Chapter 65 A Daughter I Never Knew
POV Scarlett:
“You seem to be doing very well,” I listen closely as the doctor speaks, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I’ve been pretending for hours that I remember everything—it's been hard, and more than once I was almost caught. The best way out I found was to stay quiet. I don’t want to risk talking to one of them and ending up giving myself away. “What Liam did was very dangerous. Besides you having suffered a collapse, he could have caused much greater damage. However, your latest MRIs have proven that everything is fine with you.”
“Liam knows he acted wrong.” Damian’s voice draws my attention to him, and like an invisible current that binds us, his eyes lock onto mine, once again causing that feeling of belonging. This can’t be right. “Soon the others will be here and I’ll need to go. I can’t leave Aria alone. Liam needs to be at the company and won’t be able to stay with her.” I nodded without knowing who Aria is.
Damian—and none of the others who were with me—mentioned anything about a woman. This is the first time I’m hearing that name. Aria? Is she a sister? A mother? Maybe she is...
“Scarlett, I hope you’re okay with not being able to see your daughter until you’re discharged.” D… Dau… Daughter? What did the doctor say? My eyes go wide. I… I have a daughter? “Children under ten aren’t allowed to visit.” I mask my shock, nodding again.
I’m in shock. I don’t know how to hide my reaction in the face of this revelation. A daughter. I have a daughter.
“I can… show you photos and videos of her, if you want.” Damian offers, and for the first time since I saw him, I want him by my side telling me everything about us. Because the way he kissed me can only mean one thing... I’m his woman, and we have a daughter together.
“I… I… I wa…nt to.”
Damian sat down beside me, took his phone, and I tried not to cry when I saw the photo of a beautiful baby as his wallpaper, but it was impossible. A new feeling took hold of me, and all I want is to hold that baby in my arms.
I stayed silent, watching him swipe through each photo—from the day she was born up to today. I feel my chest tighten, and a suffocating need to have her in my arms tortures me. My daughter. That beautiful baby is my daughter.
Since I opened my eyes this morning, nothing made sense—until this moment. Until her. I don’t know how long I spend staring at her pictures, while Damian, whenever he can, keeps stroking my hair and kissing my face. Even though I don’t know… remember who he is, being at his side makes me feel good, makes me feel at ho— The bedroom door opens, and two men walk in. The first must be around my age; the second looks older. Both smile at me. I smile back to keep up my farce that I know who they are.
“Princess, you finally remembered us.” The younger one says, smiling as he comes closer to me. “I’ve missed you like crazy.” Before I can say anything, he grips the back of my neck and takes my lips with his.
Oh, shit. That means that… I’m in a relationship with him too? Not really knowing how to act, I just mirror the movements of his tongue, which is much more restrained than Damian’s. The moment his mouth pulls away, another one is already pressed to mine. This kiss is wetter, more sensual. With my eyes closed, an image of this same mouth kissing me in a bathroom surprises me, making me stop the kiss and push him away from me.
“Everything gets better with your kisses.” He says, smiling. “Damian, Liam is in the car waiting for you with Aria.” If this Liam guy is in the car, who are these two?
“And if I were you, I’d go right now. Liam is anxious to see Scarlett, isn’t he, Ethan?” the younger one says, and I breathe a sigh of relief. He can only be Noah.
“Okay, I’m going.” Damian leans in, his face close to mine. “As soon as I can, I’ll be back. Someone needs to be home to take care of Aria.” He whispers, and it doesn’t take more than a second for his lips to be on mine again. I close my eyes, accepting his kiss.
I don’t know where my parents are. I don’t know what happened between me and the Hawthornes. And yet, the way these men I don’t remember kiss me... Do they love me? Do we have a relationship between us? Which one of them did I get pregnant by? Am I willing to keep deceiving them, pretending I got my memory back? I don’t know. I definitely don’t know. When I had this idea… I didn’t imagine that...
I can’t deceive them. I can’t look them in the eyes and pretend to be someone I don’t remember being. And yet, I need to be close to them—maybe that’s the only way to recover the memories I lost.
...
A few days later...
The nurse helps me get dressed in the clothes Liam brought me. Today, at last, is the day I’m discharged. Today I’ll meet my daughter, hold her in my arms, and start living with her everything I lost. I still haven’t remembered everything, but since I accepted giving myself a chance to want to remember, many flashes of the Blackwell brothers have surfaced in my thoughts—including the day I had the accident. I didn’t tell them I lied, and I believe it isn’t even necessary to tell them. Since I’m recovering my memories, it won’t take long until I have them all back.
I still don’t remember what happened with my parents, nor what happened between me and the Hawthornes. My heart is divided, because right now I feel very confused. Inside me, I still love the Hawthornes... but there are the Blackwells. I don’t know if what I feel for them is love; however, I have strong feelings for each one—something inside me tells me that. That’s why I’m giving them a chance to get close. I don’t think it’s fair to push them away because of my lack of memory. They take care of me. They spoil me. They make me laugh. They help me... They’re good for me, and if it were the other way around, I would be suffering because they didn’t remember me.
I lift my head and study the wonderful men in front of me. Liam is protective, Noah is captivating, Ethan is affectionate, and Damian... He is defiant. He brings out a side of me I never thought was attractive. He provokes me, makes me angry... I haven’t had any memories of my moments of sex with them, but I believe they must be extraordinary. I feel my face burn, because I shouldn’t be thinking about that—not today.