Amara's breath came in short, uneven bursts as the words on her phone echoed endlessly in her mind.
She knows about your past too, Amara.
No.
That wasn't possible.
Her past was buried.
Locked away.
Gone.
Or at least… that's what she had convinced herself.
"How do they know?" she whispered, more to herself than to anyone else.
David frowned, stepping closer, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Know what?"
But Amara barely heard him.
Her mind had already gone somewhere else.
Somewhere darker.
Memories she had spent years trying to forget began to resurface—uninvited and unforgiving.
A hospital room.
Cold white walls.
The faint smell of antiseptic.
Pain.
Fear.
Regret.
Her grip on the phone tightened.
Another buzz.
She flinched this time before looking down.
"You should have told him the truth."
A sharp wave of panic hit her chest.
Truth.
That word alone felt like a threat.
"Amara, what is going on?" David's voice was firmer now, more demanding. "You're scaring me."
She looked at him then.
Really looked at him.
And something shifted inside her.
For the first time since this started…
She saw it.
He wasn't just hiding something.
He was afraid too.
But not of being caught cheating.
Of something else.
And that realization made her own fear deepen.
"I…" she tried to speak, but her voice failed her.
How do you explain a past you've spent years running from?
How do you confess a secret that could destroy everything you've built?
"I need air," she said suddenly, turning away before he could stop her.
"Amara—wait."
But she was already moving.
Fast.
Almost running.
She pushed through the ballroom doors, the warm glow of the celebration instantly replaced by the cold bite of the Winnipeg night.
The silence outside was overwhelming.
Her heels clicked against the pavement as she stumbled forward, her breathing uneven, her heart pounding violently against her chest.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Not tonight.
Not ever.
She had built a new life.
A perfect life.
And now…
Someone was tearing it apart.
Piece by piece.
Her phone buzzed again.
She froze.
For a moment, she considered throwing it away.
Turning it off.
Pretending none of this was real.
But she couldn't.
Slowly, with trembling fingers, she unlocked the screen.
No text.
Just an image.
Her heart dropped before she even opened it.
And when she did—
Her breath caught in her throat.
Because staring back at her…
Was a version of herself she thought no one would ever see again.
Younger.
Fragile.
Lying in a hospital bed.
And in her arms…
A baby.
Tears filled her eyes instantly.
"No…" she whispered, her voice breaking completely now.
That picture…
That moment…
It was never supposed to exist outside her memory.
She had made sure of it.
Or so she thought.
Behind her, the doors opened.
"Amara?"
David's voice.
Closer now.
But she couldn't turn around.
Couldn't face him.
Because if she did…
Everything would become real.
And she wasn't ready for that.
Not yet.