The Person She Doesn't Remember

CHAPTER SEVEN

Lucian Hale sat in the back seat of his black luxury car, his long legs crossed with dignity, his spine straight, his presence commanding even in silence, as his driver smoothly navigated the road leading back to the Hale residence.

The city passed by outside the window but Lucian didn’t see any of it.

He hadn’t truly seen anything since he left her.

After meeting with Elara, he had returned to the company as he always did, sat through high-level meetings, listened to quarterly reports, signed contracts worth billions, and issued sharp instructions that made almost all the executives break into cold sweat.

Yet none of it registered. Not a single word or a single face.

His mind was completely clouded by one thing, one single moment that refused to loosen its grip on him.

[ The hug ]

Elara’s arms around him.

The way her body had pressed against his chest, fragile yet desperate, as though she were clinging to the only solid thing left in her world.

The warmth of her, the faint tremor in her breath, the way she had inhaled sharply as if afraid he might disappear if she let go.

Lucian had faced assassins and many threats without blinking.

Yet that hug had shaken him to his core.

Who was Lucian Hale?

He was the country’s most handsome, perfect, cold, and ruthless heir.

The CEO of Hale Company, a man whose name alone could move markets, whose decisions determined the rise and fall of entire corporations. A man raised in power, molded in discipline, and sharpened by responsibility.

Every girl dreamed of marrying him and every man admired him or feared him.

He was flawless on paper and untouchable in reality.

And yet…

Lucian had never shown interest in anyone. Not even once.

His family had arranged an engagement for him years ago, a union between powerful families meant to strengthen alliances and secure influence.

Lucian had accepted it without protest or without emotion. Because he didn’t care.

His so-called fiancée was nothing more than a formality. A name... A future obligation he neither desired nor acknowledged.

The only person he had ever cared about... Was Elara!

That girl with crystal-clear eyes who once looked at him as though he were the only person standing beneath the sky.

What tormented Lucian the most... what clawed at him relentlessly... was a single, unbearable question.

How could Elara forget him?

It was as if what had happened ten years ago at the seashore had been erased from her mind completely.

Just how come? The waves... The salt in the air... Her trembling hands in his.

How could she forget that? How could she forget him?

After that horrible incident ten years ago, Lucian had searched for her like a man possessed. Using resources no ordinary person could even imagine.

And when he finally found her... She didn’t remember him.

Not his name! Not his face!! Not the promise they made beneath the night sky by the sea!!!

Absolutely... Nothing! All gone+

That was when Lucian decided to visit her workplace frequently at the café.

He chose the same seat every time. By the window. Always within her line of sight. Always close enough to be noticed, never close enough to force an interaction.

He hoped... no, he prayed... that seeing him repeatedly would awaken something buried deep inside her memory. A flicker or a recognition.

But nothing came. He didn’t want to pressure her. He didn’t want to hurt her further if there was pain hidden behind her forgotten memories.

Yet no matter how many times he appeared, no matter how often their eyes met... Elara looked at him like a stranger.

At first, Lucian thought she was pretending or testing him.

Pushing him away for reasons he didn’t yet understand.

But after countless visits to her café and that one altercation, when she finally snapped, she accused him, told him to stay away with genuine fear and anger in her eyes... Lucian understood the truth.

She truly didn’t remember him at all. So he stayed away. Or at least… he tried.

He gave her a card, his personal business card, something he never did for anyone, and asked her to call him if she ever needed help. She never did.

He watched her from afar instead. Protected her from the shadows.

And whenever he heard she had been admitted to the hospital from abuse, Lucian made sure the best doctors were secretly assigned to her case.

Elite specialists and renowned surgeons.

They entered as ordinary doctors, treated her as though by coincidence, never knowing who had arranged everything.

Lucian paid every bill for her. Cleared every obstacle in her way. Removed every silent threat from her life outside her house. All from the dark.

Even the café where she worked, Lucian had bought it outright.

The moment he learned how exhausted she was, how overworked and underpaid, he acquired the business without hesitation. But he never revealed himself as the owner.

Instead, he handed it back to the initial owner, instructing him to continue managing it as before.

Elara was never meant to know why her salary increased.

And now, she wanted him to attend her wedding. How could she?

He had heard about her wedding to Aaron, her adoptive brother.

The thought alone made Lucian’s jaw tighten and his face became colder.

It was insane.

Why would Elara marry someone who was legally her brother?

Yet despite everything, he remembered the hug.

His lips twitched unconsciously.

Something almost like a smile appeared for a fleeting second... Then vanished.

The car slowed and came to a stop as they reached the Hale mansion.

Lucian stepped out after the driver opened the car door for him.

The mansion lights glowed warmly in the night, but before he could fully enter...

“Brother!!!”

His younger sister rushed toward him, arms wide open, eyes shining with excitement.

Instinctively, Lucian stepped aside.

Lisa froze mid-motion, her arms hanging awkwardly in the air.

“Brother…?” she asked, confusion flooding her face.

Before she could recover, Felix, Lucian’s other brother, approached, grinning.

“Hey, big bro—”

But Lucien stepped aside again.

Felix stopped short, his brows knitting in confusion.

Their mother, Seraphina Hale, elegant and warm, approached next. She opened her arms instinctively... "Son! You're back!"

Yet again, Lucian stepped aside.

Everyone looked at him in confusion. This wasn’t normal.

Yes, Lucian was cold. But he never refused his family a hug.

Then came the grandmother... The matriarch.

When she opened her arms toward him, everyone held their breath.

Lucian hesitated... Then stepped aside.

Shock rippled through the room. It was obvious. He didn’t want anyone to hug him. But why?

And the reason... no matter how absurd it sounded... was something he could never explain.

He excused himself quietly and headed upstairs, leaving his family staring after him.

Halfway up, he stopped and turned. He looked at the butler with a stern gaze.

“Make sure no one washes this suit,” he said calmly, pointing to his attire.

The butler blinked, confused, but nodded.

Lucian disappeared upstairs without another word.

Behind him though...

“Is… he okay?” Lisa asked softly.

Felix shrugged. “Did someone replace our brother?”

Their mother sighed. “He’s hiding something. I wish I could swallow him and give birth to him all over again.”

"Leave him alone. You know how he could be sometimes." Grandma Hale said as she went to take a seat.

If only they knew... Lucian was guarding something far more precious than a suit.

He was guarding the warmth of the woman he had loved for ten years.