The Stranger In Me

Chapter 8; Fragments of Forgotten Heart

Marie's Point of View

•••

Darkness faded slowly, like fog retreating from a lonely shoreline.The first thing Marie felt was pain,not sharp pain-heavy pain.

A dull ache spreading through her skull like cracked glass beneath skin. Her lashes fluttered weakly as faint hospital lights blurred above her. The smell of antiseptic lingered heavily in the cold room while distant footsteps echoed through the hallway.

Then-

"M... Mia..."

The name escaped her lips before she fully opened her eyes.

Her fingers twitched weakly against the white hospital sheets.

"Mia..."

A chair scraped suddenly beside her bed."Marie?" a male voice called softly.

She forced her eyes open.Everything looked blurry at first,then slowly,a familiar figure came into focus.

David.

Relief flickered across her exhausted face.

"David..." she whispered hoarsely. "Where's Mia?"

David leaned forward immediately, his expression filled with concern.

"Easy," he said gently. "You collapsed at home."

Marie frowned faintly."Collapsed?"

Her head throbbed painfully as she struggled to remember.Images flashed through her mind in broken fragments.

Mia crying,sir Kelvin shouting,the staircase,then darkness.But everything after that, felt empty like pages ripped out from a book.

"What happened?" she asked weakly.

David hesitated."You had a high fever," he explained carefully. "And... stress."

Mike, who stood quietly near the window, exchanged a troubled glance with David.

Something felt wrong.Marie suddenly grabbed David's wrist weakly.

"Where's my daughter?" she asked anxiously. "Where's Mia?"

The room fell silent.David blinked in confusion.

"Marie..."

"My daughter!" she cried again, panic rising in her weak voice. "Why isn't she here? Is she okay?"

Mike stepped forward carefully. "Marie... Mia isn't your daughter."

Marie stared at him blankly,then shook her head immediately.

"No," she whispered stubbornly. "No... Mia is my baby."

David's chest tightened."Marie, listen carefully-"

"She calls me Mum," Marie interrupted emotionally, tears gathering in her eyes. "She sleeps beside me when she has nightmares. She hates thunderstorms and loves strawberry biscuits. She-"

Her voice broke."She's my daughter."

David looked helplessly toward the doctor who had just entered the room.

The older man adjusted his glasses calmly after reviewing her chart.

"What's happening to her?" David asked anxiously.

The doctor sighed softly.

"She likely suffered temporary memory distortion triggered by emotional trauma, stress, and physical exhaustion," he explained. "Her mind is clinging to the strongest emotional attachment she remembers before collapsing."

Mike frowned deeply. "Meaning?"

The doctor glanced toward Marie sympathetically.

"At this moment, her brain has emotionally positioned Mia as her own child."

David ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"So how do we fix it?"

"Do not force reality aggressively," the doctor warned firmly. "If you pressure her too much, it may worsen the confusion."

Marie looked between them fearfully."I just want my daughter..."

The doctor softened his tone."Cooperate with her calmly for now. Familiar emotional comfort may help restore her memory naturally."

David exhaled heavily.This was getting complicated,very complicated.And somewhere deep inside him,he already knew his father would lose his mind when he heard this.

---

Sir Kelvin's Point of View

••••

The mansion had never felt this empty before,not even after Maya died.

Inside the dimly lit study, Alberto Kelvin sat alone with half-empty whiskey bottles scattered across the table like silent witnesses to his collapse.

Rain clouds gathered heavily outside the tall glass windows, darkening the room further.

His tie hung loose around his neck,his white shirt remained stained faintly with dried whiskey and his mind refused to quiet down.

The slap,Marie collapsing,David's voice calling him heartless,Nanny Ann knocking endlessly.Everything replayed repeatedly like punishment.

Kelvin swallowed another mouthful of whiskey harshly, letting the burn settle deep into his chest.

"You're becoming a monster..."The words echoed viciously in his head.

He shut his eyes tightly.No,he already was one.A part of him desperately wanted to leave the room,to drive straight to the hospital to see if Marie had opened her eyes,to hear that she was okay.

But another darker voice kept resisting.Your workers already fear you,your children despise you.What dignity do you have left now?

His grip tightened around the glass.Meanwhile outside the study,Nanny Ann stood exhausted after knocking repeatedly.

"Kelvin, open this door," she pleaded tiredly.

Silence.

Her face hardened slightly.

"Fine," she muttered. "Don't blame me then."

She turned toward the storage room to retrieve the spare key,but halfway there,she spotted Mia.

The little girl stood outside Nikki's room knocking repeatedly with tiny fists.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Inside, Nikki sat curled on her bed with headphones on, deliberately ignoring the noise.

She assumed it was her father again.

"Mia?" Nanny Ann called gently.

Mia turned immediately, eyes teary.

Nanny Ann sighed softly.

"Nikki!" she shouted firmly. "Open this door."

A few seconds later-

The door creaked open slightly.

Nikki appeared irritated instantly."What?"

"Keep Mia with you for now," Nanny Ann instructed hurriedly.

Nikki frowned. "Why?"

"There's a lot happening downstairs."

Confusion crossed Nikki's face."Where's her nanny?" she asked coldly.

Nanny Ann paused briefly."You'll know soon enough. Just do as you're told."

Nikki reluctantly stepped aside.Mia entered slowly clutching her teddy bear.

"Stay here, sweetheart," Nikki muttered awkwardly before handing her laptop over. "Watch cartoons or something."

Mia smiled faintly and nodded.

The moment Nanny Ann disappeared down the hallway,curiosity consumed Nikki immediately.

Something was wrong,very wrong.

Quietly, she tiptoed after Nanny Ann.

---

Back inside the study-click.The door unlocked slowly,Nanny Ann stepped inside.

The smell of alcohol hit her instantly,her heart sank.

"Kelvin..."

He didn't look up.

"I told you to leave me alone."

Nanny Ann stared painfully at the broken man before her.

"No," she said softly. "Not today."

Kelvin laughed bitterly.A hollow sound.

"You should've just let me rot in here."

"Enough," she snapped gently.

Finally,He looked at her and for the first time in years;Nanny Ann saw it clearly.Not anger,not pride,just devastation.

"I slapped her again..." Kelvin whispered brokenly.

Nanny Ann remained silent.

"She could barely stand," he continued hoarsely. "And I still..." His voice cracked faintly.

He swallowed hard before laughing bitterly again.

"What kind of man does that?"

"Kelvin-"

"I failed Maya," he interrupted sharply. "I failed my children. I failed everyone."

His eyes reddened from alcohol and buried grief.

"I don't even know how to be a father anymore."

Outside the slightly opened door,Nikki froze completely.Her breathing slowed,for the first time since her mother's death-

She was hearing her father sound... human,vulnerable,broken.

Inside the study, Kelvin buried his face into his trembling hands.

"I keep punishing innocent people because I couldn't save my wife..."

Nanny Ann's eyes softened painfully.

Then suddenly,a phone rang sharply.Both of them looked up instantly.Nanny Ann grabbed the phone from the desk quickly.

Hospital.

Her expression changed immediately after answering.

"What?" she gasped.

Kelvin's head snapped upward.

Nikki's heartbeat quickened outside the door.

Nanny Ann slowly lowered the phone with trembling fingers.,then looked directly at Kelvin.

And the fear in her eyes made his blood run cold.

"Kelvin..."Her voice shook.

"Something's wrong with Marie."