CHAPTER 332: BEGINNING OF SOMETHING (2)

Georgia’s POV

Noisy.

Everything was so damn noisy. Beeping, footsteps, voices, too loud, too close. I hated it when people were loud while I was trying to sleep.

My eyelids fluttered open, and a sharp pain shot through my arm. I winced, blinking at the harsh white light above me. Where the hell was I—oh. Right. The fishermen. The hospital. I remember that much.

But as I scanned the room, confusion quickly settled in. Ella was there—thank God, but she wasn’t alone. Two people stood beside her. One of them...

Wait.

I knew that face.

My pulse spiked, every instinct screaming danger. "What the hell is that murderer doing here?!" I shrieked, panic flooding my veins. My eyes darted around until I spotted a red button on the wall. The nurse call button. Without thinking, I slammed my finger down on it.

The man’s eyes widened. "Georgia—you’re awake!" He stepped closer, too close.

SLAP!

The sound cracked through the air like a gunshot. My hand stung instantly, pain radiating up my arm. My body trembled from the effort, every old wound screaming in protest.

"Ouch—baby, it’s me," he said, his voice raw.

My jaw tightened. "Don’t call me that! You’re Nicholas Knight!" I spat, glaring daggers at him.

But then I froze. Because instead of anger, there was relief in his eyes. Tears. Real ones.

"You remember me," he whispered, voice breaking. "Oh, thank God."

Before I could move, he pulled me into his arms. His warmth, his scent—it was all too much. My heart ached, tears suddenly fell from my eyes, I shoved him hard, breath hitching as a searing pain ripped through my stomach.

"Georgia!" Ella’s voice cut through the chaos as I doubled over, clutching my abdomen.

She was beside me in seconds, grabbing my trembling hand. "It’s okay, I’m here. You’re safe."

The doctor and nurses rushed in, shouting instructions I couldn’t quite catch. The world blurred around me. I saw the nurse push something into my IV line, and slowly, the agony dulled.

My body went limp against the pillows, drenched in cold sweat. I was panting, tears slipping down my temples. I reached for Ella like a scared child, and she wrapped her arms around me tight.

"It’s okay," she whispered, her voice trembling. "You’re safe now, Georgia. You’re safe. Katie is safe, too."

"Ella... Raymond and Nancy... I saw them..." My voice cracked between sobs. The memory burned behind my eyes—but something felt wrong. Hollow. I should be furious, trembling with rage, but instead, I felt... nothing. Just cold, heavy numbness.

"Shh... Georgia, stop crying," Ella whispered, her hand brushing my hair back. "It’s bad for you. Calm down first, then tell me what happened, okay?"

I forced myself to breathe. In. Out. Again. My chest ached, but I obeyed. Slowly, I wiped the tears from my face and lifted my gaze. My eyes landed on him.

"What the hell is he doing here?" I asked, my tone sharp, cutting through the tense air. My eyes locked on Nicholas Knight—the arrogant billionaire who walked free while blood stained his hands. The man the news once called untouchable.

Ella’s hand shot out slightly toward him, stopping him from stepping forward. "Let me, alright?" she said. He nodded once, his jaw tight, eyes filled with something I didn’t understand.

Ella looked toward the doctors. One of them stepped forward, clipboard in hand.

"I’m Dr. Spencer, your attending physician," he said calmly, then gestured to the two others beside him. "Dr. White is our neurologist, and Dr. Kim specializes in women’s health. Let’s start with the wound on your arm—it’s a gunshot injury. Do you remember being shot?"

I froze, my heartbeat echoing in my ears. "No," I said firmly. "No one shot me. When I woke up on the shore, I thought I just... hit something while unconscious."

The doctor exchanged a glance with Ella. "Your friend here confirmed you were shot before falling into the sea," he said.

Ella’s hand tightened around mine. "Georgia, listen to me," she said, her voice trembling. "You were shot by Jay Gambino—the man David owed money to. He helped Nancy kidnap you and Katie. They took you onto a ship while Nancy fled. Jay shot you before you could reach the lifeboat. You fell into the ocean... Nick didn’t see you resurface. We thought we lost you."

I stared at her, my mind a whirlwind of fog and static. Kidnapped? Shot? Katie? None of it made sense.

My temples throbbed violently. I pressed my hand to my forehead, shaking my head. "I—I don’t remember any of that," I whispered, the words barely leaving my lips.

The doctors exchanged worried glances. Nick took a small step forward, his voice cracking as he said my name.

Ella’s voice trembled but she kept going, her words slicing through the thick fog in my mind. "Nick here—the man you’re calling Nicholas Knight, is your husband. You and he adopted Katie... she’s your daughter now. You told the doctors that Nancy left you to die, but that was months ago, Georgia. Nancy’s been arrested. She’s in police custody for that crime."

She pointed toward Nick, whose face was pale with worry, eyes red and glassy.

"Nick rescued you that night," Ella continued. "That’s how you two met. You got stranded together on an island, remember? And then Raymond abducted you, but that’s over now. You were happy with Nick before this kidnapping happened. You and I just signed a contract with the Knight Group for the farm—you were excited about it. Don’t you remember any of it?"

Her words hit me like waves, each one stronger than the last, and I couldn’t keep up. I shook my head violently, tears spilling down my cheeks. "E-Ella... what are you talking about?" My voice cracked. "We were on Raymond’s ship—it was my bridal shower, and then..."

My words died in my throat. A sharp, pounding pain throbbed behind my eyes, like my skull was too small to contain my brain. I clutched my temples, squeezing my eyes shut as the pain pulsed harder and harder.

"Georgia!" Ella’s panicked voice echoed, but it sounded far away.

Then—flashes.

A storm.

A man’s arms around me.

Nick’s voice, shouting my name.

The warmth of his breath against my ear as he whispered I’ve got you.

The feel of sand beneath my feet, the scent of the ocean, a promise made under the moonlight.

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest as the fragments hit me one after another. I didn’t remember them, not really—but I could feel them. It was nostalgic, painful, and calming at the same time.

******

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