Chapter 151
When I regained consciousness, I was in a hospital room reeking of disinfectant.
The steady beeping of medical equipment filled my ears.
I slowly opened my eyes. My vision was blurry, my mind completely blank.
"James, you're finally awake!" A girl I didn't recognize sat by my bed and called out excitedly, quickly pressing the call button for the doctor.
I frowned, looking at this girl whose eyes were red and swollen, her face somehow familiar yet strange. I opened my mouth, my voice hoarse: "Who... are you?"
The smile froze on the girl's face.
The doctor who rushed over quickly examined me, looking serious.
"Mr. Smith suffered severe head trauma from the car accident, resulting in a moderate concussion and minor intracranial bleeding. He's currently showing symptoms of amnesia," the doctor explained to an old woman who was being helped over, and to that unfamiliar girl.
"This amnesia might be temporary, and memory could gradually return as the bleeding is absorbed, but it's also possible... it could be permanent."
"For now, I recommend rest and avoiding any emotional stress, as that could trigger severe headaches and hinder recovery."
The old woman looked at me lying in bed, gazing around in confusion, and let out a heavy sigh.
I felt terrible inside, but I didn't know who they were or how to comfort them: "Who are you? And who am I?"
The old woman's eyes filled with tears: "I'm your grandmother, and you're my second grandson, James."
I shook my head: "Why can't I remember anything?"
"The doctor just said you were in a car accident and lost your memory. It's okay that you don't remember—I'll tell you everything bit by bit." Grandma told me about my background.
She also introduced me to that unfamiliar girl—my cousin, Liliana Smith—and told me about some other people and things from my past.
But I kept feeling like she was forgetting to tell me about someone very important.
I recovered for several months. My physical injuries gradually healed, but my memory showed no signs of returning.
I always felt like there was a hole in my heart, as if I'd forgotten someone and something extremely important. Every time I tried to remember, my head would split with pain.
I suspected this was the person Grandma refused to tell me about, along with some things related to that person.
The doctor warned me not to force myself to remember, or my still-healing brain could have serious problems.
I had no choice but to give up, suppressing that inexplicable emptiness deep in my heart.
I began taking over the company affairs again. Though not as efficient as before, relying on instinct and residual business sense, I managed things fairly well.
A few months later, I needed to travel abroad for an important international partnership.
Before this trip, Grandma gave me countless warnings to be careful.
I agreed to everything.
The plane landed in a completely unfamiliar country.
As the car drove into the city, looking at the foreign streets and pedestrians outside the window, I felt disoriented.
The partnership negotiations went smoothly.
The other company's director warmly invited me to a small business reception that evening at a rather elegant private club.
I wanted to decline, but for some reason, I instinctively agreed.
The reception was full of clinking glasses and well-dressed people.
I held a glass of champagne, somewhat absent-mindedly dealing with small talk from various people, my gaze unconsciously wandering around the venue.
Then my eyes fixed on a woman by the floor-to-ceiling window, wearing a simple beige dress, who turned to the side, talking with a man.
She had a graceful figure and a calm, gentle manner. Her belly was noticeably rounded, and she wore a soft smile. The light cast a faint halo around her.
Just from her back, an overwhelming sense of familiarity washed over me.
Who is she?
Did I forget her?
Why does seeing her make me sad and unable to breathe?
I felt wetness on my face and reached up to touch it.
Tears...
I was actually crying over a familiar stranger.
Why?
I need to see her face, I need to see what she looks like!
A voice in my heart screamed frantically.
I don't know if God heard my plea, but that familiar yet strange woman turned her head.
The moment I saw her profile clearly, it felt like a heavy hammer struck my temple.
I groaned, nearly dropping my glass.
Intense pain crashed over me like waves, accompanied by a sharp stabbing in my heart.
That woman... who is she?
Why does seeing her cause me such pain?
Yet why does an indescribable joy also rise from the bottom of my heart?
I stared at that figure, cold sweat breaking out on my forehead, my face turning pale.
Bodhi noticed something was wrong and came over, quickly supporting me: "Mr. Smith, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
I fought through the headache, forcing words through clenched teeth: "Find out... who that woman by the window is."
I pointed toward the window.
Bodhi looked where I was pointing and also seemed startled: "Did you remember something?"
He looked at me nervously.
I shook my head: "Just feels very familiar."
"Do you know something?" I stared hard at Bodhi.
Bodhi immediately shook his head: "I don't know her, Mr. Smith. This is my first time seeing her—how could I possibly know her?"
"Then go find out." I was losing control of my emotions. "Go find out everything about her, now."
Bodhi didn't dare delay and immediately agreed in a low voice.
A waiter helped me to a nearby lounge. After taking the painkillers I carried with me, the headache eased slightly.
But that woman's quiet, smiling profile was deeply burned into my mind, bringing waves of heart palpitations and hollow pain.
Soon, Bodhi returned with some basic information, wearing a perfectly measured smile.
"Mr. Smith, I found out."
"That lady's name is Sophia Brown. She's a partner at a local design studio, married, and has always lived here." Bodhi reported, according to Grandma's instructions, mixing truth with lies. "From what we found, she has no connection to you whatsoever."
Married?
Always lived here?
No connection to me?
I took the thin file of information. It contained only a few basic lines and one unclear profile photo.
But those few lines felt like a red-hot knife stabbing into my heart.
An indescribable dull pain and sense of loss gripped me, even worse than the earlier headache.
No connection... really?
Then why does my head hurt?
"Are you... Sure, you checked thoroughly?" My voice was hoarse as I clutched the paper tightly.
"Yes, Mr. Smith." Bodhi kept his head down. "This is all we could find. Do you need... a deeper investigation?"
I looked at the word "married" in the file, finding it unbearably glaring. I closed my eyes and waved my hand: "No need."
She's already married with her own life—how could I intrude on that?
But my heart hurts so much, and my head too...
The familiar intense pain struck again, worse than before, my vision going black.
As Bodhi's panicked shouts rang out, I completely lost consciousness.
Sophia's POV:
I got a call from Liliana saying James was here on a business trip.
"Did you run into him?"
Me: "No."
"Sophia, I need to tell you something." Liliana's tone was serious.
She was rarely this serious.
"What is it?"
"James wanted to come find you before, but he got into a car accident on the way to the airport, and he lost his memory."
I froze: "He lost his memory?"