Chapter 105 #105
Chapter 105
~Shailyn's POV~
The voices came first.
Distant. Muffled. Like I was underwater and they were calling from the surface.
"...those babies tie her to me. Forever. No matter what she knows..."
Dante's voice. Cold. Sharp. Speaking to someone I couldn't see.
I tried to open my eyes. Couldn't. My body wouldn't obey.
"...pray for the day she remembers everything. I pray for the day she sees exactly who you are."
Hannah. That was Hannah.
"She will never leave the father of her children."
Dante again. His words sank into me like stones dropping into deep water.
Father of her children.
The letter.
Everything crashed back at once.
The babies.
I tried to move. My fingers twitched.
"...deserves better than you."
Hannah's voice was closer now. Clearer.
The door opened. Closed. Footsteps fading.
Then silence.
I could feel Hannah moving closer to the bed.
"Shay," she whispered. "I don't know if you can hear me. But I'm here. And I'm not letting him hurt you anymore."
My eyelids fluttered.
Light.
Bright. Too bright.
I forced them open slowly, wincing against the fluorescent assault.
"Oh my God. Oh my God!" Hannah's voice echoed. "Shailyn!"
I tried to speak. My throat was raw. Dry.
"Wait, wait. Don't move. Don't try to talk yet." Hannah was already at the door. "I need to get everyone. Stay right there. Don't move!"
She disappeared.
I blinked slowly, trying to orient myself.
Hospital room. Monitors beeping. IV in my arm. White walls. White sheets.
My hand moved to my stomach.
The babies.
The door burst open.
Hannah first. Then Dwayne. Then Tyler. And Dante.
They all crowded into the room, surrounding the bed like I was some kind of spectacle.
My head was pounding. A dull, relentless throb.
But I could see them clearly now.
Every single face. Especially Dante, who lied. Who manipulated.
And Dwayne.
The father of my babies.
It hit me again, everything. All at once.
The mask party. The night with Dwayne. The pregnancy. The accident. Dante's lies. The suppressed memories. The letter from my mother.
Everything.
I gripped the sheets, trying to steady myself, trying to keep my face neutral even though my mind was screaming.
The silence stretched.
No one spoke.
They just stared at me like they were waiting for something. For me to break. For me to explode. For me to remember.
Dwayne was the one who finally broke it.
"How do you feel?" His voice was gentle. Careful. Like I might shatter if he spoke too loudly.
I looked at him. Really looked at him.
The concern in his eyes. The tension in his jaw. The way his hands were clenched at his sides like he was physically restraining himself from coming closer.
"Tired," I said. My voice came out raspy. Broken.
"That's normal," Tyler said quickly. Too quickly. "You gave us quite a scare."
I turned to look at him. Studied his face. The guilt hiding behind false concern.
"What happened?" I asked.
"You collapsed," Hannah answered. "Dwayne found you."
Of course he did.
Hannah moved closer, grabbing my hand and squeezing it tightly. "You scared the hell out of me, Shay."
"Sorry," I whispered.
"Don't apologize. Just... don't do it again."
I managed a weak smile.
Then Dante stepped forward.
He took my other hand, bringing it to his lips, kissing my knuckles with exaggerated tenderness.
"Baby," he said softly. "Thank God you're okay."
I looked at him. At the fake concern. The manufactured affection.
What a jerk, I thought.
And he was standing here acting like a devoted husband.
"I was so worried," he continued, his voice thick with emotion that didn't reach his eyes. "When I got notified that you were in the hospital, I drove here as fast as I could."
"Thank you," I said. Kept my voice soft. Kept my face neutral.
He smiled. Relieved. Like he'd been holding his breath.
"What happened?" he asked. "Do you remember?"
I hesitated. Just for a second.
"I don't know," I said slowly. "I just remember... falling. I think I was exhausted. Everything just went black."
"The doctor said you had a panic attack," Tyler said.
"A panic attack?" I repeated.
"Yes. Your blood pressure spiked. You couldn't breathe."
I nodded slowly. "I don't really remember. Just... falling."
Dante squeezed my hand. "It's okay. You don't have to remember. You just need to rest now."
"The babies," I said suddenly. "Are they—"
"They're fine," Dwayne said immediately. "Healthy. The doctor confirmed it."
Relief flooded through me. Real relief this time.
"Thank God."
"You need to take it easy," Hannah said. "Complete bed rest. Doctor's orders."
"For how long?"
"Indefinitely," Tyler said. "Until your blood pressure stabilizes."
I nodded. Tried to look appropriately concerned. Appropriately fragile.
Inside, my mind was racing.
They didn't know. They couldn't know that I remembered everything.
Not yet.
Hannah was still holding my hand, and when I glanced at her, I saw something shift in her expression.
She leaned forward slightly.
"Shailyn," she said carefully. Too carefully. "Do you remember anything?"
The question hung in the air.
Everyone went still.
Dante's hand tightened almost imperceptibly around mine. His face, just for a fraction of a second, showed fear. Real, genuine fear before he smoothed it away.
Dwayne straightened. His entire body tensed. Hope flickered across his face, raw and unguarded.
Hannah was watching me closely. Waiting. Almost willing me to say yes.
Tyler's expression was carefully blank. But his eyes gave him away. Sharp. Calculating.
The room was so quiet I could hear the monitors beeping. Could hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.
They were all waiting.
Waiting for my answer.
Waiting to see if their secrets were safe.
Waiting to see if their lies would hold.
I looked at each of them. One by one.
Tyler. Hannah. Dwayne. And Dante.
Especially Dante.
For months, I'd done what everyone else wanted. I'd believed what they told me to believe. I'd felt what they told me to feel. I'd been the perfect wife, the perfect daughter-in-law, the perfect victim of my own lost memories.
But not anymore.
This time, I was going to do what Shailyn wanted.
Not what was convenient for them.
Not what kept their secrets safe.
What I wanted.
I opened my mouth.
And the entire room held its breath.