Dear Ex Wife Please take me back novel Chapter 35

ATHENA

The man,

no, the stranger doesn’t answer me right away. His jaw tightens, the flicker of something dark passing through his green eyes before he masks his expression into something unreadable.

Just how much have I forgotten?

I watch him as I wait for him to say something, but he just watches me, and I move back even further, pulling the blanket to my chest as we remain in silence.

I shift uncomfortably, my body still aching, my mind swimming through thick fog. The beeping of the machines around me fills the air, but my ears focus on the sound of my own breathing—shaky, uneven.

Afraid.

He knows me.

But I don’t know him.

And that terrifies me more than the memory of drowning.

His grip on my arm is firm but careful, like he’s afraid I’ll shatter.

I don’t understand why.

“You were in an accident,” he finally says, his voice deep and low. “You nearly drowned.”

From how my body feels, it doesn't feel anywhere near what he's saying, but I don't tell him that. I just press my lips into a thin lìne and wait for him to continue speaking.

When he doesn't, I feel my frustration starting to build.

Why does he keep looking at me like that?

I swallow hard, my throat dry. “How do you know that?”

“I know.” Is his one word response.

Hot and the monologue type?

“Did you save me?” I ask, wondering if that's the reason why he's here.

Something flashes in his expression again, but he doesn’t answer. Instead, he reaches for a glass of water on the bedside table and brings it toward me.

“Drink.”

I hesitate.

I don’t know him.

And yet, the way he says it, like it’s not a suggestion, like he expects me to listen.

I would tell him not to command me, but I take the cup anyway. My fingers tremble slightly as I bring it to my lips, the cool water soothing my dry throat.

His gaze never leaves me.

He’s watching me too closely.

Like he’s waiting.

Like he’s testing me.

I lower the cup, licking the water off my lips.

“What else?”

His eyes narrow slightly.

“What do you remember?”

The question makes my stomach twist. I want to answer. I want to tell him something, anything, but when I reach for a memory, I come up blank.

My heart pounds.

“I…” My voice drops. “I don’t know.”

The air shifts.

His jaw clenches, his hands balling into fists before he exhales sharply.

I flinch.

Not because I think he’ll hurt me, but because the reaction is so strong. Like my answer is the last thing he wanted to hear.

His next words are quiet. “Do you know who I am?”

The way he asks, it makes my skin prickle.

I shake my head slowly.