The mont Serena walked into the coffee shop, she breathed a sigh of relief, though her heart was still pounding in her chest. I’m not doing anything wrong, she reminded herself, trying to calm the unease that gnawed at her. But as her eyes landed on Owen, who stood up as soon as he saw her, the knot in her stomach tightened.
Guilt washed over her. It felt almost like cheating on Aiden, even though nothing about this eting was remotely inappropriate. Still, the situation felt like walking a fine line. After all, one could almost believe Owen was an ex—an ex she hadn’t properly broken up with and only temporarily forgotten about.
Her guilt soho deepened more so when she reached the table and she could not help but give Owen a worried glance. This was twin guilt! When she left ho, she felt guilty towards Aiden for hiding things from him and now that she was here, she was feeling guilty towards Owen for not rembering him. Uhh! She might as well open a store and start selling guilt! Make a profit out of it. Hmpf.
As if her own musings were not enough, the mont she reached the table, Owen stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. Serena froze, caught off guard. Woah! Just yesterday, they had been on waving hands terms and now he was hugging her as though they were close? Well technically since she had been about to marry him, they might have been but for now he was a total stranger to her....
She stepped back hurriedly, hoping he would do that sa. But then he leaned in as if to kiss her and instinct kicked in. She quickly raised her hand, covering her lips just in ti, and his lips brushed the back of her hand instead. Flustered, she stepped back, putting so space between them, and forced a smile. "Owen, how are you?"
Owen’s expression faltered, and though he managed a smile, there was a flicker of pain behind it. It made her feel as if she had just been ladled with more guilt! His voice was soft, almost resigned, as he responded, "As well as can be expected, given the circumstances. How are you doing, Rena?"
She hid her wince. When she’d woken up, the na Serena had felt like that of a stranger. But Rena sounded even worse. It sounded foreign to her ears, like a na ant for soone else.
She sighed and sat down, gesturing for him to do the sa and then imdiately, sighed," Owen, I know you think I should rember everything now, but I don’t, And I would like to know more."
Owen nodded and imdiately locked his eyes with her and began," We were in love with each other. It wasn’t sothing that happened slowly or over ti—it was love at first sight for . I rember the first ti I saw you, it was raining and you were standing in the opposite store, looking outside and smiling."
"I didn’t approach you right away, you know. You made so nervous. You were so... captivating. But the next ti I saw you—just a week later—I couldn’t resist. I introduced myself, and we started talking. It wasn’t long before we were inseparable."
"We made plans. Big plans. We talked about traveling, building a future together... starting a family in a small a cottage in a quiet town, away from all the chaos."
Serena shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She did not need to know this. In fact, she didn’t want to know this. What she wanted to know was about her family. "Owen..." she began, cutting him off before he could go any further.
"I appreciate what you’re saying, really, but... I need more. I need facts. What did you know about ? About my life, my family? Who was I before I woke up in that hospital? Because right now, all I have are these emotions you’re describing, and none of it feels real to ."
Owen blinked, looking montarily lost. "What do you an? We—"
"I don’t rember any of this, Owen. You’re telling about feelings and plans, but I need concrete things. Did I ever talk to you about my family? My past? What do you actually know about ?"
Owen clenched his hands under the table! What a bi*ch! The Serena of the past was easy to control. She used to listen to him talk as if the sun rose and set on him. What was wrong with her? How had an amnesia suddenly changed her so much? Tell her about her family? No way was he letting her escape his clutches.
She’d been a golden goose in the past with her family’s wealth behind her. But now that she was married to Aiden Hawk, it was like having a gold and a diamond mine altogether. And so he was going to use her to maximise his benefits.
So, he put on his most troubled expression and stated slowly as if hesitating. "Well... I knew you were close to your grandmother. You didn’t talk about your parents and the rest of the family much, though. You said there were things about your childhood that were hard for you to revisit. So, I didn’t press."
Serena nodded. Maybe that was why she also felt close to Aiden’s grandmother. She wondered what her grandmother was like. When she t maybe she could have both the grannies et. That would be so much fun.. She shook her head. First, she had to find her grandmother...
"Okay. And what else? Did I have any close friends? Was I working? What were my ambitions? The things I cared about outside of... us?" She knew she was good at understanding business, so she could hardly wait for any confirmation. And if she was working, then she might have so work friends who might know more about her...
"You didn’t have any friends. Actually, you were quite different from your current self. In fact, one could say that you were entirely the opposite. You had to be coaxed out of yuor shell and would rather sit at ho than go out. When I asked you about doing a job, you said that you had no aptitude for it... You were a rich pampered girl who had been sheltered all her life..."
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