Chapter 4
717 Words
The Case Dismissed
Miguel Navariz
"Loraine!"
I caught her before she hit the floor.
Her employees rushed toward us while I carried her to the car and drove straight to the nearest hospital.
The entire trip, my heart was pounding.
No matter how angry she was with me…
No matter how much she hated me…
I couldn't bear seeing her in pain.
After several tests, the doctor came out.
"Mr. Navariz?"
"How is she, doctor?"
"She's stable. Miss Mortis is experiencing normal pregnancy symptoms and hormonal changes. She needs proper rest and less stress."
Pregnant.
The word echoed inside my head.
I sat down quietly.
If the baby she carried was mine…
I wanted to take responsibility.
Not because I was being forced.
But because an innocent child deserved a father.
Still, another question troubled me.
Would Loraine even allow me to be part of her life?
While Loraine rested, one of her employees approached me.
It was the same woman who welcomed me earlier.
"Attorney Miguel?"
"Yes?"
She hesitated.
"There's something you should know."
She sat beside me.
"Ma'am Loraine wasn't always alone. For five years, she had a live-in partner."
I looked at her.
"What?"
"They loved each other very much. Everyone in the company knew that."
My chest tightened.
"Where is he now?"
The employee lowered her head.
"He died three years ago."
I froze.
"There was a car accident. Ma'am Loraine survived… but she lost many memories. The doctors called it retrograde amnesia."
Everything suddenly made sense.
Why she didn't recognize me.
Why she looked at me like a stranger.
Why there was emptiness in her eyes.
"She forgot everything?" I whispered.
"Not everything. Some memories came back little by little. But there are years she still can't remember."
I lowered my gaze.
Seven years ago…
Perhaps I had become one of those missing memories.
"She loved that man deeply," the employee continued. "After his death, she buried herself in work. That's how she built these flower shops."
I nodded.
But deep inside, I felt guilty.
Not because she loved another man.
But because her life had already been shattered once.
And now, because of me, she was suffering again.
Days later, I visited her in the hospital.
She turned her face away.
"What are you doing here?"
"Checking on you."
"I'm fine."
"Loraine…"
"Please leave."
I sat beside her bed.
"No."
She frowned.
"I said leave."
"No."
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
"I won't leave."
She glared at me.
"Attorney Navariz, are you deaf?"
I smiled faintly.
"No. But I'm stubborn."
She looked annoyed.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because I want to marry you."
Her jaw dropped.
"What?!"
"I'm serious."
"You're insane."
"Maybe."
She pointed at the door.
"Get out."
"I'll ask again tomorrow."
"Don't."
"And the next day."
"Attorney Navariz!"
"And every day after that."
She threw a pillow at me.
"Crazy!"
I caught it and laughed.
And for the first time…
I saw something.
For only a second.
Loraine smiled.
A small smile.
A familiar smile.
The same smile that lived in my heart seven years ago.
The third hearing came.
I expected another difficult day.
Instead, Attorney Sebastian Cruz stood up before the court.
"Your Honor, my client, Miss Loraine Mortis, is voluntarily withdrawing and dismissing the case."
The courtroom erupted into whispers.
Even Attorney Reyes looked shocked.
"What?" I muttered.
The judge raised an eyebrow.
"Counsel, are you certain?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
I stood frozen.
The case…
Was dismissed?
Outside the courtroom, I immediately approached Attorney Cruz.
"Why?"
He sighed.
"I can't discuss everything."
"Please."
He looked around before speaking quietly.
"She made the decision herself."
"But why?"
"Because she remembered something."
My heart stopped.
"What did she remember?"
Attorney Cruz shook his head.
"Ask her yourself."
That evening, I rushed to Mortis Flower Haven.
But when I arrived, all the employees looked worried.
"Sir!"
"What happened?"
"Ma'am Loraine left this afternoon."
"Where did she go?"
"We don't know."
My blood ran cold.
Then Aling Rosa handed me an envelope.
"She told us to give this to you."
With trembling hands, I opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
It was old.
Taken seven years ago.
And in the picture…
Loraine was smiling brightly beside me.
Behind the photograph was a handwritten message.
"Miguel… I remember your smile."
- Writer
