{Kai}
Morning came harsh and unforgiving.
Kai arrived at the address just after sunrise.
The gates were open.
Three black cars rolled through slowly, gravel crunching beneath the tires. Doors opened in perfect unison. Kai stepped out first, dressed in black, coat crisp, expression carved from stone.
For a heartbeat, the household stilled.
At first, they thought salvation had arrived.
The groom.
Then they saw his face.
"That… that is not the groom," May's 'father' said, his voice cracking.
May's 'mother' stiffened, color draining from her face. "Mr… Mr Kayden Ravencroft, what are you doing here?"
Kai did not answer immediately.
"I am here for May."
The words dropped like a blade.
Panic erupted. Servants scrambled. Voices overlapped. Someone knocked over a chair.
"She is not here," her 'mother' said too quickly.
Kai stepped inside anyway.
The house smelled of fear.
Drawers were open. Beds stripped. In the hallway, something lay crumpled on the floor.
A contract.
Kai bent, picked it up, and read.
Engagement agreement. Dates. Names. Signatures.
"You sold her?" he asked quietly.
They rushed to defend themselves.
"She was ungrateful."
"She ran."
"She disgraced us."
Kai stopped listening.
Something in the sitting room caught his eye.
A portrait leaned against the wall.
He walked to it and knelt.
An academic award photo.
May stood off to the side, medal around her neck, shoulders drawn inward. The rest of the family filled the frame proudly, pressing her nearly out of view.
"She earned this," Kai said.
No one answered.
His phone vibrated.
He lifted it and sent one image.
Find her.
Replies flooded in.
Then one message cut through everything.
She is with Mr William.
Kai closed his eyes once.
"So that is where you went," he murmured.
"Lock the house," he ordered. "No one leaves."
The drive to London was merciless.
Halfway there, his phone rang.
"Sir," the investigator said, "we confirmed it. She does not remember anything before the accident. Trauma. Dissociation."
Kai nodded once. "I understand."
By the time he reached the hotel, night had fallen. His hair was slightly disheveled. His coat bore the marks of distance and speed.
He recomposed himself.
Then he went upstairs, straight to Room 999.
And when she looked at him, there was no form of recognition. He seemed disappointed, he at least hoped she'd remember him.
Only to hear a question that would split something open inside him.
"Who… who is he ?"