Charlotte sat back in the chair, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied Adeline. A half-smile flickered across her lips, as though she was trying to decipher some hidden piece of the puzzle that was Adeline's present.
"If this is one of your dramatic games to win Luke back, I swear I'll never speak to you again," Charlotte said, her voice sharp. "I mean, first the kidnapping, then the 'I'm leaving for good, don't try to find me' stunt, and now this coma? What's next, faking your own death to get him to care?"
Adeline blinked, caught off guard. "Stunt?"
Charlotte threw her head back and laughed, though there was an edge of nervousness beneath the sound. "You're not fooling me. You've always done something dramatic when you want attention. The surprise engagement, then the 'I'm too busy to visit' routine, and now this coma act?" She raised an eyebrow. "It's like you're trying to make Luke feel sorry for you."
Adeline's stomach churned. Was that really how people saw her? That she always craved attention? The thought scrambled her already disoriented mind.
"No," she answered softly. "I'm not. I don't remember anything like that."
Charlotte's smile wavered, faltering for a moment before it snapped back into place. But now it seemed more forced, as though she were trying too hard to keep the situation light. "Okay, okay. No tricks. Got it." She leaned in a little closer, her expression serious now. "But listen, you don't need to go back there, right? Luke's always been trouble for you. You can stay at my place, as long as you need to. I'll help you get back on track. We'll figure this out together."
Adeline shook her head, the weight of Charlotte's worry pressing on her. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate it—it was that she didn't want to feel like a burden.
"No," Adeline insisted, pushing herself up from the bed. Her body protested, a wave of pain surging through her, but the need to leave was stronger. "I'll be okay. I don't want to take advantage of you. You've done enough already."
Charlotte opened her mouth to argue, but Adeline raised a hand, her voice gentle but firm. "I'll just get my stuff and leave. It's not like I have anywhere else to go. I just need to figure things out. I'll be fine."
Charlotte studied her for a long moment, lips pressed tightly together, clearly torn between her instinct to protect and the understanding that Adeline needed space.
"Fine," Charlotte sighed, frustration seeping into her voice as she waved her hands in the air. "But if you need me, you call me. Day or night. You hear me?"
Adeline nodded, a lump forming in her throat. She couldn't explain why Charlotte's offer felt so right, but something inside her knew she couldn't stay—not yet. Not until she understood who she was now.
The trip down to the lobby was dizzying. Adeline hardly noticed the faces of patients or employees rushing past her; her head was still spinning. The cool air of the lobby hit her like a slap, biting through the hospital gown and causing her to shiver, though she was already cold to the core. She felt completely out of place.
Charlotte had insisted on paying the hospital bill, and Adeline had begrudgingly accepted, but the weight of owing her so much didn't sit well. It felt like another invisible tether to a life that no longer felt like her own.
In the end, Adeline took out a loan from Charlotte to cover the remaining costs—another small burden added to her already heavy shoulders. She didn't know when she'd be able to repay it, but the thought of it left a bitter taste. Nothing felt right anymore.
When she stepped outside, the city was there, familiar yet distant. The cold air bit into her skin, sharp and unforgiving. For a fleeting moment, she questioned whether this was ever truly home.
She pulled her sleeves tighter around her elbows, trying to ward off the sudden chill that seemed to settle deep in her bones.
She didn't own much—a hospital gown and a borrowed loan—but at least she could take the first step toward reclaiming what was left of her life. One step closer to finding her way home.