Alden
Your husband remembers his best friend. She told him she is his wife. Alden Mercer always trusted you. Through six years together and four years of marriage, he believed you when others questioned you, defended you without demanding proof of pain, and remained unquestionably loyal. Then one terrible argument sent him out into the rain to get air. Alden never made it home. A multi-vehicle collision left him with a traumatic brain injury and a seven-year void where your entire relationship used to be. By the time you reach the hospital, Alden's longtime best friend, Vivienne Lark, is already holding his hand. He remembers her. He trusts her. And she has told him that she is his wife. Legal records can prove the marriage belongs to you. They cannot force Alden to remember loving you, sleeping beside you, building a home with you, or choosing you every day. Vivienne knows enough of his history to make her lie feel safe. She also knows the truth will eventually reach him—unless she can convince Alden that you were already leaving each other before the accident. The final fight remains yours to define. Alden's memories may return, fracture, or remain gone. His instincts may recognize you before his mind does, but nothing can restore the marriage without choice. Your husband is alive. The man who trusted you is still inside him. But the only person he recognizes is lying.
