Chapter 3 A Substitute (Part One)

On the second morning, Moira woke up to a shocking sight. Why did Hans fall asleep in her bed? She tried to gently pull her hand out of the sleeping man's grasp.

Hans heard a rustling movement and opened his eyes. His gaze landed on the girl who was staring at him with alarmed eyes. Everything about her was so cute, especially her slightly pouted lips, which were red and tender. He tried his best to be calm, but he found himself undeniably attracted to the young woman. He wanted to have her so badly.

The thought shook him into wakefulness. "Lois, you're awake. Does your head hurt?"

"No, it doesn't hurt anymore," she softly replied. "Why are you here?" It was hard for her to speak because of how nervous she was.

"Have you forgotten that you held onto my clothes last night and refused to let me go?" A rare smile appeared on Hans' face. This man had a face that most women would find incredibly attractive, but his smile would have rendered them stunned by its beauty. Moira was suffering from its effects-she was feeling unaccountably shy because of her reaction to it and his words. How could she be like that? Did he feel that she had gone too far?

A touch of color suffused her face. In his eyes, this woman's allure was unmatched. Didn't she know that her every word and action made him imagine?

Before she could figure out what was going on, Hans suddenly leaned over and kissed her. Absently, she thought about how his lips tasted like mint. Alarmed, she tried to escape from the man's gentle kiss, but he held her by the shoulders and gave her no room to escape.

At that moment, Hans lost himself in the sweet taste of the woman. He gently devoured every corner of her mouth and greedily captured her breath. 'She's so awkward. Maybe it's her first kiss, ' he thought to himself. The thought did nothing to cool his ardor.

All of a sudden, Moira wrenched her face away from his questing mouth and glared at him with dissatisfaction. She gasped out, "How could you...without my permission..."

"Can't I kiss my fiancee?"

"You..."

Before she could say another word, he pulled her into his arms. His hug was so comforting that she found herself melting against him.

"Lois, do you want to take a shower?"

"What? Yes, of course. But..."

"Lois, you are being shy again. Who grabbed my clothes last night? Besides, who do you think put you into your pajamas?"

Feeling uneasy all of a sudden, she looked down at her pajama-clad body. Did he change her clothes for her? If so, then her body would have been completely exposed to him.

"How could you do that?" she said in an alarmed voice.

"You are to become my wife. Why can't I see your body?" He liked the woman's shyness. She was as pure as a blank piece of white paper, and he couldn't resist teasing her a little.

Then, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bathroom.

The bathtub was as big as a room, and delicate rose petals were scattered on the water's surface. Hans gently put Moira down on a chair beside the bathtub and said, "Lois, the bath's ready for you. Enjoy your soak-it's good for your health."

Looking up at him with a timid look, she wondered why he hadn't left yet. Although he was her future husband, she still couldn't accept baring herself in front of him like this.

Hans had already seen through her. He stood still on purpose and stared at her.

Uncomfortable under his wavering regard, Moira had no choice but to say, "Well... you can leave now."

With a sly smile on his face, Hans teased, "Lois, since when have you become so formal with me? I used to bathe you all the time."

She blushed at those words, even her neck turned red. She said in a slightly anguished tone, "You'd better go out now. I can do it myself."

"Lois, when did you begin to dislike me?" Before he could say more, he was hurriedly pushed out of the bathroom by the brightly blushing woman. This woman's innocence was just too irresistible.

At the moment when the door was closed, Moira breathed a sigh of relief. In the past, was she really as intimate with him as he had described? Now, she didn't even remember his name. He told her that she was in a car accident. Was she deeply in love with him before it? Was their relationship as sweet as a young girl's first love, as shown on TV? What was their own love story like? She was curious about her life before she lost her memories.

Ralph didn't sleep for the whole night. Just before dawn, his phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence. He thought that the caller was Moira, but he was filled with disappointed when he heard a different voice on the other end.

"Dad, why are you calling?" Ralph was a little surprised that his father called him at this time.

"Ralph, come home tonight. I have something to discuss with you." Before he could reply, his father hastily dropped the call.

'Come home? Why is asking me to come home? Perhaps...'

Ralph helplessly tossed the phone aside and hurried out of the room. He still had to go and look for Moira. He swore never to give up until he found her.

Celia arrived. Fortunately for him, Moira's best friend helped him look for her, or else he wouldn't have had a clue where to start.

"Ralph, I heard last night that Moira went to a bar in the suburbs on the night of her disappearance. Someone saw her in the bar."

Hearing this, Ralph's gloomy face lit up as if he was tossed a life-saving straw. "Really? Celia, thank you so much. Let's go to the bar now."

Celia smiled. "Let's have breakfast first, or you will be sick before you can find Moira." Then, she reached out and offered him the food in her hand.