Aria sat silently on her hospital bed. She kept looking at the contract that rested beside her. The more she looked at it, the more she trembled. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening. Morgan stood near the window. He was calm and distant and watched Aria closely. Aria was trapped in silence. Her mind was heavy, and she couldn't think clearly. Nothing seemed real to her anymore, and everything felt like a dream.
A doctor entered the room. He greeted Morgan respectfully. Aria noticed the respect. It didn't feel like normal respect; instead, it felt like fear. The doctor checked her pulse. He asked her a few questions and watched her as she answered slowly. She still didn't remember anything, which made the doctor confirm her memory loss.
Aria was embarrassed and broken. She couldn't believe that she had lost her memory. She wondered how bad the accident was that it made her lose what would give her a clear explanation about all that was happening. The doctor said she was stable, physically stable, but mentally fragile. Morgan listened quietly without interrupting, and when the doctor was done he asked only one question.
"Can she leave?"
The doctor hesitated at first, but then he nodded carefully.
"She will need some rest," the doctor said.
Morgan replied calmly, "She would have it."
Aria looked at both of them nervously. She didn't know what to say. She bowed her head and hoped for the best. The doctor left the ward, and silence returned immediately.
Morgan turned towards her. His eyes softened as he looked at her, then his expression returned to being unreadable.
"You're coming with me," he said to Aria clearly.
Her heart skipped a bit.
"Wh... where?" she asked, stuttering.
"Home," he replied.
That word was strange to Aria.
Home?
She had no home. She had no memory of one, but she nodded slowly in agreement to Morgan's decision.
A nurse came to help in changing Aria's clothes, so Morgan stepped outside in order to give them some space. The clothes that Aria was to change into were simple but new. She wondered who bought them, but she already knew the answer.
While Morgan waited outside, she dressed nervously in her ward. She felt she was stepping into a new life, a life that she didn't remember choosing at all. The nurse helped her to stand, but her legs were too weak to walk.
Morgan returned inside. He noticed Aria's weakness. He stepped forward, but she instinctively stepped back. Seeing this, he didn't touch her. He simply offered his arm.
She hesitated but slowly accepted the offer. She held on to his arm, feeling its warmth as they walked slowly through the hallway. Nurses whispered quietly and staff lowered their heads after sighting them. Aria noticed everything that was happening. She felt the power around him as it surrounded him like a shadow.
They entered the elevator. The door closed softly, and silence filled the small space. She was nervous while standing close to him. She could smell his cologne. It was incredibly crisp, like freshly laundered linen or a cool breeze near the ocean. It had this effortless, invigorating energy that felt very modern.
She was strangely calm for a second. Then she remembered the contract, and the calmness disappeared. She became disturbed, and her mind was restless, but she didn't show it.
The elevator door opened, and outside waited a long black car. It looked expensive and guarded. Two men stood near it. They were dressed in black corporate suits. They looked focused and protective.
One opened the door, and Morgan gestured for her to enter.
She entered and sat inside quietly, observing its interior closely. The seat of the car was soft, and she watched the door close gently. Morgan entered and sat beside her, and after gesturing to the driver, the car began to move.
Aria looked outside the window and watched as the city passed quickly. She didn't recognize anything. It all looked unfamiliar to her. She concluded in her mind that she was a stranger in the world.
She was sad and broken, and she gripped her hands tightly while her breathing became shallow.
Morgan noticed this.
"Relax," he said quietly.
She didn't know how, because it was totally impossible for her to relax.
"Where are we going?" she asked in a low tone.
"My estate," he answered her.
Estate.
That word sent a chill down her spine.
It sounded big and overwhelming.
She looked down at her hand and remembered his words.
"You belong to me."
Her heart tightened instantly.
She wondered if she was in a prison. A prison where Morgan held the keys that could free her. She wondered if she had a choice at all, but she wasn't sure, so she dared to ask.
"What if I don't want to go?"
Her innocent question made silence fill the car.
Morgan looked at her slowly.
He narrowed his eyes into a sharp squint, his brow knitting together in a heavy fold of seriousness.
"You asked for this," he said.
This made her chest ache.
She couldn't argue with him.
