Chapter 1

The call came just as the rain started, a sudden, violent downpour that lashed against the windows of my office. I was staring at the blueprints for the new city library, a project that had consumed me for the last year, a testament to a career I had built from nothing. My name, Sarah Miller, was on the plaque by the door. I had everything.

My phone buzzed, a frantic vibration against the smooth wood of my desk. It was Dr. Alex Chen from the city hospital.

"Sarah? You need to come to the hospital. It' s David."

The world went silent. The drumming rain, the hum of the computer, the ticking clock on the wall, it all vanished. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"There was an accident," Dr. Chen said, his voice tight. "A car crash on the interstate. He' s stable, he' s awake, but... you should just get here."

I didn' t remember hanging up. I didn' t remember grabbing my keys or my coat. My mind was a blank slate of panic. David. My David. The man I had loved since we were kids, my husband of ten years.

The drive to the hospital was a blur of slick roads and blinding headlights. The storm was a monster, mirroring the chaos inside my chest. I left my car crooked in a parking spot and ran, the cold rain soaking through my clothes, plastering my hair to my face.

Inside, the hospital smelled of antiseptic and fear. I found the right floor, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I saw Dr. Chen standing outside a room, his face grim.

"Alex, what' s going on?" I asked, my voice hoarse. I tried to look past him, into the room.

He put a hand on my arm, stopping me. "Sarah, you need to prepare yourself. He has some head trauma. We' ve run the scans. Physically, he' s going to be fine, but he' s experiencing some selective amnesia."

"Amnesia?" The word felt foreign, unreal. "What does that mean? What does he not remember?"

Dr. Chen hesitated, his eyes full of pity. "It' s... specific. He seems to remember his parents, his work, his friends. But..."

I pushed past his gentle resistance and walked into the room. And my world shattered.

David was sitting up in bed. He looked pale, a bandage wrapped around his head, but his eyes were clear. And sitting on the edge of his bed, holding his hand, was Chloe Davis, his young, ambitious executive assistant. Her hair was perfect, her makeup flawless, and she was looking at him with an expression of deep, loving concern that belonged to me.

David' s head turned as I entered. He looked at me, at my drenched clothes and messy hair. There was no recognition in his eyes. Just a cold, polite confusion.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

The air left my lungs. Chloe' s hand tightened on his. She looked at me, a flicker of something triumphant in her eyes before it was replaced by a look of innocent concern.

"David," I whispered, taking a step forward. "It' s me. It' s Sarah."

He just stared. "I' m sorry, do I know you?"

I felt a wave of dizziness. This couldn' t be happening. "I' m your wife, David. We' ve been married for ten years."

He let out a short, disbelieving laugh. He looked at Chloe, then back at me. "My wife? You must be mistaken. Chloe is my girlfriend."

Chloe looked down, a perfect picture of modesty. "David, maybe she' s just confused. The doctor said you hit your head."

"I' m not that confused," he said, his voice sharp. He looked me up and down, a dismissive glance that made my skin crawl. "I think I' d remember being married to... you."

The insult landed like a physical blow. The way he said "you," filled with disdain, was more painful than any slap. This wasn' t just a lack of memory, it was a rejection.

"David, please," I begged, my voice cracking. "Think. Our home. Our dog, Buster. Our wedding in the vineyard."

I listed memories, small, precious things that were ours alone. The time we got lost in Italy, the silly song he made up for me, the scar on his knee from when he fell off his bike trying to impress me in the seventh grade.

He just shook his head, looking irritated. "Look, lady, I don' t know who you are, but you' re upsetting me. And you' re upsetting Chloe. Please leave."

He turned away from me, pulling Chloe closer, whispering something in her ear that made her smile. He completely dismissed me, as if I were nothing more than a crazy person who had wandered into his room.

I stood there, frozen, water dripping from my coat onto the sterile linoleum floor. The world had tilted on its axis. The man I loved, the man who was my entire life, was looking at me like I was a stranger, and finding comfort in the arms of another woman.

Dr. Chen gently led me out of the room. "Give it time, Sarah. Head injuries are unpredictable. The memories could come back."

I nodded numbly, but a cold knot of dread was forming in my stomach. I saw the look in Chloe' s eyes. I heard the cruelty in David' s voice. This felt like more than amnesia.

But I had to believe. I had to hope. So I sat in the waiting room, my clothes still damp, and I waited. I would wait for as long as it took for my husband to come back to me.