My head was throbbing as I sat up on the bed, and despite my blurry vision, I looked around my surroundings to figure out where I was.
I was inside a wooden cottage, a lamp standing on the bedside table illuminating the entire room as the gush of the waves in the ocean outside tandem with the chirps of the crickets.
I had never been here before—I was certain of that. Yet, as I searched my mind for any trace of familiarity, all I found was emptiness.
It was as if I had been wiped clean, stripped of every piece of identity that had once made me me.
Then, a voice cut through the silence.
“You’re awake…”
I turned sharply, my heart pounding as I searched for the source of the voice.
A tall, well-built man stood by the wooden door, his face illuminated by the warm glow of the lamp he held in one hand. His dark eyes were unreadable, yet there was something in them—relief, perhaps, or something deeper.
Before I could utter a word, he quickly placed the lamp down and strode toward me with purpose.
“Emily, I was very worried. I thought you would never wake up,” he said as he pulled me into a tight embrace.
“E-Emily?” I asked, barely whispering.
The name was unfamiliar to me, giving me this weird feeling that I couldn’t quite point out.
He pulled back just enough to cup my face in his large, roughened hands, his fingers brushing against my cheek with delicate gentleness.
"Yes," he said softly. "Your name is Emily."
I swallowed hard, staring at him, searching his face for any flicker of recognition. But there was nothing. Just a stranger looking at me as if I was the center of his world.
"And… you?" My voice was barely above a whisper. "Who are you?"
A faint smile played on his lips. "I am Nathan," he said. "I am your husband."
Husband.
His words echoed inside my head over and over, making it throb in pain again as voices suddenly mingled with it. I could hear my own voice saying the word Nathan used to introduce his relation to me, but it seemed like I was calling out someone’s name.
My breathing grew unsteady, my fingers clutching at the sheets beneath me. "I… I don’t understand," I admitted.
Nathan's expression softened as he took my hands in his, his thumb stroking the back of mine as if to comfort me. "You need to rest, Emily," he murmured. "Don’t force yourself to remember."
I shook my head. "Remember?" My voice wavered. "How can I remember when there’s nothing there? What happened to me, Nathan? Why don’t I know who I am?"
A deep sigh escaped him, his gaze flickering with something unreadable. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally spoke.
"You were in an accident," he explained gently. "A storm hit while we were at sea. The boat capsized, and you hit your head in the water. When we found you, you were unconscious."
A gasp escaped my lips upon hearing the information, but before I could open my mouth again to ask another question, Nathan pulled me into a hug and softly laid our intertwined bodies on the bed.
"We must rest now, wife," he whispered, his breath warm against my hair. "I will explain everything tomorrow. And I’ll take you for a walk around the village. It might help you feel more at home."
His voice was steady, comforting. His body radiated warmth, making it difficult to resist his hold. So, in the end, I let out a soft sigh and nestled closer to him.
But I did not sleep. I lay awake the entire night, staring at the window, watching as the darkness slowly faded and the golden hues of dawn spilled across the sky.
“You promised to take me for a walk around the village,” I reminded Nathan as I watched him buttoning his tunic to prepare for fishing in the ocean.
“Yes,” he replied. “Let’s go.”
He took my hand and we walked out of our mini cottage together, immediately greeted by a swarm of village people who were just minding their own business before I showed up.
Their heads turned in my direction in unison, whispering to each other as Nathan and I walked past them.
Their eyes gave me chills all over my body, making me conscious and to bow down my head.
“Do not mind them. They are just surprised that you are finally awake,” Nathan told me.
“How long have I been unconscious?” I asked.
“Almost a year.” His answer made me gasp, clutching my own mouth to suppress it. “And we have been married for almost two years, Emily.”
“D-Do we… do we have children?”
“How I wish.” Nathan chuckled. “But you are enough for me. All I want is you.”
My heart warmed from his words, tugging my lips into a genuine smile as I watched him gently kiss the back of my hand.
I couldn’t believe that I have a husband like him. I must be the luckiest wife in the whole wide world. But at the same time, I felt like it was odd— like I haven't been treated this way before, like I endured something… pain? betrayal? I couldn’t exactly place what.
“I must go to work now,” Nathan said. “I’ll see you later.”
He kissed the top of my head before turning his back to walk toward the ocean, then when he was already out of sight, I overheard a conversation between the villagers.
“A millionaire from the City is looking for his only daughter heiress. They said she vanished almost a year ago and was suspected to be kidnapped by syndicates.”
