A week passed. Gabe and I kept our conversations to my back porch, hidden from view. But Camille’s black sedan often idled at the corner, lights off, engine ticking. Watching.
One afternoon, Gabe brought an old photograph.
It was taken in his basement just before the fire. We were grinning, arms around each other, showing off our matching infinity tattoos.
“I kept this,” he said quietly. “It was the only thing that was mine. They took everything else. I didn’t know who you were for a long time because of the amnesia.”
“There were days I’d remember flashes — your laugh, the garage, the tattoo. Then they’d switch doctors, change the rules, tighten access. I’d lose ground again. This photo kept me going.”
I traced its worn edges.
“Did you ever try to run?”
“The first year, I tried twice. They found me both times. After that, I was always watched. Even as an adult, someone was always there — a nurse, a caregiver, someone from the family.”
“And you just… accepted it?”
“I stopped fighting when they told me you were married.”
“Gabe, you need to stop living under her thumb. It’s been thirty years.”
“You don’t know Camille, Sammie. She has lawyers, money, connections everywhere. She’s been controlling everything for so long, I—”
“Then let’s fight. Together.”
He looked at me uncertainly. “Fight how? She has everything. My father is dead, and he was starting to understand…”
“She doesn’t have everything,” I said firmly. “She doesn’t have the truth. And she doesn’t have us. Gabe, you’re not Elias. You’re Gabriel. Stop letting her decide who you are.”
He rubbed the scar on his arm. “She threatened your father. She threatened you. If we go after her—”
“I’m not afraid of your mother, Gabe. Not anymore. And you shouldn’t be either. I’m here now.”
For the first time since he had walked back into my life, I saw the boy I remembered.
“What do we do?” he asked.
“We expose her,” I answered. “You take back your name. You tell the board you’re alive. You reclaim your life, your company, your history.”
He exhaled shakily. “If I do this, I need you with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said. “You’re Gabriel. And I’m your Sammie. And trust me when I say I know how to fight.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “You always were the troublemaker.”
“And you always covered for me.”
“She’ll come after us.”
“I’m counting on it,” I said. “Let’s make her play defense for once.”
