I was stunned when I heard I’d known Lucien from the start. But... why couldn’t I remember him? My mind went in circles, trying to dive into my memories, but I still couldn’t remember anything.
"What the hell!" I muttered, frustration bubbling up inside me,
Asher, who was holding me steady in his arms, glanced down with a raised brow. "What was that?"
"No, nothing," I said quickly. "I was just thinking something."
He didn’t push further and went quiet. Instead, he gently lowered me into the car seat, making sure I was settled before closing the door softly and rolling down the window.
"Let’s just wait here for Alis," he said, his voice low but steady.
I gave a weak nod, forcing a smile as I still felt lost.
Then Emma came up behind us. Her arms were full of bags and stuff as she gave us a sharp look.
"Hey, Sera!" she called out in a rough voice. "You’re seriously leaving? Going back to that hellhole? Do you want to die or what?"
She shot a hard look at Asher, like daring him to say something.
But Asher didn’t react. Just stood there, as if he was admitting all her accusations.
"You guys talk," Asher said, letting out a ragged breath and running his hand through his hair like he was trying to shake off Emma’s words. "I’m gonna go drag your brother Alis back."
"Okay," I nodded, watching him go without looking at him for longer. The source of this content ɪs N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
Emma rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "What’s wrong with him?" she muttered. Then she glanced at me with a smirk. "By the way, did you chase after Lucien knowing that he was your crush? Is that why you are head over heels for him?"
"What?!" My voice cracked like I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. "I... I liked Lucien? When? How? Why can’t I remember any of it? What the hell is going on?"
I stared at her, my heart pounding, trying hard to remember what the hell I had forgotten.
Emma shrugged like she wasn’t surprised at all. "You really don’t remember that? Or are you trying to trick me into believing that it was all a coincidence that you met him?"
I bit my lip, fists curling so tight my nails dug into my palms. "Will you believe me if I say I don’t remember a single thing you just said?"
"Excuse me?" Emma’s eyes widened, then narrowed like she was trying to see if I was joking. "Gurl, you’ve been crazy about him. Until you met that bastard... your fiancé!"
My head spun so fast that I had to blink a few times to breathe.
What the hell was she talking about? I was crazy for him? For Lucien?
I couldn’t even remember anything related to him! What was going on?
It felt like someone had swapped my life with a stranger’s and left me to figure out the rules.
Even though I was still Seraphina, who had been through everything in the past, why... Why were my memories not aligned with what had already happened?
Since the moment I woke up, things had been wrong, and pieces were missing. I saw people whom I had never met and feelings that I couldn’t tell!
From what I remember, even if I knew Lucien, I just heard his name here and there, nothing more. But being crazy about him? That was too much.
Was I really that kind of person?
"Sera?!" Emma’s voice yanked me out of my thoughts. "Why aren’t you saying anything?" She was glaring at me harshly, and I too felt guilty for ignoring her.
"I... swear I don’t remember anything," I told her in a serious tone.
Her face changed. "So, you weren’t joking?" There was no teasing tone in her voice. She asked with the same seriousness as I.
"Don’t tell me..." She paused, and my chest tightened. "...this is all connected to your rebirth."
"Really?" My eyes went wide before I could stop myself.
I didn’t want to believe it. But now that she’d said it out loud, something inside me pointed out that... Whatever I had been thinking all this time was not wrong!
Yes! Emma was right but something was wrong.
"Yes!" Emma said firmly. "Have you not noticed you’re no longer autistic? And on top of that... you’ve gotten bolder, like you’re not even you anymore."
"You noticed that too?" I muttered, eyes dropping to the car’s floor. For a second, I almost didn’t want her answer because if she’d noticed, it meant I wasn’t imagining it. "Thank God... at least there’s someone I can talk to about this. Otherwise, I would’ve gone crazy not knowing what to do."
Emma’s gaze softened just a bit before she flicked my forehead. "Silly!" she said with a faint smile tugging at her lips. "I get why you couldn’t tell anyone because it sounds insane. But don’t hide anything from me."
I rubbed the spot she’d flicked, still feeling that little sting. "It’s not just insane, Emma... It’s like my head doesn’t belong to me anymore. Like I’m carrying someone else’s memories, and mine are fading out."
She tilted her head, waiting for me to finish.
"So... what do you think?" I finally asked, rubbing between my brows. "Why are my memories of the past so... unclear? They’re not gone, but... It’s like they’re wrapped in fog. Every time I try to think back, I hit a wall."
Emma’s expression turned unreadable. "Maybe..." she hesitated, "...maybe it’s because you weren’t meant to remember everything."
Her words hit me harder than I thought they would. I stayed quiet.
Because deep down... I was scared she might be right.
But if she was right, then... Why? And who did that?
Why shouldn’t I remember them? Just who brought me to the past, and what did that person want from me?
Just who the hell are you?