The Scifen didn’t only steal memories. It flattened everything else too — my emotions, my reactions, the sharp edges that made me feel like myself. One moment I’d be fine, and the next I’d find myself standing on the balcony railing with no memory of walking there. Lewis cleared his schedule and stayed home, and slowly, the worst of it leveled out. I stopped doing things I couldn’t explain.

I started keeping a journal. Every moment with Lewis, written down in my own hand — so that even if the poison reached far enough to take him from my mind, I’d still have the pages. It helped, knowing that.

Most days I played my ocarina or crocheted, letting my hands stay busy while my thoughts settled. Six and a half months left until the pups arrived. I could hold on that long. So I made things — small toys, a flower blanket, and with gray yarn, a scarf and sweater for Lewis. Winter in Snowville dragged on, and I wanted to give him something made by my hands.

The scarf came together easily. The sweater was harder. Whenever Lewis came home, I’d hold up the unfinished thing and drape it over his shoulders, checking the fit. "Just a couple more days," I told him.

"Don’t overwork yourself," he said.

"I’m not tired. The days go fast." I set the knitting down and pressed a hand to my belly, smiling before I could stop myself. "Carl, I felt them move today. Both of them, like little fish."

His expression softened. "It’ll get more noticeable. The second half is going to be harder on you."

"I don’t mind. I just want to meet them." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

My phone buzzed. The name on the screen read Janice, and I stared at it for a moment. The name pulled at something vague inside me. I answered anyway. A bright, cheerful voice came through — she was coming to Snowville tomorrow, had a surprise. I said okay and hung up, then turned to Lewis. "Who is Janice?"

His eyes did something quiet and painful before he answered. He walked me through the history between Riley and me, filling in the shape of a person I’d once known well. By the end, the fog had lifted just enough. "Let’s go pick her up tomorrow," I said, and he agreed.

That night I lay with my hands resting on my belly, feeling how much it had grown. Sometimes, when I got up in the night, the movement would shift and the pups would stir, little nudges that always made me catch my breath. Two lives, right there under my palms. It still didn’t feel entirely real.

Lewis left before dawn. I caught a glimpse of him in the dim light — tall, dressed, pressing a kiss to my forehead — and then I was asleep again before he reached the door.

When I woke, the morning was already gone. I moved through the house in that familiar fog, had breakfast, sat in the garden while the sun warmed my face. The weather was turning, and the light felt good. Then Melody appeared, her presence gentle as always. We sat together for a few hours until my phone alarm went off — the airport. Riley.

Lewis hadn’t come home yet. I called and Theo picked up, told me Lewis was still in a meeting. "Tell him to come straight to the airport," I said. "We’ll meet there."

Melody asked if she could ride along as far as Cathedral Way. I didn’t mind the company. I changed, grabbed my small handbag — the one with the little rabbit charm — and paused for a second. The charm felt familiar in a way I couldn’t place. I touched the rabbit’s ears and let it go.

In the car, I scrolled through old messages from Riley, letting the images build slowly in my mind. That was how it worked now — people I didn’t see regularly were already beginning to blur. As long as Lewis was beside me every day, I told myself, I wouldn’t lose him. I held onto that thought as the city passed outside the window.

The late sun was warm and low. I hadn’t been outside in a while, and everything felt both known and strange — this city I’d lived in for years, slightly unfamiliar now at the edges. The drowsiness crept in without warning, and I let my eyes close.

The car lurched.

I snapped awake to chaos. The driver’s head was dropped to one side. Melody had a gun in her hand.

My arms wrapped around my belly before my brain had fully caught up. "Dr. Reyes — what are you doing?"

"Behave, Mrs. Hale." Her voice was calm in a way that made it worse. "Unless you want to join him. Think about your pups."

The car stopped. A door opened. Something cold pressed against my temple. The bodyguards’ vehicle had already been run off the road — by the time they recovered, I was in a different car entirely. Someone pulled a hood over my head, and the darkness swallowed everything.

"Please," I whispered. "Don’t hurt them."

Melody’s voice came through the fabric, measured and almost kind. "Cooperate, and nothing happens to your pups. Try to run, and whatever follows is your fault."

I didn’t know how long we drove. At some point the car stopped and I was moved onto a helicopter, the engine vibration working its way into my bones. When the hood finally came off, it was dark.

I was in a suite — carpeted, clean, food on the table, fresh fruit, everything arranged like someone had thought of my comfort. The bathroom was close. The door was locked. I crossed to the window and looked down. Third floor. The sound of waves came from somewhere in the distance. An island. No way down, no way out, cameras mounted in the corners watching everything.

I walked to the nearest one and looked directly into the lens.then I asked the question

"Is it you, Sergio."