Dawn and Ava couldn't even talk, like their voices just froze. They stared at each other, then looked back at Adam, but no word wanted to come out at all. Adam stepped forward a little, now kind of suspicious because of the weird silence.
"What wedding? Did I get married to you?" Adam asked, his eyes slowly shifting to Dawn.
"No, of course not. She's just being silly." Ava jumped in too fast.
"I know when I'm being lied to, Ava." Adam pressed, not backing down.
"I was talking about my ex. His name is Adam Forester… he's an actor." Dawn just spilled it out, not even thinking twice, her brain just trying to save her life.
"You said something about memory lost and prayed he should remember soon." Adam reminded her again, still wanting answers.
"I made a terrible mistake by leaving my ex husband… but I want him back because I still love him. But now he's happily married and he doesn't remember me. He had an accident and lost his memory." Dawn said, lying but somehow, painfully true at the same time.
"Oh… that's sad. I'm really sorry," Adam said, finally believing, his face softening with sympathy.
"It's fine, I'll be okay." Dawn forced a smile and hugged Ava goodbye before the tears that were hiding behind her eyes embarrassingly fell in front of Adam. She walked out fast.
She had done everything right, she never wronged anyone, yet life just keeps spinning her like she's the main character in a tragedy movie. She walked down the street thinking about how everything changed. She met the man she dreamed of… fell in love… and then that accident just ruined everything. Now she couldn't even pray for him to recover anymore… because look at him now. He couldn't even remember her name, her family, nothing. So how would he ever remember she was his wife? The pain ripped her chest open again.
She let the tears fall freely, she didn't even bother wiping them. She wanted to scream so bad, just scream everything out, but she was in the middle of NYC—people would definitely think she lost her mind. Not like she cared, but she tried to act normal. She had to stay strong for Amy and the twins… even though they were older now, she still wanted to support them. And Amy… Dawn couldn't break down too much, she still had a little girl to look after.
She finally got home, devastated, eyes red and swollen. Amy was watching TV when she entered. Amy had come back from boarding school, now staying to finish school at the twins school. She jumped up and hugged Dawn immediately.
"What's wrong?" Amy asked, her voice full of concern. She had grown a lot, thirteen now, in eighth grade. Mature, smart, sharp like Jason and a little sassy like Leslie. She would know instantly if Dawn lied, so Dawn didn't even bother trying.
"I'm sad because… Adam doesn't remember me." Dawn said, and the tears came again.
"Oh my God… I'm so sorry. How did it even happen?" Amy gasped, covering her mouth.
"He had an accident." Dawn replied, and Amy gasped again.
"I didn't know about this…" Amy said, rubbing Dawn's shoulder gently.
"I know… but don't worry about anything." Dawn tried to reassure her, and Amy nodded, hugging her again.
"Where are the twins?" Dawn looked around, not seeing them.
"They said they were going to see Adam but I didn't understand until now. They're going to see him on your behalf." Amy said.
"To do what exactly?" Dawn asked, her heart jumping.
"I don't know…"
"They are not supposed to say anything, it will trigger his condition." Dawn said, panicking as she grabbed her phone to call Daphne.
* * * * * *
At the Manchester house, Daphne sat across from Adam in the sitting room. Adam looked tired, confused, and honestly emotionally drained. Ava had been acting strange, Daphne too protective… everything just felt off to him.
"It's because you're my son, nothing else. Have you watched the movie?" Daphne asked, quickly changing the topic.
"Mom… I know you're hiding something from me. Please just tell me what's going on." Adam pressed again.
"Son, I'm your mother. I love you so much, I'll never want to hurt you. If I'm hiding something… then it means it'll hurt you, and I don't want that." Daphne whispered, but before Adam could reply, the twins burst into the room.
They rushed him, hugging him so tight he almost stumbled. Adam froze. Why were strangers hugging him like he was their long-lost brother? He didn't even know who they were.
The twins ran upstairs to see Ava. Daphne saw Adam's confused face and jumped before he could ask.
"They are… Ava's friend's siblings. They really like you, that's all." Daphne said quickly, patting his shoulder before leaving him there in shock, confusion, and a hundred questions that refused to settle.
Upstairs, Ava was reading Independence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika. She loved books—novels, articles, news, anything with words. But the moment she saw the twins, she dropped the book and hugged them tightly.
"I missed you guys! How are you?" she asked, putting her pen between the pages to mark where she stopped.
"We're fine, and you?" they replied at the same time.
"Jinx, you owe me a soda," they said again, still in sync.
"Well… I heard that when twins talk at the same time, it means love and friendship," Ava teased.
"Not with him."
"Not with her."
Ava burst into loud laughter. She already knew they would say that.
"I heard you're going to Harvard University in Cambridge," Ava said, her mood dimming a little.
"Yes…" they answered quietly.
"That's life. I wish you both the best. And please, stay away from boys and focus on your books. Jason—same thing for you. Don't start chasing girls. I'm enough beauty for you to look at, but don't fall in love with me though." Ava joked as the twins laughed.
Ava really was beautiful, and the twins sometimes wondered if that beauty was what won Adam originally.
"As for me, studies first. Someone beloved taught me that," Leslie smiled.
"That's me," Jason bragged.
"Keep bluffing," Leslie muttered.
"Take care of each other, the love is there." Ava teased, and they all laughed and kept talking.
Downstairs, Dawn walked into the house, hoping to catch her siblings before they made things worse. But instead she met Adam and Daphne talking. Daphne had come back with hot cocoa.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said quietly.
"Don't be silly, Dawn. You're welcome," Daphne said, hugging her gently.
"I'll leave you two," Daphne whispered and went upstairs. Dawn moved closer.
"Hey… how have you been?" she asked softly.
"Not good. Mom and Ava have been acting weird. What about you? Anything about your ex husband? Did he remember you?" Adam asked.
"No… not yet. But we're still in touch," Dawn whispered.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up sad memories." Adam apologized immediately.
"It's fine… it's all good," Dawn tried to smile.
Ava, Leslie, and Jason came down. After greeting, they left again. Dawn hugged Ava goodbye and stepped out.
Ava walked past Adam, heading upstairs, but Adam blocked her path.
"What did I do wrong? Why are you avoiding me?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" Ava tried to act normal.
"Stop pretending, Ava. I know when you're upset. I can see it in your eyes. Why are you angry with me?" Adam asked.
"I'm not angry. You're overthinking," Ava said, brushing him off.
But Adam wasn't backing down.
"Just leave me alone, Adam! Please, just let me be!" Ava snapped and rushed upstairs, leaving Adam staring after her in shock.