Page 130 of Lust & Lies

“Noelle?” the doctor said.

My gaze snapped to him. “Uh... um. I feel fine.”

I was anything but fine.

He studied me for a while before saying, “Well, I’m not surprised you’re a little shaken up. That had to have been scary. But you don’t have any bruises. I believe you passed out from shock.”

Shock?I wasn’t the type of woman who’d pass out from shock. It was the memory. It had caused my head to hurt so badly that I blacked out. I didn’t want to tell the doctor that, so I said nothing.

“Have you been remembering things?” Dr. Mercer asked.

I tensed, noting the suspicious way he was looking at me.

Forcing a half-smile, I said, “No. Not yet.”

He nodded. “If you remember anything, tell your husband, okay? False memories can occur at any time and...”

“I thought you told me false memories only occurred if I tried to force the memories to return,” I challenged him.

“Well,” he stated, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

I knew a stalling tactic when I saw one.

“That’soneway to get false memories. But they can occur at any time. And they can be confusing and lead to misunderstandings.”

Bullshit!

“That’s why you need to talk about the memories as they come. Tell Aiden, so he can help you figure out what’s real and what’s not.”

Of course, he wanted me to tell Aiden, since he was on Aiden’s side.Speaking of the devil.The door opened, and Aiden walked in. Just from looking at him, I could tell he was tired, drained, and worried.

I blinked back tears. I really wanted him to hug me right now, to hold me and tell me everything was going to be okay. But I couldn’t ignore the possibility that he was the reason nothing was okay.

He shoved his phone into his pocket as he looked my way. Relief washed over his features. It was a look that almost broke me, that almost made me reach for him. I clenched my hands into fists at my sides.

Ellie... Noelle.

If I asked who she was, would he tell me the truth? Both of us being called Noelle was too much of a coincidence. And I didn’t believe in coincidences. I wasn’t sure I was the real Noelle Park. And if I wasn’t Noelle Park, did that mean I wasn’t his wife?

More pain sliced through me as Aiden rushed to my side and sat on the edge of the bed. He reached for my hand. I jerked it back, not wanting him to touch me. If he wasn’t my husband, did that mean he was her husband?

Was she the woman he’d cheated on me with? And now here I was, living with him. Did that make me the mistress? No. That made no sense. Or did it? I was so confused. Aiden stared at my hand, then up at me.

“Baby,” he whispered, giving me a look that made me feel guilty as hell.

“I’m still shaken up,” I whispered, allowing him to hold my hand when he reached for it again.

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I should’ve been paying attention,” he told me, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

I stared at his hands. Those same hands had held me, hugged me, helped bathe me, and caressed me. They’d brushed my hair from my face, even helped me garden. How could those same hands be responsible for my accident?

I wanted to believe in this man. But I also wanted to get as far away from him as I could. In that moment, I couldn’t decide which was stronger, my love for him or my fear of him.

“You okay, baby?” Aiden asked.

“She’ll be fine,” Dr. Mercer assured him. “She just needs rest. Let’s have her stay in bed for a couple of days and limit her stress. No going out. Just rest. She’s still healing from the first accident. I’ll write up something for the pain.”

“Okay, doctor. I’ll walk you out,” Aiden said, then turned to me. “I’ll be right back. I’ll bring you some blooming tea when I get back. It should help you relax.”