Chapter 2 THE OBSESSION BEGINS

Darlington POV:

Pain was a familiar enemy, but this time, it came with an infuriating mystery that I thought I could handle. I've fought through it before, turned it into fuel. But this? This is different. This pain is a reminder-it settled in my chest, in my head, scratching at my sanity like a damn parasite. That someone saved me. A woman, and I had no clue on who she is.

I sat as I rested my almost healed back in the stiff-ass hospital bed, My fingers tapped restlessly on the sheets like they could make the answers appear out of nowhere. I could still feel my body aching like hell, the deep stab wound in my abdomen a brutal reminder of how close I had come to death. I shouldn't have been here. The doctors had already explained to me that if my female savior hadn't applied pressure to my wound before they had arrived, I wouldn't have made it. And that someone haunted me.

The wound was too deep, the blood loss too severe. But someone had stopped the bleeding. Someone had given me a second chance.

A woman. A stranger. And I can't rest until I find her.

----

"The frustration is suffocating" I groaned. Three days have passed since I had been out of the hospital now, and I have nothing.

I stare at the ceiling of my penthouse, the dim city lights barely cutting through the darkened room. I didn't know her name, didn't know what she looked like. The only things I could still remembered were a faint trace of lavender and vanilla a scent that doesn't belong in my world of smoke and whiskey.

Sleep is almost impossible. Everytime I close my eyes, I hear her voice. The distant echo of a soft, urgent voice urging me to hold on. Everything else was lost in the haze of unconsciousness.

I pace my office, the floor-to-ceiling windows casting long shadows as the city sprawls beneath me. My team has combed through security footage, but the area where I was attacked had no cameras. Witnesses were useless. All they saw was a woman bending over me before disappearing into the night.

No name. No face. Just a phantom.

I saw my knuckles turning white as I gripped the edge of my desk firmly. I had built my empire on control, on knowing every thing of the world around me. Yet this woman-this stranger-has managed to slip through my grasp. And it's driving me insane.

I've tried to focus on business, on the meetings and deals waiting for my approval, but my mind refuses to let go. I should be dead, and she is the reason I'm not. That isn't something I can ignore.

I won't ignore it.

I pour myself a drink, the amber liquid catching the light as I swirl it in the glass. The whiskey burns as it slides down my throat, but it does nothing to drown the thoughts clawing at my mind. Who is she? Why did she leave?

Every night since the attack, I woke to fragmented memories of soft hands pressing against his wound, urgent whispers urging me to hold on.

Last night left me more desperate than before.

I had a dream of when....

I was back in a dimly lit room, cold ground beneath me, the smell of antiseptic and blood smelling heavily in the air. A woman's soft hands was applied pressure to my wounds, her urgent whispers telling me to hold on. But her face was shrouded in shadows, making it impossible for me to tell who it was.

A man's menacing voice echoed in my mind just when I thought I was safe from harm. It was him - the bastard who stabbed me. He was standing right beside the woman, his eyes gleaming with malice. And suddenly it felts like they were working together, I could see their blurry faces twisted in cruel smiles.

The woman's hands suddenly felt like ice against my ached skin, and I tried to push her away. But she held firm, she wouldn't let go. The man's laughter grew louder, and she pulled me into the darkness.

I jolted awake gasping for air, soaked in sweat, my heart racing, and the soft scent of lavender lingering in my mind like a taunt.

I needed answers.

Who the hell is this woman? Why did she save me only to haunt me in my dreams like this ?

My phone immediately rings, cutting through my thoughts. I snatch it up before the second ring. "Tell me you have something."

A pause followed both our ends."We might have a lead."

I straighten. "Go on."

"A witness says they saw a woman in scrubs near the scene that night. Could mean nothing-could be a nurse getting off shift-but it's the first solid thing we've got."

Scrubs.

My mind began twirling again I think we finally got a lead that changes everything. If she was a nurse, that meant she works at a hospital, a clinic, -somewhere traceable.

Finally, a thread to pull.

I curved my lips into a slow, determined smirk. I'm closer than I was yesterday. Closer than I was an hour ago.

I was closer to finding her. And when I find her, I won't let her slip away again. She is my angel-in-disguise.

-----

Elara POV

I got lost in thought as I sipped my morning coffee, my gaze was drifted out of the cafe window. It has been months after that accident and the memory of the man I saved still lingers in my mind like ghost. I couldn't get rid of the feeling of his warm skin beneath my hands, the urgency in his eyes as he fought to stay alive.

As warm as the cafe was I was still feeling cold. Why couldn't I get him out of my head? I had saved countless lives as a doctor, but there was something about this man that haunted me.

Is not that I saw his face but the thought that he was Darlington Cross sent chills down my spine.

I finished my coffee, grabbed my bag, and headed to the hospital. The crisp morning air did little to clear my head.

I.. I felt like I was drowning in my own thoughts, especially the fact I singled handedly helped a dying soul on a lonely street and still escaped being interrogated was really out blowing.

As I scrubbed in for my first surgery, my mind kept wandering back to him. Of all places to kill Darlington cross it was on a lonely road? Who wanted him dead? Couldn't he just let go of who saved him and be happy he's still alive?

The day was going by and I had series of patients to attend to. I had a huge schedule of surgeries and consultations, and I couldn't afford to be distracted. But every time I tried to concentrate, the thought of him popped into my mind.

I felt like I was living in two worlds - the one where I saved a stranger's life and I was being searched for in the country who i saved, and the one where I was just another doctor trying to make a difference.

As I finished my last surgery of the day, trying to change out of my scrubs, Dr. Lee approached me with a concerned expression. "Elara, have you heard the latest on our charming Darlington cross case?"

I kept mute, unsure how much I wanted to know. "No, what's the new update?"

"I just heard on the news from Darlington Cross crew that they've found a lead," Dr. Lee pointed out, lowering her voice. "Apparently, a witness testifies to have seen a woman in a nurse's uniform fleeing the scene."

My heart skipped a beat as I felt a chill run down my spine. I forced a normal expression, trying not to express my shocked state. "That's interesting. I hope he can finally see his angel in disguise we keep hearing about."

Dr. Lee nodded in agreement. "Me too. It's been months already it's high time we know who she is. Come to think It's interesting that a lady is strong enough and capable of saving someone and ran away without wanting to identify herself."

I nodded, as I started feeling uncomfortable. I couldn't hide the feeling that my two worlds were about to collide in ways I couldn't even imagine. And I had no one to turn to, no one to confide in except Rachel my best friend, who was miles away.