Chapter seven

When I came to, I felt both physically and mentally drained. I had no energy whatsoever. I was in the same bedroom I had woken up in before. I didn’t know what to make of this situation anymore, but I knew I had to calm down and get some answers.

When I turned my head, I saw Gabby with a guy, and they were engrossed in a discussion. They seemed stressed. I coughed to announce that I had finally regained consciousness. Gabby was at my side in a flash, looking very relieved.

I smiled weakly, not knowing what else to do. Gabby asked me whether I was feeling okay and if there was anything I needed. I shook my head yes to one question and no to the other. She sighed, and the guy she was with came to stand near the bed.

When I studied him, I realized I had seen him before. He was the guy I had bumped into that day. I refused to think back to that moment lest I start hyperventilating again. Gabby introduced the guy and informed me that his name was Mason—Mase for short. Gabby, short for Gabriella, and this Mason guy seemed close.

I felt a jolt of an unfamiliar feeling at that thought. I was never one to involve myself with guys, especially since I needed to focus on school fees back then. Again, I blocked those memories and focused on the present.

Mason told me I could call him Mase, and Gabby didn’t seem too happy about it, though she said nothing. The situation felt awkward, and I didn’t know what to say, so I asked the question that had been burning inside me since I had cut myself earlier.

“How did I heal? What happened?”

I directed my question to no one in particular, but both of them seemed reluctant to answer. That made me angry. I needed answers, or else I’d go mad!

Mase finally said there were people I needed to meet, and they would give me the answers I was looking for.

I rose from the bed, signaling them to take me to these people. But I stood up too quickly, and less than a second later, dizziness overwhelmed me. These dizzy spells were becoming all too common! I braced myself for the impact of a fall, but it wasn’t the one I expected.

I felt tingles shoot up my body, and a flash of excitement engulfed me. That’s when I realized Mase had caught me just in time. He let go the moment he touched me, and I fell on my butt. I groaned from the pain, though it was better than the fall I could’ve had.

Mase looked at me in confusion, like he was searching for answers, while I stared back blankly. The strange excitement vanished as quickly as it had come. Gabby snickered, breaking the tension in the room. I glared at her and stood up slowly to avoid a repeat of the same situation.

We went down the same lift, but this time we took a different direction. I was acutely aware of Mase’s presence behind me as Gabby led the way, making me jittery and self-conscious. Finally, Gabby stopped in front of a double door and knocked softly.

I resisted the urge to turn and run—partly because Mase was there. I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of him. I couldn’t believe I was thinking like that—it was so unlike me. Besides, I didn’t even know if he and Gabby were an item.

Lost in thought, I hadn’t noticed the door open. When I looked up, a beautiful woman stood there, trembling for reasons I couldn’t discern. I braced myself for the shock I knew was coming.

Gabby stepped aside, and the woman moved forward. She tried to embrace me, but I flinched, and she visibly winced. I immediately regretted my reaction, though she was still a stranger to me. Yet, deep down, I had a strong feeling about who she was.

She invited us inside. Gabby and Mase moved to leave, but I panicked. Gabby had been my only link to familiarity since I woke up the first time. I needed her presence. Without me even asking, she offered to stay, which was both creepy and comforting.

Inside, I took in the room—it was absolutely stunning. Someone cleared their throat, drawing my attention to a man seated in a chair. A jolt of an unfamiliar feeling coursed through my body as I met his intense gaze. I quickly looked away.

The door opened again, and Justin entered with a few others. Seeing him, I felt tears threaten to fall but forced them back.

In my mind, Justin was the reason I wasn’t home, though that didn’t matter now. We all sat down, and Justin cleared his throat.

“Andrea, I know you’re going through a lot, and I’m sorry for that. We’re here to answer most of the questions that have been troubling you. Please, feel free to ask anything.”

Then he dropped the bombshell: the man and woman sitting before me were my biological parents.

Even though I had already guessed, hearing it made bile rise in my throat. I fought the urge to throw up. The woman was watching me carefully, trembling still. The man appeared collected, but his twitching fingers and clenched jaw betrayed him.

I didn’t know how to process it all. Overwhelmed again, I struggled to breathe. I wanted to leave but didn’t want to hurt their feelings. When had I started caring about that? They had abandoned me as a baby, after all.

Suddenly, the woman fell to her knees, her face a picture of pure anguish. The sight shocked me and broke my heart. Without thinking, I knelt beside her and held her. She hugged me tightly and began sobbing, pouring out years’ worth of emotion. I felt it all—her pain, her regret, her love. This woman was my mother.

The man approached us slowly and joined the embrace, making it a group hug. At that moment, I felt a sense of completeness, like a missing piece of my life’s puzzle had been found—though I would never admit it to them.

We cried together. The man’s tears were silent, his body shaking slightly. The woman, however, sobbed loudly and uncontrollably.

I couldn’t bring myself to call them Mom and Dad—not yet. There were too many unanswered questions, and I intended to get the truth. It was hard to forget that they had left me as a baby.

After what felt like hours of tears and hugging, Justin cleared his throat again. He really had a habit of doing that! The two let go of me, though the woman still clung to my hand as if afraid I’d vanish. I found myself glad for her grip, in some way.

And then, just as I thought the surprises were over, another bombshell loomed.