"The mafia boss held my baby like he had done it a thousand times—then he looked at me and asked why I didn’t remember him. "

Flashbang grenades bounced across the polished concrete floor, exploding with blinding white light and deafening booms.

Adrian reacted instantly, tackling me to the floor and covering my body with his own as glass and debris rained down around us. Lily began to scream from the bedroom.

"Get Lily!" Adrian roared over the ringing in my ears, firing three rapid shots through the dust toward the shattered terrace. "Go to the closet in the master suite! Press the third brass stud on the wall! GO!"

I scrambled to my feet, staying low, and sprinted into the bedroom.

Lily was crying hysterically in her crib. I scooped her into my arms, pressing her against my chest, and dashed toward the walk-in closet. My fingers frantically searched the mahogany paneling until I found the raised brass stud.

I pressed it hard.

A section of the wall slid open with a soft hydraulic hiss, revealing a dark stone staircase leading down into the earth.

"Emma!" a smooth, chillingly familiar voice called out from the living room.

I froze.

Through the bedroom door, I saw a tall man stepping through the dust and shattered glass. He wore a gray double-breasted suit, carrying a silenced pistol in his hand.

Julian.

My husband. The man who had held my hand during labor, who had kissed my forehead every night, who had built a life with me on a foundation of stolen memories.

He looked around the room, his face calm, almost pleasant, despite the tactical gear-clad mercenaries moving behind him.

"Emma, darling, please come out," Julian called out, his voice laced with practiced, tender affection. "You're confused. The man you're with is a dangerous criminal. He's manipulating you."

I squeezed myself against the edge of the open secret door, holding my breath, clutching Lily tightly.

Adrian stepped out from behind the concrete pillar in the hallway, blocking Julian's path to the bedroom. Blood trickled from a small cut on Adrian's forehead, but his posture was immovable.

"That's far enough, Mercer," Adrian said coldly.

Julian stopped, a thin, arrogant smile spreading across his face. "Adrian. I must admit, I'm impressed you tracked her down. But you're too late. She's my wife now. Her daughter carries my legal name."

"She isn't your wife," Adrian spat, raising his weapon. "She's your captive. You erased her life because you were too cowardly to face me in the open."

Julian chuckled softly, adjusting his silk tie. "I gave her a peaceful life, Adrian! Away from your blood, your syndicates, and your endless wars! She loved me. She laid in my bed every night and told me I was her world!"

"Because you poisoned her!" I screamed, stepping out into the hallway doorway, my pistol aimed directly at Julian's chest.

Julian’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second as he looked at me, then at the gun in my hands.

"Emma..." Julian’s voice turned soft, manipulative. "Put the gun down, sweetheart. You're having a relapse. The trauma from the house break-in yesterday is making you hallucinate. Come to me. Let's go home."

"I looked at the medical records, Julian," I said, my hand remarkably steady around the grip of the pistol. "I know about the amnesiac blockers. I know about Zurich. I know what you did to my mind."

Julian’s affectionate facade crumbled instantly. His eyes turned cold, calculating, and devoid of any warmth.

"You always were too smart for your own good, Emma," Julian said flatly. "I tried to do this the gentle way. I really did."