapter 7
I had a long, long dream. In it, I saw blurry faces I couldn’t place and felt tears running down my cheeks.
Why was I crying? I didn’t remember.
When I finally opened my eyes, I forced away the heavy fog in my head.
“You’re awake?”
+20 Bonus
A little girl, no more than five or six, sat by my bedside. Her big, bright eyes were filled with joy the moment she saw me stir.
My mind was blank. I had no memory of her.
“Who are you?” I hesitated.
“My name’s Holly! What about you? What’s your name?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came. I couldn’t remember, not even my own name.
“You don’t have a name?” The little girl blinked in disbelief.
“Holly, don’t be rude.”
A woman stepped into the room and walked over to me. She lightly tapped the little girl on the head, making her pout before
running off.
“Do you remember your name?” the woman asked gently.
I tried, but my mind was empty. All I could do was shake my head in confusion.
She frowned. “You must have hit your head on the rocks. That’s probably why you lost your memory.”
She told me she had found me washed up on the shore. I tried to recall something, anything, but the sharp pain in my skull made
it impossible.
Seeing my distress, she gently patted my head and reassured me. “Don’t worry. Memories have a way of coming back when you least expect them. Until then, you can stay here and rest.
“My name is Christina. Judging by your face, you’re probably younger than me. That little one just now is my daughter, Holly.” Her words stirred something deep inside me–a strange ache I couldn’t understand.
