UNFORGOTTEN VOWEpisode 4: The Voice That Trembled
1157 Words
The hospital room was quiet except for the steady beeping of machines.
Morning light filtered softly through the curtains, but it brought no warmth to the atmosphere inside. Nurses moved carefully around the room, speaking in low voices as though even sound itself could cause more pain.
Rosa lay still on the hospital bed, her face pale, her body weak from exhaustion and emotional shock. For hours she had remained unconscious while doctors monitored her closely.
Elena stood near the window with folded arms, watching carefully.
She hadn’t left.
Not once.
Something about Rosa’s condition touched her deeply—not just as a lawyer, but as a mother. Every time she looked at the young woman lying helplessly on that bed, anger burned stronger inside her.
Someone had done this.
Someone had destroyed this girl’s peace and walked away freely.
And Elena was determined that person would answer for it.
A nurse checked Rosa’s pulse again.
“She’s responding,” the doctor said quietly. “She may wake up soon.”
Elena stepped forward immediately.
A few tense seconds passed.
Then Rosa’s fingers twitched.
The nurse noticed first.
“Rosa?” she called softly. “Can you hear me?”
Rosa’s eyes slowly opened.
At first, everything looked blurry.
Lights.
Shapes.
Voices.
Confusion crossed her face as she struggled to understand where she was. But then fragments of memory rushed back all at once.
The dark room.
The fear.
The helplessness.
Her eyes widened suddenly.
“No—!”
She jerked backward violently in panic.
“Rosa, calm down—” the nurse tried to say.
“Don’t touch me!” Rosa screamed.
The room froze.
Her breathing became uneven and shaky as tears rushed down her cheeks.
“Please! Stay away from me!” she cried. “Don’t touch me!”
The machines beeped faster.
Doctors tried calming her, but Rosa kept trembling uncontrollably, terrified of every movement around her.
Elena moved closer carefully, keeping her voice calm.
“Rosa, listen to me. My name is Elena. You’re safe now. Nobody here will hurt you.”
But Rosa wasn’t hearing her.
Her body curled inward protectively as tears poured endlessly from her eyes.
“I want to go home…” she sobbed weakly. “Please…”
Elena’s heart tightened painfully.
She had handled many difficult cases before.
But seeing Rosa shattered like this made the situation deeply personal.
Then suddenly—
The door opened.
“Rosa!”
The voice instantly changed everything.
Rosa froze.
Her trembling eyes lifted toward the entrance.
“Dad…”
Mr. Brown rushed toward her immediately, fear and relief written all over his face.
The moment Rosa saw him clearly, she broke down completely.
“Dad…” she cried weakly.
Mr. Brown held her carefully, his own eyes already filled with tears.
“Oh God… Rosa…”
The second he touched her hand, Rosa stopped fighting.
“It’s okay,” he whispered shakily. “I’m here now.”
Rosa clung to him tightly.
“I was scared…” she whispered.
“You’re safe now,” he replied softly.
Mrs. Brown stood at the doorway crying silently.
Even Elena had to look away briefly.
No parent deserved to see their child broken like this.
⸻
Outside the room, two police officers waited patiently.
One of them turned toward Elena.
“Is she ready to answer questions?”
Elena’s expression hardened slightly.
“She’s traumatized,” she replied firmly. “Be careful.”
The officer nodded. “We understand.”
Inside the room, Rosa slowly calmed while holding onto her father’s hand tightly.
The officer stepped closer gently.
“Miss Rosa,” he said softly, “we know this is difficult. But if you remember anything, it may help us find who did this.”
Rosa lowered her eyes slowly.
Fragments flashed through her mind.
Darkness.
A locked room.
A voice.
Confused.
Lost.
Not clear enough to recognize.
Her breathing trembled again.
“I…” she whispered weakly.
Everyone listened carefully.
“I think…” she said softly, “…he didn’t fully know what was happening either.”
The room fell silent.
Elena exchanged a glance with the officers.
That statement changed everything.
⸻
Meanwhile, across the city, Adrian Cole had done something unexpected.
He moved on.
Or at least, he tried to.
By Monday morning, Adrian was already back inside the towering glass building of Cole Enterprises. Employees greeted him respectfully as he walked through the lobby in his perfectly tailored suit, looking every bit like the composed billionaire the public knew.
Cold.
Focused.
Untouchable.
The weekend already felt distant.
Almost unreal.
Whatever happened that night remained blurry in his head, like a strange dream fading after waking up. The more he tried remembering details, the more frustrated he became.
So eventually—
He stopped trying.
His assistant followed beside him nervously. “You have the investors meeting in thirty minutes, sir.”
Adrian nodded calmly.
“Move the Singapore call to evening.”
“Yes, sir.”
His expression remained composed, but deep down, something still bothered him.
Not enough to stop his life.
But enough to linger quietly beneath the surface.
As he entered his office, his phone buzzed.
Ben.
Adrian answered immediately.
“You alive?” Ben joked lightly.
Adrian sat behind his desk. “Barely.”
Ben laughed. “That’s what happens when Mr. Serious finally enjoys himself.”
Adrian leaned back slightly.
“Honestly,” he admitted, “I still can’t fully remember that night.”
“Then forget it,” Ben replied quickly. “It was just one crazy night. Nothing more.”
Adrian was silent briefly.
Then he nodded slowly to himself.
“Yeah,” he muttered quietly. “Maybe you’re right.”
And just like that—
He buried it.
Or at least, he thought he did.
⸻
Later that afternoon, a television inside the company lounge suddenly switched to breaking news.
“Authorities continue investigating the assault case involving a young woman discovered abandoned over the weekend—”
Adrian walked past without paying attention.
But then—
A single image flashed across the screen.
A hospital hallway.
A crying father.
And for one brief second—
A sharp pain hit Adrian’s head.
He stopped walking instantly.
A voice echoed faintly inside his mind.
“Please…”
His breathing paused.
Then it disappeared again.
One of the employees changed the channel casually.
The moment passed.
And Adrian kept walking.
Completely unaware—
That his life was already moving toward the same girl fate refused to separate him from.
⸻
At Ben’s apartment, tension continued growing.
“This is getting dangerous,” one of his friends muttered.
Ben remained quiet.
Another friend looked worried. “What if Adrian finds out?”
Ben scoffed, though not confidently.
“He won’t.”
But even he no longer sounded sure.
Because the truth had a dangerous habit—
Of refusing to stay buried.
⸻
To be continued…
- Writer
