Chapter Two

The warm sunlight felt pleasant against her skin, and the sand beneath her bare feet, felt equally as such. Of course, Emily had no actual memories of ever being outdoors, but it was instinctively familiar. The sound of the cascading waves of the ocean was calming, giving her a sense of peace she had not felt since awakening without a trace of her past.

Daniel was walking silently in her stride, wondering if he had made a grave mistake in suggesting their outing and destination. When his mother made the discovery of their departure from Grayson Manor though, she would be furious. This thought pleased him. "It's nice to be outside," Emily commented, breaking the silence.

"Well, you love to swim in the ocean and go for jogs on the beach."

Emily smiled softly, appreciating any information she could glean. It did not matter how small or seemingly insignificant. "That's good to know. What else do I like to do?"

"Uh...you're pretty much good at everything. You like to cook; you play tennis; you speak several languages, just to name a few." Those were some of the many things Daniel had always admired about her. In fact, he had yet to find something in which she did not excel. "You're kind of intimidating, actually."

Emily liked the way his face scrunched slightly when making a humorous expression which caused her to emit a tiny laugh. "I feel like the least intimidating person on the planet, right now."

And there it was. That ever recurring feeling of guilt began rising within Daniel again. After all, he was the reason her memory had been erased. Emily was handling it quite well which was, no doubt, a testament to her inner strength. It was nice to know that part of her was, indeed real, in a time when he questioned whether or not the woman he had loved actually existed. Somehow despite his anger, Daniel found himself desperately holding onto any truth in her he could find. "I'm sorry...I can't imagine how hard it must be to not know who you are."

Emily did not speak, but instead looked at him with an appreciative glint in her eyes. They had now reached the beach house, and she stood still for a moment, taking in the view of their home. Instantly, she felt a deep connection to it. Daniel waited patiently for her to absorb her surroundings and quietly walked behind her as she led herself throughout the first floor of the house. None of it looked familiar to her, but there was a sense in her heart that she was where she belonged.

"Do you recognize anything?" Daniel tentatively asked after minutes of silence had passed, uncertain what answer he hoped to receive. It served him well for Emily to not remember anything, but there was a part of him that almost wanted her to remember, for her own sake.

She shook her head, serenity lighting her brown eyes. "No. But it feels really right."

"I'm glad." He forced a smile.

"I'd like to go upstairs."

Daniel nodded. "I just...don't want you to over-do it."

"I'm okay," Emily assured, and then felt his fingers wrap around the crook of her arm to offer support as they began to climb the stairs. It was one of the few times he had touched her, and it was nice. When they came to the master bedroom, Daniel stopped in the doorway while Emily slowly took in, yet another, unfamiliar room.

Everything was perfectly in its place, she noted. She looked at her expensive clothes hanging in the closet and her perfumes neatly arranged on the bathroom counter. Her eyes then landed on an ornate jewelry box and a thought suddenly came to her mind. Looking down at her left hand, she realized she was not wearing her wedding ring. How had she not noticed it before?

"Daniel, where's my wedding ring? Was it lost?" Emily asked, returning to the bedroom to find he had not budged. It was the first time he had been back in the beach house since the entire nightmare had begun, and it was slightly rattling to him, especially being in this particular room with her where their most intimate moments had been shared.

"I have it, don't worry."

"Oh, good." Emily sat down on the bench at the foot of the bed, relieved. She had already lost so much of her identity. She did not want to lose anything else even if it were a material item. "I'd like to have it back."

"Of course. It's in the safe at the main house, but I'll bring it to you." She took a long look at her husband. Everything was so polite and formal with him. Surely, this was not how they had always lived.

"Daniel?" Emily paused, unsure if she wanted to continue. "Do you... think I'm...pretty?"

He furrowed his brow, not expecting such a question from her. "Why would you ask that?"

"I don't know." Emily's chin fell insecurely with her eyes following to her lap. "It's just...you don't...seem...to want to be near me. I just thought maybe...you weren't attracted to me anymore, or something had happened to change your feelings for me."

She lifted her questioning eyes to him again. Eyes that were seeking acceptance from him, but even more so, just an honest answer. Daniel swallowed, unsure of how to respond. He did not want to verbalize any of his feelings towards her, good or bad, but Emily's new-found innocence was becoming slightly disarming to him. Besides, how could he not answer her? The more he withheld, the more questions she was going to ask.

Did he think she was pretty? Truth was, for all the hatred Daniel felt, he could not deny her innate beauty which still called to him. He was almost certain he hated her for that too.

"No, Emily, I think you are..." Daniel paused, searching for the right words to express himself, "absolutely magnificent." His sentence ended in a whisper, his eyes sincere for the first time since their wedding night.

