Chapter 3: A Well of Secrets

A few days have passed, and I’m starting to feel like a caged animal in this hospital room. The walls are closing in, the beeping of machines driving me slowly insane. I’m laying out on the bed, bored as a fuck.

Jessica’s here, lounging in the visitor’s chair with her legs crossed. She’s been a constant presence these past few days, a familiar anchor in the sea of uncertainty I’m drifting in.

“I’m getting excited to leave soon,” I say. “Can’t wait to see something other than these four walls.”

Jessica smiles, a hint of relief in her eyes. “Yeah, I imagine you are,” she says, her voice warm.

I nod, but then a thought strikes me, and I feel my stomach twist with anxiety. “I’m a bit anxious about the dynamic with Claire, though,” I admit, my voice low. “Like, do I just sleep in the same bed with her? It feels... weird.”

At the mention of Claire, Jessica’s smile vanishes, replaced by a deep frown. Her brow furrows, and she shifts in her seat, suddenly tense. There’s a long pause, heavy with unspoken thoughts.

Finally, Jessica breaks the silence. “How about you come stay with me for a while, Adam?” she suggests, her tone careful, measured.

I run a hand through my hair, conflicted. “I’d hate to hurt Claire, you know? If she’s my wife, it’s my responsibility to be her husband, you know?”

Jessica sighs heavily, her shoulders slumping. She leans forward, her green eyes intense as they lock onto mine. “Adam,” she says softly, her voice barely above a whisper, “Claire isn’t as good of a person as you think she is.”

The words hang in the air between us, heavy and ominous. I feel a chill run down my spine, goosebumps prickling along my arms. “What do you mean?” I ask, my voice cracking slightly.

Jessica glances around the room nervously as if checking for eavesdroppers. She leans in even closer, her breath warm against my ear as she speaks. “I’m not sure on the full story since you never really liked talking about your marriage, but the night you got attacked, you called me. You two had gotten into a big fight.”

My breath catches in my throat. I search Jessica’s face, looking for any sign that she might be joking or exaggerating. But her expression is deadly serious, her eyes filled with concern and a hint of fear.

“A fight?” I repeat, my mind reeling. “About what?”

Jessica’s eyes darken, her brow furrowing as she struggles to recall the details. “I don’t know exactly,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “When you were on the phone with me, I could barely understand you. You were so upset, your words all slurred together.”

“You hung up without telling me where you were going,” she says, a hint of frustration creeping into her tone. “I was so worried, Adam. I went out driving, looking for you everywhere.”

She pauses, taking a shaky breath. I can see the memory is still raw for her, the fear and uncertainty of that night etched into the lines of her face.

“Then, a few hours later, I got a call from Claire,” Jessica continues, her voice dropping even lower. “She told me you were in the hospital. God, Adam, I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

The idea that other Adam was so upset, so out of it that he worried his own sister this much... it’s unsettling.

“You don’t think Claire had anything to do with the attack, do you?” I wonder out loud.

Jessica’s eyes widen in shock. “God, no!” she exclaims, a little too loudly. She glances nervously at the door before continuing in a hushed tone. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I don’t like her, and I think she’s all kinds of wrong for you. But she would never lay a finger on you.”

“So what happened then?” I ask, desperate for some kind of explanation. “If Claire didn’t hurt me, how exactly did they attack me?”

Jessica sighs heavily, her shoulders slumping. She runs a hand through her hair, clearly struggling with what to say next. “Claire begged me not to tell you the truth,” she says softly. “She was afraid it would upset your psyche more. But I think you need to know.”

She takes a deep breath, steeling herself. “Adam, you were gang raped.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. I blink rapidly, trying to process this information. Oddly, I don’t feel as upset as I probably should. It’s like hearing about something that happened to someone else. Which, in a way, it did to the other Adam.

‘Man, you had it so hard, brother, getting hit by a truck, a stranger steals your wife. Gang Raped. I truly am sorry.’

“I... I thought I was attacked by women?” I say, my brow furrowing in confusion. “What did they like, shove stuff up my ass?”

Jessica’s eyes widen in shock. “What the fuck?” she exclaims, recoiling slightly. “No! Jesus, Adam, that’s not... God, why would you even say that?”

I shrug, feeling a bit sheepish. “I don’t know. I’m honestly just trying to understand.”

Jessica leans in, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and disbelief. She takes a deep breath as if steeling herself for what she’s about to say.

