"Pack your things. We might not have a house tomorrow."
Elara didn't mean to say it like that.
Maya turned slowly.
"What?"
Elara dropped her bag on the chair.
"I've been at the hospital," she said quietly.
Maya didn't move.
"Okay… and?"
Elara swallowed.
Her fingers twisted together.
"He woke up."
For a split second…
Hope flashed across Maya's face.
"Oh my God…finally! So what did he say? What happened?"
"He doesn't remember me."
Maya blinked.
"…What do you mean he doesn't remember you?"
Elara let out a deep breath.
"He remembers everything else. His company. His life. Some of his enemies…"
She paused.
Her voice dropped.
"But not me."
Maya stared at her.
Trying to process what her sister just said.
"That's not even the worst part," Elara added softly.
"He thinks I betrayed him."
That was it.
Maya exploded.
"WHAT?!"
"You're joking, right? Tell me you're joking!"
Elara shook her head slowly.
"He looked at me like…" she trailed off.
Her voice cracked slightly.
"Like I was nothing."
Maya ran her hands through her hair, pacing.
"This is insane. This is actually insane!"
"I know."
"No, you don't know!" Maya snapped. "Because what do you mean he thinks you betrayed him? After everything? After…"
"It's the accident," she said quietly. "Dr. Cole said it's selective amnesia."
Maya scoffed.
"So his brain just decided to forget the part where he married you?"
Elara gave a weak smile.
"Something like that."
Maya turned to her.
"So what now?"
Elara didn't answer immediately.
"I don't think I can do this," she whispered.
Maya froze.
"Elara…"
"It was just three days," she continued. "Three days of marriage. Maybe… maybe this is a sign."
"A sign of what?"
"That I should just… leave."
Maya laughed.
But there was no humor in it.
"Leave?"
She stepped closer.
"You want to leave?"
Elara looked up.
Her eyes were tired.
"I don't even think he wants me there," she said. "Victor made it clear."
Maya's expression changed instantly.
"Victor."
She said the name, like it tasted bad.
"Yes," Elara said softly. "He told me to leave. Said I won't survive in that world."
Maya let out a dry laugh.
"Oh, he said that?"
Elara nodded.
Maya leaned slightly forward.
Eyes blazing.
"Good."
Elara blinked.
"What?"
"Good," Maya repeated. "Because if he wants a fight…"
She cracked her knuckles slightly.
"He's about to get one."
Elara sighed.
"Maya…."
"No, listen to me," Maya cut in. "You are legally married to that man. LEGALLY."
"He doesn't remember? Fine. That's his problem. But the law remembers. The contract remembers. That ring on your finger remembers!"
Elara instinctively looked down at her hand.
"You can't just walk away," Maya continued. "Do you want us back on the street?"
Elara's chest tightened.
Because she remembered.
The eviction notice.
The loan officer's threats.
The fear of losing everything.
"No…" she whispered.
"Exactly," Maya said. "So we don't run. We don't beg either."
She leaned closer.
"We fight."
Elara hesitated.
"But how?"
Maya smirked slightly.
"If he doesn't remember you…"
"Then we remind him."
Elara stared at her.
"And what if he still doesn't believe me?"
Maya's expression softened.
"Then we make him believe."
____
A few hours later…
Elara stood outside the hospital again.
Her heart pounded as she walked in.
This time…
She walked straight to the reception.
"Hi, I'm here to see Alexander Vale."
The nurse looked up.
Then frowned slightly.
"…You just missed him."
Elara blinked.
"What?"
"He was discharged this morning."
"Discharged?" she repeated.
The nurse nodded.
"Yeah… didn't you know?"
"I thought you were his wife."
Elara forced a smile.
"Yeah… I am."
"Where did he go?" she asked quickly.
The nurse hesitated.
"I'm not sure we can disclose that…"
"It's fine."
A voice cut in.
Elara turned.
Dr. Cole.
"He was discharged under family supervision," he said calmly.
Family.
That meant…
Victor.
"Doctor, I need your help," she said quickly.
"Alright, let's go to my office."
Minutes later, they sat in his office.
"Elara," Dr. Cole began gently, "what Alexander is experiencing is not unusual."
She leaned forward.
"Can he get his memory back?"
"Yes."
The answer came quickly.
"It could take weeks," he continued. "Months. Sometimes longer."
"And if he doesn't?"
Dr. Cole paused.
"Then he learns to live with what he remembers."
"He thinks I betrayed him," she said quietly.
"I know," Dr. Cole replied. "I was there."
"So what do I do?"
He leaned back slightly.
"You don't force it," he said. "Patients with memory loss often reject new information at first."
"So I just… wait?"
"Not exactly."
He leaned forward again.
"You stay calm. You give him space….but don't disappear."
Elara nodded slowly.
"I've assigned a nurse who will visit him regularly," he added. "And I'll be checking on him weekly."
"Does he know about the memory loss?"
"Yes," Dr. Cole said. "But he hasn't accepted it yet."
"Elara," Dr. Cole said gently, "this won't be easy."
She let out a small laugh.
"I figured."
"But if there's anything strong enough to trigger memory…"
He paused.
"It's an emotional connection."
Her heart skipped.
Emotion?
Did Alexander still feel anything?
Even if he didn't remember?
"I understand," she said softly.
As she stood to leave, Dr. Cole added one last thing.
"Be careful."
She paused.
"Why?"
His expression turned serious.
"Because I suspect that not everyone around him wants him to remember you as his wife."
Her stomach dropped.
Victor.
She knew it.
As Elara stepped out of the hospital, something felt off.
Then…
A car door slammed.
She froze.
"Going somewhere?"
Her heart skipped.
She turned slowly.
Victor leaned against a black car.
Hands in his pockets.
"You again," Elara said quietly.
He walked toward her slowly.
"I heard you went to visit my brother," he said.
"Is that a crime?"
"No," he said smoothly. "Just… unnecessary."
Elara crossed her arms.
"I'm his wife."
Victor stopped in front of her.
"You really don't know when to quit, do you?"
Elara held his gaze.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Victor laughed softly.
"You should have listened to me."
Victor straightened.
"You think this is just about the marriage?"
He shook his head slowly.
"This is about power."
His eyes darkened.
"And you…"
A pause.
"You're standing in the way."
"Leave while you still can," he added.
"And if I don't?"
Victor smiled.
He got into the car.
And drove off.
Leaving Elara standing there.
Alone.
As Elara stood frozen under the dim streetlight, her phone buzzed.
Her hands trembled as she looked down.
Unknown Number.
A new message.
"You survived the first accident."
Then another message appeared.
"Let's see if you survive the next one."