Chapter 72
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Chapter 72: Alice’s Memory
Alice’s Memory.
Four years ago.
Alice was barely hanging on. After surviving the fall, she was swept away by the river’s strong current. It was dark. She was bleeding, her head hurt, and she was shivering from the cold.
On the riverbank, Alice tried to call for help, but her voice was fain “Help. Anyone. Help. Please p>
Just then, she heard noises behind her.
She used the last of her strength to crawl away from where she was only to overhear something she wasn’t supposed to.
“We must find her before the authorities do. We’re going to get a big payout from Councilor Holt if we make sure she’s dead p>
“She probably died. There’s no way she could survive that fall p>
“Let’s just keep looking p>
‘Councilor Holt?’ Alice paled. ‘The Holts? Mathew Holt? Vanessa’s ather? Why p>
Regardless of her questions, one thing was clear: Alice could not reveal herself to those men. At that point, she didn’t know who
she could trust.
She hid among the boulders until the group disappeared. In the wee hours of the morning, Alice crawled out from the riverbank and ran. She had almost reached the road when a dog spotted her.
She was nearly unconscious when she collapsed on the ground.
A woman, Doctor Sophia Rogers, found her. She was the dog owner.
“Please… they’re trying to find me. Help me,” Alice whispered.
“Let me take you to the hospital,” the woman said.
“No. They’ll find me. I’m in danger,” Alice insisted, and before she could say anything more, everything went dark.
In the next few days, under the care of Sophia Rogers, Alice drifted in and out of consciousness… until she stopped waking altogether and slipped into a deep, unresponsive state.
Back to the present.
Serena’s heart ached as she listened to her friend recount what happened at Riverbend Point. She was even more shocked to hear that the Holt family might have had something to do with the crash on the bridge.
“As my parents explained, I woke up a year later,” Alice said through tears. “At first, I had no idea who I was. So, the amnesia was somewhat real, but the doctors called
it delayed autobiographical memory recovery due to a prolonged coma p>
Alice’s voice wavered. “There was… a lot of confusion. My head hurt a lot p>
“It helped that my family was around,” Alice continued, looking io Serena’s eyes. “Nathan made it possible. He relocated everyone, gave my parents jobs, and helped my brother transfer schools. He practically financed our lives and my medical expenses p>
“I went through several therapies, and after eight months to a year fragments of memory started coming back.” Her sobs grew stronger. She glanced toward the door, making sure it was locked. But the first memories that returned were from the night my car fell off the bridge p>
Alice took a deep breath, sniffing back tears. “That’s when I decided to be careful. I thought it might be better to stay quiet and let everyone believe I’d lost my memories. I was still piecing things together p>
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Chapter 72 Alice & Memory
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“Moreover, I was afraid, Serena,” Alice admitted. “Afraid for my rents. Afraid for my brother. And afraid that whoever was after me would come back to finish the job. So even when Nathan Egged the for information about you, I thought it was safer to say nothing p>
“If what I heard was true,” Alice continued, “and the Holt family ordered me killed, what were the chances they wouldn’t come after you too p>
“I know Nathan would never harm me. He’s the one who kept my family safe. Still, there was always the risk that he might mention me to them p>
“Nathan could slip,” Alice said. “He could tell his friends by accident. Or his mother. And then Vanessa. So I stayed silent. I didn’t even tell my parents p>
“It’s very possible for Nathan to tell Vanessa about it. Besides, aren’t they married?” Serena suggested.
Alice frowned and leaned back. “No, Serena. Nathan and Vanessa aren’t married. I know four years ago we believed that they were in a relationship, but I don’t think it’s true p>
Serena straightened her back. “They should be married by now. They even had a child together p>
“No,” Alice said firmly. “I think Nathan would’ve mentioned that.
Alice reached for Serena’s hands and held them tightly. “I admit I don’t ask him about his personal life. That would’ve exposed that I was faking my memory loss in the past two years. But I pick up hints now and then p>
“He talked about his regret for leaving you. About the pain of losing you. He said he truly loved you.” Alice looked down. “I almost gave in. But since he never found you, I assumed you either didn’t want to be found p>
She broke down again. “Or worse, that something terrible had really happened to you p>
“A part of me hoped you’d moved on,” Alice admitted quietly. “That you’d forgotten about Nathan p>
She swallowed. “I feel sorry for him, but he also brought it on himself. That’s another reason I never came clean about my memories. No matter how much he helped us, he was still the one who hurt you.” 1
“Besides, my handler confirmed there were still active inquiries about my family,” Alice added, her voice dropping. “Two separate sources had flagged interest, one traced back to Velmon, the other unidentified. That meant someone was still looking for us p>
“It made me paranoid. And I didn’t know if I could confront Natham about the Holts. If I accused them… would he even believe me p>
Alice sighed. “What if he chose to believe them instead? They were his allies. Bianca and Vanessa are close. And I was just… the girl he rescued. If I were wrong, or if he doubted me even for a second, I could’ve put my entire family back in danger p>
She shook her head slowly. “So I stayed quiet. I watched. I waited. And I lived every day wondering if staying silent was protecting us, or just delaying the inevitable p>
“That could’ve been my family. We were trying to find you,” Serena belatedly said. “And the other could’ve been the Holts,” Alice suggested.
“But I guess the biggest question here is why the Holts?” Serena raised. 1
“I asked myself the same thing.” Alice paused, fidgeting with her fingers. “So I did some digging-
“3
“Alice,” Serena scolded softly. “How could you p>
“Just internet research,” Alice insisted. “I made sure to use a VPN.
She showed Serena her phone. “The Holt family has been involved in politics for
over twenty years. Look. This article is from twenty-seven years ago p>
It detailed families who volunteered for a closely monitored IVF program. One of the couples listed was Mathew Holt and his
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Alcers Membry
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wife, Vivian Holt. They were Vanessa’s parents.
Serena, the Holts were struggling to conceive,” Alice said quietly. “And remember your fake mother? Roselind Kline had medical records of giving birth. But if you weren’t their daughter…then what happened to theirs p>
LiLhyz Author
December 23, 2025.
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