"Dear, you're not allowing yourself to feel anything for him. The mindset you've given yourself makes you believe this man is too old to be someone you could love. But back then, before you lost your memory, you loved this man with all your heart. You were about to be married before the accident. If only you could get that notion out of your head, perhaps you'd allow your heart to love him again," her mother said, her voice soft but insistent.
Though Jessica could see some logic in her mother's words, something inside her told her it was all a lie. For the first time in the eight months she had known her mother, Jessica felt the urge to distance herself. A deep instinct warned her not to trust this woman who raised her. It seemed her mother was throwing her into the lion's den, possibly to get rid of her. Maybe losing her memory had made Jessica sharper, more aware than she had been before.
"Yes," Jessica muttered under her breath, her tone quiet yet firm. "I understand that I've been a burden to you, and you've wasted no time reminding me of that. I know it's been hard for you these past eight months, teaching a grown woman how to eat, sit, hold a spoon, or take a bath. But you saw how quickly I learned. My intelligence is returning, even if my memories aren't. And while I can't recall my past, I still have instincts that guide me."
"And what do those instincts tell you?" Mrs. Hayman asked, her eyes narrowing.
"They're telling me not to trust you. They're telling me that the man you're trying to force on me is not someone I should trust. I don't like him, Mother, and I certainly don't love him. I will not marry him. I will not be his wife." Jessica's voice was steady, her words filled with resolve.
Her mother could sense the defiance rising within her. Though she had spent the last eight months molding Jessica into an obedient daughter, the core of who she was had remained unchanged. She was still the same person as before, and no amount of training could suppress her true nature.
"How dare you?" Mrs. Hayman hissed, her voice shaking with fury. "I have done everything for you. I have—"
"And I am grateful, Mother," Jessica interrupted, her tone calm but unyielding. "I'm not trying to cut ties with you, nor am I being ungrateful. I'm just telling you what I will and will not do."
"Do you know how hard it is to retrain a fully grown woman to live like a human being? Your mind was like that of a baby. I had to teach you everything from scratch—how to feed yourself, how to take a bath, how to pick out your clothes. Even though you learned quickly in these eight months, you can't just disregard all the effort and hard work I put into you. I stayed by your side when everyone else left. Do you see anyone else around? Don't you ever wonder what happened to the rest of your family? Your friends? That silly boyfriend of yours, Nick Thomas?"
Jessica paused. "Wait... you said I was in love with Mr. Gonzalez. So who is Nick Thomas?"
Mrs. Hayman froze, her eyes widening in realization. She hadn't meant to mention Nick, hadn't meant to stir that part of Jessica's past, which she had worked so hard to bury.
"You will marry Mr. Gonzalez, and you will make a good wife for him," her mother said, her tone hardening. "I've taught you everything you need to know about being a proper woman. Now, stop this nonsense and come back inside before you make him angry. Once we're inside, you will apologize for your inexcusable behavior and tell him you're ready to do whatever it takes to make it up to him. I'm sure he has a few ideas on how to discipline you."
"There's no way I'm doing that," Jessica replied, her voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and defiance. "Mother, I've followed your every command. I've never said no to you. But this—this is where I draw the line. You are being unreasonable."
"Oh, my dear," her mother scoffed, a cold smile creeping onto her face. "Where did you learn all this? From those silly books I buy you at the mall? That's fiction. Love is not the foundation of a marriage. There are far more important things than affection or love."
her mother's words had truly, for the first time, made her question her intentions. staring back at her, she began to wonder.
Would she head back inside and play puppet wife to an old man she clearly didn't love, or would she take the irrational path, and run away?