Ariana Perez

A dizzying haze lingered over my consciousness as I cautiously opened my eyes. The antiseptic hospital room became clear, and I found myself surrounded by a small group of people. They were all concerned, but it was the mix of emotions in the room that drew my attention.

"Hey there, Ariana," a friendly voice said. I turned around to see a pleasant face and a reassuring smile. "My name is Alpha Ryan. These are your pals."

The two girls smiled at me, their faces friendly and welcoming. Ethan stood beside them, his stare meeting mine with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine. I felt a stab of unease as the air appeared to crackle with tension.

"Hey," muttered Ethan, his voice strained.

"Hi," I managed to say, my voice trembling.

"We're really glad you're awake," Karen added, attempting to lighten the mood.

But there was something wrong. I observed the stares the others were sharing as I looked around—furtive eyes filled with wrath and hate, all aimed at Ethan.

"What's going on?" I inquired, my voice barely above a whisper.

Before speaking carefully, Alpha Ryan exchanged a gaze with the others. "Ariana, do you recall anything? About you, or about us?"

I closed my eyes, attempting to capture memories that slipped through my fingers like mist. Then one name stood out in my memory like a beacon. "Ethan," I said quietly.

The room appeared to be frozen. When I opened my eyes, I saw the others staring at me, their faces a mix of surprise and frustration. It was as though I had said something taboo.

As he exchanged uneasy glances with the rest of the group, Ethan's jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. "Ariana, there's more you need to remember," he gritted his teeth.

Laura's voice was tinted with resentment. "Of all the things you could think of...?"

Karen shook her head, her frustration apparent. "This isn't right."

I felt a wave of bewilderment and fear as a result of their emotions, which made me rethink the significance of that name. "What's so wrong with remembering Ethan?" I stammered, the tension in the room weighing down on me.

Alpha Ryan groaned, his eyes filled with remorse. "There's so much you don't know, Ariana. You can't expect everything to be OK if you only remember one thing."

Ethan's gaze pierced me, a cocktail of emotions churning within them. "You deserve to know the truth," he added softly, almost pleadingly.

The room grew silent, the weight of the unsaid hanging heavily in the air. The mere mention of Ethan's name had set off a chain reaction of emotions, indicating cracks among the group that I had yet to comprehend. And as I attempted to make sense of it all, one question burned in my head, pulling me deeper down the rabbit hole: What was the reality they were keeping from me?

When Alpha Ryan reintroduced the group, a tense atmosphere hung in the air like an unsaid secret. "Ariana, these are your childhood friends—Alpha Laura, Karen, and myself," he said softly. "And this is Ethan, your boyfriend."

His comments were methodical, and I couldn't help but notice the long gap after introducing Ethan. The place seemed to pulsate with an underlying current, a seething tension under the surface. Ethan's face tensed, his jaw clenched as he avoided eye contact.

"Boyfriend?" I repeated myself, my voice barely above a whisper.

Laura's gaze shifted to Ethan, a bitter smile on her lips. "Yeah, that's one way to put it."

Karen's voice had a biting edge to it as she chimed in, her tone accusatory. "Though I think 'distraction' is a better word."

My heart beat faster as the atmosphere became more charged. It was as if the room had been transformed into an emotional battleground, with each phrase serving as a weapon in a conflict that I had unknowingly entered.

Ethan's eyes became dark, like if a storm was forming within them. "Can we not do this right now?"

Laura's resentment erupted, her words dripping with venom. "Oh, so you're now uncomfortable?"

Alpha Ryan's attempts to mediate only seemed to stoke the flames. "Guys, let's just take a step back and—"

"No, we're doing this," Karen said emphatically. "Ariana deserves to know the whole truth."

My mind raced as the fight heated up, the words a cacophony of accusations and resentments. I strained to keep up, trapped in the middle of a fight I didn't entirely understand.

A nurse entered the room, her face solemn, in the midst of the intense debate. "Please excuse me, but you're bothering the other patients. Please keep it to a minimum."

The group became silent, their rage temporarily subdued by the nurse's rebuke. As she walked out, the room seemed to heave with the weight of what had just happened.

Ethan's voice had softened and became regretful. "Ariana, I'm sorry you had to see that."

Laura's rage started to subside, her gaze falling to the floor. "We didn't mean for it to get so out of hand."

Karen's face softened as well, her annoyance giving way to concern. "We just want what's best for you."

Alpha Ryan's gaze met mine, a mix of guilt and reassurance in his expression. "We are concerned about you, Ariana. We just...we have grounds to be concerned."

Confusion and disquiet raced within me, the arguments and insinuations sending me adrift in a sea of doubt. "I don't understand," I said, my voice trembling.

Ethan took a long breath, his gaze fixed on mine. "Ariana, there's a lot you don't remember. And perhaps that's for the best. But if you want the truth, we will tell you."

The room fell silent once more, the weight of their words crushing down on me. 'What truth'?. It seemed as if I was at a fork in the road, with a decision that could change everything. As he turned to face the others, Ethan's eyes shone with hope. "Could we please have a moment alone?"

Laura's face tensed, her voice caustic. "Why? So you may further manipulate her?"

Karen's eyes were filled with mistrust. "I don't think that's a good idea, Ethan."

But Ethan's resolve was steadfast, his voice firm as he spoke. "Ariana remembered something important, and I believe we should talk about it."

As tension hovered in the air, a rising storm of competing emotions, the room seemed to shrink. I could feel their eyes on me, waiting for me to make a choice.

"I want to talk to Ethan alone," I remarked, my voice remarkably calm.

Their amazement was evident, and their incredulity was nearly real. "Ariana, are you sure you want to do this?" Alpha Ryan's voice sounded concerned.

"I am," I said, my gaze fixed.

Laura's annoyance was palpable, her voice harsh. "You're doing it wrong, Ariana. You have no idea what you're in for."

Karen's face was a mix of anguish and surprise. "All we want is to keep you safe."

The weight of their comments pressed down on me, and I took a deep breath. "I sincerely appreciate your care. But I have to get this done."

The room grew silent, the tension between us nearly overpowering. Then, one by one, they made their way to the door, throwing longing glances my way.

The room seemed to exhale as the door shut behind them, the atmosphere becoming slightly less charged. My heart pounded in my chest as I turned to face Ethan. "What did I recall?"

Ethan moved in closer, his stare intense but vulnerable. "You knew who I was. And that's only the start."

I leaned at the edge of the bed, a mixture of curiosity and dread coursing through my veins. "Tell me absolutely everything."

So Ethan began to tell his story, a story of love and betrayal, secrets and lies. He constructed a picture of a past I'd been kept in the dark about, a web of lies that had encircled me.

I felt a spectrum of emotions as the words tumbled from his lips—shock, bewilderment, and wrath. It felt as if a curtain had been pulled back to show a truth that had been carefully concealed from me.

"They don't want you to know, Ariana," Ethan explained, his voice frustrated. "But you deserve to."

I stared at him, his sincerity and vulnerability on display. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

Ethan locked his focus on mine, his eyes steady. "Because I care about you, Ariana. And I want you to know the whole truth, regardless of how unpleasant that may be."

And as I gazed into Ethan's eyes, I understood that the answers I needed were hidden inside the depths of that truth—answers that may transform my view of the past and, ultimately, determine the trajectory of my future.