chapter 2

Chapter 2

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The slow beeping of machines echoed in Freya’s ears.

Her eyelids felt heavy as she forced them open.

Bright light stabbed into her vision, making her instinctively close her eyes. After a while, she blinked several times before she could focus.

White ceiling.

White walls.

Strange machines and tubes connected to her body.

Blood rushed to her heart, and it started beating thunderously in her chest.

Where… was she?

Her head felt unbearably heavy. When she tried to remember what had happened, her mind returned nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

It was like staring at a blank piece of paper.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t even remember her own name.

Fear slowly crept into her chest as her fingers curled around the sheets.

“Who… am I?”

The words formed in her mind before she could think, but when she tried to speak them, no sound came out.

Panic flickered inside her, and she felt like a stranger in her own body.

The door suddenly opened, and a man wearing a white lab coat walked in, holding a file in his hands.

Must be the doctor.

The moment he saw that she was awake, relief washed over his face, and he broke into a huge smile.

“Miss, you’re finally awake,” he said as he walked closer to the bed. “How are you feeling? Any discomfort?”

He leaned over, his lab coat almost covering her face. Freya frowned. She wanted to push him away, but her hands were covered in tubes and needles, and they couldn’t move.

She tried to respond to his question. “Ah… ah…”

But only broken sounds escaped her throat.

No words.

Not even a whisper.

Her eyes widened in alarm as she stared at the doctor.

The doctor glanced down at the file in his hand, and a frown appeared on his face. Freya could tell that it was not a good sign, but she couldn’t even ask what was wrong with her.

The doctor seemed to have read her mind as he spoke out, “You inhaled a lot of smoke at the crime scene,” he explained. “It likely affected your vocal cords. But don’t worry, a small surgery should fix that.”

Smoke?

Crime scene

Freya felt like the doctor was speaking in a foreign language as the words meant nothing to her.

She tried to search her mind for something, anything, but her thoughts remained empty.

It felt like someone had scooped all her memories out and left her hollow.

“Let me call your family and give them the good news.”

Family?

Did she really have one?

She searched desperately, but there was nothing there. No faces. No memories.

Just as the doctor reached for his phone, the door opened again.

A man walked into the room.

He looked tall and confident, dressed casually, with a strong, masculine build. At first glance, his looks seemed ordinary, but the longer Freya looked at him, the more she realized he was actually quite handsome.

The moment his eyes landed on her, his expression changed.

Shock.

Relief.

And something that looked like disbelief.

He rushed to her bedside in two long strides.

“Freya!”

His voice trembled slightly as he grabbed her hand.

“Thank goodness you’re finally awake.”

Freya.

So… that was her name.

Freya.

She studied his face carefully, searching for even the slightest hint of familiarity.

But there was nothing.

He felt like a complete stranger.

His grip on her hand felt too tight, making her uncomfortable. Slowly, she pulled her hand away.

The doctor cleared his throat.

“Mr. Moretti, I was just about to call you,” he said.

The man, Mr. Moretti, finally stepped back, letting go of her hand. He looked at the doctor sharply. “I told you to call me the moment she woke up. Why didn’t you?”

“I only just found out myself,” the doctor replied calmly.

Mr. Moretti turned back to her again, his expression softening.

He reached out and gently held her shoulders as if she were his treasured possession.

“Freya,” he said softly. “How are you feeling? You almost scared the life out of me.”

Freya opened her mouth again, trying to speak.

But no words came out.

Mr. Moretti looked at the doctor with concern.

“Why isn’t she talking? Is something wrong?”

“She’s fine,” the doctor said. “The smoke damaged her vocal cords slightly, but it can be fixed with a minor surgery.”

Mr. Moretti didn’t hesitate.

“Then do it. Whatever it costs, just make sure my best friend gets better.”

Best friend?

Freya looked at him again.

So, this man… was her best friend?

But why did she feel absolutely nothing toward him?

Was it because she had lost her memories?

…

Two days after the minor surgery…

The doctor stood beside her bed with a gentle smile.

“Miss Rossi, how are you feeling? Try saying something.”

Freya swallowed nervously before parting her lips.

“Freya… Rossi.”

The words came out rough and hoarse, but they were clear.

She finally got her voice back.

It sounded unfamiliar to her ears, but at least she could speak now.

The doctor nodded approvingly, his smile finally reaching his eyes.

“Good. Your voice is coming back.”

Freya hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been haunting her since she woke up.

“Doctor… where am I? And what happened to me?”

The smile slowly faded from the doctor’s face, replaced by a dreaded expression.

A deep frown appeared as he pinched the space between his brows.

“Don’t tell me you don’t remember anything.”

Freya shook her head slowly.

Because the truth was terrifyingly simple.

She couldn’t remember a single thing.

Not her past.

Not her family.

Not even who she used to be.

Her entire life…

Was gone in the blink of an eye.

…

“Freya, it’s okay if you don’t remember anything. I am right here with you. The doctor said that it was only temporary.”

Freya stared at Kai Moretti.

He claimed to be her best friend from a life she could not even remember.

He had told her everything that had happened, and she couldn’t believe that her parents would do such things.

Things she couldn’t even begin to imagine.

Maybe God had left her behind so that she could pay for her parents’ crimes.

Even though they weren’t the best, according to Kai, they were still her parents.

And she needed to see them.

Even if it was just one last time.

“Kai, do you know where my parents were buried? I would love to visit them.”

“Freya, after everything they did… especially to you… Do you still want to see them?”

“I… I... just want closure. Nothing more.”

She lowered her head and whispered.