The Royal Contract

1200 Back to her old self

She could hear the noises around her. They were voices she did not recognize despite how much she searched her brain for answers. She kept her eyes closed, pretending to be still asleep.

She did not want to face these people who insisted they were family, friends, and her fiancee. But how could she remember them when she could not remember her name? Who was she? What happened to her?

“How is she?” Another voice joined the conversation. A woman’s tone that did not ring a bell in her mind.

How could she face these people when she had no idea who they were? How could she trust them when she could not even trust herself with her limited memories?

“She is ok, except for her memory.” Dr. Roseann, who claimed to be her sister, said. She could finally remember her voice since she and David had constantly talked to her or just conversed in her room while she rested.

“What did the doctors say about her memory?” The other woman asked.

Rosella already knew by heart what the doctors had said about her condition. It could be temporary, ranging from a few days to a month. In this case, she would slowly recover her memories through bits and pieces.

However, her condition could also be long-term, meaning it might take years before she would remember her past. But that was not the worse part. The doctor also said there was a tiny chance it could be permanent.

She would have to start from scratch. Everything about her past would seem like it did not happen. She would have no choice but to start over again. But how would she do that?

.....

She wanted her memory back as she dug deeper into her brain, hoping to unearth her past. But there was nothing there. Her mind was just a jumble mess that did not make sense.

“We could try to show her pictures when she was young. Or any memorabilia that might trigger her memories.” Her sister told the other woman.

“But we need to be more patient and understanding of her condition. This situation must be hard for us, but I doubt this is easy for her.” David, her fiancee, joined in the conversation.

Was she really in a relationship with that man? But how could she answer that when she could not recall a single memory of them together? Suddenly, she wondered if this was what people felt when an alien abducted them. Then, they wiped away their memories.

In her case, they made a mistake, wiping everything, not just a few clips of their abduction. But what was she thinking? Why could she remember such things but fail to recall details of her life?

The doctors could not explain it either. It was just another one of the mysteries of the human mind.

“When could she go home?” The voice asked again, appearing she was genuinely concerned about her well-being.

“Mom, we will know more after the doctors finish their evaluations on her,” Roseann said to the woman she had just called their mother.

Would seeing her face trigger a memory? She doubted, but she still gently opened her eyes, peeking through the tiny slit, wondering if she would feel something when her eyes landed on the other person in the room.

“Do you think she will be better off going home with us?” Her mother, as they claimed her to be, asked her sister.

“But Rosella is already living with me.” Suddenly, the man intervened in the conversation. “She should go home with me.” David insisted, looking more frustrated than before.

Would she like to live with him? But she did not know him. But she also had no recollection of the woman who claimed to be her mother. Therefore, if the doctors said she could go home, where would she go?

Would it be better to go with her family or the man who would become her family soon? She had no idea because nothing about her situation seemed to give her any easy answers.

“But she might find it strange to live with a stranger.” Her mother insisted. “I think she will be more comfortable going home with us.”

“But all of you are strangers to her. She did not remember any of us.” David pointed out, making his point. “But I think it will be easier for her to remember if she returned to her routine.”

What was her routine? She asked herself. What did she do with her life?

She wished with a snap of her finger. Her past would return to her mind. But she doubted it was that simple.

“Hey, we should talk about this later. At the moment, let us wait until the doctor has fully assessed her situation.” Dr. Roseann spoke, mediating between her mother and her fiancee.

Suddenly, she wondered if she even had a say in her life. Or would they keep fighting, believing they knew what was best for her? But her sister was right. She would deal with that later. At the moment, she had to find out what the doctors discovered about her rare condition.

“Where is Dad anyway?” Her sister asked, somehow telling her that she still had a father. She suddenly wondered who else she had forgotten in her life. She remained immobile and silent as she listened to their conversation.

“He is with your sister and your brother. But they are on their way.” Her mother said, making her feel a little anxious and excited at the same time.

Nevertheless, she could not stop feeling frustrated for not remembering them. How could anyone forget her family and the man she was supposed to love?

“David, aren’t you planning to go home? You need to rest and change.” Roseann told her fiancee. The sourcᴇ of this content is NoᴠelFɪre.net

Yes, she remembered that he was the first person she saw when she opened her eyes. He looked thrilled to see her, but his eyes were shedding tears.

She could hardly understand his words, but she felt his hands covering hers and his lips kissing her. He had been there from the moment she woke up. It appeared he had not left since then.

“Maybe later, after the doctors had made their rounds.” He answered, not wanting to leave his position.

Maybe he did love her as he had claimed. But did she love him? How could she answer that question? How did she feel about him? Of course, nothing. He was a stranger, just like the rest of them.

“Hey, Rosella. You are awake.” Her sister must have noticed her eyes, gazing at them.

She forgot to close her eyes again. But then again, she was tired of pretending to be sleeping. She slowly moved into her bed and sat down. Quickly, her sister helped with the bed so she could comfortably sit while they waited for the doctors to return with their findings.

She could only hope that they would have better things to say. She did not know how she would live like this, not knowing who she was or who they were.

“Hi, Roseann.” She greeted her since she was the first to stand by her bed.

“Did you sleep well?” Her sister asked, which she answered with a nod. She could still feel her voice was dry. It was still slightly painful to talk. “Wait. I will get you some water.” She offered, probably noticing her parch lips.

“Thanks.” She answered as she returned with a glass of water and helped her sip slowly through a straw.

But her eyes shifted from the man who stood on the other side of the bed and the older woman on the other side. She remembered David’s face since she had seen him several times.

However, she was still scrutinizing her mother’s face, etching every contour of her lovely face into her mind. At the moment, that was all she could do.

“How are you feeling?” Finally, the older woman stood closer to her bed, taking her hand and covering them with hers. “You don’t know how happy we are to see you open your eyes again.”

Suddenly, tears dropped in her mother’s eyes. The depth of her sorrow was etched on her face, making her teary somehow. But not because she remembered her mother but because something in her expression made her emotional.

But she had no idea what.

“I am ok.” She answered her mother, hoping the moment would trigger a part of her brain that would make her remember.

Frankly, she did not know how she should deal with them. She wanted to feel something for them, but there was nothing but sympathy. She was sorry she could not be her daughter or sister as she looked at the two women in the room.

She also felt bad that she could not say I love you back to the man that looked like she had just torn his heart into pieces. It was like she was an impostor, living in this body.

How she wished none of them had to go through this. That by some magical powers, she would snap out of this. Then, all her memories would return, flooding her mind like a tidal wave.

Then, she would remember. She would be back to her old self.