Chapter 6

Ashley laid on her bed in the dimly lit room, eyes wide open and fixated on the white ceiling. Sleep had traveled far from her.

The events of the day replayed in her head. The new faces she had met and didn't know; her stepmom, her step brother and her fiance.

How could she not remember her fiance? She must have loved him enough to want to be married to him, but now she didn't know him. He was a stranger to her. She recalled the hurt in his eyes. As much as he tried to mask it, she sensed it. How could she forget those eyes that looked at her with so much love?

She scoffed. She didn't even remember her father. The man who had birthed and raised her. The man who seemed to love her more than anything else.

Everything was a mumbo jumbo.

Nothing made sense to her. She felt like a child seeing the world for the first time.

She wished to return to the hospital. At least there, no one expected anything from her. No one seemed pained that she couldn't remember them.

Even her cabin at the hospital felt more familiar than this strange room she was enclosed in. To think that this was supposed to be her room.

She exhaled sharply and turned on her side. Her restlessness was increasing with each passing moment as well as the pain in her head.

Doctor Tony had instructed her to get as much rest as possible. If ever she didn't, she would suffer a migraine.

She could already feel herself tipping over the edge of one as the aching in her head was intensifying.

She didn't want to have to deal with more pain. She decided to use the pills doctor Tony had given her in case she couldn't handle the pain.

As she moved to get up from the bed, she caught sight of a moving shadow from the small space at the floor of the door.

The shadow paused, no longer moving and stood static in front of her door.

Fear squeezed her heart tightly.

She laid still. Eyes wide with fright, watching the static shadow by the door.

Ashley felt herself shrink into nothing when the door slowly and quietly creaked open and the dark figure stepped into her room.

The racing of her heart and the fear that clothed her, toppled her into the migraine she was trying to avoid.

The back of her head where she had the surgery thud with pain and her heart thud with fright. Beads of sweat formed on her temples as the figure approached.

Knowing nothing to do, she chose to lay still, pretend to be asleep then maybe she would be spared.

She prayed and hoped that the loud beating of her heart didn't give away the fact that she was awake.

As the dark figure neared and stood beside her bed, towering about her, she felt a hand creep up her slip.

Her fears intensified and her breathing became raged.

"I know you're not asleep, Ashley." The male voice whispered.

"Dad?" She asked. A measure of calm seeped into her voice upon hearing the male voice.

"It's me... I've missed you so much." He said.

Ashley had thought it was her father but when the voice spoke again, she realized how wrong she was.

The hand continued traveling up her thighs, finding its way to the apex of her legs.

Ashley's fears returned in double fold and she reached for the bedside lamp and switched it on.

She had not been expecting the face she saw smiling at her.

"Paul?" Ashley's voice was laced with sheer surprise.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" She could not manage to keep the fear out of her voice.

"You know what I want and I know you want it too."

Ashley quickly caught his hand, stopping him from going any further up her slip.

"What do you mean?"

"You can put off your act with me. I know you're only pretending to have lost it so your father does not scold you for the scandal on your road trip in Greece."

He tittered lightly. "I can't believe you faked your accident and pretended not to remember a thing almost after he called you to inquire of the funds you transferred from his account."

"What are you talking about?" Confusion adorned every syllable she uttered.

"I'm talking about the money you stole from Dad to go for that road trip." He explained excitedly, settling himself on the small space by the edge of her bed. His hand was just about to continue from where they had stopped.

Ashley felt uncomfortable. "Paul, stop. Please leave."

In the yellow light from the bed stand, she could see Paul's face morphed into a confused expression.

"Why? What's wrong with you?"

"I don't like how you're touching me."

Paul's face transformed into a sneer and his gaze shone with aggression.

"But you used to like how I fucked you."