Chapter 160

Third Person POV.

In Richard's room, a tense silence hung heavy in the air as his family gathered around him, their faces holding different emotions ranging from confusion to sadness and relief. Martha clung to her son, her embrace tight and desperate, as she struggled to come to terms with the reality of the situation he was in.

But for Richard, the scene before him was like something out of a surreal dream. He couldn't understand why everyone in the room was staring at him with tear-filled eyes, why he was in a hospital, and why his mother was holding onto him as if her life depended on it. And most of all, he couldn't fathom why everyone looked so different.

Giovanni, his older brother, stood in front of him with a look of concern etched on his features, and Richard couldn't help but notice how Giovanni's appearance had changed since the last time he saw a picture of him. As far as he remembered, Gio had red hair, and he knew his memory wasn't wrong, as he recalled calling him crazy for deciding to dye his hair red despite being thirty-two years old.

To make things worse, there were lines of worry etched into his brother's face that Richard didn't remember ever seeing before, since Gio was a robot that never worried about anything or anyone.

And then there was Elena, his eldest sister, who looked almost unrecognizable to him. He couldn't help but note the changes in her appearance, the slight weight gain, and the shorter stature that seemed out of place compared to his memories of her.

‘How come she looks like she has grown two inches shorter?’ he wondered to himself.

As confused as he was, he knew it would be unwise to mention it, though, as he had no desire to provoke one of her infamous rants.

Even his parents appeared different to him, their faces bearing the marks of age in a way that he hadn't noticed before. Martha's once smooth complexion now bore the signs of aging, and Raymond's hair had turned gray at the temples in a way that Richard found unsettling and confusing.

But perhaps the most perplexing of all was his twin sister, Bianca. She stood in front of him with long hair cascading down her back, a stark contrast to the short haircut he remembered her having.

He couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled over him as he took in her unfamiliar appearance, wondering how she was able to grow her hair out so quickly when she had chopped it off just weeks ago in order to be taken seriously as a cop.

He could still vividly remember how she had cried to him that no one was taking her seriously at work, despite the fact that she was promoted, and without thinking, he had suggested that she find a way to become one of the ‘boys’. Unfortunately, his dumb twin had taken his lame advice a little too seriously and had chopped most of her hair off.

And then there was the woman standing among his family, the one who had called him 'babe' earlier. He knew her name was Amber, but beyond that, she was a complete stranger to him. He couldn't fathom why she was here, why his family seemed to know her, and why she looked at him with such familiarity.

Raymond's voice broke the tense silence, his question a tentative attempt to break through the confusion and uncertainty that surrounded them. "How are you feeling, son?"

But Richard's frustration bubbled to the surface at the repetitive inquiry, his patience worn thin by the barrage of questions he had faced since waking up in the hospital. With a frustrated groan, he turned to his father, his voice tinged with irritation. "No offense, but I'm sick and tired of being asked the same question over and over again, Dad," he snapped. "I've already said I'm fine. What I want to know is what's going on. How did I end up here? And why does everyone look so different?"

The room fell silent at Richard's outburst, and everyone exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of how to respond to his questions. It was Giovanni who finally broke the silence, his frustration evident in the tightness of his jaw as he spoke.

"The doctors have said that we can't overwhelm you with information while you're still recovering," he explained. "They want you to take things slow and focus on getting better, and for this reason, we can't answer all the questions you have."

Richard scoffed at Giovanni's words, his frustration boiling over at the lack of answers. "Do you think I'm stupid, Gio?" he retorted, his tone laced with bitterness. "All I have to do is look down and see why my arm and chest are all wrapped up. It's not rocket science. So just tell me, and don't be silly."

Giovanni's jaw tightened, but he held his tongue, knowing that this wasn't the time for him to get upset. Instead, he met Richard's gaze with a steely resolve, his words measured and calm. "I never said you were stupid, Richard," he said evenly. "The fact that we're not telling you everything has to do with allowing you the space to remember what happened in your own time. Your fragile brain isn't prepared enough to deal with everything we have to say."

Richard sighed in frustration, running his uninjured hand through his hair as he grappled with his emotions. He knew Giovanni was right, but that didn't make the waiting any easier. If they wouldn't tell him how he ended up in the hospital, then perhaps they would at least shed some light on why everyone looked so different.

