A cold, harsh white light pounded against her eyelids.
Adeline moved.
First her fingers twitched, then her legs—slow, heavy, foreign. Limbs that felt like they belonged to someone else. The beeping sounds around her sharpened with every breath. Something stung her wrist. Her mouth was parched, her throat a barren wasteland. She blinked, sluggishly, her eyes straining against the unforgiving light above.
A ceiling fan turned in lazy circles overhead.
Her chest rose and fell too fast. Panic bloomed before thought could take root.
Where…
She tried to sit up, but wires and pain held her down. Her heart thundered.
Seconds passed. Then the door opened, and a woman in light blue scrubs rushed in.
"Oh my god," the nurse gasped. "You're awake. You're—" She came closer, her relief plain. "I'm Jenna. You're at St. Mary's Hospital. You were in a car accident, Adeline. You've been in a coma for two days."
Adeline tried to speak, but only a rasp came out. "W-What…?"
Jenna handed her a cup of water. "Easy, sweetie. Don't push it. You're okay. We were worried, but your vitals are looking good now."
She drank. The water felt off. Metallic. Distant.
"I… I don't know."
Jenna's smile faltered, but she nodded. "That's normal. Temporary amnesia's common after trauma. The doctor will run some tests. For now, just rest. You're safe."
Safe. The word echoed inside her like a lie she didn't know how to disprove.
Jenna crossed the room to the nightstand and unzipped a small pouch. "Your belongings. We kept them nearby in case you woke up. Here's your phone, wallet, a bracelet… it was in your hand when they brought you in."
Adeline stared at the phone like it was a foreign object. Her reflection in the dark screen looked like a stranger. She pressed the button.
A passcode screen blinked to life.
Four digits.
Nothing surfaced.
Jenna lingered at the door. "I'll let the doctor know you're awake. Your family should be on their way. Your fiancé—Luke—he's been calling a lot. You're going to be okay, Adeline. Just take it slow."
Fiancé? The word hit like a stone. Not comfort. Just confusion.
As soon as the door clicked shut, the phone vibrated violently in her hand. A name lit up the screen:
Luke.
She didn't hesitate. Just answered.
"Hello?" Her voice cracked.
The voice that met her wasn't what she expected.
"Adeline, what the hell are you doing?! Why aren't you answering me? Do you have any idea what I've been going through?!"
She flinched. The anger was immediate. Unfiltered. As if she had wronged him.
"I—who is this?" she whispered, a chill threading down her spine.
A pause. Then a sneer. "Don't play games. You're not funny. God, Hazel said you'd pull something like this—just to get sympathy—"
"Hazel?" The name was fog. "I… I don't remember."
Silence.
Then the line went dead.
She stared at the screen.
Hazel. Luke. Fiancé. Accident.
None of it made sense.
The room tilted, spinning on an unseen axis. A cold, writhing sensation crept up from somewhere deep inside.
Something was wrong.