Untill I Remember You ; A Billionaire Romance

Everything feels like a blur.

Too bright.

Too quiet.

Too empty.

I blink slowly, my lashes heavy, and the whiteness around me makes it hard to think. My body feels like it's been weighed down, like every part of me forgot how to move. There's a faint beeping beside me soft, rhythmic and something plastic is taped to my hand. An IV?

Hospital.

Why... am I in a hospital?

The door creaks softly, and footsteps shuffle closer. I want to turn my head but even that feels like too much.

"You're awake," a gentle voice says, filled with relief. A woman older, maybe late sixties, appears in the corner of my vision. Her features are kind, her eyes warm. "Thank God."

My lips part, but they're dry and cracked. "W–Water..."

"Oh! Yes, of course." She quickly pours a glass and holds it to my lips. I sip slowly, the cold water stinging its way down my throat.

I let out a shaky breath. "Where... am I?"

She sets the cup down, folding her hands in her lap. "You were in an accident. I found you unconscious by the roadside alone. No ID, nothing."

Panic rises in my chest. I try to remember. Anything. A name. A place. A face.

Nothing.

"I-I don't know who I am," I whisper, my voice cracking.

She reaches into her purse and carefully pulls out a delicate necklace, heart-shaped with an elegant design. It sparkles even under the dull hospital lights. She holds it in her palm before handing it to me.

"This was around your neck when I found you," she says gently. "There's an inscription on the back."

My fingers tremble as I turn it over.

N + A

Simple, intimate, Familiar.

The sight of it makes something squeeze inside my chest.

"You don't remember anything?" she asks carefully.

I shake my head. "Nothing. Just... darkness. Then this."

She smiles softly. "Well, for now, the doctors say you're stable. They just want to keep you for a few more days."

I look at her. "Why... Why did you help me?"

Maria hesitates, then shrugs a little. "I was passing through. I saw you there bleeding, unconscious and I couldn't just drive away. I brought you here and stayed. I didn't know who else would."

That night, as I try to sleep, something stirs. A rush of pain hits me behind my eyes, and for a moment, the world spins.

A flash

Rain.

A man's voice.

Warm lips on my forehead.

"I'll always love you, Ava..."

I jolt upright, breath catching in my throat. My heart pounds.

Ava.

Is that my name?