CHAPTER FOUR

Serena’s POV

“You were not supposed to wake up this soon.”

The voice came before my eyes could even fully opened. Slowly, I blinked through the haze in my head.

White ceiling, soft golden lighting. This is definitely not a hospital.

I tried to move and immediately regretted it. A sharp pain cut through my head, forcing me to stay still.

A man stood beside the bed. Tall, calm and impeccably dressed in a dark tailored shirt, sleeves rolled slightly like he had been awake for hours but never disorganized.

His presence didn’t feel poor or ordinary, everything about the room didn’t. From the crystal lamp to polished wood walls, wide glass windows showing a private estate outside. A faint scent of expensive cologne in the air.

I frowned.

“Where am I?” my voice came out rough.

The man studied me for a moment before answering.

“Leonard Arden’s residence.”

The name rang a bell but it meant nothing to me. My fingers tightened slightly on the bedsheet as I tried to sit up again but my head protested, forcing me to stop.

Leonard stepped closer but didn’t touch me.

“You were brought here after the accident.”

The words felt familiar. My breathing slowed as fragments returned, but I forced myself to stay steady.

I remembered Adrian clearly, every moment that broke the trust in me, every word that broke the marriage I built in the last seven years.

“Adrian…” I muttered without thinking.

Leonard’s eyes shifted slightly at the name, but he said nothing. I looked at him sharply. “Where is he?”

Leonard paused. “Not here.”

I pushed myself up despite the dizziness. “I want to leave.”

“That is not advisable.”

“I didn’t ask.”

Silence hit the room, it felt too controlled for me to be trapped inside it. I looked around again, everything about it screamed wealth and power.

“I’m sure this isn’t a hospital, so where is this?”

“My home.”

That answer made my brows tighten. A home like this didn’t belong to someone ordinary.

Leonard watched me carefully. “You sustained a head injury. You were found unconscious after your vehicle went off the road during a storm.”

My memory reacted instantly.

The black SUV running toward my car and slamming into it from behind. The freezing ocean.

I inhaled sharply. “I need my phone.”

“It was damaged.”

Of course. My thoughts drifted back to Adrian, the divorce I overheard. My chest ached slightly but I forced myself to steady it.

“I was not alone in the car,” I said suddenly.

Leonard didn’t react immediately, he paused for a second. “You don’t remember everything clearly yet.”

“I remember enough,” I snapped.

But I felt a doubtful thought in me, like I wasn’t entirely sure. The more I tried to think, the more unstable my memory felt.

Leonard stepped toward a nearby table and poured water into a glass before placing it beside me.

“You should rest.”

Before I could respond, a knock sounded at the door. A man entered quickly, holding a tablet.

“Sir,” he said urgently, “the news has confirmed the identity from the crash.”

I froze slightly.

Leonard didn’t turn immediately. “Speak.”

The man hesitated before continuing. “The authorities confirmed the registered owner of the vehicle as Serena Vale.”

My fingers tightened instantly. That was my name but  the way he said it felt wrong.

The man continued carefully. “Public report states… no survivors.”

My heart slowed with the silence that followed. I replayed the last two words in my head, “no survivors.”

Leonard finally turned slightly toward him. “And the husband?”

The man glanced at me briefly before answering. “Adrian Laurent has been informed.”

My breathing paused slightly. Leonard’s expression didn’t change, but I noticed his subtle look. He already knew what that meant.

The man added quietly, “Media believes she is dead.”

I blinked. Dead? But I am here, breathing and alive. 

I looked down at my hands slowly, that word didn’t sit right. 

Leonard stepped closer again, voice lower now. “You should not leave this house yet.”

“Why?” I asked sharply. 

His eyes held mine for a second longer than necessary. “Because right now… the world thinks you are gone.”

A cold silence filled the room again. I felt a mixture of fear and confusion ran through me. Before I could respond, Leonard’s phone rang. He answered immediately but I caught only fragments.

“Yes… she is awake… no, she doesn’t remember fully…”

My body went still. He was talking about me like I wasn’t standing right there. Leonard ended the call and turned back toward me.

“You will remain here until I decide otherwise.”

“I don’t take orders from you.” I snapped.

He paused for a second, then he said what made my entire body go cold. “That may change once you remember what really happened that night.”

Before I could ask what he meant, the sound from the television mounted across the room disrupted my thoughts. Breaking news flashed across the screen. My face, my name. Then the headline.

“Serena Vale confirmed dead after bridge accident.”

My breath paused for a second. And then, a second line appeared beneath it.

“Adrian Laurent issues first public statement.”

Leonard turned toward the screen slowly. And for the first time since I woke up, I looked forward to hearing from Adrian.

Because whatever he was about to say… was going to change everything.