Ella stood frozen at the foot of the hospital bed, her hands trembling so violently she had to grip the metal railing to keep from collapsing.
Leon's dark eyes stared back at her, confused, empty of the years of madness and obsession that once burned there.
He blinked slowly, his brows furrowed as if trying to pull memories from a place just out of reach.
"…Who are you?" he asked again, his voice hoarse but soft, the words cutting deeper than any knife could.
The question echoed in her mind like a cruel joke from fate.
She should feel relief.
Isn't this what she wanted all along? A clean break, freedom from the man who haunted every step she took?
But why… why did it feel like her entire world was collapsing in on itself?
Why did her chest ache like she'd just been abandoned by him all over again?
And worse—why did it terrify her more to be forgotten than to be hated?
It was like standing at the edge of a familiar cliff, one she'd thrown herself from before and survived—only to find that this time, the fall would be endless, and there'd be no ground left to break her landing.
Her voice cracked as she tried to speak.
"I'm…" She swallowed hard, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. "I'm no one important. Just… someone passing through."
But even as she turned to leave, his fingers twitched again—this time, reaching weakly toward her.
And then—barely above a whisper—he called out.
"…Ella?"
She froze.
Her heart slammed against her ribs, a raw gasp escaping her lips.
He didn't remember her mind.
But his heart…
His heart still knew.