When Adrian woke, sunlight filtered weakly through the curtains. His head throbbed faintly, but it wasn't the alcohol that kept him still. It was the memory of her lips and her warmth. And the tremor in her voice before she ran.
He closed his eyes, trying to recall the moment clearly. Even through the haze of last night, one truth remained was that the kiss had felt right. Familiar in a way that went beyond reason. Nothing about it had been strange or distant. It felt like coming home.
He sat on the edge of the bed, his hand pressed to his chest. The confusion that had been building inside him for weeks deepened. He needed to know what really happened during those missing years.
Why did her touch feel like something he had lost long ago?
*****
That evening, Adrian joined his parents for dinner. The meal passed quietly, filled with soft conversation and the clinking of silverware. When they finished, Mrs. Vale began clearing the table, but Adrian stopped her with a gentle voice.
"Mom," he said, his tone calm but firm. "I've never asked before, but I need to know what really happened three years ago. I'm ready now."
She paused, a dish still in her hands. "Are you sure, dear? It's not an easy story to hear."
He nodded slowly. "I need the truth."
Mrs. Vale took a deep breath, sat beside him, and folded her hands on the table. Her eyes softened with both pride and sorrow.
"It began after the accident," she said quietly. "You lost your sight, Luna left, and for a long time, you wouldn't let anyone help you. You pushed everyone away, even your father and me. That's when you moved out of this house. We hired several caregivers, but you dismissed every one of them."
Adrian listened in silence, his jaw tightening.
"Then Elara Quinn came," she continued. "She was patient. Kind. She treated you like a person, not a patient. For the first time, you let someone in. You learned to live again because of her."
Adrian's throat went dry. He had suspected it, but hearing her name confirmed everything.
"And the second accident?" he asked quietly.
Mrs. Vale's voice trembled. "You and Elara were together that day. She told us you were walking to the hospital when a bike just dashed through from a corner. You were in a coma for at least a day. When you woke up, your memories for those two years were gone. Elara blamed herself. She stayed until you were stable, then she told us she was leaving. She wanted us not to tell you about her or the blindness. She said she didn't want to confuse you and just wanted you to continue your life as it is."
Adrian sat still, the words sinking deep into him.
"She must have cared for you very much," his mother said softly. "Those two years were hard for you, Adrian. And when Elara appeared, you two got along and it eased our worriness. "
He was silent for a long time, staring at the table as if searching for meaning in the grain of the wood.
"Why are you asking all about this now?" Mrs. Vale finally asked, her tone gentle.
Adrian looked up, his voice quiet but certain. "Elara works under me now. I kept finding her familiar, like we knew."
Her eyes widened. "What? Truly?" Then a warm smile spread across her face. "You must invite her for dinner. Your father and I miss her dearly. She was such a gentle soul, always so thoughtful. She felt like family."
Adrian looked up, taken aback by the genuine warmth in his mother's voice. His parents had never spoken that way about Luna. They had been polite when she was around, but never affectionate. With Elara, it was different. The softness in his mother's tone, the way her eyes brightened at the memory, told him everything.
"She must have meant a great deal to you both, I didn't see you reacting in such a way with Luna," he said quietly.
"Elara did," Mrs. Vale replied, smiling faintly. "Luna felt distant, always chasing something bigger. But Elara… she brought peace to this house. For the first time after your accident, we saw you smile again."
Adrian fell silent. His mother's words lingered in his mind, stirring emotions he hadn't felt in years.
"Please don't tell anyone I asked, I just want to see if I could get back the memories on my own again," he said softly.
Mrs. Vale gave a knowing smile and reached out to squeeze his hand. "All right, dear. I'll keep your secret."
*****
Back at work, Elara acted as if nothing had happened at Adrian's house. She told herself it had been a mistake, a moment clouded by alcohol and confusion. Surely he didn't remember it. Surely he didn't mean it.
Still, her heart betrayed her every time she saw him. A single glance in his direction made her pulse jump.
Adrian, on the other hand, found his attention drifting toward her more often than he liked. Between meetings and briefings, his eyes kept finding her. She worked quietly, always calm, always composed. But she never lingered when speaking to him anymore. She was polite, professional and careful. Almost too careful.
*****
Later that morning, after a management meeting, Adrian stepped out of the conference room with Rowen and the department heads. As he turned toward his office, he slowed suddenly.
Elara was standing a few steps down the hall… with Eric, from the Marketing Department.
Adrian paused without meaning to. His gaze narrowed slightly.
"Lunch later?" Eric asked with an easy grin. "The cafeteria's new menu is out. And… well, I was hoping we could talk. Also, the movie we watched last year? They released the second part. I was thinking… if you're free, maybe we could watch it together."
Elara blinked, thrown off. "The second season already? That was fast."
"Right? I remembered you liked the first one," Eric said, scratching his head. "So I thought I would ask again."
Elara hesitated, thoughtful. "I… I'll see. We can eat lunch together, but about the movie—"
Before she could finish, Adrian walked past. He didn't say a word. He didn't greet them or slow down.
But his jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, and the hand holding his tablet curled just slightly.
Rowen glanced at him, eyebrow raised. "Something wrong?"
"No."
His voice was clipped.
But he couldn't help it. He replayed Eric's tone. The easy laugh. The way Eric leaned just a bit too close. The way Elara had smiled politely.
A strange and unwelcome heaviness settled in his chest.
