I stood there frozen as he came closer. For a moment our eyes met when he passed by me... He slowed down slightly, almost like he recognized me.
His gaze swept over my face.
Cold.
Sharp.
There was nothing in his eyes except distance. It felt like a blade sliding across my skin.
Then he looked away as if I didn't exist and kept walking straight toward the emergency room, still holding Amber close.
My fingers curled slowly at my sides.
I didn't follow him. I stayed there staring at the ground, trying to think about what I should do next. Go back to parents who clearly didn't want me? Find a husband who couldn't even stand looking at me? What kind of life had I been living before this?
I barely had time to finish that thought when I heard footsteps behind me.
I turned around.
Manuel had come back.
Before I could react, his hand grabbed my wrist. His grip was strong enough to make me frown.
He stared at me for a moment before asking, “You have Rh-negative blood, right?”
I blinked in confusion. “I… I don't know. I just woke up today and I can't remember any—”
He cut me off by pulling me along the hallway.
“Amber was in a car accident,” he said quickly. “She lost a lot of blood and the hospital doesn't have enough of her type right now. They said you might match.”
His voice stayed calm, but there was clear urgency in it.
“Will you donate some blood for her?”
I opened my mouth to answer, still trying to process everything.
“I… I don't even know—”
Suddenly his hand moved to the back of my head.
Before I understood what he was doing, he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine.
The kiss lasted less than a second.
It was cold and empty, almost mechanical.
Then he pulled away and looked at me again with those same distant eyes.
“Is that enough? Can we go donate blood now?”
I just stood there staring at him, my brain still blank from what just happened.
The next thing I knew, a nurse was already guiding me toward the blood collection room.
Everything moved quickly after that. I was placed in a chair, my sleeve rolled up, equipment prepared. Through the door I could hear nurses whispering to each other.
“Isn't that Mrs. Davenport?” one of them murmured.
“Yeah. The one who tried killing herself almost fifty times.”
Another nurse let out a soft laugh. “I heard the first time she tried it was because she wanted President Davenport to kiss her. The second time she begged him to go on a date with her. Then the third time she asked to spend the night with him.”
“And he rejected her every single time,” someone added.
“That's so embarrassing.”
Another voice chimed in quietly. “Well, looks like she finally got her kiss today.”
A small pause followed.
“Too bad it was only because Miss Amber needed blood.”
Someone sighed. “Imagine finally getting what you begged for and realizing it was only for another woman. That's gotta hurt.”
The needle slid into my vein.
It stung.
But the pain felt strangely distant.
Through the glass window beside me, I could see another hospital room down the hall.
Manuel stood beside Amber's bed.
He held her hand carefully in both of his, his long fingers wrapped around hers as if she was something incredibly precious. Then he lowered his head and gently kissed the back of her hand.
That kiss was completely different.
Soft.
Careful.
Full of affection.
I watched them quietly while my blood slowly filled the bag beside me.
Strangely, I didn't feel happy.
But I didn't feel heartbroken either.
Maybe the old Aurora would have cried. Maybe she would have felt like her chest was tearing apart.
But I remembered nothing.
The pain of the needle stayed dull and far away, almost as if there was a thin wall separating me from everything.
I stared at the dark red line moving through the tube and a small thought slipped into my mind.
Was my life really that miserable before?
Did I really beg someone like him for love again and again?
The idea felt strange.
And then another thought came quietly after it.
Maybe losing all my memories wasn't the worst thing that could've happened.
Maybe forgetting everything… was the only mercy God ever gave me.
After they finished taking my blood, I walked out of the room feeling lightheaded. They said it was about 400 cc. My legs felt weak and my vision kept going blurry, like the hallway lights were smearing together.
I leaned against the wall for a while and tried to breathe slowly.
Should I just leave?
But then another problem hit me.
Where was I even supposed to go?
I didn't know my parents' address. I didn't know where Manuel lived. I didn't know anything.
After standing there for a long time, I forced myself to walk down the hall.
Manuel was still outside Amber's room.
I stopped a few feet away from him and spoke carefully. “Manuel… can you tell me our home address?”
He turned to look at me, his brows already pulling together.
I quickly added, “I'll give you something in return. A gift.”
His expression darkened instantly. “A gift? What kind of game are you playing now?”
I shook my head weakly. “It's not a game.”
He let out a short laugh that wasn't amused at all. “Aurora, you've tried killing yourself nearly fifty times. And now you're telling me you forgot where your own house is?”
I swallowed. “I... I lost my memory. The doctor said it's dissociative amnesia.”
He stared at me for a moment, clearly not believing a single word.
Then he said flatly, “The driver is waiting outside. Tell him to take you home.”
That was it.
I nodded slowly. “Okay… thank you.” Then I added quietly, “I'll still prepare the gift.”
His face turned colder. “You don't have to. I'm not interested in anything you give me. Stop trying to please me. It's pointless.”
For a moment I just looked at him. Then I lowered my eyes and gave a tiny smile.
“Are you sure?”
Because this gift…
You are definitely going to notice it.
I didn't say that out loud though.
I walked outside and got into the car.
The driver looked at me through the rearview mirror. “Good afternoon, ma'am. Home?”
“Yeah,” I said quietly.
But before the car even left the hospital parking lot, I pulled out my phone. My contacts list was full of unfamiliar names. I scrolled slowly until one stood out.
Lawyer.
I opened the chat and typed a message.
“Hello. I need your help. I want to divorce my husband and also legally cut ties with my parents. Can you prepare a divorce agreement and a document to terminate the parent-child relationship?”
The reply came almost immediately.
“Of course, Ms. Moore. I'll start drafting the paperwork right away.”
I stared at the message for a few seconds before locking the phone.
Outside the window, buildings and cars rushed past. Everything looked new.
Maybe it actually was.
If I really forgot everything… wasn't that the same as starting over?
“Driver,” I suddenly said.
“Yes, ma'am?”
“Don't go home yet. Can you take me to the immigration office first?”
The driver blinked and glanced at me through the mirror again.
“The immigration office?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I need to process some paperwork.”
He looked confused, but he still nodded. “Alright, ma'am. We'll head there now.”
The ride was quiet after that.
The immigration office wasn't busy and everything went surprisingly smoothly. The staff checked my documents and explained the process.
One of them smiled politely. “Everything looks good, Ms. Moore. Your paperwork should be finished in about half a month.”
