Chapter 3

Elara’s POV

The question lingered heavily in the room. Mira stared at me silently for several seconds before finally looking away.

“You were…” Her voice softened. “Too in love.”

I frowned slightly. That answer unsettled me more than it should have because I couldn’t imagine it.

I couldn’t imagine loving someone enough to endure humiliation. Especially not a man who thought getting hit by a car was an attention-seeking stunt.

Mira let out a slow breath.

“You met Chairman Varek three years ago during a charity gala,” she began quietly. “He collapsed unexpectedly and everyone panicked. Most people stood around waiting for someone else to help but you stayed with him until the ambulance arrived.”

I listened silently.

“You spent the entire night at the hospital with him even though you didn’t know who he was.”

A strange feeling stirred inside me.

“The chairman became attached to you after that,” Mira continued. “He treated you like family. Eventually, he decided you were the perfect wife for Karl.”

I gave a dry laugh, “Clearly Karl disagreed.”

Mira lowered her gaze, “He fought against the marriage.”

“Then why did he marry me?” I queried.

“Because the chairman threatened to remove him as heir to the company.”

The words landed heavily between us. I stared down at my hands.

“So my marriage was basically a business ultimatum.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

I looked up, “Wasn’t it?”

Mira couldn’t answer. A strange sadness settled inside me. Not because of Karl but because of the woman I used to be.

The woman who apparently married a man who never wanted her.

“What happened after the wedding?”

“At first you were happy.”

I frowned, “Happy?”

“You thought if you worked hard enough, he’d eventually love you.”

Something twisted painfully across Mira’s face.

“You tried so hard, Elara.”

The pity in her eyes made me uncomfortable.

“How?”

Mira looked away. “You learned how to cook because Karl preferred home-cooked meals.”

I blinked, “I can’t cook.”

“You can. You taught yourself,” Mira stated.

My mouth hung open in surprise.

“You used to wake up at five every morning just to prepare breakfast before he left for work.”

I stared at her, “And did he appreciate it?”

“He didn’t,” Mira shook her head slowly, “Most mornings he never even touched the food.”

“What else did my pathetic old self do for love?”

Her expression grew increasingly painful.

“It’s not your fault, Elara—”

“Just tell me!” I interrupted her.

“Your birthday last year. You spent the entire day preparing dinner. You decorated the dining room yourself. You bought his favorite wine.”

I already knew where this was going.

“Did he show up?”

Mira looked away. “No. He said he forgot.”

I scoffed. I didn't feel heartbroken, I felt embarrassed. Embarrassed for the woman who had waited, who had loved shamelessly, and believed someone other than herself.

“What did I do?”

Mira’s eyes became glossy. “You stayed awake until three in the morning waiting for him.”

Something about it made my chest ache not because I remembered but because I couldn't understand why she stayed.

“What else?” I asked quietly.

Mira looked reluctant. “Do you really want to know?”

“Yes.”

“You got sick last winter.”

I frowned. “Sick?”

“Pneumonia. It was serious. The doctor ordered complete bed rest. But Lilith came back to the city that same week and you overheard Karl telling the staff to prepare the guest suite for her.”

I grinned, “Please tell me I stopped that son of a bitch.”

Mira looked at me helplessly. “You got out of bed and personally prepared the room yourself.”

I stared at her. “You’re joking.”

She didn’t smile.

“You changed the sheets, arranged flowers, and even baked cookies because Lilith liked them.”

I just stared at her, speechless.

Mira’s eyes filled with sadness. “Elara—”

“No.” I shook my head firmly, “That woman was insane.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. Mira let out a startled laugh through her tears.

“How could anyone love someone that much?” My voice came out barely above a whisper. “How could someone destroy themselves like that?”

Mira wiped her eyes. “You loved him.”

“No.” I shook my head slowly. “That wasn’t love. That sounds more like emotional self-destruction.”

For the first time since waking up, I felt genuinely disturbed by the woman I used to be.

The woman who had spent three years chasing affection from someone who clearly never intended to give it.

I stared toward the rain-covered hospital window.

“It’s funny but when I arrived at the hospital I had just come from a car accident and I lost my memories which was how I landed in the orphanage.”

“But now I remember everything… my family, the kidnapping, how I escaped. It’s like I remember my life before and suddenly I've forgotten the life I used to live here.”

“I can't remember Karl or loving him or the pregnancy I lost. I don't feel anything. It’s like I'm listening to the life of someone else because that person wasn’t me.”

“What do you want to do now? You can't go back to Karl, he's treated you so poorly, what would he do now you've lost your memory?” Mira asked worriedly.

I shrugged, “I’m going back.”

“What? Did you not hear anything I said?” she demanded.

“I want to see him myself.”

“Elara—”

“I want to see what kind of man I gave three years of my life to.”

Mira looked worried. “Maybe you should wait.”

I shook my head. “If my marriage was really this pathetic then I want to see it with my own eyes.”