"Don't you know the reason behind your father's death?", Asher asked her.
"About what?", Zoa asked with shock.
"About your father's death. I know that he was ill, but his death was so sudden to be natural.", Asher told her.
Zoa couldn't believe her ears. She had no memories of his real father or his death. She had no idea what Asher was talking about.
"What are you talking about? My father is alive.", Zoa wanted to dig more information.
"Your father? You mean your mother's husband and your stepfather. I am not talking about him. I'm talking about your real father.", Asher explained to her.
"You have…", Zoa tried to recall the memories of her father, but she felt dizzy.
"What's wrong?", Asher embraced her. Zoa pushed him and said, "I'm fine."
"You don't remember anything?", Asher asked.
Zoa didn't respond. "Dissociative amnesia?", Asher asked.
"How?", Zoa murmured and thought about it. Asher was right. Zoa was suffering from dissociative amnesia. That's why she had no memories of her father and her past.
She only remembered that she was twelve years old when her grandfather took her with him and raised her. Zoa's mother was living abroad, and her father was dead. Nobody had never talked about her father. Zoa didn't ask either.
Because she had often suffered from nightmares and had a proper treatment. Her nightmares intense whenever she tried to remember her father. So, Zoa gave up on him. She thought that it was good to forget about the things she couldn't remember.
Zoa met her mother for the first time when she was fifteen. She also met her stepfather and stepsister at that time as well. Her mother was not happy to see her at all.
She had only said, "She has the same annoying face as her father." Zoa had realized her mother's hatred for her, but she also had no feelings for her mother either.
Zoa had people who loved and cared for her. She had her grandfather, her stepfather, and elder stepsister. They had always cherished her and Zoa was never greedy for anyone's love.
Zoa was famous in her high school and college life as well. But she had a playful and non-committed behavior like her mother. She never had any serious relationship and was single most of her life.
Zoa already knew that her mother was planning to kill her. After Zoa's grandfather died, he chose Zoa as his heiress, not his daughter or Zoa's mother. That was the prime reason for Zoa's mother to kill her.
"I also never wanted to be heiress but why is my late father involved in this matter?", Zoa thought.
Zoa had already planned her future to live a carefree life on a barren island. She didn't care about her wealth and status because her wealth and status were eating her from the inside.
Her reason for being popular in student life was not her grades and efforts. It was always her wealth. Everyone wanted to be her friend because of her status. She also had to sacrifice much to maintain that status of her.
Zoa had a good friend in her high school. His name was Rowan. He was her senior and her classmate's elder brother. He was a scholarship student and a genius. He was in the same club as her.
Zoa had often asked him for help in her studies. They were not close to each other, but the rumors started to spread that he was visiting her in her house. Even though Zoa had never invited him to her house, and he had never come to visit her either.
These rumors reached the ears of Zoa's mother, and she yelled at her. Zoa was punished and strictly prohibited from being friends with people of low status.
Zoa was her grandfather's favorite, but he was not a great help to her in front of her mother's unfair behavior. But Zoa did not care much about her and did whatever she wanted.
Later, Zoa learned that Rowan had actually visited her house. But he had visited their house to meet her elder stepsister, Ella. Rowan got married to her two years ago as well.
That time Zoa's mother didn't cause any tantrum and spoke a single word against her. Because Ella shared not a single drop of blood with Zoa and her mother. She was the daughter of Zoa's stepfather and his late wife.
"Ahh.. that old lady's behavior was also suspicious. Could my birth father be the reason behind it? But right now, the most suspicious person is this doctor. Why did I decide to come here?", Zoa screamed in her mind.
"Who told you about my dissociative amnesia?", Zoa asked. She wanted to hear the answer. Because it was a secret between Zoa and her grandfather. Nobody else knew about it except the doctor who had treated her.
But that doctor had also died a few years ago before her grandfather's death. There was no way for anyone to know about it. "This could be a guess. Because Asher is a doctor. But he kept reminding me and asked me about this place, trees, and his childhood. It can't be a coincidence.", Zoa thought.
"Nobody did.", Asher responded.
"I'm somehow sure that my mother couldn't be involved in this matter. Because she had always hated my father. Neither she had talked about him, nor I had asked about him. Then why does this man send me the picture of my father and me?"
"Life gets too complicated. When the enemies around you always surround you.", Zoa said this aloud.
"Fine, I'll tell you. I work in the same hospital as Dr. Ethan.", Asher told her.
"Dr. Ethan?", Zoa asked cluelessly.
"You don't remember him. He was the person who had treated you in your childhood.", Asher told her.
"Ohh… I see. His name was Ethan. I don't remember his name. I only remember that he had a golden tooth.", Zoa responded.
"My friend is someone who knows him. He knows about my crush on you. He was the one who saw a secret file in Dr. Ethan's room and your name was on the file. He gave that file to me. I learned about your condition from that file.", Asher explained to her.