Emily felt her stomach flip. She had never seen him look at her in the way that he was now. It was a look of admiration and love. Daniel felt it as well, but it was too much to bear for any length of time. The anger he felt towards her could only be suppressed for a short period before it began bubbling up again. Daniel cleared his throat, breaking their gaze. "I'm going to go send for your things." He turned and left before Emily could say anything. His actions continued to puzzle her, but she was encouraged by the fact he had shown emotion. It was a start at repairing her life, or at least, she hoped.

Daniel sat in his car for a long moment before starting the engine. His world had spiraled out of control to the point he did not even know who he was anymore or what he wanted. With having already requested some of the staff to deliver Emily's belongings to the beach house, he knew he needed to tend to some of his other unfinished business.

As he drove away from the Hamptons, he continued the battle within his mind. If Emily never regained her memory, was he willing to continue with this lie? Could he actually commit the rest of his life to living this way? Would she be willing to go on with things as they were? Not likely. Emily was going to need more from him than just words of affirmation. And then there was Sarah.

Her front door swung open with annoyance at his incessant knocking several minutes later. "Danny, what are you doing here?" She questioned, her annoyance continuing to grow.

Daniel leaned against the door frame, feeling burdened by the enormity of the entire situation. "You wouldn't return any of my calls. I needed to talk with you. I needed to see that you were okay."

"Well, I'm fine. Goodbye."

His hand caught the door before she could close it in his face. "Sarah, please. I know you almost...well..." Her eyes narrowed as she tried to determine what Daniel was insinuating. From his tragic expression, Sarah quickly realized he thought her recent accident had not been an accident at all.

"Wait...you think I tried to kill myself?" She released a scoff, shaking her head. "How pathetic do you think I am? Danny, I love you, but I'm not willing to lose my life over you. I just had too much to drink and fell asleep in the bathtub."

"Oh." He blinked several times as if the motion would somehow clear his clouded emotions. It didn't work. He felt horrible and conflicted, but relieved that Sarah had not tried to take her own life. "I'm just...so... sorry about all of this."

"How's Emily? Does she really have memory loss?" Sarah asked, changing the subject.

Daniel sighed. "She doesn't remember anything."

Sarah slowly nodded, fully assessing the circumstances. "Go home to your wife. Emily's the one you chose."

"I just...can't leave her now," Daniel excused, for what reason, he was not sure.

"Of course not." Sarah whispered, forcing a dignified smile. "It's okay, Danny... you don't have to keep worrying about me. You don't have to love me anymore." The tears she had been withholding now spilled onto her cheeks, and Daniel felt defeated and at a loss for words. He should never have rekindled their relationship. He was not free to do so then, and he certainly was not free now. Perhaps, he and Emily deserved each other. They were both capable of evil and Sarah was good. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek then, resigning herself to the fact she had to let him go. "Please...please leave me alone."

Daniel found himself standing in the bedroom doorway again, watching Emily closing the shutters for the night. Unbeknownst to her, she was wearing her favorite night gown. Its light gray satin fabric hung perfectly on her slim figure. "Em, I'm home," he said gently, not wanting to startle her from behind. She slowly turned to face him with a wistful smile. Solitude was not her preference these days.

"I was wondering where you were." Ignoring the imposed question, he cleared his throat, which was becoming a nervous gesture he realized, and began walking towards her.

"I stopped by the main house on my way home...got this out of the safe." He lifted the ring box for her viewing. The last thing Daniel wanted to do was put the ring, that had once held such promise, back on her finger. Nevertheless, he knew Emily would not understand if he did not. She smiled appreciatively. "Thank you. Open it, please." Hesitantly, he obeyed and waited as she took in the view of it sparkling before for her. It, of course, seemed like the first time to her.

"Oh, Daniel..." She breathed, bringing her hand to her chest. "It's so beautiful."

"I'm glad you still like it."

"Of course, I do. It's perfect." She smiled again, presumably holding out her left hand. Daniel forced himself to remove the ring from the box and slip it on her slender finger. He felt awkward yet again, but tried not to show it. Being with Emily had always been so natural, and now, he was struggling to hide his true emotions and feign his former.

"It's late. You should get some rest."

It was evident to Emily that Daniel did not want to let her in at the moment. Whatever part of him she had witnessed that afternoon was now closed. Why did he feel the need to shut her out? Rather than press the issue though, she decided to brush it off. "Yes, I am kind of tired," Emily agreed and walked over to the bed. "I'm going to read for a little while."

"Okay, I'm going to take a shower," he replied, disappearing from the room.

When he emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later, he found Emily had fallen asleep while reading. Daniel turned off the bedroom lights and was about to turn off the nightstand lamp when she stirred. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he apologized.

"It's okay. I must have just dozed off."

