Chapter 4Fake Memory, Real Insanity

They swarmed into the room in a blind panic, screaming for a doctor and hauling Sebastian's unconscious body off the bed.

The private physician arrived in minutes. He checked his vitals and looked up with a relieved smile.

"This is incredible news. The blood clot in Mr. Blackwood's brain is dissolving rapidly. His memories should return very soon."

His mother forced a stiff, unnatural smile.

His father frowned, sighing heavily before waving his hand. "Get him to a comfortable room to rest. Have the nurses monitor him around the clock."

Once they carried Sebastian out and the door clicked shut, three icy glares locked onto me.

His father spoke, his tone dripping with exhaustion. "Miss Stella, we truly did not want to hurt you. But you have left us with absolutely no choice."

"You just had to let him find you again."

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

Barely twenty minutes later, the heavy thud of uniform boots echoed in the hallway.

The door swung open, revealing several stern faced corporate security agents and local police officers.

"Stella, is it? We received a report that you broke into private property and stole highly classified corporate secrets. The financial damages are astronomical. You need to come with us."

My breath hitched. I shook my head frantically against the pillows.

"No, I didn't do anything!"

His mother stood off to the side, pulling a thick folder from her designer coat and handing it to the lead officer. "Here are the incident reports and the fabricated evidence logs. Thank you for handling this."

Monica took a slow step forward. She reached out, trailing a manicured nail down my cheek, her eyes practically vibrating with toxic jealousy.

"Mr. and Mrs. Blackwood, wouldn't it be better to tie up all the loose ends?"

"Let me ruin that pretty face of hers before you lock her in a cell."

"Even if Sebastian gets his memories back, he will only feel disgust when he looks at a disfigured convict."

His mother was silent for a long moment. Then, she gave a slow, chilling nod. "Monica always thinks ahead."

I was securely chained to the heavy bed frame, cold metal biting into my skin. I could not move a single inch.

"No, please don't do this..."

Monica was already gripping a sleek pocket knife. She tapped the cold flat edge of the blade against my cheek.

"Relax. I will make it quick."

"He refused to legally marry me all these years. Once he wakes up and sees your ruined face, he will finally get over his little obsession."

I squeezed my eyes shut in pure despair.

Right at that exact second, the door flew open.

Oliver used every ounce of his tiny body weight to shove past the guards, sprinting blindly into the room.

"Grandma! Please let my mommy go! Do not hurt her!"

Crying hysterically, Oliver crashed straight into Sebastian's mother.

Caught entirely off guard, she stumbled backward.

She looked down, annoyed words already forming on her lips. "Whose out of control brat is..."

She saw his face. And completely froze.

The eyes. The nose. The absolute mirror image of her son, Sebastian, as a little boy!

At the exact same moment, his father looked down, entirely captivated.

Staring at Oliver's tear stained face, he bent down, his hands trembling as he scooped the boy up. His voice shook with raw emotion.

"Little boy, whose child are you?"

Oliver was terrified by the chaotic room. He wailed through his tears.

"Grandpa, please let my mom go!"

"I do not have a dad! She works so hard taking care of me all by herself. Please do not bully her!"