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Chapter 6: The Nightmare's Imprint

Dennis stared at Leslie, trying to make sense of her explanation of his memory. She was looking up from the plate she was drying and gazed at him with a mixture of concern and curiosity. The more she spoke, the more confused he became.

"Do you know what caused the accident?" he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper, "my memory loss?"

She looked hesitating, her eyes darting away for a moment before returning to meet his gaze. "It was pretty bad, sweetheart. You were in a coma for several weeks."

He felt a chill run down his spine as he tried to imagine what it must have been like to be in a coma. She seemed to sense his growing anxiety and placed a hand on his arm. She put down the dish towel and stepped closer to him.

"It was a freak accident, sweetheart. You lost control of the car. There was no one else found to be involved," she said, her face softened as she stepped closer to him, taking both his hands in hers.

He sighed deeply, still strugg