Chapter 1

Darkness. That’s all I know at first. A cold, stretching void where time doesn’t exist, where I float weightlessly in nothingness. Then—pain. A sharp, dragging pain that pulls me from the abyss, yanking me upward, forcing my body to exist again.

I gasp. The first breath feels like drowning. My lungs burn, my throat constricts, and I feel hands—warm, steady hands—grasping my arms, holding me down. My body jerks, panic clawing its way up my chest. I don’t know where I am. I don’t know who I am.

“Shh…” A voice, low and rich, curls around me like silk. “You’re safe now.”

I force my eyes open. The world swims, blurred at the edges. The first thing I see is him. A man leaning over me, his face shadowed against the dim golden glow of a chandelier. He’s breathtaking. Tousled dark hair, sharp cheekbones, and eyes that hold too much. Sorrow. Relief. A storm I don’t understand.

I try to speak, but my throat is raw, as if I haven’t used it in years.

“Where…?” The word barely escapes my lips.

His grip on me tightens, just for a second. Then it softens, like he’s afraid I’ll break. “You’re home.”

Home.

The word feels foreign, strange in my mind. Home should feel like something. A memory, a warmth. But there’s nothing. Only emptiness.

I swallow hard. “Who…who are you?”

Something flickers across his face—pain, hesitation. Then, a soft smile. “Julian,” he says. “I’m Julian.”

Julian.

The name doesn’t stir anything inside me. I search for a connection, a thread of recognition, but it’s like staring into a blank page. There is nothing.

I wet my lips. “And… who am I?”

This time, his breath catches. His hands fall away, curling into fists on the edge of the bed. He exhales slowly, his voice careful. “You’re Anastasia. Ana.”

Ana. The name should feel like mine. It doesn’t.

I close my eyes, willing myself to remember. Something. Anything. But the past is locked behind a door I don’t have the key to.

When I open my eyes again, he’s watching me. His gaze is soft, but there’s something beneath it. Something deeper.

“You don’t remember, do you?” His voice is barely above a whisper.

I shake my head.

He looks down, his jaw tight. “It’s… alright. You’ve been through a lot.”

I don’t know what that means. I don’t ask. Because I can feel it. The weight in my bones, the dull ache in my chest, the way my body feels both foreign and familiar at once. I’ve been through something. Something bad.

I glance around the room. It’s elegant, grand in a way that belongs in a different time. Dark oak bookshelves line the walls, a fireplace flickers with golden flames, and the bed beneath me is soft, wrapped in silk sheets that feel like they belong to someone else.

I don’t belong here.

I push the covers back, swinging my legs over the edge. The movement is too fast. The world tilts dangerously, and I collapse.

Before I hit the ground, he catches me.

His arms wrap around me, holding me steady. My pulse stutters at the feeling of his warmth, the quiet strength beneath his touch. He smells like something familiar—cedarwood, old books, and something deeper, something that makes my stomach twist.

“You should rest,” he murmurs. “You’re not strong enough yet.”

I push against his chest weakly, needing space. His arms fall away, but he stays close, watching me like I might shatter at any moment.

I force a breath. “What happened to me?”

Julian is silent for too long. His fingers twitch at his side, and for the first time, I notice his hands—elegant, graceful… and trembling.

“There was an accident,” he says finally. “You… you were hurt.”

It sounds rehearsed. Careful. Like he’s picking each word from a shelf of pre-approved lies.

I narrow my eyes. “What kind of accident?”

His gaze flickers. “It’s not important right now. You need to focus on getting better.”

Frustration burns under my skin. “Not important? I don’t even know who I am.” My voice rises, sharp and unfamiliar. “I wake up in a stranger’s house, and you expect me to just accept it?”

His jaw tightens. “I’m not a stranger, Ana.”

I flinch at the quiet intensity in his voice.

For the first time, I notice the way he looks at me—not just with concern, but with something deeper. A quiet kind of ache. The way his eyes trace my face, like he’s committing every piece of me to memory.

I swallow hard. “Were we…?” The words die in my throat.

His lips part, but no sound comes out. And then—softer than a whisper: “Yes.”

Something twists inside me. I study his face, searching for that missing connection, for a thread to hold onto. But there’s nothing.

No love. No familiarity.

Just… emptiness.

I shake my head. “I don’t—I don’t remember you.”

A ghost of a smile touches his lips, sad and quiet. “I know.”

The way he says it, like it’s a burden he’s been carrying alone for too long, makes something in my chest tighten.

I should say something. I should feel something.

But I don’t.

I stand slowly, gripping the edge of the nightstand to steady myself. My legs are weak, but I manage. Julian watches me like he wants to reach out again but doesn’t dare.

I glance at the window. The sky outside is a deep, endless blue. Something about the night feels wrong.

I wrap my arms around myself. “I want to go outside.”

Julian stiffens. “Not yet.”

I frown. “Why not?”

“It’s… not safe.”

The way he says it makes my skin prickle. “Not safe how?”

His throat bobs as he swallows. “Just trust me, Ana.”

But I don’t know him. I don’t know if I can trust him.

I step back. “I need air.”

“Ana—”

I move toward the door. It’s locked.

A chill runs down my spine. I turn back slowly. His face is unreadable.

“Why is the door locked, Julian?” My voice is barely above a whisper.

A long silence stretches between us. His hands curl at his sides.

“Because you can’t leave,” he says finally. “Not yet.”

The air in the room shifts.

My pulse pounds. “What do you mean I can’t leave?”

His gaze holds mine, dark and steady.

“You’re not ready.”

A terrible, creeping feeling unfurls in my chest. Something is wrong.

I take a shaky step back. “Open the door, Julian.”

He doesn’t move.

“Julian.”

Still, nothing.

My stomach turns. I don’t feel safe anymore.

I stare at him, at the way his body is tense, like he’s holding something back. Like there’s something he’s not saying.

I take a deep breath. “Tell me the truth.”

His lips part. For a moment, I think he will.

Then, his voice—soft, aching: “Not yet.”

A sharp knock echoes through the room.

We both freeze.

Julian’s eyes darken. A muscle ticks in his jaw.

A beat of silence.

Then, a voice—smooth, unfamiliar, laced with something sharp.

“Open the door, Julian. You can’t keep her locked away forever.”