Rowen watched him with a faint, knowing look. "You sure? You look like you just bit into something sour."
Adrian shot him a sharp look. "I am fine."
But he wasn't. He didn't understand why.
Yet the idea of her watching a movie with another man made an irritation coil beneath his ribs.
He walked into his office, closed the door, and sat down… a little too quickly.
Only one thought echoed in Adrian's mind, uninvited and sharp enough to cut through the rest of the morning.
They watched a movie last year? The two of them?
So they knew each other before she joined Reid Tech?
Did they go out back then?
The realization unsettled him more than he expected. He sat down at his desk, the quiet of the room pressing in as he replayed the overheard conversation. Elara's soft laughter, Eric's easy familiarity, the way they spoke as if they had a shared past. It stirred something inside him he could not name.
*****
Mrs. Vale turned up at the office unannounced. She swept into the reception area with her usual graceful confidence, but the moment her gaze landed on Elara, her entire face lit up.
"Mrs. Vale," Elara said, startled and delighted. "What a surprise."
"Elara," Mrs. Vale said warmly, taking both her hands as if greeting a daughter who had been gone too long. "It is so good to see you again. You look well."
Elara smiled softly. "I am doing my best."
"I did not expect to find you here, in this place of all places," Mrs. Vale said, her eyes full of gentle affection. "Perhaps fate wanted you to return to him."
Elara's breath caught. She lowered her gaze, trying to steady herself. "I am sorry, Mrs. Vale. I never meant for things to turn out this way."
"Do not blame yourself," Mrs. Vale said kindly. "You wanted him to move forward and live freely. That was never wrong."
Elara nodded, though guilt still tugged at her. "I thought he would be happy with her. I truly believed that. I was naive."
"This is not your fault," Mrs. Vale said, her tone soft and protective. "You did what you believed was right."
Elara's voice wavered. "If he ever remembers, he will hate me. I left without a word. I took away his chance to understand why."
A tender silence followed. Mrs. Vale reached out and touched her arm. "Elara, do not carry this alone. You are here now. You can still help him, not out of guilt, but because you still care. That is what matters."
Elara lifted her eyes, glistening with unspoken longing. "I do not know if he will ever forgive me."
Mrs. Vale offered a faint, knowing smile. "Sometimes forgiveness comes after understanding. Let him remember in his own time. And when he does, be there."
At that moment, footsteps echoed behind them.
"Mom?" Adrian's voice came from the corridor.
Elara stiffened. She turned slowly as Adrian approached, a mild look of confusion on his face. He rarely saw his mother appear at the office.
When he looked at Elara standing beside his mother, something in his eyes shifted, though she could not tell what it meant.
"Mrs. Vale," Elara said quickly. "I should return to my desk."
She stepped back, hoping he had not heard their conversation.
"Elara," Mrs. Vale said brightly, turning toward her. "Let us go to lunch together. It has been too long."
"Oh… I already made plans with another colleague," Elara said gently.
"Nonsense. Cancel it," Mrs. Vale insisted cheerfully. "You must join us. It will make me very happy."
Elara hesitated. Saying no felt impossible in front of her warm and hopeful eyes.
"All right," she said quietly.
Mrs. Vale smiled with satisfaction and looped her arm through Elara's before Adrian could say anything at all.
As they walked past him, Adrian's jaw relaxed slightly. He remembered Eric asking Elara to have lunch together earlier, and the thought had bothered him more than he wanted to admit. Seeing his mother take Elara along instead left him oddly relieved
*****
At lunch, the three of them sat by the window of a quiet restaurant nearby. The sunlight caught the faint smile on Mrs. Vale's face as she kept adding food to Elara's plate.
"Elara, you are far too thin. You need to eat more," she said warmly.
"Thank you, Mrs. Vale. You should eat more too," Elara replied, returning a few of her favorite dishes to Mrs. Vale's plate with a shy smile.
Adrian raised a brow, feigning indignation. "What am I, invisible?"
Mrs. Vale chuckled, delighted by his tone.
Elara glanced at him quickly, embarrassed but amused. "Sorry, Mr. Vale. You should eat more as well," she said, carefully setting a piece of grilled fish on his plate.
Adrian gave a small nod. "That's better."
Mrs. Vale laughed softly, her heart light at the sight of them together. For the first time in a long while, the air around her son felt warm again.
After lunch, they strolled slowly outside. Mrs. Vale insisted on taking a short walk before heading home. Adrian walked beside her while Elara kept a polite distance, matching their pace.
"Mrs. Vale," Elara said after a while, "my break is almost over. I should head back to the office. I'll visit you another day."
Mrs. Vale smiled knowingly. "Your boss is right here. Ask him to extend your break."
Elara glanced at Adrian, flustered. "I couldn't possibly do that."
"Mom," Adrian said lightly, shaking his head, "I need to get back too."
Mrs. Vale sighed but smiled. "All right, I'll let you both go this time. We'll have another lunch soon. Don't worry, I will get a ride home."
Elara bowed slightly. "Take care, Mrs. Vale."
As they watched her car pull away, Adrian spoke quietly beside her. "She likes you a lot."
Elara's lips curved into a small, uncertain smile. "She's always been kind to me."
He turned toward her voice, something thoughtful in his gaze. "Yes. She always had good judgment."
For a moment, Elara couldn't meet his eyes. The warmth in his tone stirred something she had tried hard to keep buried.