Loving My Future Murderer

The Stranger I Married

"WHAT!?!?" Aira squeezed out a tiny gasp. Her voice choked in her dry throat.

Her eyes blinked fast. That word, husband, made her chest hit heavy rock bottom. She eyed him up and down. His white shirt was super crisp. His black suit jacket was screaming expensive. He had a handsome face, clean and sharp. But that alien gut feeling made her panic way worse.

"You're joking, right?!" Aira whispered out. She balled her fists into the blanket until her knuckles turned white as snow. "I don't know you! I don't remember getting married!"

The guy stayed dead calm. He just gave a tiny smile. His thumb felt warm rubbing her hand. "I know it's hard. But I'm Elian, your husband. We've been married nearly five years."

Before Aira replied, the door popped open. An older doc in a white coat walked in, a stethoscope around his neck, holding a medical file. A nurse followed close behind him.

"Morning," the doctor said kindly. He walked up, shining a small penlight straight into her eyes. "How are you feeling, Mrs. Aira?"

Aira squeezed her eyes shut. Way too bright. "My head hurts like hell, Doc! I can't remember anything! I don't know who I am, and I sure don't know this guy!"

The doc just nodded along. He placed his stethoscope on her chest to check her heart.

"Feeling lost like this is totally normal," the doctor said to calm her down. "You got amnesia from the hard hit during last night's crash. Bad head trauma. It messed up your short-term and long-term memory for now."

"For now?!" Aira cut in fast. Her breath got super choppy. "You mean my memory can come back?!"

"Yep," the doc said easy. "Slowly over weeks, months, or maybe longer. Don't force it if your head spins. Just rest your brain."

The doc turned to Elian. "Mr. Elian, she's physically stable. Keep her stress low, okay? Go slow with her."

Elian nodded polite. "Thanks, Doc. I got it. I'll take good care of her."

He handed a script to the nurse, and they both left. The door shut tight. The room went dead quiet again.

Aira leaned back on her pillows. She glared at Elian with pure doubt. He looked way too chill for a guy whose wife just lost all her memories.

"You're not even shocked I have amnesia?!" Aira asked low.

Elian pulled up his plastic chair and sat back down. He grabbed a glass of warm water and held it to her lips. "Sip this slow. Your throat's dry."

Aira almost turned away, but her throat burned bad. She let him help her drink a few gulps. Warm water slid down her throat.

"I was scared out of my mind, Aira," Elian whispered softly after setting the glass down. "Last night, when cops called saying your car flipped in the ditch, my whole world broke. I ran straight here. Sat in this chair all night praying you'd open your eyes."

Elian looked straight into her eyes. Soft, super affectionate gaze. "When you woke up not knowing me, it broke my heart. But I'm just glad you're alive. We can rebuild memories slow. We got time."

Aira said nothing. He sounded sweet and real. His voice felt warm like a blanket on a cold night. But deep down, something felt wrong. Why did her chest feel empty? If he was her husband, shouldn't she feel something familiar? But there was zero.

"I still don't buy it," Aira said straight up. "This feels way too weird. Like I woke up in someone else's body."

Elian smiled patient. He reached for his black leather bag on the table. "I get it. You need proof. You're super confused."

He unzipped it, pulling out a dark brown leather photo album, his wallet, and a thick brown envelope.

"Look at this," Elian opened the album on her lap.

Aira looked down. Page one had a big photo. A girl in a white wedding gown stood next to a guy in a sharp black suit. The girl was her, Aira. Huge smile, happy eyes. The guy holding her waist and kissing her temple was Elian.

Aira touched the glossy photo with shaky fingers. "This... is me?!"

"Yeah, our wedding day five years ago," Elian said gentle, rubbing her shoulder. "You were gorgeous. You said it was the happiest day ever."

Aira flipped pages. More photos showed up: laughing on a beach at sunset, Elian hugging her at the Eiffel Tower, both lounging on a sofa with coffee cups.

They looked totally in love in every shot.

Elian pulled a folded paper from his wallet, opening it in front of her. "Our marriage cert from the office. Your name, Aira Natasya, and mine, Elian Pratama. Official stamps, both our signatures."

Aira read her name. Clear as day. The signature over the stamp looked like hers, even if she didn't remember signing, the lines looked right.

Elian pulled out his phone, opened a chat, and handed it over. "Our texts from yesterday right before your crash."

Aira read the messages.

Aira: Honey, I'm heading home, but it's raining so hard, I'll probably be a little late.

Elian: Alright, no need to rush, and don't go too fast, be careful okay darling?

Aira: alright alright honey.

Everything was too complete: photos, trip pics, legal papers, sweet text logs. Zero flaws. Arranged so neat.

That exact perfection gave her chills. Why no flaws? Why did all this proof feel prepared just to show her?

"So, babe?" Elian asked quiet, brushing hair off her cheek. "Believe I'm your husband now?"

Aira took a deep breath, fighting the headache. "I see the proof. But my brain remembers nothing, Elian."

"That's fine," Elian nodded easy. He packed the album and papers back in his bag. "Take it slow. I won't push. Just rest and heal."

Aira nodded weak. Taking in all this info made her head spin fast.

knock! knock!

A light knock came from the door. The nurse cracked it open with a smile.

"Excuse me, Mr. Elian. Mrs. Aira's meds are ready at the first-floor pharmacy," she said.

Elian stood up, fixing his jacket. "I'll go downstairs quick to get your meds. Rest up, don't overthink."

He leaned down slow and kissed her forehead. Cool, gentle lips.

"Won't be long," he whispered, then turned and walked out.

The door shut tight. His footstep sounds faded down the hall until the room was silent, except for the steady heart monitor beep... beep... beep...

Aira sighed heavy, leaning back. Staring at the white ceiling, she felt wiped out and alien to her own life.

She looked around the dim room, staring at the cold metal rails of the hospital bed. Everything here felt cold, sharp, and untrustworthy. Every corner of this place screamed that she didn't belong here. Her mind felt like a dark house where all the lights went out at once. She tried so hard to find just one small spark, one tiny memory of a home, a friend, or even a simple song, but nothing came up. Just endless empty noise in her head.

Closing her eyes, she caught something sitting on the small side table nearby.

Elian's phone.

He forgot it when rushing out for meds. The black screen lay right there, barely out of arm's reach.

Aira stared at it, hesitating. Curiosity kicked in hard. Remembering those sweet texts Elian showed her earlier, she felt a strong, desperate urge to check who he really was. Was he really a loving husband, or was this whole neat setup just a huge lie? Her fingers felt cold, shaking as she stretched her arm out inch by inch across the stiff bedsheets.

She reached her shaky hand out.

BUZZ

The screen lit up bright. A text notification popped up on the lock screen from an unsaved number.

Aira squinted, reading the short text in the preview.

"Is she awake?"