Noah
It's been months since I was in a car accident, more than a year since I lost my identity. The doctors claim I only forgot two years of my life, but I'm confident my soul is shattered.
My heart is constantly aching. Something is missing from my life, and it drives me mad because I think it's a person, but no one will tell me anything in this fucking household!
My mother treats me like glass and something fragile that needs to be guarded twenty-four-seven, but I'm a grown-ass man!
Thanks to her, I'm frustrated every minute of the day. The only time when I'm not surrounded by bodyguards is when I hit the gym.
I can't even relax in my bed!
I'm trapped in a nightmare that keeps coming back night after night when I fall asleep. I wake up with a woman smiling at me from afar.
Her hair is brown, and her face is round. She is gorgeous, but when I try to reach her, my feet won't budge. It breaks me apart, and I always wake up with a face drenched in tears.
The car accident wasn't a simple accident that only shattered my bones; it tore my soul apart.
The northern wind came in and blew out the sun and all my dreams until only misery remained.
I keep hitting the punching bag, knowing bodyguards are waiting for me outside the gym. My mother is still in charge of most of my money, but things are changing.
I've already taken over as the CEO of Parker Resorts, and within these upcoming months, my mother will hopefully lose control of my life. I'm fighting to get rid of her because I can't breathe without her interfering.
Did I like my mother before the accident? Probably. But right now, she is playing the role of a mother hen to the point I'm considering moving to another country.
I keep hitting the bag until I'm out of breath. I wipe the sweat off and look around me. If I shower quickly, there is a backdoor I could take to avoid my bodyguards. It could give me some time to breathe.
I head off to the changing room and take a cold shower.
I've been training like an idiot ever since my accident. Sadly, I don't play football anymore. I was gone for too long, but I have a new goal now—build more muscle mass to taunt the guys on the team that I remember.
After I'm all done, I pull down a cap to hide my face and use the backdoor that leads me to the roof. Then, with a little bit of parkour, I get down into an alley.
I'm wearing sweatpants and a grey hoodie that shouldn't make me stand out on the street. My disguise offers me confidence, and I disappear into the crowd until turning right to walk to my favorite park.
There is a little sandbox inside the park, and as I walk closer, I find an empty stroller. The parent, a mother, is holding the baby in her arms while sitting on a park bench.
"My oh my, Emma, you're so hungry today..."
I freeze when I hear the voice. I'm not sure why, but it draws my interest and makes me eye the mother. She looks exactly like the woman in my dreams, which makes my jaw slack to the ground.
It's like I've stepped into a movie or... Perhaps I'm being pranked, and someone will soon come out of the bushes with a hidden camera?
I don't know what to believe.
My heart is panging inside my chest, and when the woman peers up at me, I become aware of myself. I'm this tall, behemoth of a man looming over her and her child.
I expect the woman to scream, but instead, she widens her eyes with what I assume must be fear on her face.
Shit!
"Uh..." I wet my lips. "I promise I'm not usually this creepy..."
Her eyes seem to water, and her lips curl into a smile that I don't understand. Still, I experience shivers seeing the softer expression on her beautiful face.
"Are you lost?" She asks.
I laugh at her question, not because it's funny, but because she doesn't realize how close to home it hits me. I've been lost for a long time, and it's such a headache.
"Funny," I tell her, smiling because I can't help myself. Something about her just feels so familiar. "I'm lost, but as I'm standing here with you, I can't help but feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."
She laughs, and it cracks up her entire face, letting in the light. "Do you usually flirt with the single mums in the local park?"
"No," I breathe a laugh. "You would be the first."
Her eyes turn suspicious, but her lips are amused. Somehow, it seems as if she believes me to be a player.
I'm not sure how I can read her so well without knowing her, but that thought immediately strikes me: this woman thinks I'm a flirt.
"Is that the truth?" She asks.
"Yeah," I scratch my neck. "I usually don't tell strangers my dating history, but I haven't seen anyone in a long time."
Her eyes roam over me, taking in my features one after one. The smile on her face grows, and then she stretches out a hand while holding the baby to her chest with the other.
"I'm Natalie," she says, and then her eyes travel down to the pink-clad little thing in her arms. "And this little one is Emma."
I take her smaller hand in mine and offer her what I'm hoping is my most charming smile since I'm already drawn to this woman. "Nice to meet you both. My name is Noah."
Natalie opens her mouth to speak, but then I hear tires screeching. I glance over my shoulder, grimacing when I see my bodyguards heading for where I am.
"It was nice to meet you, Natalie." I throw another glimpse at the men wearing shades. "But I have to run!"
Natalie widens her eyes. "Oh, okay?"
"I'm so sorry!"
"Will you come back?"
"To this park?" I blink at her.
Her eyes turn hopeful, and her voice is soft. "Yeah? How about tomorrow around the same time?"
"Sure, but I really have to go now!"
I salute her and run off into the forest. It pains me to leave without Natalie's number since she is the mystery woman from my dreams, but she said she would come back here tomorrow—I will find her again!