The sharp smell of disinfectant lingered at the tip of her nose, and everything in her line of sight was a blur of white.
Sophia sat on the hospital bed, her gaze empty. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the lab coat of the doctor sway as he moved, each motion stirring an odd sensation within her.
A stranger's voice reached her ears, calmly explaining something unsettling.
“This is the situation. Olivia sustained a mild brain concussion from the car accident. It’s nothing serious—she just needs rest, and she’ll be fine. There are no other complications.”
Immediately, another voice, frantic and anxious, interrupted. “No problems? Dr. Linwood, Sophia doesn’t remember me! How can you say there are no problems?”
Sophia?
She lifted her head stiffly, her neck throbbing in pain. She saw Dr. Linwood, dressed in his white coat, beginning to explain further.
“Mrs. Evie, at the moment, we haven’t identified any other causes for her condition. But even a minor brain concussion can sometimes lead to temporary memory loss... she should recover soon.”
Suddenly, a young woman rushed up to Evie and embraced her.
“Mom, it’s me! Please, remember me! I’m your daughter!”
Sophia stared in confusion. None of this made any sense. She had no idea why she was in a hospital, nor could she comprehend who these people were. Sophia? Mommy? A car accident? What on earth was happening?
Her name was Millie, not Sophia. She was the daughter of the Lennon family, thirty-two years old, married to Keaton Jones. He wasn’t a public figure, but he was well-known in the business world. She was also eight months pregnant with their child.
But the car accident—that part was real.
Millie vividly remembered going to her husband’s company to surprise him, only to find him in the middle of an affair with Lennon Aidan, her own sister.
"When are you going to divorce that woman?" Aidan's voice echoed in her memory. "She’s not even really part of the Lennon family. My parents are bound to kick her out soon. As for the child in her belly..."
Keaton's secretary had noticed her standing there, frozen, but it was too late. The half-open door didn’t conceal the betrayal happening right before her eyes. Their intimate sounds and whispers filled the room.
Numb with shock, Millie had fled, rushing down the stairs and out into the street. In her frantic escape, she didn’t notice the car speeding towards her until it was too late. The impact was swift and brutal, and her world was swallowed by the scent of blood. Her baby...
The injustice of it all burned in her chest as darkness closed in. She could still see Lennon Aidan's cold smile in the crowd. Had she died on the spot? She wasn’t sure, but Aidan’s venomous words still rang in her ears.
"Did you really think we were ever truly sisters? You’re nothing but a fool!"
“I’ve been living with Keaton as his wife for a long time now. The baby you’re carrying? It’s a mistake. It was never meant to be.”
“Here’s a parting gift for you before you die—I orchestrated everything. I asked you to come to the office today. That car? I arranged for it. And if it didn’t kill you, I’ll make sure it does later.”
“Sophia, you need to die. Only when you’re gone will the rest of us be happy.”
Was she... dead?
“Is it temporary amnesia?” Evie's voice pulled her back to the present.
Dr. Linwood remained calm. “The CT scans show no additional damage. I believe Sophia’s memory will return soon—it’s likely just the trauma from the accident. Don’t worry, she’ll recover.”
Sophia—no, Millie—finally focused her attention on Mrs Lucy Brown in front of her.
The young woman, who had called herself “Millie,” was strikingly beautiful, with flawless makeup and a radiant complexion. There was something familiar about her, but Millie couldn’t quite place it. And just moments ago, the doctor had referred to her as a beauty goddess.
Suddenly, recognition dawned. The woman was Lucy Brown, the younger wife of Bowie Bolin, the head of a wealthy and influential family.
Sophia—or was it Millie now?—struggled to make sense of everything. How had she ended up in the hospital, surrounded by these strangers who claimed to know her?
As the pieces started to come together, a chilling realization washed over her. She was no longer Millie Lennon, Mrs Lucy Brown she once knew. Had she truly become Sophia, the illegitimate daughter of the Bowie family?
Something was terribly wrong.