Chapter 174 Natalya
June
My fist tightens at my side as I watch Hermes’s eyelids flutter open, slow, uncertain. My chest tightens. This is it. Game time.
I glance at Ted. He gives me a subtle nod, then stands beside me, his hands hovering over my waist like a protective shield—or maybe a calming pill. I swallow hard, trying not to betray the storm of panic inside me.
"Huh—" Hermes mutters, his voice rough and disoriented. "Where am I?"
My stomach knots. His brain has clearly done a full reset. All the memories I worked so hard to tease back… gone. And somehow, it feels like it’s my fault.
Ted steps forward, firm but gentle. "Hey, buddy," he says, leaving my side and moving toward Hermes’s bed. His voice is calm, reassuring.
"Ted… what happened?" Hermes struggles to sit up, confusion and exhaustion written on his face.
I feel a tear slip, unbidden, and quickly swipe it away before he can see. My chest aches. How did it get this bad? He’s worse than I feared. Completely reset. I should have paced myself. I should have—no. I can’t dwell on it now.
This only motivates me further to play the act. I step closer and sit beside Ted, trying to steady my shaking hands.
Hermes meets my gaze, eyes searching, confused.
"Hermes…" I start slowly, my voice trembling just a little, "Do you remember—"
"Natalya?" Hermes cuts in immediately, his eyes dark and brooding.
My eyes widen. I snap my gaze at Ted, who is equally surprised, though his expression remains carefully neutral.
Natalya? He remembers her—but not me. The same woman who orchestrated the chaos that nearly destroyed him and his family. The same woman who blackmailed us, tormented our love. How could he remember her and not me?
I can’t take it anymore. I spring up and walk out of the room, heart hammering.
Ted follows quickly.
"Ted, what am I supposed to do?" I lament, pacing outside the ward.
"He remembers her," Ted says, his tone measured but firm. "And she’s dead, for God’s sake. If we tell him the truth about her, we’ll have to explain everything—what happened to him, to you, to me. Every detail. Her death is intricately tied to what we’re hiding."
I stop, staring at him. "No… no, college. That’s too far back. I didn’t even know him a year ago. Ted, I have two days—or he’s gone. Can’t we just hide this fact from Lucien?"
Ted exhales, running a hand through his hair, his voice calm but authoritative. "June… as his doctor, I need to tell you something. Memories will come back in fragments, unpredictably. Stress, emotional overload, or forcing recollection can trigger dangerous reactions—like the fainting earlier. If we push him too fast, he could collapse again. We need to monitor him closely, pace the memory recovery, and limit shock. Right now, we observe. We note what he recalls and intervene gently when necessary. That’s the safest way to protect him—and you."
I bit my lips, fingers fidgeting nervously as I glanced at Ted. "Please… just give me one day to do this my way," I begged, my voice tight.
Ted rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his expression calm but firm. "Alright, June. One day. But I need to book a session for Hermes immediately—with a neurophysiologist. He needs structured guidance to process his memories safely."
I nodded quickly, relief and urgency mingling in my chest. I couldn’t waste a second. Taking his hands gently, I led him back toward the room. Every step felt like a countdown. This was my chance—my only chance—to make Hermes remember me properly this time.
"Uh… I—" Hermes started, voice catching. "I… I’m sorry, June. I thought… I thought you were—"
I raised an eyebrow, silently urging him to finish.
"T-Natalya," he admitted, face flushed, embarrassed, almost guilty. "I… I got confused. I didn’t mean—"
I forced a soft smile, waving off his apology. "It’s fine," I said, sliding closer to Ted. "Just… let me fix something."
I guided Ted back toward the room, my fingers still fidgeting as I stole quick glances at Hermes. He blinked up at me, unsteady and confused, like a man trying to piece together fragments of a dream. My stomach tightened—I had to make this work.
Ted gave me a small, reassuring nod, and I took a deep breath. "Ready?" I whispered.
"Ready," he replied softly.
We stepped inside. Hermes’s eyes immediately flicked between us, his gaze sharp yet uncertain.
"Uh… I—" Hermes started, but Ted cut him off smoothly, with a gentle but authoritative tone: "Hermes, I want you to meet my girlfriend, June."
Hermes froze. His brow furrowed as he took in the sight of me next to Ted, smiling, casual, intimate in a way that made my chest ache and my heart pound.
"Y-you… your girlfriend?" he stammered, eyes focusing on me.
"Oh my—" He started, voice catching. "I… I’m sorry, June. I thought… I thought you were—"
I raised an eyebrow, silently urging him to finish.
"T-Natalya," he admitted, face flushed, embarrassed, almost guilty. "I… I got confused. I didn’t mean—"
I forced a soft smile, waving off his apology. "It’s fine," I said, sliding closer to Ted. "Just… let me fix something."
I leaned in, my hands brushing through Ted’s hair as though I were removing a stray thread. Hermes’s eyes widened at the contact, watching us intently, confusion written across every line of his face.
I kept my movements slow as my fingers lingers just a little longer than necessary, my heart praying this little act—the closeness, the tenderness, the illusion of affection—would start to awaken something in him.
Hermes shifted uncomfortably on the bed, clearly unsure what to make of the scene, and I couldn’t help but feel a small thrill at his awkward tension. Good. This confusion… it meant the plan was working, at least a little.
I whispered softly to myself, almost like a prayer: Come on… come back to me.
I leaned forward to grab Ted’s glass of water from the tray, praying this act would finally stir something—anything—in Hermes. My stomach twisted, the pressure of the past few days weighing me down, making my limbs feel heavier than usual.
And then—my foot slipped.
Time slowed.
I flailed, hands grabbing at air, and for a horrifying second, I was going down.
"Hermes!" Ted shouted, instinctively moving forward, but before he could reach me—
Strong arms wrapped around my waist. My chest pressed against someone’s, and I froze. My heart pounded violently as I realized… it was Hermes.
Our eyes locked. His, dark and sharp, holding me steady in a way that made my knees weak. My breath hitched, and I could barely think past the heat rising from his chest into mine.
"I’ve got you," he murmured, his voice low and steady—but there was something in it, something unplaceable, that made the world narrow down to just us.
I couldn’t move. My hands clutched his shoulders almost unconsciously, and I could feel his heartbeat under my fingers. His eyes searched mine, wide, intense, as if trying to read the fragments of me he didn’t yet remember.
And then it happened—he smiled, just a hint, just the barest curve of his lips. And I swear, the air between us crackled.
"June…" His voice was almost a whisper, loaded with a gravity I’d never heard before.
I swallowed hard, heat pooling in my chest. I wanted to say something, to reassure him, to remind him I was still the same girl—but before I could speak, Ted’s hand landed gently on my shoulder, breaking the spell.
Hermes’s eyes flicked to Ted, but then back to me, and something unspoken passed between us.
And that’s when my foot slipped again—but this time, the moment felt different. Dangerous. Intimate. Like a magnet pulling us closer, but I didn’t know if it was gravity… or him.
Everything froze.