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Igroan, trying to open my eyes. They feel so heavy and everything hurts so bad. I feel like I got run over by a lorry. What the fuck happened?

“Taylor, it’s okay. Can you open your eyes?”

I move my head to where the voice comes from and wince at the stabbing pain that comes from my neck all the way to my head. Slowly, I try to open my eyes, but the light is blinding me. I feel like I'd be better off just with my eyes closed and unmoving.

“I think it’s too light in here, close the blinds, Angelina.”

Who are these people? When the room is darker, I’m finally able to open my eyes without burning them, and I take in the scene before me.

The room is white, there are tubes attached to my arm, and a machine next to me is beeping

“Am I in the hospital?”

I try to remember what happened, but it’s all foggy, and my head hurts too much. The last thing I remember doing is helping Mara move her stuff from her dorm to her place.

“What happened? Who are you?”

I croak. Unease fills me, and I notice I have a tattoo on my left arm. It looks like angel wings. When did I get that?

“You were attacked. Your husband heard the commotion coming home from work and scared the man off, he’s talking to the police now. You have a concussion, but nothing severe. Just rest and don’t watch any screens until you're cleared — likely a few days, but it could be a couple of weeks. It’s mandatory.”

I look at the nurses and frown. My what? Since when am I married?

“I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong person. I don't have a husband.”

Both seem worried when I finish my sentence.

“Taylor, do you know the date and year we're in?”

the nurse, who I think is Angelina, asks while changing the fluid linked to my arm.

“I think it’s November 26th or 27th, 2019.”

Angelina looks at the woman behind her. The nurse seems strained and has her lips shut in a tight line.

The older nurse opens her mouth, holding out a glass of water.

“I think you might be suffering from amnesia. You hit your head pretty hard, it’s not uncommon for it to happen.”

Her eyes soften in what feels like pity. I hate it when people look at me like that. They must be mistaken.

“Well, what day is it then?”

I demand, anger slightly seeping out of my tone.

“It’s the 3rd of April, 2025, sweetie. But don’t you worry, there are lots of people who had their memories return after a couple of weeks or months,”

she says a little too happily for my liking. How can almost five years of my life be completely gone? My breathing turns more ragged and starts slowly building up into a panic. What am I going to do?

The nurse picks up on my panic and rushes over to me. There’s a kind smile on her face while she helps me guide my breathing.

“Don’t worry! Your husband will be back soon, and then you two can talk it out. I’ll warn him too, so he’s prepared, and it doesn’t strain your mind. If you need anything, I am Kathy, your nurse, and this is my health care assistant, Angelina, but don’t worry, she’s very skilled. Over to your right, there is this red button that you can press if you need anything. Okay?”

She smiles up at me, so I smile awkwardly back at them.

“Okay.”

I nod uncertainly at them, and they both walk away, leaving me alone in this room. I have a husband. I am actually married. Where is Mara?

Shouldn’t she be here too? She always worries about me, and it’s odd that she isn’t. Maybe she could help me gather everything that happened over these past few years.

Not too long after the nurses leave, there’s a knock on the door. Maybe it’s my so-called ‘husband’ who has finally come to visit.

“Come in,”

I say, my voice still hoarse. I think I must have been screaming when the accident happened. My throat hurts, and my voice sounds like I am a chain smoker of fifty years.

I frown seeing two officers come in and sit down on the chairs next to my bed.

“Mrs Addams, we are here in regard to your attack. May we ask you some questions about the events?”

The officer who spoke first looks kind of cute. He has short brown hair neatly cut and brought into model. His uniform is tight around his muscles, and I can see a hint of a tattoo on his lower arm. I wonder if my husband also has tattoos.

“Mrs Addams?”

I look back at him, not realising he had asked me a question. I nod at him, uncertain how this all will play out, since I don’t remember a single thing.

He takes a picture out of his pocket and shows it to me.

“Do you know this man?”

I grab the picture from him, trying to remember him, or at least remember anything that could help, but I don’t. He looks to be over forty with a bald head and broad shoulders.

“Sorry, I don’t. I don’t remember.”

I give the picture back to him, and he places it back into his pocket. He sighs, clearly annoyed with my answer.

“I am afraid I have some bad news for you, Mrs Addams. A couple of hours after the attack on your life, we had a call about a possible murder. When we went to look, it turned out your friend, Mara, whom you went to the party with, had been found dead in her home. We have found evidence of it being the same man—the man in the picture—that attacked you last night. Thanks to your husband, we were able to make a clear image of the man, but we don’t know where he went when your husband scared him.”

Shock takes over the moment I hear him speaking the words ‘found dead’. Mara can’t be dead. This is not real. This is some sick joke.

“I—I’m sorry, but I think you are wrong. Mara isn’t dead.”

My hands are shaking, and I start to tear up. All I see through my blurry vision is the officer looking at me with pity.

No, no, she’s not. She can’t be.

She’s like a sister. I’ve known her all my life. She is not doing this to me. As my anxiety and the shock of the news I was just given rise, my machines start to alarm.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs Addams. I think you should rest, take in the shock of your loss.”

He grabs a small card from his pocket.

“If you remember or see anything, please call this number.”

Angelina rushes in to try and stop the alarms.

I open my mouth a couple of times, but instead of words, all that comes out is a pained wail. How can she do this to me? She can’t just leave me like that, and what fucking party is he talking about. This cannot be happening. But it did happen, didn’t it?

The officer leaves after giving me a tissue from the side of the bed, with Angelina shooing them out

My heart feels like it’s being shattered into pieces, and there’s something sharp stuck down my throat. I start to cry harder until I feel like I might pass out from lack of oxygen.

Kathy walks in after Angelina presses buttons on my machines. She starts to curse, taking something from her back pocket, walking over to me. I can't fully hear everything she is saying, but she rubs something cold over my arm, and suddenly there's a small sting. My eyes grow heavier, and the room starts to spin. I close my eyes and let the darkness take over me, hoping it’s all just a bad dream.