Prologue — The Night Everything Changed
1036 Words
The rain fell harder than it had in years.
It blurred the city lights into streaks of gold and silver as Alexander Vale drove through the empty highway, one hand gripping the steering wheel, the other holding his phone.
“Sir, please slow down,” his assistant warned through the speaker.
“I’m fine.”
“You’ve been working for eighteen hours.”
“I said I’m fine.”
But he wasn't.
His head was pounding.
His chest felt strangely tight.
And for reasons he couldn't explain, he couldn't stop thinking about the argument he'd had with his family earlier that evening.
You have responsibilities, Alexander.
You can't keep living as though you're free to choose everything.
He hated those words.
Because they were right.
Being the heir to the Vale empire meant his life had never truly belonged to him.
His marriage had been planned.
His career had been decided.
Even his future children had already been discussed by people who treated his life like a business contract.
Alexander loosened his tie.
“I just need to get home.”
Lightning flashed across the sky.
Then—
A blinding pair of headlights appeared in front of him.
A horn screamed.
Alexander slammed on the brakes.
The car spun.
Metal crashed against metal.
Glass shattered.
His body was thrown violently against the seat.
His phone flew from his hand.
For a few seconds, there was nothing but the sound of rain.
Then silence.
Alexander struggled to open his eyes.
Blood trickled down his forehead.
He tried to remember where he was.
Why he was there.
Who he was.
Nothing.
Panic filled his chest.
He reached for the door.
His fingers trembled.
Then everything went black.
---
Hours later, a young woman was walking home beneath a broken umbrella.
Her name was Mia Carter.
She had spent the entire day working at the small café where she was employed as a waitress.
Her feet hurt.
Her clothes were damp.
She had only enough money left for tomorrow's food.
She was tired.
But she was used to being tired.
Life had never been particularly kind to Mia.
She had learned not to expect miracles.
Then she saw the wrecked car.
It was abandoned near the side of the road.
Mia stopped.
Her heart began beating faster.
“Hello?”
No answer.
She took a few cautious steps closer.
Then she saw him.
A man was trapped inside.
His face was covered in blood.
Mia immediately called for help.
But before the ambulance arrived, the man's eyes opened.
He looked at her.
His expression was confused.
Terrified.
Almost childlike.
“Where am I?” he whispered.
“You've been in an accident.”
“Who are you?”
Mia hesitated.
“I'm Mia.”
The stranger stared at her.
“Do you know me?”
“No.”
He closed his eyes.
Then opened them again.
“What is my name?”
Mia looked at him helplessly.
“I don't know.”
He swallowed.
“What do you know?”
“I don't know.”
He looked toward the wreckage.
“Where's my phone?”
“I don't know.”
“My family?”
“I don't know.”
“My home?”
“I don't know.”
His breathing became faster.
“I don't remember anything.”
Mia's heart broke.
The ambulance sirens grew louder in the distance.
She held his hand.
“It's okay.”
His eyes found hers.
“Who am I?”
Mia squeezed his hand.
“We'll figure it out.”
He stared at her.
For the first time since the accident, his breathing slowed.
Mia didn't know it yet.
But that single promise would change both of their lives forever.
---
The doctors later confirmed that the stranger had suffered a traumatic brain injury.
His memory was severely affected.
He could not remember his identity.
His family.
His career.
His past.
Nothing.
And because he had no identification on him, the hospital couldn't immediately determine who he was.
Mia visited him the next morning.
She brought food.
He looked at her suspiciously.
“Why did you come back?”
“Because I wanted to make sure you're okay.”
“You don't know me.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
Mia shrugged.
“Because someone should.”
He stared at her.
Something about her answer made his chest ache.
“What should I call you?”
Mia smiled.
“You need a name.”
“I suppose.”
She thought for a moment.
“Alex.”
“Alex?”
“Yes.”
“Why Alex?”
“Because you look like an Alex.”
He almost smiled.
“That's a terrible reason.”
“I know.”
For the first time since the accident, he laughed.
It was quiet.
Weak.
But real.
Mia smiled.
“See? Alex suits you.”
He looked at her for a long moment.
“Okay.”
“Okay what?”
“My name is Alex.”
Mia didn't know that the man sitting before her was not Alex.
His real name was Alexander Vale.
CEO.
Billionaire.
Heir to one of the most powerful families in the country.
A man whose disappearance would soon become national news.
And she certainly didn't know that the stranger she had decided to help would become the greatest love of her life.
Nor did she know that one day, she would carry his child.
She didn't know that his family would come searching for him.
She didn't know they would tear the two of them apart.
She didn't know that she would have to break his heart to save his life.
And she had no idea that years later, a little boy would stand between them and ask a question neither of them was prepared to answer.
“Why did Daddy forget us?”
For now, however, none of that mattered.
It was only raining.
A wounded man had forgotten his past.
A poor woman had opened her heart to a stranger.
And somewhere between a forgotten name and a borrowed home, a love story was beginning.
A love story that neither of them would ever be able to forget.
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