Chapter 4

“Call me if you need anything,” Linda said softly as she held the door open for June.

June didn’t move from the door, her hands covering her mouth and her eyes wide in disbelief. She was utterly stunned by the level of sophistication of the room before her which was supposedly hers.

“I’m sorry to ask, ma… what is the matter?” Linda asked, still holding onto her. June’s reaction at the front door had already been concerning enough.

“I need to be alone right now, Mrs. Linda. I’ll call you later,” June said as she slowly walked into the room. Her eyes swept over the space, and a small laugh puffed from her lips. “I must be dreaming, for real, because what are the odds that I would just wake up into an actual fairy tale?” she thought to herself.

The room was massive, bigger than any she had ever seen. Soft cream walls, a bed that looked like it came out of a movie, golden accents on the furniture, and a thick rug under her feet that felt like clouds.

“Who lives like this?” she muttered, walking farther in.

She glided her fingers along the edge of the bedframe, then the dressing table. She opened a drawer, finding it filled with perfectly organised high-end makeup and skincare products she had only ever dreamed of owning.

Curious, she opened a door to the side—and gasped.

The bathroom looked like a luxury spa. Marble floors. A bathtub so large she could swim in it. Shelves filled with branded hair and body products. A glass shower sparkled under the soft lighting.

Another door caught her eye.

This wasn’t just a closet—it was a mini boutique. Rows of shoes, colour-coded. Dresses on golden racks. Designer bags lined up like trophies. Even the lighting was warm and bright, as though she walked into a fashion store.

“This can’t be real,” June whispered, letting out a small laugh as she spun slowly at a place. “There’s no way this is my life.”

She walked back to the room, her face still painted with disbelief. Eventually, she lay down on the bed, her legs sinking into the soft mattress.

A large chandelier hung from the centre of the ceiling, and she stared at it for a long while, her mind racing.

“Why don’t I remember even a little bit of all this? It’s… It’s just so much to take in.”

Hours passed. The sky outside darkened. Alex returned home and came to check on her.

She didn’t hear the door open, but the familiar scent of him filled the room. Alex stood at the doorway, silent for a moment, watching her as she sat up.

“You’re back,” she said, her voice full of excitement. She hadn’t realised how much she had wanted him to return.

“I wouldn’t leave you all by yourself, would I?” he said as he walked in and sat on the bed, examining her condition. “You look so much better,” he added in a low, soothing voice, his eyes locking with hers.

A spark—warm, deep, and complicated flared between them. She completely forgot his earlier coldness at the dining table. Her heart fluttered in ways she didn’t need memories to explain. Without thinking, she leaned closer and rested her head on his shoulder.

Alex felt perturbed for a moment, but his hands moved faster than his thoughts. He began stroking her hair delicately.

It was a beautiful moment—tender and intimate, until June suddenly raised her head. A flash of realisation struck her.

“I didn’t see any of your clothes in the closet, Alex. Nothing in this room belongs to you. And to be entirely honest, this room looks like it was meant for the lady of the house only.”

Alex let out a cough and sat upright, facing her.

“We have separate rooms. Mine is at the end of the hall,” he said flatly.

“Why, though?” she asked, her gaze fixed on him.

“I have a personal office in my room. I prefer to keep my things private,” he replied briskly. “I should retire to bed now. Goodnight,” he added and made his way to the door.

June watched him leave, mixed emotions weighing on her chest. Behind his irresistible charm, there was this coldness about him that she couldn’t just dismiss. She only wished she could remember something—anything to help her understand the man she is married to.

She braced herself, stood up from the bed and walked into the bathroom. She took off her dress and looked at herself in the mirror. Her skin looks dull and her lips are dry and chapped. She sighed.

It felt like the right time to switch up her looks a bit.

She tried a side and centre part on her hair and even tried to put it in a bun but it just felt so odd. She reached for the scissors in the basin cabinet, sectioned her hair carefully, and cut a neat bang that beautifully framed her face.

“I hope these expensive products actually work,” she muttered, slipping into the tub. The water was warm and relaxing.

Later, she sat at the vanity doing her skincare routine in a long red nightgown she’d picked from the cabinet. That was when Linda knocked gently on the door.

June realised she had to grant permission. “Come in,” she said softly.

Linda entered, carrying a tray. “This is bone broth soup with some lamb chops. It’ll make you feel so much better, dear. Come and eat it while it’s hot.”

June sat to eat while Linda lingered and finally spoke up.

“Sorry to still be here, but I have to ask—are you okay, dear? You must still be hurting from the accident. It was a very long fall… through the staircase. But you are behaving very differently from the way you normally do.”

“Fall through the staircase?” June asked, her face spelling curiosity.

“Don’t you remember?”

“No, Mrs. Linda… I lost my memories from the accident.”

“Haagh!” Linda gasped, her breath trembling. “My God! That explains everything. I am so…”

Her words were cut off by the sudden ringing of June’s phone, drawing both their attention to it.

Linda quickly retrieved the phone from where she had arranged it with June’s hospital items.

“It’s your friend, Martha.”

“Martha Reid?” June asked, her voice rising. “You know her?” she added as she reached for the phone.

Martha began sobbing intensely the moment June picked up.

“I called you as soon as I got my phone,” she cried. “The news of your recovery is all over the internet, June. So Alex… Alex finally succeeded in landing you in a coma…”