Chapter 5

Hae-Jae’s POV

“But seriously… why would you find a random woman unconscious on the road, bring her into your home, and then take her to a high-profile event?”

Raymond’s voice cut through the silence of my office like a blade.

I didn’t look up. I kept my eyes on the stack of paperwork in front of me, but his words struck deeper than I cared to admit.

He didn’t understand.

He couldn’t.

“She’s playing games with you, man,” he added, chuckling dryly. “You don’t even know her.”

I set my pen down slowly and finally lifted my gaze, meeting his eyes with a calm, deliberate stare.

“You don’t speak about a woman like that,” I said, voice low but firm.

Raymond raised a brow, glancing around like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Then he laughed again—short, mocking.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Don’t tell me she’s actually gotten to you.”

I exhaled, jaw tightening.

He had no idea.

Anna wasn’t just anyone.

She was a haunting I couldn’t shake. A secret that clawed at my chest every time I looked at her. A past that fate had tied to my present in a way I couldn’t explain—even to myself.

And the truth?

The truth was I was the one being played.

Not by her—but by destiny. By memory. By guilt.

The part of me that still burned with questions and regret whispered that maybe—just maybe—my prayers had been heard.

Because when she woke up…

She didn’t remember everything.

Not the pain.

Not the betrayal.

Not… me.

That should have made it easier. Cleaner.

But it didn’t.

Raymond scoffed. “Whatever. Just don’t drag personal drama into business. Anna shouldn’t even be a topic of conversation in this office.”

He gestured at the space around us.

“This is a boardroom, not a damn lounge for woman problems.”

I turned my gaze back to the papers. “Exactly,” I said, coolly. “So maybe you should stop talking like it is.”

He stood abruptly. I didn’t need to look up to know his temper was flaring. I could feel it radiating off him.

“At least take this advice home,” he muttered sharply. “Don’t get caught up with some girl you found near a river. You don’t know what she’s hiding.”

Then he hissed under his breath and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

The silence that followed was heavy.

Too heavy.

I leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair. My chest ached, my head buzzed.

Anna.

Her name alone stirred things I couldn’t control.

And then the memory hit me.

Hard.

Uninvited.

That night. Her broken body. The blood. The sound of her voice when she whispered, “Why?”

A deep, guttural groan escaped my throat before I could stop it—raw, full of frustration and helplessness. I hadn’t meant to let it out.

But it was too late.

It echoed in the quiet room like a confession I didn’t know how to take back.

The groan that left me echoed in the silence, and for a moment… I hated myself for it.

I wasn’t supposed to feel this way.

Not again.

I stood slowly, moving toward the window. My reflection met me in the glass—sharp suit, calm eyes, expressionless face. But behind it... chaos.

I pressed my palm against the glass.

“Why did it have to be her?” I whispered to no one.

But I knew the answer.

Fate has a cruel sense of humor.

When I pulled her out of that river, I thought she was a stranger. Just another soul that fate had tossed my way. But the moment I looked into her face, soaking wet and lifeless…

It was her.

Anna.

The woman I failed to save once already.

The woman who didn’t remember me now.

And maybe that was a blessing.

Because if she remembered what I did…

If she remembered the part I played in her suffering…

She would never let me near her again.

I turned away from the window, pacing across the office like the walls were closing in.

I remembered the first time I saw her—not at the river.

Years ago.

Before Max.

Before the ring.

Back when she was just a woman sitting alone in a cafe, reading a worn-out poetry book like she didn’t care if the world burned around her.

I watched her from across the room.

She had this light in her eyes. Soft. Warm. Like she still believed in kindness.

I didn’t approach her.

I was afraid.

Afraid she’d look up and see the darkness in me.

So I let her go.

And Max found her instead.

I should have stopped it.

I should have said something.

But I was too late.

Always too late.

And now, the universe had dumped her back into my life. Broken. Hurt. Half-dead.

And I was supposed to pretend this was a coincidence?

No.

This was a second chance.

A cruel, undeserved second chance I didn’t know what to do with.

A soft knock tapped against the door.

I turned, masking everything behind a smooth expression. “Come in.”

It was Mira, Anna’s assistant.

“Mr. Hae-Jae,” she said carefully, “Miss Anna is asking for you. She said… she just wants to talk.”

My chest tightened.

I nodded. “I’ll be there.”

She left quietly, and I stood frozen for a moment.

Talk.

If she ever remembered…

Would I be ready to tell her the truth?

Would she forgive me?

Or would she look at me the way she looked at him—like a stranger who helped destroy her?

I ran a hand down my face and grabbed my suit jacket.

Whatever this was, whatever it meant—

I wasn’t walking away this time.