"Go back to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Emily reached for his hand. "Daniel... please stay with me tonight. I don't want to be alone." If she were aware of what she had done, it would seem like a just punishment for her to experience loneliness. But being that she was completely unaware of her sins, Daniel decided it would be cruel to not grant her request. He nodded, conceding. Emily smiled, seemingly relieved, which only made him feel even guiltier. Daniel walked to the other side of the bed and slid under the covers, turning out the final lamp as he did so.

It had never felt so strange to be lying next to her, he thought to himself. If she only understood how difficult this was. However, just like with the ring, Daniel knew he had to act somewhat normally, or else Emily would only continue to grow suspicious. And so he cautiously draped his arm over her waist. It was how they had fallen asleep together every night since the first time they'd made love. Sure, Emily did not know that, but like with so many things, he thought it would be instinctively familiar.

Daniel felt her body almost shiver against his. "Is this okay?" He questioned in a whisper, it suddenly occurring to him she might not feel comfortable sleeping in his arms. She had only asked him to stay with her.

"It feels really nice, actually," she whispered back, nestling closer to him. She paused in the darkness. "This is how we always slept... isn't it?"

"Yes," he confirmed, willing himself to relax. He needed to do this for her tonight. Be with her.

"Good."

If Daniel could focus on who Emily was now, innocent and vulnerable, it would make it much easier to pretend they were happy. In the moonlight, Daniel could see that her eyes had closed. She looked peaceful. Was it possible that he hated and loved her at the same time?

"Daniel?... Daniel?" He could hear Emily's voice hovering, calling him to awaken from his slumber. Even in his sleep, he could tell something was not right.

"What's wrong?" Daniel asked, sitting up quickly.

"I'm bleeding." He then noticed that her hand was covered in blood and looked down at her abdomen to find that her wounds had bled through her nightgown.

"Oh, God...some of your stitches must have come out in your sleep. I'll call for the nurse." He reached for his cell phone on the nightstand and made the brief phone call. "Let's go to the bathroom and get the bleeding under control," he suggested, jumping out of the bed. Emily nodded in agreement as Daniel helped her to the bathroom. She took a seat on the edge of the bathtub while Daniel crouched down to look in the cabinets under the sink for the first aid kit.

Emily smiled to herself at the sight of him in his boxers, a gray T-shirt and disheveled hair. He he had not a clue how cute he looked. It occurred to her then that she would need to remove her gown in order to tend to her wounds. Emily paused, unsure of what would be appropriate. She did not feel comfortable undressing in front him, and yet, she knew he had probably seen her countless times.

So, she began to slip the thin straps of her gown from her shoulders and was in the process of lowering it from her body when Daniel turned to face her. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her, but he made his best attempt not to react. She was his wife.

It was the first time had seen her wounds though, the wounds he had caused. They looked rather painful and the guilt he had previously felt paled to what he felt now. How could he have done this to her? He felt like a monster. It didn't matter how Emily had wronged him. What he had done was despicable. She was the person he had loved more than anyone, and he had to find a way to make amends for this.

Emily watched Daniel gently press the gauze to her wounds and tape them to her skin. He then took a wet cloth and again, gently, wiped away the excess blood. He glanced up at her. She was looking at him in grateful silence. "I'm so sorry, Em," he whispered, causing her brow to furrow in confusion.

"It's not your fault, Daniel." Oh, but it was. In a few lousy seconds, he had made the worst decision of his life.

"I just...feel really badly this happened to you." He began gathering the contents of the first aid kit to put it away, not wanting to have to look her in the eye for fear she might see right through him. "The nurse will be here soon. I'll get you a change of clothes."

"I just heard from Charlotte that Daniel's moved Emily back to the beach house," Jack announced to Nolan and Aiden immediately after letting himself into Nolan's house, and finding them playing poker to pass the time.

"That's good. She's a least reachable now," Aiden replied, not looking up from his hand of cards.

"Yeah, and I think we should go over there," Jack said anxiously, worried about Emily's well being. Between seeing her in the hospital in such a vulnerable state and not knowing which party on the yacht had shot her, his mind had been consumed with concern.

"It's not like we can just waltz over there like the three stooges and say, "Ems, the Graysons are not your family...we are. I'm sure that will go over well," Nolan reminded, folding. He too, was worried about Emily and frustrated by the situation. They all were.

"I agree that all of us would be too much, but I do think one of us should go talk with her," Jack replied.

Aiden sat back in his chair. "Well, I'm obviously not the candidate seeing as how I tried to kidnap her from the hospital, in her in mind."

"Nolan, you should go," Jack suggested. Nolan was her best friend and confidant. It made sense.

"As much as I want to see Ems, I think it would probably be the most effective for you to talk with her Jack," Nolan countered, believing it whole-hardheartedly. She and Jack had the longest bond. Maybe he could bring her back to them.

A/N: Thank you so much to those who left reviews for the previous chapter! I very much liked reading your thoughts and would love to hear your feedback on this installment. :)