“No, Adam,” she says softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “They... they took out your genitalia and gave you a pill to, you know... get it stiff.”

“They raped me with their vaginas?” I ask, my voice sounding distant and hollow to my own ears.

‘I mean, I’m not the type to say a woman can’t rape a man, but this is unexpected. Being gang raped by women? That feels a bit odd.’

Jessica nods slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. The weight of her gaze is almost physical, pressing down on me like a lead blanket.

I lean back against the pillows, feeling utterly lost. The stark white ceiling above me blurs as I try to process this information.

“But how did I end up in a coma?” I ask, my voice sounding distant and hollow even to my own ears.

Jessica shifts uncomfortably in her chair, her eyes darting around the room as if searching for an escape. Finally, she takes a deep breath and meets my gaze.

“The cops think you struggled violently. They probably beat the shit out of you as they... as they took turns on you.”

I blink, trying to wrap my head around this bizarre scenario. It feels surreal, like something out of a twisted crime drama rather than real life.

“They couldn’t just find a man willing to fuck in the city? I’m sure plenty of guys would be willing to show a handful of women a good time. Some men even dream about that stuff.”

Jessica’s face contorts in horror, her eyes widening in disbelief. She recoils as if I’ve physically struck her.

“No man would want that!” she exclaims, her voice a mixture of shock and disgust. “How could you even say such a thing? Adam, you were violently assaulted. Please do not downplay this.”

‘Ahh, I see. From her point of view, I look like I barely care.’

I feel a pang of guilt at Jessica’s reaction. Her face is a mask of horror and disbelief, her eyes wide and glistening with unshed tears.

“I’m sorry, I’m just... struggling to process all this. It sounds like it happened to someone else, you know?”

Jessica’s expression softens, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. She reaches out, her hand warm and comforting as it rests on my arm. “Oh, Adam,” she sighs. “I can’t even imagine what you’re going through right now.”

The room falls into an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the muffled sounds of the hospital beyond our door.

Suddenly, something Jessica said earlier clicks in my mind. “Wait,” I say, my brow furrowing. “Did you say you don’t like my wife?”

Jessica tenses again, her hand withdrawing from my arm.

“There’s stuff she never told you about,” Jessica says hesitantly, each word seeming to pain her. “She was in debt. She had to borrow a lot of money from me, and I don’t think she’ll ever pay me back.”

I blink, trying to process this new information. “That’s nuts.”

Jessica sighs heavily, running a hand through her hair. “I promised her back then I wouldn’t tell you that either,” she admits. “But I think that was a bad idea now.”

“Is she still in debt?” I ask, my mind reeling from all this new information.

Jessica shrugs, her eyes distant. “Fuck if I know,” she says with a bitter laugh. “Claire is so cagey about everything. Trying to get a straight answer out of her is like trying to nail jello to a wall.”

I lean back against the pillows, staring up at the stark white ceiling.

“Was I in love with her?” I ask, wanting to learn more about other Adam.

Jessica rolls her eyes so hard I’m worried they might get stuck. “Oh god, you were madly in love with her in high school,” she groans. “Always fawning over her, writing her these sappy love poems. It was honestly kind of nauseating.”

She pauses, a wistful look crossing her face. “And then, in college, you two lived together. You were so happy when you got married. I remember thinking at your wedding that I’d never seen you smile so much.”

“But I don’t know,” she says slowly, each word seeming to pain her. “You both seemed pretty distant once you got married. It was like the spark had gone out, you know? You stopped talking about her all the time, stopped gushing about how amazing she was.”

I nod slowly, trying to reconcile this information with the Claire I’ve come to know over the past few days.

“Well,” I say hesitantly, “I can’t just divorce someone because I don’t remember them. If I fell in love once, I’m sure I could again. This is a really strange situation, after all.”

Jessica leans forward, her green eyes intense. “You might get your memories back, too,” she says, a note of hope in her voice.

“That’s true,” I reply, knowing full well that won’t happen.

Just then, we hear the door open. I turn, expecting to see Claire’s familiar face. Instead, we see Caterina stride in.

Her long blonde hair cascades down her back in perfect waves, and those piercing red eyes seem to glow in the harsh fluorescent light. My heart skips a beat as I remember the vivid dream from a few nights ago, heat rising to my cheeks.

Jessica stiffens beside me, her eyes widening in surprise and confusion.

