Chapter 1

THE CRASH

TARA’S POV

The world turned upside down. The sound of the metal shrieking in the background and the cabin lights flickering made the atmosphere even more terrifying. As seconds passed by, the plane lurched down. My fingers dug into the armrest, uttering a silent prayer as the storm swallowed us whole.

I closed my eyes tightly, and a certain man’s face filled my mind. The fear of losing everything, no, leaving that man behind ached my heart even more.

I remember reaching for Lea’s hand, holding her tight at the last minute. A blinding light along with a loud explosion etched in my mind… then everything went dark.

Silence greets me as I open my eyes again. The white ceiling stared back at me as I inhaled the sterile air. My body feels so heavy and unfamiliar. Panic surges and I jolt up from the bed, uttering a question that bugs me more than my current situation.

“Who am I?” I whisper, louder than the beeping machines around me. I feel at a loss as my mind fails to give me an answer…a memory, to remind me why I’m in this state.

“Oh, you’re awake.” A soft voice whispers, prompting me to turn to my side. A slender woman sitting next to my bed flashes a faint smile.

Her face is bruised, and she looks at me with trembling lips. When she speaks again, her voice breaks, but her words enlighten me, giving me the answer to my desperate question. “You’re Tara,” she says, her eyes hinting something I can’t name.

Tara? My name is Tara.

“Tara,” I mumble, feeling the name roll off my tongue. I did it a couple more times, but it still sounds strange and unfamiliar.

“You’re a maid,” she continues, tucking my hair behind my ear. Her hand softly pats my shoulder with a timid smile. “You worked for Alexander Jackson… Don’t you remember anything?” she asks, slightly squinting her eyes as she looks at my reaction.

I hesitate for a moment before shaking my head. “I… I have no idea,” I say, feeling helpless as I process everything she said.

So, I’m a maid… And Alexander Jackson is my employer?

“Alexander…” Surprisingly, his name’s easy to say. Was he good to me? I may not remember him but saying his name feels so natural… like I’ve done it countless times in the past. Though the word ‘maid’ seems so foreign, Alexander’s name isn’t.

“There was a crash…” she sobs, balling her hands into fists as tears slowly drip down her face. “We’re in the plane together when it crashed. The doctor said it’s a miracle that you survived. You’ve been unconscious for two weeks now,” she continues and bawls out her eyes.

I don’t know what to say, but seeing how much she shed tears for me makes me feel relieved even a little. I’m glad someone who knows me stays by my side and cares for me to cry this much.

“But don’t worry,” she holds my hand while wiping her tears with the other. “I’ll take care of you,” she smiles.

“I…” I’m still confused despite everything she said. It’s not like it will be easy to accept everything that happened… I have questions in mind… a lot of them I want to ask her.

“Um… May I know who you are? Are you… Are you my family, perhaps?”

I watch her expression shifting as a smile curls up her lips. “I’m Lea, Alexander’s wife. We’re so close before the accident… Can you really not remember anything?”

I hesitantly shake my hhead, ashamed of not knowing anything about me other than what she said so far. “I’m sorry,” I say, bowing my head in embarrassment.

“No, it’s great! I mean, it’s totally fine,” she brushes it off with a laugh and holds my hand, smiling again. “It’s okay. Even if you won’t remember anything, I’ll help you cope. I won’t leave you behind, Tara. After all, you’re like a sister to me.”

Like a sister… That means we’re not real sisters. How can she be so kind as to care for me?

“I guess I’m indeed lucky,” I mutter, smiling back at her. “I not only survived a plane crash but also have someone so kind as you who is staying by my side.”

Lea shakes her head. “No, Tara. It’s me who’s lucky. It’s all thanks to you that I’m going to live a better life after the accident.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” My smile fades as I give her a confused look.

“Ah! I mean, I’m relieved that you’re safe now. I don’t know how to keep living if the plane crash took you away from us,” she replies almost immediately and cries again.

I feel bad seeing her tear up like it’s the only thing she can do to release the pain she feels.

“I see…” I reply, feeling guilty for making her cry. “Please stop crying, Lea.”

Lea wipes her tears as she nods. “Okay. But you didn’t call me Lea in the past. You refer to me as your ‘Madam’. It feels strange being called in a different way than before,” she mumbles, clutching her chest.

“O-Oh… I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable, M-Madam.” I don’t know why, but addressing Lea as Madam seems so hard. It feels like something’s stuck in my throat… Somehow, it doesn’t sound right to me.

“I forgive you, Tara. You’re my lovely sister, so I have to be understanding,” she says, caressing my face.

I don’t want to overthink, but the more I talk with Lea, the clearer it gets to me that something’s amiss. However, I don’t know anyone else now and she seems to be the only one around me. Doubting her will not do me any good… so, relying on her for now is the only choice while I try to recover my memories will be better.

“M-Madam…”

“Yes, Tara?” Lea raises her eyebrows while waiting for me to continue.

I swallow the lump in my throat and gather the courage I have left in me to ask. “B-By any chance… Did my family know about my condition?”