Chapter 149 Chapter 145

Chapter 149 Chapter 145
Maxwell

“Can I borrow your car?” I asked Alvin.

We had come to the hospital in his car because Camilla had driven off in mine after leaving in a fit of anger.

“Of course, sir,” Alvin replied without hesitation. “Just tell me where you're going. I can drive you.”

I shook my head. “No. I need to be by myself.”

He looked reluctant to hand over the keys, so I added, “Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen to your car. And even if something does, you can buy any car you want. I will pay for it.”

That finally convinced him, he placed the keys in my hand. I walked out of the hospital, got into his car, and drove away.

I knew it wouldn't take long before Camilla figured out where I was. If she couldn't reach me, she would call my parents, and they would tell her I was at the hospital. I needed to leave before that happened.

More than anything, I needed to be alone before I did something I would regret. A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

I should have known her concern was too perfect to be real. She had been hovering around me, acting like a devoted wife, while sleeping with another man behind my back. She had even gotten pregnant, and all this time I had been putting my life on hold for her.

I skipped important meetings, Ignored my company. Spent less time with my children. I had done all of that because I believed I was supporting my fiancée through a difficult pregnancy.

Only to find out I had been sacrificing everything for another man's child. I slammed my fist against the steering wheel, the sharp pain doing nothing to calm the rage burning inside me.

Without thinking much about where I was going, I drove across town until I reached a lounge I had a feeling I have visited countless times over the years.

I pulled into the parking lot, switched off the engine, and sat there for a few seconds, staring blankly through the windshield.

Then I got out and headed inside. The staff recognized me immediately and led me to one of the private VIP rooms without asking any questions.

I ordered a bottle of whiskey and poured myself a drink. The alcohol burned my throat, but it couldn't drown out the thoughts running through my head.

A few minutes later, the door opened, three men walked into the room. I looked up at them.Their faces were strangely familiar. I was certain I had known them for years, though my mind was too clouded to place where. Then I remembered seeing them at the game earlier.

One of them grinned as they approached my table. "Hey, Max," he said. "Did we do something wrong? You saw us sitting out there, but instead of joining us, you came in here to drink by yourself."

“On top of that,” one of them continued, “you disappeared to God knows where, came back into the country, and didn't even bother reaching out to us. And what's all this nonsense we have been hearing about Amelia? Taking her children away from her? What the hell is going on?”

Before I could respond, another one spoke. “And then there's you and Camilla.” He stared at me in disbelief. “You and Camilla? Out of every woman you have ever been with, Camilla? I thought you always said she was nothing more than a fling. I never imagined I'd live to hear you call that woman the love of your life.”

I slowly raised my hand, stopping them before they could continue. The three of them had walked in and started throwing questions at me without giving me a second to breathe. They acted like we had known each other forever, yet I couldn't remember who they were.

I studied their faces again, searching my memory. “Do... do I know you guys?” I finally asked.

They all froze, then they exchanged confused looks. One of them frowned. “Is he drunk, or has he completely lost his mind?”

Without waiting for an invitation, they pulled out chairs and sat around me. One of them reached for the whiskey bottle, poured himself a drink using my glass, and emptied it in one gulp.

Another laughed uneasily.

“Guys, tell me he's joking.” He looked back at me. “What do you mean, 'Do we know you?' You pulled this same stunt the other day too. You acted like you'd never met us before. Is Camilla involved in this somehow? Is she blackmailing you or threatening you with something?”

I rubbed my forehead, trying to force my memories to return.

“I don't know any of you,” I said honestly. “And I have no idea what you're talking about.”

I pushed my chair back, intending to leave. Before I could stand, one of them placed a firm hand on my shoulder and pushed me back into my seat.

“So I can't even go home now?” I asked, irritation creeping into my voice.

Instead of answering, one of the men pulled out his phone and held it out to me.

“Here,” he said. “Go through the pictures. Pictures don't lie.”

I took the phone from him. My thumb slowly scrolled through the gallery. There were dozens of photos, pictures of the four of us when we were much younger.

More photos from our adult years, us at biker events, at races and all. The memories captured in those photographs stretched across years. Every single picture showed us smiling together like lifelong friends.

Yet as I stared at them, I couldn't remember a single moment they were taken.

But no matter how hard I searched my mind, I couldn't remember a single thing about that part of my life. I closed my eyes and tried to force the memories back, nothing.

It was like there was a thick wall inside my head, blocking everything that had happened before the last two years. “I... can't remember,” I admitted quietly.

A knot formed in my stomach, something was seriously wrong with me. Until this moment, I hadn't realized how much of my life was missing. First, I couldn't remember that I was incapable of fathering a child until the doctor told me. Now I couldn't even recognize people who had apparently been my closest friends.

How much else had I forgotten?

“You're serious?” one of them asked. I slowly nodded.

He let out a long breath before pointing to himself. “I'm Kai.” Then he pointed to the man sitting beside him. “That's Jaxon.” Finally, he gestured toward the third man. “And that's Rafe.”

Each name sounded familiar. They echoed somewhere in the back of my mind, as though I had heard them thousands of times before. But I couldn't connect the names to any memories. The three of them exchanged uneasy glances.

Kai leaned forward. “What's the last thing you actually remember?”

I swallowed hard. “Two years ago.”

They remained silent, waiting for me to continue.

“I was in a car accident. I remember seeing Amelia get shot.” My voice grew quieter. “She died in my arms. I watched them bury her.”

Even saying the words made my chest ache.

“After that, I went to the beach because I wanted to end my life. That's where I met Camilla.”

The room fell silent, none of them spoke for several seconds.

Then Rafe slowly shook his head. “Maxwell,” he said carefully, “Amelia didn't die.”

I looked up at him.

“She might have been shot, but she survived, you knew that .” He held my gaze. “She's alive. She always has been.”

I stared at him, unable to process what he had just said, that couldn't be right. I had watched her die, I remembered standing at her funeral. I remembered watching her coffin being lowered into the ground. Didn't I?

Kai frowned, studying my expression. “I think someone tampered with your memories, Max.” He looked at Jaxon and Rafe before turning back to me. “And I think I know exactly who you need to see if you want them back.”

He gave my shoulder a light pat, then motioned for the others to stand.

“Come on,” he said. “Let's go.”