He didn’t know where to start. Were the images in his head real, or just his imagination?

Eric ran a hand across his forehead, trying to make sense of everything. He couldn’t explain it, but he had a strange feeling. Could that girl with the unclear face—the one in his sudden flashback—have been Hadley?

“How are you feeling?” Hadley eyed him closely, unsure if he was really okay.

“Do you think you can stand?”

Without waiting for a reply, she reached for his arm.

“Here, lean on me. I’ll help you get up.”

A dazed look settled in his eyes, and he swallowed hard, lost in thought. He considered brushing it off, insisting he was alright. A fall like that shouldn’t have done any real damage.

Still, when he opened his mouth to speak, his throat tightened. Instead, he leaned on her arm and muttered, “Thank you.”

While steadying him, Hadley studied his face.

“Does anything hurt? Are you feeling off?”

“I’m okay.” Eric gave a slight shake of his head, though the stiffness in his jaw suggested otherwise.

“I was wondering… have we ever come here to pick cherries before?”

The question caught Hadley off guard. For a second, it felt like he might have remembered something. But the way he asked made it sound like he wasn’t really sure.

“We did.” Hadley gave a small nod, her voice rough around the edges.

“It happened years ago.”

She had been a teenager then, finding excuses to be near him whenever she could.

Eric didn’t reply. A quiet pause stretched between them.

That vision—it wasn’t some strange invention of his mind. It had really happened. A rush of adrenaline hit him, and he swallowed hard. For the first time since losing his memory, something surfaced—faint and hazy, but real enough to stir him deep inside.

.cm hosts the latest

Still…

Eric’s eyes dropped to Hadley standing beside him. Why was it that the very first memory that came back to him was about her? Hadn’t she told him he couldn’t stand her before?

Across from him, Hadley stared back, clearly thrown off by his odd behavior. Something about him just didn’t seem right. And she wasn’t the only one concerned.

Joy glanced between them, eyes wide with worry.

“Mommy?”

“It’s okay,” Hadley said gently, trying to calm her daughter before she gave Eric’s arm a small shake.

“What’s going on with you? Should I take you to the hospital?”

Snapping out of it, Eric quickly shook his head.

“There’s no need.”

A crease formed on Hadley’s brow.

“Then snap out of it. What’s running through your head right now?” She tilted her chin toward their daughter.

“You’re scaring Joy with the way you’re spacing out.”

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