Chapter 3 You’re Nobody Now
'HOURS LATER'
The automatic glass doors of the state-of-the-art clinic slid open with a soft whoosh as Andrew stepped out into the early evening. The air was cool, crisp — the kind of breeze that felt like freedom — and the fading sun bathed his smooth skin in a golden glow.
For the first time in over a week, Andrew’s face wasn’t a mask of forced concern or manufactured grief. Tonight, his smile was real. Broad. Almost boyish. He looked like a man reborn. His every step toward the parking lot was light, his 6’7 frame carrying itself with the confidence of a man who had just dodged a bullet.
He glanced at the row of cars lined up in the perfectly paved lot, his eyes falling on his black 2022 Chevrolet Blazer SUV gleaming under the last rays of daylight.
“She doesn’t remember a damn thing,” he muttered under his breath, almost laughing, as he fished the key fob out of his pocket and pressed it.
The SUV chirped and flashed its lights.
Andrew hummed to himself as he closed the distance to the car, his head bobbing softly to an imaginary rhythm — a victorious tune playing in his mind. He gripped the door handle, opened it, and slid smoothly into the leather driver’s seat.
The door shut with a satisfying thud, sealing him off from the rest of the world.
For a moment, he just sat there, hands on the steering wheel, grinning like a man who had just been handed back his life. Then he hit the ignition. The engine roared to life with a deep growl that rumbled through his chest, vibrating in perfect harmony with his joy.
Before pulling out of the lot, he tapped the voice control button on the steering wheel. “Call Amelia,” he commanded.
The car’s AI system beeped in compliance, and Amelia’s name appeared on the monitor. Andrew tapped his fingers softly against the steering wheel as the call connected.
“Hey baby, what’s up?” Amelia’s sultry voice spilled through the SUV’s speakers, smooth and warm.
Andrew’s grin widened until it nearly split his face. “I’m good,” he said, almost laughing. “Actually, I’m more than good.”
“Oh?” she teased. “You sound excited. What happened?”
Andrew chuckled, unable to hold back his glee. “You won’t believe. Guess."
“You know I’m terrible at guessing,” Amelia said, her voice perking up, as though his excitement had infected her through the phone. “Just tell me!”
Andrew couldn’t hold it in any longer. “The bitch lost her memory.”
There was a beat of silence on the other end, and then Amelia’s voice shot up several octaves. “Wait… what?”
“My wife,” Andrew clarified, savoring the words as if they were a fine wine.
Amelia let out a scream so loud Andrew winced and laughed at the same time. “Oh my God, Andrew, you’re lying!”
“I'm not. It's true,” Andrew said quickly, leaning back in the seat, his hand running down his beard as if to savor the moment physically. “She doesn’t even remember her own name. She doesn’t know she’s married. She doesn’t know about our son. Nothing. Wiped clean.”
There was a pause on Amelia’s end, followed by a gleeful laugh that rang through the speakers like music. “This is insane! That means things are good for us now, right?”
Andrew’s smile turned into a wicked grin. He shifted the SUV into reverse and slowly backed out of the parking spot. “We’re more than good. We’re golden.”
“You sound like you’re smiling,” Amelia teased.
“I am,” Andrew said, his deep voice warm and triumphant. “You have no idea how good this feels. A week ago I was staring down a rugged divorce, ruined career, losing everything and worse jail when she woke and and tells the world I attempted to kill. Now?” He laughed, a dark, satisfied sound. “Poof. It’s all gone. Like it never happened.”
“You’re unbelievable,” Amelia said, her voice dripping with admiration. “Where are you now?”
Andrew glanced in the rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of the hospital fading behind him as he maneuvered toward the exit. “I just left the hospital. Went to drop off flowers for her.” He chuckled at the thought, his grip tightening on the wheel. “But I’m heading your way now.”
“You better,” Amelia said, a teasing edge in her tone. “We need to celebrate — and start planning how to get rid of her completely out of your life.”
Andrew’s grin deepened. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
“I’ll make that potato salad you like,” Amelia said, her voice softening into something more intimate.
“Yeah, baby,” Andrew said, his tone low, almost a growl.
The call disconnected with a soft beep, and silence fell inside the SUV for a moment.
Then, with a quick jab of his finger, Andrew turned on the stereo. A smooth hip-hop track flowed through the speakers, its bass pulsing through the car. Andrew’s head began to bob again as he merged onto the highway, the city lights ahead of him twinkling like a promise.
His mind replayed the image of Maggie’s confused eyes as she lay in that hospital bed, whispering, Who am I?
Andrew laughed under his breath, the sound dark and victorious.
“You’re nobody now,” he said to himself, his voice drowned out by the music. “And soon, you’ll be gone for good.”
He pressed harder on the gas, the SUV picking up speed as he left the clinic — and Maggie — behind, his eyes locked on the road ahead, his thoughts already with the woman waiting for him.
Tonight wasn’t just about celebration. Tonight was about planning Maggie’s permanent exit from his life — and making sure no one ever connected the dots back to him.