Chapter 284 Memories Returned
Nancy’s heart jumped into her throat as the elevator jerked to a stop.
She pressed herself against the back wall and flicked on her phone’s flashlight. Once she was sure they weren’t moving anymore, she carefully stepped toward the emergency phone.
She grabbed the receiver. Dead as a doornail.
None of the buttons lit up when she pressed them. Nancy squinted at her phone screen. One bar of signal. She dialed 911.
Before the call could connect, the power slammed back on with a bone-rattling roar. The elevator lurched upward with violent jerks and stops. It would climb a few floors, then suddenly drop back down a level or two. If she hadn’t grabbed the handrail, she would’ve been thrown around like a rag doll.
Nancy’s heart pounded against her chest as she watched the floor numbers jump erratically. 12… 15… 13… 18… 16… She jabbed every button she could reach. Nothing worked.
She hammered the emergency stop. The alarm shrieked through the tiny metal box, high-pitched and ear-splitting.
The elevator made one final violent lurch, then stopped with a grinding metallic screech just above the lobby level.
Nancy lost it completely. She slid down the wall and curled into a ball, her whole body shaking.
She’d just gotten her son back. She couldn’t die trapped in this metal coffin. Not now. Not like this.
Cold sweat drenched her silk blouse.
Images flashed through her mind like a movie reel.
A man reading The Wall Street Journal with his head bowed in concentration. A sharp profile in an immaculate Armani suit, expression stern and unreadable.
And then, bathed in warm bedroom lamplight, bare skin and a tense jawline moving with controlled intensity.
Every image shifted and merged until they all became Yardley’s face.
The terror had shattered whatever barriers were blocking her memories. Like a dam bursting under pressure, everything came flooding back.
She remembered. Everything.
The happy memories. The painful ones. All of it.
Nancy’s throat went dry. She was going to die just when she finally remembered who she really was.
Minutes crawled by in that silent metal box. Every second felt like watching the hourglass run out.
She had no idea how long she’d been trapped when the elevator suddenly jerked to a stop just above the lobby.
The overhead lights flickered back to life.
A voice echoed from outside the doors. “We’ve got it stabilized! Ma’am, can you hear me in there?”
Nancy lifted her head on wobbly neck muscles. The elevator really had stopped.
“If you can hear me, please step back from the doors. We’re going to get you out of there.”
Nancy scrambled backward on shaking legs.
The doors screeched as they were cranked open inch by inch.
A guy in a fire department uniform grinned through the gap. “There she is! You okay in there? Can you walk?”
Her legs felt like overcooked spaghetti. The adrenaline crash was hitting hard.
Nancy took a breath to steady herself, then nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Easy does it now.”
She grabbed the firefighter’s offered hand and practically stumbled out, nearly face-planting as she stepped onto the marble lobby floor.
Nancy took a deep, shuddering breath. Being on solid ground felt like winning the lottery.
The building manager rushed over, looking like he might have a heart attack. “Ma’am, I am so incredibly sorry. Are you hurt? Do you need medical attention? We can have an ambulance here in five minutes.”
Nancy was still reeling from the double shock—nearly dying and getting her entire life back in one terrifying package. She could barely process what the building manager was saying.
“Look, I just need a minute,” she said, her voice shaking.
The manager nodded quickly. “Of course, of course. Please, take all the time you need. Can I get you some water? A chair?”
Nancy leaned against the wall, trying to steady her breathing. After a moment, the manager cautiously approached.
“Ma’am, I’m so sorry this happened. Our maintenance crew services these elevators every month. Johnson just did a full inspection on Friday. I honestly have no clue how this could happen. Maybe some kind of power surge from the construction next door…”
His voice trailed off. Even he knew that sounded like complete BS.
Nancy’s head was spinning with recovered memories.
She couldn’t think straight, couldn’t focus on his explanations. All she wanted was to get out of there.
“I… I can’t deal with this right now,” she managed, backing toward the exit. “Just… just fix it, okay?”
The manager nodded quickly. “Of course, ma’am. We’ll have a full investigation. Please, if you need anything…”
Nancy looked toward the other elevators, then immediately felt her stomach lurch. No way. Not happening.
“Are the stairs accessible?” she asked.
“Yes, but ma’am, that’s twenty-six floors…”
“I’ll manage.”Nancy headed toward the stairwell door.
None of them saw the figure in a gray hoodie watching from the edge of the crowd. The mysterious person quietly walked out the front doors as if nothing had happened.