The amnesia, his obsession

Chapter 18: Not again

Her voice trembled. Barely there.

His body collapsed against her.

Heavy, unresponsive.

"LEONARD!" She screamed.

The scream tore out of her chest raw and terrified.

Everything blurred.

The guards rushed forward.

Voices overlapped, orders were shouted.

"Call the doctor!"

"Get the car ready!"

"Move!"'

But Isabella didn't move.

She couldn't.

Her hands pressed against his chest, trying to stop the blood.

But it wouldn't stop.

It kept coming, warm and terrifying.

"Stay with me... please..." she whispered, her voice breaking.

For a second—Nothing.

Then—

His fingers twitched, her breath caught.

"Leonard?" she leaned closer.

His eyes opened slightly, unfocused, weak but searching.

"For... you..." he whispered.

Her heart shattered.

"I'm here," she said quickly. "I'm right here."

His lips moved again.

"Don't... go..."

Tears streamed down her face.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said. "I promise."

That was enough.

His body went still again.

"No—no, no!" she cried. "Leonard!"

"Move him now!" a guard shouted.

They pulled him away from her carefully, placing him onto a stretcher.

Isabella stumbled forward.

"I'm coming with him!"

One of the guards hesitated but no one stopped her.

Minutes later—

The car sped through the night.

Sirens, speed, chaos.

But inside—

Only silence.

Isabella held his hand tightly.

Her fingers wrapped around his like it was the only thing keeping him alive.

"You don't get to leave me like this..." she whispered.

Her voice shook.

"You don't get to protect me... and then disappear..."

Tears fell freely now.

"You don't even remember me..." she cried softly, "and you're still doing this..."

Her grip tightened.

"So what happens when you do remember?"

Silence.

Her chest tightened painfully.

"Will you still choose me?" she whispered.

No answer.

Just the sound of the car cutting through the night.

Hospital bright lights, cold walls, rushing footsteps.

They took him away from her.

Again.

"Wait—!" she tried to follow.But a nurse stopped her.

"You can't go in."

The doors shut.

And just like that—She was alone.

Minutes turned into hours.

Isabella sat in the waiting area.

Still, silent, broken.

Her mind replayed everything.

The contract, the lies, the truth, and him, always him.

"Your brain is protecting you..."

The doctor's words echoed in her head.

"From emotional trauma..."

Her chest tightened.

"So I'm trauma?" she whispered to herself.

Her hands clenched slightly.

"Am I something you needed to forget...?"

Tears slid down quietly.

Then— Footsteps.

She looked up to the doctor, her heart stopped.

"Is he okay?" she asked immediately.

The doctor hesitated and that hesitation— Terrified her.

"He lost a lot of blood," the doctor said carefully. "But the bullet didn't hit any vital organs."

Relief hit her instantly.

"He's alive?" she whispered.

"Yes." The doctor answered

Her body relaxed slightly.

But then—

"There's something else."

Her heart dropped again.

"What is it?"

The doctor exhaled slowly.

"The trauma from the injury..." he said, "may affect his memory again."

Silence. cold,heavy.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

The doctor looked at her seriously.

"It could worsen."

Her chest tightened.

"Or..." he continued carefully, "...it could reset."

Her breath caught.

"Reset...?"

He nodded.

"He might wake up remembering everything..."

A pause.

"Or nothing at all."Her heart shattered again.

Inside the hospital room—Machines beeped softly.

Leonard lay still not moving.

Then—

His fingers twitched, his eyes slowly opened, blurred, unfocused.

A nurse stepped closer.

"Mr. DeLuca? Can you hear me?"

A pause.

He did not answer

"A lady is outside her name is Isabella, she wants to see you," she continues

Then. . . He spoke

"...Who is Isabella?"

Forgetting once is painful...But forgetting twice?

That's destruction.