Diana had changed so much since Jason saw her in front of the prison a month ago.That was the first thing Jason noticed. Unlike the dishevelled woman who had stood outside the prison a month ago, Diana now carried a semblance of her former glow. Her skin had regained some of its radiance, her hair neatly kept. She looked better. Or so he’d thought till he looked into her eyes. If they were supposed to be the windows to the soul, then Diana’s spirit still bore the scars of everything her father and brother had done. All of their crimes. And the awful last words her father spoke to her.Jason had run into Diana a few times over the last month, mostly at the police station. Both had been there to give statements regarding Andrew, Stefan, or Kent. They would exchange polite words that often danced around the enormity of their shared history. Their conversations were about nothing, yet those fleeting moments meant more to Jason than he cared to admit. He wondered if they meant as much to

“We’re getting married in a week, Connor! Can you believe it? One week!”Serena’s voice rang out in excitement, her words tumbling over each other as she spoke into the phone. On the other end of the line, Connor leaned back in his chair, his tone calm and amused. “Wow, congratulations. I didn’t think my dear nephew would come around this quickly. You must’ve done something special to convince him.”Serena giggled, pacing the room. “Oh, Connor, he was so understanding. He literally asked me what the best arrangement would be, and at first, I thought about playing it humble, you know? Saying something like, ‘I just want all three of us to be together as a family.’ But then I decided, why waste time? I went straight to the point and told him we should get married.” She clapped her hands together. “And guess what? He agreed!”Connor chuckled softly, but the sound had little humor. “Yes, you mentioned that already,” his voice had an edge to it now. “What happened after he agreed? He swep

Jason lay on the recliner in Rose’s office, his eyes closed but his face strained. Rose sat nearby, watching him carefully, a clipboard in hand. It had been four days since they started their sessions. One session a day. And Jason hadn't unlocked a single memory.He had seen glimpses though, like his mother’s face, Serena’s voice, and his grandfather’s angry voice. The last one made him want to end the sessions out of annoyance, but he decided against it.“This process takes time, Jason,” Rose reminded him softly. “You can’t force the memories. The mind reveals what it’s ready to.”Jason’s jaw clenched. “I don’t have time, Rose.” His wedding was approaching, and he needed answers about Sereba and Connor before then.Rose hesitated, then glanced at the file on her desk. “There is…another method,” she began carefully. “It involves using a drug to enhance memory recall. But it’s not without risks.”Jason opened his eyes and sat up slightly. “What risks?”Rose sighed. “The drug makes mem

A few hours later, Jason and Amelia were at Saranac Lake.Jason stepped out of the taxi, his breath catching in the icy air. The small house from his memories, the same one he had come to when he first visited, stood in front of him. Amelia trailed behind him, quiet but watchful. She hadn’t pressed him for details, sensing the weight of whatever Jason was carrying.“Jason,” she said softly as they reached the door, “are you sure you want to do this alone?”Jason glanced at her, his jaw tight. “I need to,” he said, pushing the door open. “Stay here.”He entered the house and hit with a wave of nostalgia with the force of a bus. The house triggered more memories to spill into his mind. All of them contained his mother—mostly looking worried and afraid.There was no time to stand still and take all the memories in, though. Following the guide of his memory, he went up the stairs and into the small bedroom on the right. It was a long shot that the box would still be in the same spot aft

“Jason…” Abigail’s voice trembled as she took a tentative step forward. “Oh my...”Jason's head started to hammer, and his entire body felt numb, and he was certain it wasn’t because of the drug. It was because of the woman standing in front of him and the undeniable fact that she was his mother. She had aged, but he could still tell it was her. Unless his mother had a twin he never knew about that looked strikingly similar to her. With the insane series of events that was his life, he wasn’t sure that that was out of the realm of possibility.But he knew that couldn’t be it.This was his mother.His mother, who was supposed to be dead, was standing in front of him with a quivering lip and tears brimming from her eyes.He thought he was prepared for whatever he’d see when he walked into the house, but he clearly wasn’t.Jason’s mouth parted slightly, but no words came out. His heart pounded in his chest. Nothing could have prepared him for the whirlwind of emotions crashing through hi