Chapter 11

Before Elaine could fully process what was going on, Marcus yanked her wrist again and dragged her straight to his room. He swung the door open and without missing a beat, tossed her onto the bed like she weighed nothing. Caught off guard, Elaine was momentarily stunned. Just as she tried to sit up, he pushed her right back down. Their current position was, frankly, not very PG. Elaine's face was burning, heart thumping like crazy. She'd never been pinned down like this before! "What are you doing?" she blurted, instinctively crossing her arms over her chest like she was in some drama—totally defensive mode activated. Marcus looked like he was barely holding himself back. Ever since yesterday, ever since this new version of Audrey showed up—like, completely different from the one before—he felt something was off. And he needed answers. Elaine peeked up at him cautiously, her tone tentative. "Marcus, uh... did you drink?" "Took the wrong pills?" "Lost your memories?" Marcus's expression turned even more sour with each guess, but instead of flipping out, he said all matter-of-factly, "Isn't it normal for a husband and wife to do this kind of thing?" Then he followed up with, "Didn't you always say you wanted a kid?" Elaine blinked at him, stunned. Right, in Audrey's memories, she did want a baby—something to tie Marcus down emotionally. Love really makes people do crazy things. She let out a dry laugh, "Well... turns out I'm not so sure anymore." "I mean, I still feel like a kid myself. I'm young. And I—" Before she could finish, Marcus leaned in closer. Their bodies were almost touching now, his hand nearly brushing where she was still shielding herself. Elaine was flustered, her brain lagging a step behind her heartbeat. Marcus, on the other hand, looked amused by her panic. With a smirk tugging at his lips, he murmured, "I'm not that young anymore." It was the first time she'd seen him smile. Damn, that man knew how to weaponize a grin—charming as hell. She couldn't help it, totally swooning. "How old are you exactly?" "Turning thirty this year." "Oh, still young, totally!" she gushed, caught in her own awkward babble. "Y'know the saying—forty for men is peak time, right? You've got years to go!" The smile dropped from Marcus's face in an instant. His eyes sharpened. "Tell me. Who the hell are you?" Elaine's heart skipped a beat. Panic creeped in like cold water down her back. "Huh?" "I said—who are you really?" he repeated, voice lower, heavier. She told herself he couldn't possibly know the truth. But was it possible he'd guessed she wasn't Audrey? Could he suspect she'd had plastic surgery to look like her? That... technically made sense. "I didn't get surgery, seriously. You can check—here." Elaine shut her eyes tight like she was bracing for execution. Totally leaning into the "if you're gonna kill me, just do it fast" mode. Marcus's voice turned ice-cold. "Don't make me ask a third time." Elaine's eyes snapped open. She stared up at him, trying to play innocent. "What, you thinking I got, like, possessed by a ghost or something?" Well... if he believed that, he wouldn't be wrong. Suddenly, Marcus shifted back, pushing himself up and standing straight. Elaine finally took a proper breath, lungs working again. She made a silent promise to herself to keep it low-key from now on. But asking her to perfectly pretend to be Audrey? Not possible. Sure, she had Audrey's memories, but the mannerisms, the way she acted—those weren't things she could fake. Marcus fixed her with a look that chilled her blood, voice laced with threat. "Fine. I gave you a chance. If I have to find the truth myself, it won't be this easy to deal with you."