Chapter 106 Chapter 106
Liana's Pov
The aroma of roasted chicken filled the air, soft music humming in the background. I sat at Serena's dining table, a steaming plate in front of me, but I barely touched the food. The lights were dim but cozy, a soft golden light radiating over the room. Serena was opposite me, poking at her mashed potatoes with a sleeping fork. Stanley sat between us, sipping water quietly.
"You know," Serena broke the silence unexpectedly, her voice snapping out suddenly, "I remembered something this afternoon."
My heart missed a beat. I moved forward, leaning in unconsciously. "What did you remember?"
Stanley put his cup down carefully. "Yeah? What was it?"
Serena's eyes flickered as she looked down. "It wasn't anything significant. I just remembered this old song. My mom used to sing it when she washed my hair when I was a child. I smelled the shampoo. Saw the bathroom light... It was so real."
I let out my breath slowly. It wasn't what I was waiting for, but it was something.
"That's still good," Stanley whispered. "It means your memory is working."
"But it's not happening the way I want it to," she replied, her tone flat.
I placed my hand on the table and on top of her hand. "Each memory is a step. It might not make sense right now, but maybe all the pieces will fall into place soon."
Serena nodded but did not reply. She looked tired… the type of tiredness that had absolutely nothing to do with her body. Her eyes bore too much.
We cleaned up from dinner together. Serena walked a little more slowly than usual, and I could see that she was still upset about what had happened a few days earlier when she had fallen. Her balance had significantly improved, but I was not yet something I could have faith in.
Relaxing in the living room, Stanley spoke to me. "The court hearing is three days from today, Liana."
I stiffened a little. "Do you still want to go on?" he murmured. "Because Serena hasn't remembered anything. And to be honest, it would be the sensible thing to wait. If you want to pull out, now is the time."
I blinked slowly my jaw set. My words were low, but clear. "I'm not going to let Dominic see me fold."
Stanley nodded, as though he understood, but his eyes were worried and I totally understand him. But I had to do it.
Serena looked at me seriously. "You're sure? This is not an issue of establishing something?"
"Of course it is," I snapped before calming down. "But it's also standing up for what's right. He believed he could hurt me and get away with it. If I don't show up in court, he wins."
She wrapped my arms around my shoulders and leaned her head on mine. "Then we'll stand with you. No matter what… even if I dont remember."
I smiled a little. "Thanks."
The became quiet once more. The TV provided some background noise, but we weren't paying attention.
"Do you think the judge will believe us?" I asked after a while.
"We don't need them to know everything," Stanley said. "We only need them to notice something. To feel that something is not right."
Serena folded her hands. "But I've got nothing in my head. I want to remember, I really do. But it's like walking through fog. Every time I think I've got something, it disappears."
"What about the flashes?" I asked. "You mentioned you'd been having flashes, right?"
She shook her head slowly. "Yeah. They appear and disappear. But they're all confusing…Some of them are from when I was a little kid, others from times that I don't even remember. Like yesterday, I was seeing myself in a dark hallway running, but I don't know why or from where."
Stanley rubbed his hand against his jaw, thinking. "We can tell the therapist. Perhaps they can help you sort them out."
Serena turned her head. "I'm tired of being torn in two."
I understood. She'd been stretched for weeks now. The court case preparation, the attack, then the memory loss... The stress was sickning.
"Maybe what you need is just peace and quiet," I said. "No one urging you to remember. No stress… Just time."
"We don't have time," she panted.
Silence descended around us once again. Of course we knew and if we could we would have pulled the information out of her memory but we couldn't.
A couple of minutes later, I helped Serena up. Stanley followed behind. She was moving slowly, carefully.
She looked over at both of us when we reached the stairs. "I'm okay," she said, as if attempting to convince herself.
Stanley opened her bedroom door. "Let us help you, Serena. You don't have to be tough."
She breathed deeply and went inside her room. "Thanks. Just give me a minute to change my clothes."
We nodded and let her get on with it. Two or three minutes passed, then we heard a soft tap on her wall. Stanley opened the door.
She was on the bed, in pajamas, a blanket wrapped around her legs. "Can you both stay? Just until I sleep?"
"Of course," I said.
We sat with her until her breathing evened out and her face relaxed in sleep. Her hand was lying loosely over the blanket. Stanley pulled the edge up onto her shoulder.
After we left the room, he looked at me. "She's hanging on, but just by a thread."
"I know."
"You think she'll make court?"
I nodded. "Yes. Not because she's strong, but because she's stubborn."
He smiled faintly. "She'll need both."
I looked back at her door. "We all will."