"Excuse me?" the brunette snapped.
"You're excused."
She took a step toward me, but Zion's men instantly moved in front of me.
"Miss, off-limits," they said, trying to steer her back.
"Tch! Let me go!" she hissed. They released her, yet still formed a human barrier between us.
"So you marry rich and suddenly get strict with me, Ally?" she almost sounded on the verge of tears.
What the—!?
"I'm your freaking best friend, Ally Cole!" She backed up, eyes glistening. "Your one and only best friend, remember!"
I couldn't say a word.
"It's me—Sanny!" she blurted, and my eyes shot wide.
"S-Sanny!?" I stammered in disbelief.
The girl from Mom's convenience store? My friend Sanny?
"Sanny Bels! We both lived abroad, Ally!" She looked stunned. "Do you, by any chance, have amnesia?"
My heartbeat doubled. Everything was spinning—this wasn't the Sanny I'd known before I died. Had I misunderstood?
…
"Madam, shall we call mall security to remove her?" one of Zion's men asked, turning to me. I shook my head.
"We're just going to talk," I said.
They clearly didn't like it, but I waved them back a few meters. Sanny Bels immediately hooked her arm through mine and stared hard at me.
"What happened, girl? You cut off all contact with us!" she said.
I drew a deep breath. Maybe she could fill in my blanks.
"Actually… there are things I can't remember," I admitted, embarrassed.
I couldn't lie—this Sanny Bels seemed to know my life better than Zion did.
"What the—!? Seriously?!" she cried, slapping a hand over her mouth. Several shoppers—and Zion's men—looked our way.
"Calm down!" I hissed.
"How could that happen? You were perfectly fine the night after Carlo dumped you!" she whispered, totally bewildered.
"That… just happened, I guess."
Wait—Carlo broke up with me? That name Carlo—very familiar!
"I suppose this'll take a while," she muttered, leading me to a bench. I followed, Zion's guards hovering nearby.
"I honestly remember nothing, so sorry I didn't recognize you earlier," I said.
"Hmm…" She smacked her forehead. "Your name is Ally Cole. You were supposed to start third year at the university we both attend, but after Carlo dumped you—poof!—you vanished!"
I held my breath, processing.
"We've been searching everywhere! God, your family's sick with worry," she went on.
"I… I have a family?" I blurted.
She nodded sadly. "A loving one, Ally. What happened to you? Why the amnesia?"
I exhaled. "I really don't remember."
"Can I ask your rich husband what happened? Maybe he knows. He's the one who brought you back, right?"
I frowned. "How do you know that?"
She grinned, leaning closer. "I'm your protector," she quipped—then laughed. "Kidding, hahaha!"
I just shook my head.
"Anyway, I tracked you down thanks to your busted phone. You'd hidden a GPS tag on it, linked to my phone—so I found you," she explained.
"Why didn't you pull me away from my husband?"
She dropped her voice. "Your disappearance was a huge deal. Looks like a syndicate was involved."
"Why do you know so much?" I whispered.
She leaned in again, right to my ear. "Forgot you had amnesia— I'm an undercover agent. I dig deep. And I know someone saved you—your husband—so I left you with him."
I let out a long breath, taking it all in.
"In that case…" I hesitated, "what do I do now?"
She leaned back, exhaling while gazing through the shop window at people coming and going. "Stay with your husband. You're safe with him."
"D-Do you know him personally?" I asked softly.
"I know him through your case. Anyway, I won't tell your family you're here in the Philippines. Good thing your style—and even your skin tone—changed," she said.
I stayed quiet, watching her.
She muttered, "I still need to dig up more about your disappearance. Maybe your ex is tied to it."
"Who exactly is this ex you keep mentioning?" I asked, puzzled.
"Carlo." Her voice went cold, almost angry.
"Who?"
"Carlo Ville," she said—and my eyes flew open.
The male lead! He's my ex? How…? The novel never mentioned the male lead's past! What is going on!?
"I have to go, Ally. Don't worry, I'm around. I'll try to figure out why you have amnesia," she said, rising—but I just stared into space.
Reality returned only when someone called me.
"Madam!"
I turned—it was one of Zion's men.
I looked back at the bench—Sanny was gone. I hadn't even noticed her leave, but she'd slipped me a small white note with a string of numbers and a line saying I could call her if I had problems.
Is this really the story I read before I died? Why is so much happening that wasn't in the novel?
While I continued shopping—per Zion's orders—I couldn't stop thinking.
Maybe this is the time before the plot of My Lily even begins?