Chapter 535

Jason’s POV

I looked away, my eyes fixed on the floor. “She remembers you,” I said quietly. “She remembers little Jason. But me? I’m nothing.”

“Stop that,” Maddie said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. “You’re not nothing, Jason. You’re her anchor, whether she knows it or not. You’re the one who’s going to help her through this, even if it takes time for her to remember who you are.”

I didn’t respond right away. Her words were meant to comfort me, but they only made the ache in my chest grow. 

I wanted to believe her, wanted to hold on to the hope that Layla would one day look at me and see the man she once loved. But right now, that hope felt so far out of reach.

Maddie sat down beside me, her hand still resting on my knee. “You have to be patient,” she said softly. “This isn’t something that’s going to fix itself overnight. It’s going to take time…maybe more time than any of us are ready for. But she needs