Six Missing Months

Alena's voice came out hoarse and weak, barely audible behind the oxygen mask covering her face.

The bespectacled female doctor looked at her with gentle concern.

"Miss, your name is Serena Blackwood. You've been here for six months. You fell into a coma after a severe fire accident."

"No..." Alena shook her head weakly. Her head throbbed. "I'm Alena Kensington. I... was in a fire at Manhattan Memorial Hospital. My husband... Tristan... he tried to kill me..."

The words came out broken, punctuated by Alena's still-weak breathing and the terror of remembering what she'd endured.

The doctor and nurse exchanged glances. Doubt flickered in their eyes.

"Miss Serena, you may still be disoriented from the prolonged coma. It's normal. Memories can get mixed up—"

"I'M NOT CONFUSED!"

Alena tried to scream, but her voice only emerged as a harsh whisper that burned her throat. Tears streamed down her cheeks, wetting the bandages still covering parts of her face.

"I know who I am. I'm Alena. Not Serena. I have a mother named Diana Vale. I... work at a multinational PR firm. I have leukemia. And my husband... Tristan. He tried to kill me with my best friend, Sienna Reid..."

The doctor sighed deeply. "Miss, listen to me—"

"Where am I now? What hospital is this?"

Alena interrupted, her eyes scanning the room. This wasn't the hospital where she was usually treated. This room was far too luxurious. Walls in soft cream tones with mahogany accents. Advanced medical equipment she'd never seen before. Even her bed felt like a five-star hotel mattress.

"If I've really been in a coma for six months, I should be dead."

Alena stared at the doctor and nurse with deep suspicion. She remembered Dr. Julian Marks's statement that she only had six months to live.

The late-stage leukemia Alena suffered from was incurable. Cancer cells had already spread throughout her body. The chemotherapy she'd undergone was only to slow progression—not cure it.

If six months had passed, Alena should be dead. But why was she still here? Breathing. Moving. Alive. How was this possible?

"The doctor said I only had six months. If now... six months have passed, why am I still alive? Why haven't I died?!"

Alena's voice rose hysterically. The heart monitor beeped faster. She began to hyperventilate.

"Miss, please calm down—" the nurse tried to soothe her, but Alena shook her head violently.

"Who are you people really?!"

Alena tried to sit up, clutching the sheets with trembling hands. Her body shook violently. Fear, confusion, and frustration all mixed together.

Her memory was stuck on the events from six months ago when Tristan had chased her, trying to kill her. She was terrified the doctor and nurse before her were Tristan's accomplices.

"Are you trying to trick me on Tristan's orders?!"

"Miss, please stay calm."

Dr. Helena tried to explain calmly while taking out her phone and showing Alena the screen.

"The fire that affected you happened six months ago, in May. And now—it's November."

Alena stared at the phone screen in bewilderment. Her eyes widened at the display showing November 11th, not May.

But Alena was certain yesterday was still May 15th, Tristan's birthday. She couldn't possibly forget that day. The day Tristan and Sienna's betrayal was exposed.

"I don't understand," Alena whispered. "If I've really been in a coma for six months, why am I still alive? What happened to me? Why hasn't my body... died?!"

The doctor smiled thinly. "You're still alive because of the medical team at Aldrich Clinic. We've provided the best treatment for six months. Mr. Kaevan Aldrich brought in the world's top oncologists to care for you. You received highly expensive and advanced experimental therapy—treatment not available at ordinary hospitals."

"Kaevan Aldrich?"

Alena whispered softly. The name felt foreign, yet familiar.

As an employee at a multinational PR firm, Alena knew who Kaevan Aldrich was. He was one of the biggest clients at her company. A young CEO who headed Aldrich Technologies—a healthcare technology and biotechnology conglomerate with a market value in the billions.

A 35-year-old man who rarely appeared in the media. Private. Mysterious. But highly influential in the global pharmaceutical and medical technology industry.

Aldrich Technologies had various subsidiaries—from developing revolutionary cancer drugs to advanced medical devices to exclusive health clinics like the one where Alena now found herself. The company wasn't just wealthy—they were pioneers in medical innovation that saved millions of lives.

Alena had seen his name on several proposals that crossed her desk. She'd heard her bosses discuss how difficult it was to get Kaevan Aldrich's approval for his company's PR campaigns. The man was a perfectionist. Demanded nearly impossible standards. Disliked publicity. Avoided media interviews.

He was the type of CEO who let his work speak—not himself.

Alena had never met him directly. Clients as major as Kaevan Aldrich were handled by senior executives—not by Alena, who was only a mid-level manager.

And now... a man like that had saved her life?

Why?

Why would someone of his caliber save her?

Why would he bother bringing Alena to his private clinic?

Why would he spend money—certainly a staggering amount—to treat a strange woman he didn't even know?

"Why did he do all this?" Alena asked in a trembling voice. "I... I don't even know him. Why did he save me?"

Dr. Helena looked at Alena with an unreadable expression. "You'll have to ask Mr. Aldrich that directly, Miss. It's not my place to answer."

Before Alena could ask anything else, the door opened.

A tall man in a black suit strode in with calm yet commanding steps.

Tall, perhaps around six feet. An athletic build clearly visible despite being hidden beneath the expensive black suit he wore. Jet-black hair combed neatly back. Sharp features with a strong jawline and defined cheekbones. Dark eyes—almost black—that watched with an intensity that made Alena struggle to breathe.

"Thank you, Dr. Helena. I'll speak with her myself," the man said in a deep voice that sounded extremely familiar to Alena's ears.

Alena immediately recognized that voice. The voice that had asked "Are you okay?" in the elevator before she'd fainted.

Dr. Helena nodded respectfully and left with the nurse, leaving Alena alone with the man who'd saved her life.

The man stepped closer. His dark eyes fixed on Alena with an intense gaze—as if measuring, assessing, trying to read every thought crossing her mind.

"You're awake," he said quietly, his voice relieved though his expression remained controlled. "I almost thought you'd never open your eyes again."