Marco sat in the car waiting for Damien. "Boss, where to?"
Damien: "Aren't you investigating the Walkers? Where's Johnny?"
Marco: "He's got a day off."
"Take me to the Hospital," Damien replied. "How's the investigated going?"
"I'm on it, boss. The full report should be done by suppertime."
Damien simply said, "Hmm," then took some files from the backseat and began to study them.
When they arrived at the hospital, he found Sarah sitting by the window in her room. He said nothing, just stood by the door frame. Then Chloe showed up behind him. "Mr. Sterling, how long do you plan on standing there? Let's get inside."
When she said that, Sarah also turned around. Her eyes found Damien's, and she gave him a bright smile. "Damien, you're here!" she happily exclaimed.
Damien smiled. "I came to visit you, I hope you don't mind."
Then Chloe interjected, "Why would she mind? She's happy to see you. We both are."
Damien didn't like Chloe one bit, but he said nothing. He kept quiet to avoid worrying Sarah.
He took his coat off and placed it on the bed, then approached Sarah. He took her by the hand and asked, "Are you feeling better today?"
She said, "A little bit, but I didn't sleep well these days." She then placed her free hand over his and worriedly asked, "Are you okay? You seem tired this morning."
Damien: "Why didn't you sleep well? What's troubling you?"
Sarah: "I... I don't know, I just feel sad these days."
Damien: "Sad?"
Sarah then smiled... "You look tired?" That was more of a question than a statement.
Damien kissed her hand and said, "I'm fine."
Chloe was observing the exchange. Why do these two look like a couple? She thought. Then her phone rang, and she excused herself and left saying, "Work, gotta run."
Sarah looked at him, questioning how sincere that answer really was.
Damien noticed her questioning look and said, "I couldn't sleep well because I have some internal conflicts to resolve."
Sarah nodded like she understood what he was battling. She then said: "Does your arm still hurt?"
Damien replied, "I can no longer feel the pain in my arm." Now I only feel pain in my heart, he thought.
"That's good," she said. "But you should take good care of yourself from now on and get more sleep, otherwise you'll be in a worse condition than me." She waved her hand to show herself to him and laughed. This was the first time he'd heard her laughing. She looked so beautiful and radiant this morning, and that smile of hers infected him like a plague. He smiled back at her, and for a moment he forgot all the worries that were eating him inside.
"Did you have breakfast?" he asked.
"Not yet. But the nurse will bring some food soon."
"What would you like to eat? I'll get it for you."
"I don't know what I like," Sarah replied. "I can't remember… But I don't think I'm a picky eater."
Damien looked at her and said "Oh?" like he was questioning that statement she just made.
Sarah nodded while smiling.
Damien then took the phone out of his pocket and called Marco. He instructed him to bring food from the restaurant he liked to Sarah's room, which he did ten minutes later. Damien ate with her in the room, and they chatted away like two old friends meeting again years later, a strange but sweet feeling passing between them.
Damien's phone rang, and he went to answer it in the hallway; it was a minor issue at one of his companies. While he was on the phone, Sarah attempted to reach the wheelchair to grab her glass of water. She pushed herself up, but a sharp pain in her leg made her gasp and lose balance. Damien, hearing her cry from the hallway, dropped his call and rushed back. He reached her just as she tipped forward, catching her securely in his arms a mere second before she would have hit the floor.
As Damien held her, they both felt the moment was familiar. He had held her like this on the night of the accident. Sarah looked at him with affection this time, not fear, and he held her with gentleness, like she was a precious porcelain. He liked the feeling of holding her, and she liked the feeling of being held by him. It felt all too natural and familiar.
Damien then placed her on the bed. While doing so, he felt her heart beating against his ribcage, and hers was in sync. She lifted her head and their eyes met; something flashed in his—a desire for a moment of passion—but he held back. She released him from her embrace, but the letting go was reluctant.
Damien: "Did you need something?"
Sarah: "I wanted to pour myself a glass of water but it was far."
Damien: "Why didn't you call me to do it? I was just in front of the door."
Sarah: "I didn't want to bother you. Besides, I thought I could do it."
Damien smiled at her willpower and stubborn refusal to ask for help.
The Unraveling
Marco's report landed on Damien's desk, a thick file filled with details about Chloe Walker. Damien's unease deepened as he read. Chloe's life was a carefully constructed façade, woven with lies and deceit. Her finances were a mess, propped up by a series of questionable loans and gambling debts. The report also revealed a shocking detail: Sarah was adopted. The Walker family was not her blood relation. The family patriarch had passed away, leaving his wife, Caroline, and daughter, Chloe, drowning in debt. They had even attempted to "sell" Sarah to a debt collector in the past, a desperate measure thwarted only by Ethan's intervention the night of the accident.
Damien's jaw tightened. He had to protect Sarah. Chloe was a predator, circling her prey.
A few hours later, the door to Sarah's room opened again, and Mathilda Evans entered. Sarah was sitting on the bed, looking at the ring. Mathilda approached her and sat on the chair next to the bed. Sarah's body tensed, but Mathilda spoke calmly, her voice filled with a desperate apology.
"I… I'm so sorry, child," Mathilda said, her eyes welling up with tears. "For blaming you for Ethan's death. I was in such pain that I had to lash out at someone, and you were there."
Mathilda continued, her voice trembling. "The truth is, my son loved you immensely. I remember on the night of the accident, he heard your family had sold you to some old man for money, and he rushed out in a hurry to rescue you."
Sarah's blood ran cold. "Sold by my family for money?" she asked, her voice a whisper.
Mathilda's tears began to fall. "Your family… your mother and sister… they're not good people. Ethan told me. He was your best friend, he knew everything. He told me he planned to marry you to save you. He even prepared the ring."
Sarah showed her the ring. "Is this the ring Ethan prepared?"
Mathilda burst into fresh tears. "Yes, this is the ring he bought…" She then added, "He wanted to give you the world. He wanted to give you one thing you never had—a home. Please forgive me for hurting you…"
Now both women were sobbing. Sarah's tears were a mix of grief and betrayal. She hugged the woman who had just moments ago been her tormentor, a strange and sad comfort settling over them both.
Mathilda regained her composure and warned Sarah: she must distance herself from Caroline and Chloe. "They will harm you again. And Ethan is no longer there to protect you. Promise me you'll be cautious."
Sarah nodded. "Don't worry, I will be cautious."
They talked for a long time. When Mathilda left, Sarah started crying. The weight of her new reality settled over her. Her mother and sister were not family but monsters. Her only true friend was gone. The pain of her amnesia was now overshadowed by the pain of a heart-breaking truth: The weight of that guilt was an even heavier burden than her lost memories.