"If you won't tell me what happened to me, then at least tell me why you all look so different," he demanded. "I don't understand what's going on, and I need some answers, at least.”

“What year is it?” Elena asked, speaking up for the first time since they gathered.

"It's 2016," Richard declared.

Elena sighed softly, shaking her head, before gently correcting him. "No, it's actually 2022," she explained. "You're suffering from partial memory loss. But don't worry; it's not permanent. As long as you don't overexert yourself or experience more stress, your memories should gradually come back."

Richard's brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to process Elena's words, and a dull ache throbbed at the back of his head, making it even harder for him to process what was going on.

Amber, who had been silent since Richard's confusion became apparent, couldn't bear to see him struggling. Without thinking, she spoke up. "Richard, please don't push yourself too hard," she urged. "The doctor said your memories will come back gradually, so you don't need to try to force it."

Richard looked up at her with confusion, his eyes searching her face for answers. His attention turned back to his family, his gaze lingering on Amber with a questioning expression.

"Who is she?" he asked. "And why is she even here?"

Amber's heart clenched at his words, a pang of sadness hitting her as she struggled to find the right words to explain their relationship. She knew she couldn't tell him the truth, not when he didn't even remember her. So, with a heavy heart, she offered a hesitant explanation.

"I'm... I'm a very close friend of the family," she stuttered. "And I'm staying with them for the time being."

"If you're just a family friend, as you claim to be, then why did you call me babe earlier?" Richard asked.

Amber felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she struggled to come up with a plausible explanation. She had called Richard 'babe' earlier without even thinking, caught up in the emotional turmoil of the moment. But now, faced with his questioning gaze, she found herself at a loss for words.

Before she could respond, Bianca jumped in with a hastily blurted-out explanation, her words tumbling out in a rush of awkwardness. "Amber is Giovanni's girlfriend," she announced, realizing how stupid she sounded only after her words came out.

The room fell silent at her words, everyone turning to look at her with varying degrees of surprise and confusion. Giovanni's eyes widened in disbelief, his jaw dropping in shock at the unexpected explanation.

Richard seemed the most taken aback by the revelation, his confusion evident in the furrow of his brow as he turned to Giovanni for confirmation. "Is this true?" he asked. "I thought you didn't do relationships."

Giovanni's expression hardened, his gaze turning icy as he shot a glare in Bianca's direction. "Bianca has clearly lost her mind with the rubbish and just uttered," he muttered under his breath, his tone laced with disgust. "What you just heard was absolute nonsense, brother. Amber is not my girlfriend. You know me well enough, kid. Would I date someone like her?"

Amber felt a surge of relief wash over her at Giovanni's response, grateful that he had swiftly put an end to Bianca's misguided attempt at an explanation. She had no desire to be involved in a romantic misunderstanding, especially not under such circumstances.

Richard's chuckle filled the room, a soft sound that broke through the tension. His words carried a hint of amusement as he addressed the absurdity of the situation; his tone was light and teasing.

"Well, I already know it's not possible that Giovanni and Amber would be dating," he remarked with a wry smile. "Giovanni likes weird-looking women, and from what I'm seeing, Amber is far too pretty to be his type."

Amber's heart fluttered at Richard's words, a surge of warmth flooding her chest at the unexpected compliment. Even though he didn't remember her, the fact that he still found her attractive filled her with a glimmer of hope, a flicker of possibility that maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to jog his memory much faster than she thought.

Giovanni and Elena exchanged a cringe-filled glance at Richard's remark, their disgust evident in the way they shifted. Martha, however, wore a small smile on her face, her eyes shining with pride as she looked at her son.

"Do you really think she's pretty, my dear?" Martha asked.

Richard blinked in confusion at his mother's question, unsure why it was such a big deal that he had called Amber pretty. He shrugged nonchalantly, his gaze returning to Amber as he nodded in affirmation.

"Yeah, I mean, it's just what I'm seeing," he replied. "Amber is definitely too beautiful for the kind of girl Giovanni would date."

As he spoke, his eyes met Amber's, and in that fleeting moment, he caught a glimpse of the subtle sadness lurking in her gaze. It was a look that tugged at his heartstrings, stirring a strange sense of sadness in him.

He felt an inexplicable urge to reach out to her and tell her everything was going to be okay, but he didn't act on his urge.

As the conversation continued to unfold around him, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to his connection with Amber, something that he could only figure out when his memories came back.