A great burden, hard to turn away.
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Suraj ordered his girl to keep Anchana from leaving the restroom, while he stepped out into the night toward the parking lot. At his car, he pulled out a small blanket, intent on sparing her further shame.
"I brought this for you… wrap yourself in it," he said softly, his voice carrying an undertone of pity.
He instructed Nicharat to escort Anchana outside to wait by the entrance of the club, where he would come around with the car.
"Ni… take her out front."
"This girl has caused us no end of trouble," she muttered bitterly under her breath, her eyes lingering on Anchana with annoyance.
Suraj followed the map Anchana had sent him over LINE, his tone clipped but restrained.
"Tell me when we're close. I'll slow down."
"Yes… the last house on the left," she replied quietly.
He eased the car forward until it idled at her gate. Anchana pressed the remote to open the gate, and at her request, the sweet-faced girl stepped out first before allowing her to follow.
"Good night… And please, tell your parents I'm sorry," Suraj called out, his voice lowered though tinged with regret.
"Yes…" Anchana's response was subdued, her figure wilting as she slipped through the gate.
"Why are you wrapped in a blanket like this?" her mother, Anya, gasped as she hurried forward to embrace her trembling daughter.
"It's nothing, Mama… a man tried to harass me." Her voice shook.
"Was it him? That man?"
"No… the drunkards at the club."
"Go up, bathe, and rest, sweetheart. You're shivering all over." Her mother's hand lingered on her back as she guided her upstairs.
"Tomorrow… we'll talk. I'm too exhausted now," Anchana murmured, her heart weighed down with despair unlike anything she had ever felt.
That night, as her daughter slipped into restless sleep, Anya lay awake,
turning over the bitter truth…
If our company hadn't been ruined by deceitful partners, my child would never have been entangled with this man…
Her thoughts wandered back to her old schoolmate, Kangsadan, who had urged her to let the Pongkul family take charge of the failing business. Kangsadan had even discussed with her husband Vishpan that Sahaphan Group would soon step in to acquire the company—placing Suraj, the son of Supot, in charge of its rehabilitation.
Supot, now CFO, had inherited the position after the tragic death of Anupan, felled by his mum Srinuan's bullet. Supot, deep in debt to Prapan for failed investments, had secured his survival by convincing the board to give him power.
"Don't dwell on it, Anya. I'll speak to my father-in-law myself," Kangsadan had said. "This insurance company has a future. Suraj will present the details to the board next week. We'll settle on numbers later."
Anya had sighed. "But if Anchana is forced to marry Suraj… it breaks my heart."
"Nothing is set in stone. We only wanted them to meet. If they dislike each other, there will be no obligation." Kangsadan had reassured her, though in truth, she wished her nephew would settle down with someone suitable.
"My daughter is not submissive. If there is no love, marriage will only be a burden to them both."
"Suraj is intelligent," Kangsadan conceded. "But…"
"But what?" Anya pressed, anxious.
"He is reckless with women. His mother asked me to help find someone who might anchor him."
Even she admitted Suraj was a bad boy—his redeeming quality being his obedience to his elders.
The following morning, Anchana awoke late, her body sore from the scuffle in the club. A frantic knock at her bedroom door startled her.
"Mama? Why are you knocking like that?" She staggered to open it.
"Your aunt called—Suraj is in the hospital. He had an accident last night."
"What? Is he badly hurt?" Panic colored her voice.
"They say the car ran off the road into a tree. A girl with him was gravely injured. Suraj… his brain is concussed."
Anchana's pulse quickened.
"He dropped me off… and then…"
"Come. We'll visit him. Get dressed." Anya held her daughter's gaze, trying to seek the truth within her.
At the hospital, Kangsadan rushed to meet them.
"He's in the ICU. No visitors allowed."
"How serious, Bell?" Anya asked.
"The car veered off the road and crashed into a tree. The girl riding with him was gravely injured, while Suraj suffered a severe head trauma…"
Turning to Anchana, Kangsadan narrowed her eyes.
"He brought you home last night, didn't he?"
"Yes… after dropping me off, he must have returned to… with her."
"Did you dance with him at the club?" Kangsadan pressed.
Anchana faltered.
"…Yes. Only because he asked, I didn't want to make a scene."
Kangsadan's face hardened. "Fortunately, you weren't in that car."
"Yes… he said nothing on the drive. Silent the whole way."
"Then they must have quarreled after leaving you," Kangsadan concluded seriously.
Suraj remained in the hospital for nearly three months. His memory returned in fragments, though much was still a blur. Concerned, his mother Wanlapa summoned Anchana to their home.
"My son insists you owe him. That you must compensate for the accident."
"What?!" Anchana gasped. "That's absurd!"
"He recalls you were in the car. That you quarreled with his woman, distracting him and causing the crash."
"That's not true! His memory is twisted."
"He wants you to marry him. To care for him, to help restore what he has lost."
"No! I am not his caregiver," she shot back. "Besides, he already has someone. Why drag me into his mess?"
"That girl vanished the moment she realized he couldn't remember her. She came twice, then never again." Wanlapa's sigh was weary.
Anchana could only remember the day they first met—their words so sharp that they had nearly come to blows. Now fate had chained her to him with this impossible demand.
"He told me to make you sign the contract…" Wanlapa explained, laying out the plan her son had suggested.
Anchana exhaled as if a mountain had settled upon her chest. She had never imagined she would be burdened with such an immense responsibility that is impossible to refuse. Her voice trembled with concern as she replied seriously.
"Oh…oh! He must be planning… that when his memory returns, he will cast me aside for that girl again."