Chapter 2: The crash that stole his memory
1222 Words
Morning came too quickly.
Not gently, not softly but like something unwanted forcing its way into a life that hadn’t settled yet.
Isabella didn’t remember falling asleep.
Only the weight of exhaustion dragging her down sometime before dawn, still in her wedding dress, still sitting on the edge of a bed that felt too large for one person, too empty.
A faint knock echoed at the door.
Polite, careful.
Like whoever stood outside already knew this room wasn’t meant to be disturbed.
“Mrs. DeLuca?”
The title felt unfamiliar.
Heavy, wrong.
Isabella opened her eyes slowly, her head aching as reality settled back in.
“Yes?” her voice was rough, barely above a whisper.
“The driver is ready, ma’am.”
She frowned slightly.
“Driver?”
A pause.
Then—
“Mr. DeLuca instructed that you be taken home.”
Home.
Not their home, not his home.
Just away.
Isabella’s chest tightened, but she forced herself to stand.
The dress rustled softly as she moved, a reminder of everything that had happened only hours ago.
“Tell him I’ll be down shortly.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Footsteps retreated and silence returned.
The Absence That Spoke Louder, the room was exactly as she had left it.
Untouched, unchanged.
Except for one thing— Leonard was gone, no sign he had slept here, no sign he had even considered it, only a glass left on the table.
Half-empty, cold, lLike him.
Isabella stared at it for a moment longer than she should have.
Then turned away because if she didn’t—
She might start feeling things she wasn’t ready to face.
The House That Wasn’t Hers
The DeLuca estate was massive.
Imposing, beautiful in a way that felt distant rather than welcoming.
As the car pulled up, Isabella looked out the window quietly, taking in the tall gates, the endless stretch of polished stone, the quiet perfection of it all.
This was supposed to be her home now but nothing about it felt like it belonged to her.
The doors opened before she could reach them.
Staff lined the entrance, waiting, prepared, watching.
“Welcome, Mrs. DeLuca.”
The words echoed too loudly, too formally like they belonged to someone else.
Isabella nodded slightly, stepping inside.
Every step felt like she was entering someone else’s life because she was …Rules Without Warmth
“Mr. DeLuca has left instructions,” a woman in a tailored uniform said, walking beside her.
Of course he had.
“What kind of instructions?” Isabella asked.
“Your schedule. Your rooms. Your access.”
Access, not ot freedom, not comfort.
Access.
Isabella let out a slow breath.
“Of course.”
They walked through a long corridor, sunlight spilling through tall windows, illuminating walls filled with art that looked too expensive to touch.
“Your room is this way.”
“My room?” Isabella stopped.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“Mr. DeLuca prefers separate arrangements.”
Of course he did.
She should have expected it.
Still— Hearing it out loud felt different.
Sharper, more final.
The First Crack
Her room was beautiful, elegant, perfect.And completely empty.
No warmth, no life, no sign that anyone had ever truly lived there.
Isabella stepped inside slowly, her fingers brushing lightly against the edge of a table.
“This is where I stay?” she asked quietly.
“Yes, ma’am.”
The woman hesitated slightly.
“As per Mr. DeLuca’s request.”
Of course.
Everything was his request.
His control, his world and she was just placed in it.
The Unexpected Encounter
“Good.”
A voice cut through the silence.
Familiar, cold.
Leonard.
Isabella turned instantly.
He stood by the doorway now, already dressed, already composed—like the night before had meant nothing, like it hadn’t even happened.
Her heart reacted before she could stop it.
Fast, unsteady.
“What.”
He didn’t respond to her tone only her presence.
“You’ll stay here,” he said simply.
No greeting, no acknowledgment, just instruction.
Isabella straightened slightly.
“And if I don’t want to?”
A dangerous question but she asked it anyway.
His gaze sharpened.
“You don’t have to want it.”
A pause.
“You just have to do it.”
Her jaw tightened.
“I’m not one of your employees.”
“No,” he said calmly.
“You’re not.”
A step closer.
“But you are still under my name.”
`
The words settled between them.
Heavy, possessive, unavoidable.
The Warning
“I don’t expect anything from you,” Leonard continued.
“Really,” she replied quickly.
He didn’t react.
“I also don’t tolerate interference.”
Her brows furrowed.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you stay out of my business.”
A pause.
“And out of my life.”
That stung more than it should have.
But Isabella didn’t show it.
“I think you made that clear last night.”
Silence.
Then for a brief second—
Something flickered in his eyes.
Gone before she could understand it.
“Good,” he said again.
Then turned just like that.
Leaving again.
The Beginning of Change
“Sir—”
A man rushed down the hall, breath uneven.
Leonard stopped.
Irritated.
“What?”
“There’s been an issue with the car.”
Isabella frowned slightly.
“What kind of issue?”
The man hesitated.
Then—
“The brakes failed during inspection.”
Silence.
Leonard’s expression darkened instantly.
“That car was used this morning,” he said.
“Yes, sir.”
Isabella’s breath caught.
That was her car.
The Hook
Leonard turned slowly his gaze landed on Isabella.
For the first time—
Not cold, not distant.
Something sharper, more dangerous.
“Did you go out this morning?”
Her pulse spiked.
“No.”
A pause.
“Why?”
Silence stretched.
Then Leonard said something that made the air shift completely—
“Because someone just tried to kill you.”
The Storm Before Impact
Rain poured heavily across the city streets.
Leonard drove through the storm in silence, one hand gripping the wheel while his thoughts remained fixed on the estate.
Someone cutting brake lines wasn’t random.
It was deliberate, calculated.
Which meant someone was testing boundaries, testing him.
His jaw tightened.
Big mistake.
The phone on the passenger seat buzzed again.
Unknown number.
Leonard almost ignored it.
Almost.
But something made him answer.
“What?”
A distorted voice echoed through the speaker.
“You should’ve protected your wife better.”
Leonard’s eyes darkened instantly.
“Who is this?”
Soft laughter answered him.
Then—
“She won’t survive long enough to become a weakness.”
The line went dead.
Something cold settled in Leonard’s chest.
For the first time in years—
He felt something dangerously close to fear.
The Crash
Everything happened too fast.
A truck appeared through the rain suddenly, headlights blinding against the storm.
Wrong lane, too fast.
Leonard reacted instantly, jerking the wheel sharply.
Tires screamed against wet pavement.
The world spun violently, metal crushed, glass exploded.
Pain tore through him as the car slammed into the divider with devastating force.
Then—Nothing.
Hours Later
Darkness, muted voices.
Machines beeping steadily.
A sharp scent of antiseptic filled the air.
- Writer
