CHAPTER 3: Shadows in the Spotlight
Reese's POV
*3 YEARS LATER*
"So, Mr. Bennett, tell me what you remember about the night of the accident," Doctor Wesker said, leaning back in his chair with that calm voice he always used. "Any flashes? Sounds? Faces?"
I sat across from him in the fancy therapy office with my fingers tapping on the armrest.
Three years.. three damn years since that truck smashed into my life and here I was, still trying to dig up pieces that felt like they belonged to someone else.
"Nothing new, Doc. Just headlights and the sound of metal and then darkness. Same as last week.. same as the week before."
Doctor Wesker nodded and flipped a page on his notepad.
"That's okay. Let's try something diffeReeset. Close your eyes and think about your wedding day. Who was standing beside you? What did she wear? How did you feel?"
I closed my eyes like he asked but all I got was a blank wall in my head.
"Betty. She wore white. It was... nice." The words felt flat even as I said them. Nice. That was all I had for the woman I supposedly married after waking up in the hospital.
"Any emotions tied to it?" the doctor pushed gently. "Joy? Nervousness? Anything at all?"
"Look, I remember the company stuff just fine," I said, opening my eyes and leaning forward. "Board meetings, tech launches and every deal Bennett Technologies closed in the last three years. But personal s**t? It's gone.. like someone wiped it clean."
Doctor Wesker wrote something down.
"Memory loss after trauma can be selective. Your brain protected certain parts. Let's try names. Does the name Elodie mean anything to you?"
I frowned. "Elodie? No. Should it?"
Before he could answer, the door opened with a soft click and Betty walked in all blonde hair and perfect smiles looking like she stepped out of a magazine in her expensive dress.
"Hello, Doctor Wesker. How's my husband doing today?"
The doctor stood up politely.
"Mrs. Bennett, good to see you. We're making slow progress but it's progress."
Betty came over and kissed my cheek with her hand resting on my shoulder.
"That's wonderful. Reese, darling, you look tense. Did the session go well?"
I stood up with my frustration boiling over.
"It's over, Betty. It's been three years and I still can't recall s**t. What's the f*****g point of trying again and again? I run a billion-dollar company. I remember how to close deals and crush competitors but my own life before the crash? Empty."
Betty gently scolded me with her voice soft but firm.
"Reese, honey, don't say that. The doctor is helping. We got married right after you woke up, remember? I was there for you when no one else was. Your mom introduced us again and it felt right. We built something beautiful from the ashes."
Doctor Wesker cleared his throat.
"She's right, Mr. Bennett. These things take time. Your mind is protecting you but with consistent sessions, we can unlock more."
I rubbed my face.
"Yeah, well, I'm tired of unlocking doors that lead nowhere. Let's go."
We left the office and climbed into the waiting limo outside. The driver started the engine smoothly, pulling away from the curb and Betty chatted beside me about some charity event we had coming up.
"It'll be perfect, Reese. Everyone wants to see us together. The power couple of New York."
"Stop the car," I called out suddenly.
The driver hit the brakes.
"Sir?"
Betty turned to me, surprised.
"Reese, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
"I need some air," I said, opening the door. "Alone. You go on without me. I'll catch up later."
She reached for my arm.
"I can come with you. We can walk together and talk."
I shook my head.
"No, Betty. I just need a minute to clear my head. Go home. I'll be fine."
After a bit more back and forth, she finally agreed, though she didn't look happy about it. The limo drove off and I stood there on the busy sidewalk, breathing in the New York air.
Alone at last.. a big chunk of my memories was still missing but I could run Bennett Technologies like a machine with business deals, numbers and strategies... all crystal clear. Yet something nagged at me every damn day.
There used to be another woman in my life.. not Betty. Betty was fine and always saying the right things... but she felt like someone my mom pushed on me.. like a business arrangement dressed up as love. I low-key found her annoying sometimes, always planning events and smiling for cameras just like Mother's constant control.
I sighed heavily and started walking.
My feet knew where to go without thinking. Every Friday evening for the past few months, I'd ended up at the same place to calm my mind... the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. Something about the ballet performances there pulled me in.. the music, the movement ant the grace felt familiar in a way nothing else did.
I headed there alone with no security and no drivers.. just me in my suit blending into the evening crowd as much as a six-three guy like me could.
I was about to step into the building when I spotted her... a little girl, maybe three or four years old with soft curls bouncing as she giggled and chased a red balloon. The balloon floated toward the street and the girl followed, getting dangerously close to the traffic.
"Watch out!" I shouted, rushing forward.
I grabbed her just in time, pulling her back from the curb as a car zoomed past while my heart pounded hard.
"Hey, kiddo, that's not safe."
The little girl looked up at me with bright curious eyes that immediately froze me. They were steel-gray just like mine.
Despite being a girl.. she had this uncanny resemblance to pictures of me as a kid... the same sharp features, the same quiet way of staring like she was figuring everything out. It was like looking into a mirror and seeing myself at that age.
I froze, holding her there, the balloon string wrapped around my fingers.
A woman came running up, looking flustered.
"Oh my God, thank you so much! Chloé, you can't run off like that!"
She took the girl from my arms gently. I blinked, still staring.
"Is she yours? Your daughter?"
The woman shook her head with a smile.
"No, sir. I'm just the nanny. Her mom is about to perform inside. She's the principal ballerina tonight. Chloé loves coming to watch her dance but she gets excited and slips away sometimes."
I nodded slowly but my mind was spinning.
"She's a cute kid. Those eyes... she looks familiar somehow."
The nanny laughed lightly.
"Thank you again for saving her. I better get her back to her seat before the show starts." She took Chloé's hand and led her away, the little girl waving at me with a big grin.
I stood there fixed in place, watching them disappear into the theater.
That girl. Why did she feel like someone I should know? Those eyes staring back at me... it wasn't just coincidence.
A strange pull hit my chest like a memory trying to break through the fog. Who was her mother, this principal ballerina? And why did saving that child make me feel something I hadn't felt in years?
The questions wouldn't stop as I stood outside the theater, the sounds of music starting to drift out.
Something big was missing from my life and for the first time in three years, I felt like I was standing right on the edge of finding it…
Aksara