Caterina’s lips curve into a predatory smile as she saunters towards my bed. “Hello, Adam. I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”

I swallow hard, suddenly very aware of how thin the hospital gown is. “N-no, not at all,” I stammer, cursing internally at how flustered I sound. “Cat, this is my sister Jessica. Jess, this is Cat, Claire’s boss.”

Jessica’s brow furrows in confusion. “Cat?” she repeats, her tone questioning.

Caterina licks her lips, her eyes gleaming with amusement. “Oh, isn’t that a nice nickname?” she purrs. “I quite like it.”

I feel more heat rising to my cheeks as memories of the vivid dream from a few nights ago flood back. In my mind’s eye, I see those crimson eyes gazing up at me hungrily, feel the phantom sensation of her lips wrapped around my cock. My heart races, and I stammer, “Ah, I meant to say Caterina. Sorry about that.”

Caterina waves a perfectly manicured hand dismissively. “No, no, I love it,” she says, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper. “That’s what I’d prefer you call me anyway, Adam.”

The way she says my name sends a shiver down my spine. I shift uncomfortably in the bed, hoping neither woman notices my growing erection.

Jessica’s eyes widen in recognition. “I can’t believe I’m meeting Caterina De Luca,” she breathes, awe evident in her voice. “You’re a big deal.”

Caterina smiles. “Oh, I’m not a big deal,” Caterina says, waving her hand dismissively. “I prefer to keep to the shadows these days, especially since we opened the casino.”

Jessica nods, her eyes wide with a mixture of awe and wariness. “Claire mentioned you were her boss, but I kind of thought she was exaggerating,” she admits, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Caterina chuckles. When she speaks, her voice drips with mock sweetness. “Claire can be a bit... unreliable at times.”

Caterina’s eyes flick to me, and her expression softens slightly. “I’m kidding, of course,” she coos, but the smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

I chuckle awkwardly, the sound hollow and forced. The tension in the room is palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife. “Uh, so what brings you here?” I ask, desperate to change the subject.

Caterina’s lips curve into a smile. “Oh, I was just in the building and figured I’d check in on my star employee’s husband.”

As she speaks, her crimson eyes rake over me, their gaze almost manic in its intensity. Her stare lingers on my chest, then slowly travels lower, igniting a trail of heat in its wake.

“Oh, well, thank you,” I say.

Caterina takes a step closer. “Is there anything at all I could do to make your stay more comfortable?” she asks, her tone dripping with what feels like genuine concern.

I laugh nervously, trying to diffuse the tension crackling in the air. “Well, if you could find me my phone because I’m bored out of my mind,” I joke weakly.

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I see a flash of triumph in Caterina’s eyes, like I just gave her a mission in life. But it’s gone so quickly I’m not sure if I imagined it.

I quickly backtrack. “No, but thank you,” I say with a forced chuckle. “I appreciate the offer.”

Caterina’s eyes light up, a mischievous glint sparkling in their crimson depths. “Oh, I’m sure I have a phone somewhere lying around,” she says, her voice filled with enthusiasm. “I could have one brought over in no time.”

“No, that was just a joke,” I say quickly. “I’m not sure my wife would want me taking a phone from her boss.”

Caterina nods. “Right, right,” she says, but her tone suggests she hasn’t really registered my words at all.

Suddenly, as if snapping out of a trance, Caterina turns to Jessica. Her movement is unnaturally fluid, almost serpentine. “Well, it was nice meeting you, I should probably take my leave.”

Jessica stands up, smoothing out her skirt. “It was nice meeting you too, Ms. De Luca.”

Caterina nods graciously, her golden hair catching the harsh fluorescent light and seeming to glow. As she turns to leave, her crimson eyes lock onto mine one last time.

I raise my hand in a weak wave. “Bye, Cat,” I say, immediately regretting the familiarity.

“Goodbye, Adam.”

As soon as the door shuts, Jessica collapses back into her chair, letting out a long, shaky breath. “I can’t believe Claire actually knows her,” she says, her eyes wide with disbelief.

I nod, still feeling a bit dazed from Caterina’s presence. “Is she a big deal?”

Jessica leans forward, her voice jumping to an excited tone. “She spearheaded getting a casino in Boston,” she says, her words tumbling out in a rush. “She was able to get it in despite all the red tape. People were really surprised.”

I let out a low whistle. “She sure seems like something else.”

A/n: This isn't how Caterina is dressed but its her general vibe.