The hospital room was quiet except for the steady beeping of machines.
Alexander sat upright against the pillows, flipping through documents on his tablet, but his attention wasn't on the screen.
It hadn't been for hours.
Something felt… off.
Not physically.
Not mentally.
Just an unexplainable restlessness sitting beneath his skin.
He exhaled and dropped the tablet onto the bed.
"Mr. Hale?"
Alexander looked up as his assistant, Daniel, stepped into the room.
"Yes."
"The board meeting has been postponed until next week. Your recovery takes priority."
Alexander nodded absentmindedly.
"Good."
Daniel hesitated before speaking again.
"Miss Vivian will be arriving shortly."
Alexander's expression softened slightly.
Vivian.
A familiar name.
A familiar presence.
Someone who belonged to his past — the only past he could remember.
Yet strangely, even that familiarity didn't feel complete.
"Alright," Alexander said.
Daniel left, and silence returned.
Alexander glanced around the room, his gaze lingering on the empty chair beside his bed.
A strange image flickered in his mind.
A woman sleeping in that chair.
Head tilted awkwardly.
Hand wrapped around his.
The image vanished before he could grasp it.
Alexander frowned.
—
Vivian arrived twenty minutes later, carrying a small suitcase.
"I brought your things," she said warmly.
Alexander watched her place the suitcase down, her movements graceful, practiced.
Comfortable.
But comfort didn't erase the faint sense of distance he felt.
"Thank you," he said.
Vivian pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat.
"You scared everyone," she murmured. "I was terrified when I heard."
Alexander studied her face.
She was beautiful.
Elegant.
Someone he knew he had loved once.
But the feeling attached to that memory felt… faded.
Like an old photograph losing color.
"Vivian," he said slowly, "tell me about her."
Vivian stilled.
"…Her?"
"My wife."
The word felt foreign on his tongue.
Vivian's smile faltered.
"There isn't much to tell," she replied gently. "It was a business marriage, Alexander. Your grandfather arranged it."
Alexander's brows knit together.
"Was I unhappy?"
Vivian hesitated just long enough to plant doubt.
"You were… resigned."
A quiet knock interrupted them.
The door opened.
Elena stepped inside.
Her gaze immediately met Vivian's.
Then shifted to Alexander.
The air changed.
Alexander felt it instantly — the tension, the emotion, the unspoken weight pressing between them.
Elena stood near the door, hands clasped together as if holding herself steady.
"I heard you were asking for some documents," she said calmly.
Alexander stared at her.
The same unfamiliar familiarity washed over him again.
A pull he couldn't explain.
"Yes," he said slowly.
Elena walked forward and placed a folder on the bedside table.
Their fingers brushed briefly.
And suddenly—
A flash.
Laughter.
Warm sunlight.
Her hand in his.
Alexander inhaled sharply.
Elena froze.
"Are you alright?" she asked instinctively.
The concern in her voice felt real.
Too real.
"I…" Alexander pressed his fingers to his temple. "Just a headache."
Vivian stood quickly.
"You should rest."
But Alexander's gaze remained on Elena.
Studying.
Searching.
"Why do you look at me like that?" he asked.
Elena's heart stumbled.
Because you're my husband.
Because you once looked at me like I was your whole world.
Because I still love you.
But she said none of it.
Instead, she answered softly,
"I'm wondering the same thing."
Silence fell.
Vivian's expression tightened as she stepped closer to the bed, subtly positioning herself beside Alexander.
A silent claim.
"Elena," Vivian said gently, "Alexander needs calm surroundings while he recovers."
Elena understood the message perfectly.
You don't belong here.
But something inside her refused to retreat this time.
She lifted her chin slightly.
"I wasn't aware wives disturb their husbands."
Vivian's composure cracked for a split second.
Alexander looked between them, confusion deepening.
"Stop," he said quietly.
Both women fell silent.
Alexander exhaled slowly.
"I don't remember my marriage," he admitted. "But I don't want to be treated like a prize being fought over."
The words were calm.
Rational.
And yet they still hurt.
Elena nodded.
"You're right."
She turned to leave.
But before reaching the door, she paused.
Then she looked back at him.
"I'm not fighting for you," Elena said softly. "I'm waiting for you."
Alexander felt something twist painfully in his chest.
Elena opened the door and walked out.
The room felt colder after she left.
Vivian sat down again, reaching for Alexander's hand.
But Alexander's gaze remained fixed on the door.
On the space Elena had occupied.
On the emptiness she left behind.
And for the first time since waking up—
Alexander wondered…
If the woman he didn't remember might be the one who mattered most.