Ever since that day at the market, I hadn't been the same. Restless. Uneasy. Trapped in a battle between curiosity and fear. A part of me itched to dig deeper, to uncover who I really was. But the other—the stronger, smarter part—screamed at me to leave it alone. Because what if the truth wasn't something I could live with? What if I wasn't just a victim of circumstance but something far worse?
Criminals didn't settle in one place. They didn't live peaceful, quiet lives. They hid, they ran, they disappeared. But I had been here. That should mean something, shouldn't it? I had a home here, a place where I felt safe—or at least, I had before that day.
Now, I wasn't so sure.
The past wasn't just a shadow lurking behind me. It was catching up. I could feel it. Every time someone came to the farm, my heart pounded, my body tensed, and I had to fight the instinct to run or attack. It wasn't normal. It wasn't me—or at least, not the me I had become.
Henry had recognized me. A stranger, someone I didn't even remember, had looked at me and known me. If he could find me, how long before the real people from my past did too? The ones who might not hesitate to finish what had been started the night I was left for dead?
I tried to hide it. I kept my hands steady when Ella asked me to pass the flour. I forced a smile when Evans teased me about the wildflowers in the backyard. I pretended I was fine. But I wasn't. But there was one person I couldn't fool.
Liam.
He watched me too closely, his sharp eyes catching every flinch, every hesitance in my steps, every time my gaze flicked toward the door as if expecting someone to burst through it. He didn't say much—not yet. But I knew him well enough to know it was coming.
I was supposed to be collecting eggs, but my mind was somewhere else. I couldn't even count how many I'd broken today. My hands were steady, but my thoughts were a mess. Ever since that day at the market, I'd been restless. Paranoid. And no matter how hard I tried to push it away, the feeling wouldn't leave me.
I didn't even know what kind of life I had lived before, but it was already haunting me. And wasn't that proof enough that it hadn't been a good one? Maybe losing my memory was a blessing—maybe God had wiped it away so I could start over with Evans and Ella. But then why did it feel like the past was creeping closer?
I sighed, rubbing my forehead. Lack of sleep wasn't helping. Every time I closed my eyes, shadows lurked behind my eyelids—blurry images, nightmares... memories? I wasn't sure.
And I wasn't ready to find out. I picked up the crate of eggs, stacking them carefully, when I heard it—an engine.
A car.
I peeked around the coop, my pulse spiking. A black Toyota Camry was parked outside the house.
They're here.
The words weren't mine, but they echoed in my mind, cold and certain.
Who?
My heart raced as I scanned the area. No one else was home except Ella, she was in the kitchen cooking. Evans and Liam were out in the fields. And the person in that car? I had no idea who they were. Panic clawed at my chest. What if—what if they weren't here for good reasons? What if they hurt Ella?
No. No, I couldn't let that happen.
Without thinking, I moved. Keeping low, I crept toward the house, sticking to the shadows, making sure they wouldn't see me. My pulse thundered in my ears as I got closer, my breath shallow. I reached the back door-almost there.
Just a few more steps—
I slammed into something solid.
Not something. Someone.
A wall of muscle
I stumbled backward, the impact jolting through me. I looked up—and met Liam's sharp gaze. My pulse stuttered for an entirely different reason.
"What are you doing here?" I snapped, more irritated at myself for getting caught than anything else.
Liam lifted his right hand, revealing a hammer. "Fixing the fence." His voice was calm, but his eyes? They weren't.
"Oh." I muttered, shifting awkwardly.
His gaze didn't waver. "Why were you sneaking around?"
I blinked. "Sneaking?" I let out a laugh
—too forced, too unnatural. "What makes you think I was sneaking?"
He tilted his head slightly. "I saw you.
From the poultry yard. Moving like you were trying not to be seen."
I schooled my expression. "I don't know what you're talking about." I tried to brush past him, but his fingers wrapped around my wrist, stopping me. His grip wasn't tight, but it was firm enough to send a message. He exhaled, his voice quieter this time. "I hope you're not hiding something from my family."
Something cold curled in my stomach.
"And I hope," he continued, his expression darkening, "that whatever you're hiding won't hurt them."
I swallowed hard.
Liam's jaw tensed. "Listen, Sara. I won't forgive you if something bad happens to them because of you. Evans and Ella? They're the reason you're here. They're the ones who wanted you here. Not me. If it were up to me, you'd be long gone."
His words hit harder than they should have. I forced my expression into something neutral, even as my heart pounded.
"Are you done?"
I yanked my wrist free, stepping back. "I'm not hiding anything," I said evenly. "And you don't need to worry. No harm will come to them because of me."
But was I sure?
Liam didn't answer, just studied me for a long moment before letting me go. I turned and walked inside, my chest tight, my thoughts racing.
And then I stopped short.
Sitting at the table, chatting easily with Ella, was Emilia-the girl from the market. She sat at the table like she belonged there. My stomach twisted. She was the owner of the car outside.
Had she come looking for me?"
What's the deal with this Emilia girl? Is she trouble or something else entirely? Well, there's only one way to find out. Stay tuned!