our wedding day, his arm wrapped around my waist as he held me close to his side. He was tall with eyes that shone with adoration, his head was shaved and his face was handsome and full of life. But I didn't know him. The girl in that photo was a stranger too. I wasn't someone's wife.
I'm not someone's wife.
"This is your husband, Winter. He's here waiting to see you. He says your name is Sasha Hernandez. You got married three years ago. He asked me to give you this." She reached into her pocket, placing down a simple gold band with the word forever engraved on the inside of it. "Do you recognise it?"
I shook my head, leaning away from it, rejecting it with every fibre of my being. Panic swelled in my chest and closed up my throat. I tried to rationalise what I was seeing, but it was there in plain sight. And worst of all, I couldn't deny the dull, ringing sensation in the back of my head that said I did recognise that ring. That if I picked it up and pushed it onto my finger, it would fit perfectly.
I continued shaking my head in refusal of this life. I couldn't be married. I was with Nicoli. Of all the time I'd spent picturing a mother, father, siblings or friends missing me, I'd never considered this. Because my heart belonged so wholly to Nicoli that it simply wasn't a possibility that I could be bound to someone else. If I was married, why hadn't I felt that hole in my chest, why hadn't I ached for my husband even if I'd lost my memories of him? But then I thought of the hollowness I'd felt with The Five, wondering if some of that could be related to this. Had my body known all along? Had my heart hollowed out because of him?
I forced those thoughts away, not allowing them to take up residence in my head. Because there was no way I'd ever felt this for someone other than Nicoli. He consumed my entire heart. He'd been the one to fill it up, to give me something to live for again, who took the emptiness away. There couldn’t be anyone else for me but him.
"I understand this is a lot to take in," Lovette said with a frown. "But you need to be with your loved ones right now. Perhaps seeing your husband will help jog your memory?"
I pressed my lips tight together and started writing on the paper. What about Nicoli? Are you going to free him?
"He pointed a gun at innocent people in a public place," Lovette sighed.
He was trying to protect me. I underlined the words three times, shoving the notepad towards her.
"Be that as it may-" she started, but someone knocked on the door.
"Ma'am we have a problem. The Romeros are here." The same male voice called from beyond the door as before, his tone nervous.
I got to my feet the same second Lovette got up. My lips twitched with the need to speak because I could tell she was going to leave me here. I needed to get to Frankie, Rocco, Enzo. They'd help. They'd fix this. But she wasn't just going to let me walk out of here for them.
"Take me to my husband," I forced out, knowing it was my only chance to see them. To help Nicoli.
Lovette picked up the ring and the phone from the table, nodding and heading to the door. I followed her out and my heart beat wildly as she led me down a long hall then through a security door.
My gaze locked on the three Romero brothers who were leaning over the front desk and intimidating the man sitting there as they demanded to see their brother. They blocked my view to the waiting room beyond where I suspected my so-called husband was waiting, but I didn't care. I flew at them, my heart leaping into my throat as Frankie caught me in his arms, hugging me close and kissing my head. "It's okay, bella. We're going to be walking out of here with him in two minutes. Isn't that right Officer George?" he spoke harshly to the guy behind the desk.
"You cannot walk in here and order my officers about," Lovette clipped. "And you will unhand that girl this instant. She is under our protection."
"No, she’s under ours," Enzo snarled as he and Rocco moved shoulder to shoulder with Frankie who