My jaw hits the floor. I try to say something but I can’t. I blink several times, hoping that this is some sort of a dream, but it isn’t because I’m still in the same hospital bed with the same disgusting disinfectant smell permeating my nostrils. Which means what I’ve just been told is true. My hands curl into fists. I put one on my mouth while I force my brain to remember and immediately a sharp pain pulses through my head.

A distressed sound escapes my mouth and I immediately hear Gabe’s soothing voice. “Relax, Damien. Don’t struggle to remember right now. Give yourself time, okay?”

I gulp in deep breaths of air until the pain subsides. Gabe hands me the glass of water and I slug it down. We both stare at one another as the reality of my situation hits me head on.

I have forgotten the last five years of my life and my father and brother have both died and gone to hell. Not that I regret their demise one bit; I do not. What I do regret is this damn responsibility and title that their death has left on me. I’m no longer Lord Damien Talbot, forgotten spare to the most powerful Duke in the country. Now, I am His Grace, Damien Talbot, Duke of Kittridge—the most powerful Duke in England.

Fuck my life!

Aaliya

London

Two days later

I LANDED IN LONDON to a weather that reflects the storm in the pit of my stomach. Heavy rain pelts against the car and the morning sun is hidden behind dark, ominous clouds. Rivulets of water cascade down the car windows in a never-ending stream. I rub my hands together, trying to warm them, but it is of no use. In spite of the heated car, I’m freezing. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to warm up enough. I gaze outside, staring at nothing in particular, while thoughts of Damien and our future play on my mind. Dread fills my entire being each time I think of Damien’s accident and his subsequent memory loss, and the impact that could have on my life. And then there’s the entire truth of his being an aristocrat. So many questions plague my mind and, as of now, I have no answers and no clue how to proceed.

“Ma’am, the hospital is right ahead. I’ll drop you at the entrance,” Gabe’s driver informs me, interrupting my sad thoughts.

“Thank you,” I murmur.

My hands are suddenly clammy and I rub them against my bouncing knee. Every second that takes me closer to the hospital makes me pray harder that everything will turn out fine. My vision blurs and it takes me a moment to register that my eyes are watering. I wipe the tears and exhale deeply. I have to be strong. There is no other option!