She couldn't even remember anything that would make her argue.
She was helpless again and could do nothing about it.
The car turned into a long private road. Tall gates appeared ahead, and security cameras were installed everywhere, panning and capturing wide-angle views of the environment. The gates began to open automatically, and this made her really scared.
The car drove through a long driveway. Aria looked at the beautiful garden that surrounded them, the glamorous fountains that shined in the sunlight, and the amazing mansion that appeared in front of her. It was so large, elegant, and beautiful.
The car came to a stop, and the door opened.
She stepped out sluggishly. Her legs were still weak.
Morgan stepped out and stood beside her.
She watched as staff members lined the entrance of the mansion. They bowed slightly, and this made her uncomfortable because she didn't belong there, and she felt like an outsider in that environment.
The front door opened, and they entered the mansion.
The inside was even more beautiful. The polished marble floor was so reflective, like a dark mirror, and the magnificent crystal chandelier hung above sparkled like thousands of stars.
Everything looked expensive, perfect, and cold.
She felt the coldness in the air.
Not temperature, but emotions.
The house felt empty and silent.
A woman stepped forward. She looked calm and intelligent. Her eyes studied Aria carefully as she introduced herself as Morgan's younger sister, Selene Draven.
"Welcome back," she said politely.
Aria froze.
Back?
She looked confused.
Selene noticed this, and Morgan spoke before she could ask any questions.
"She doesn't remember."
Selene's eyes widened immediately. Surprise flashed in them briefly, then disappeared.
"I see," she said, nodding calmly.
Aria felt like she was being watched, judged, and studied by both of them.
She looked at Morgan, and he gestured towards the stairs.
"Your room is ready," he said calmly.
But the words sounded permanent and heavy to Aria.
She followed him upstairs slowly. The staircase was wide and beautiful. Her steps echoed softly.
She wondered what she would find upstairs.
Morgan stopped in front of a large door. He opened it, and both of them entered.
The room was spacious. Warm colors filled the space. The bed looked comfortable, and the windows overlooked the garden.
The room looked like someone had prepared it for her. Clothes hung inside the closet, shoes were arranged neatly, and assorted jewelry rested on the table.
"These are yours," Morgan said.
She was overwhelmed.
She touched a dress gently, and something about it was familiar.
She looked around the room slowly.
"Was I living here?" she asked.
Morgan paused a little.
"Sometimes," he answered carefully.
That answer confused her, and more questions were rising gradually within her, but she was too tired to ask.
Her head began to hurt again.
She swayed slightly, and Morgan stepped forward quickly.
He held her hand gently and guided her to the bed.
His touch was careful and protective.
Aria noticed this, and it surprised her.
He didn't act cruel. Instead, he helped her sit.
She looked up at him, and their eyes met.
She felt something strange.
A small spark.
A memory trying to form.
But it disappeared quickly.
She was frustrated.
"Why are you helping me?" she asked softly.
He looked at her for a long moment. His expression changed slightly, and something hidden appeared in his eyes.
It was pain.
Regret.
And fear.
He answered quietly,
"Because if I don't..."
He paused, and his jaw tightened.
"...you'll die."
She was shocked by his statement.
Fear spread through her whole body.
"From who?" she asked.
He didn't answer her question.
"Rest," he said instead.
That avoidance frightened her.
He turned towards the door, and panic started rising in her.
"Wait," she said weakly.
He stopped.
She looked at him, lost.
"Am I safe here?" she asked innocently.
He turned back fully. His eyes were dangerous.
He walked closer towards her and stopped beside her bed.
He leaned slightly down, and his voice became low and steady.
"As long as you stay with me," he said.
Her heart skipped.
She couldn't look away.
His final words settled heavily in the air.
"No one can touch you."
He reached for his pocket and brought out a phone and handed it to aria, "this also belongs to you" he said.
Aria took the phone from him and inspected it carefully, "thank you", she said calmly.
Morgan straightened slowly and walked towards the door.
He paused before leaving, and without looking back he added,
"But if you leave..."
He opened the door, and his voice lowered a little.
"I won't be able to protect you."
The door closed quietly.
And Aria realized that she might not be in a home,
but in a golden cage.