CHAPTER 3: HE REMEMBER HER
1025 Words
Chapter 3: He Remembered Her
BEEEEEEP!
The piercing alarm shattered the silence in the Intensive Care Unit.
"Nurse!"
Ariana reacted instantly.
"Doctor! His blood pressure is crashing!"
Doctors and nurses rushed into the room.
"Clear the area!"
"Prepare one milligram of epinephrine!"
"He's going into cardiac arrest!"
Ariana stepped back, her heart pounding as the medical team
She wanted to call his name.
Instead, she stood frozen, watching the man she had once loved fight for his life.
Dr. Ethan Morris began chest compressions.
"Come on, Damien... stay with us!"
One nurse charged the defibrillator.
"Two hundred joules ready!"
"Clear!"
THUMP!
Damien's body jerked.
The monitor remained unstable.
"Again!"
The machine charged once more.
"Clear!"
THUMP!
For a terrifying second...
Nothing.
Then—
Beep... Beep... Beep...
A steady rhythm returned.
A collective sigh of relief spread through the room.
"We've got him back," Dr. Morris said.
Ariana closed her eyes, silently thanking God.
An Unexpected Visitor
An hour later, Damien remained unconscious but stable.
The ICU was quiet until the elevator doors opened.
A young woman in a designer dress hurried toward the nurses' station.
Her high heels clicked sharply against the polished floor.
She looked elegant, wealthy, and confident.
"I'm here to see Damien Blackwood."
Lucas Grant stepped forward.
"Miss Victoria."
"I came as soon as I heard."
Without waiting for permission, she walked toward Damien's room.
Ariana watched from a distance.
"Who is she?" she asked softly.
Lucas hesitated.
"...His fiancée."
The words hit Ariana like a knife.
Fiancée?
Her chest tightened.
So...
He had moved on.
Of course he had.
Seven years was a long time.
She lowered her eyes and turned away before anyone noticed the tears forming.
A Ring That Changed Everything
Inside Damien's room, Victoria sat beside the bed.
She gently held his hand.
"I'm here, Damien," she whispered.
"You'll be fine."
As she spoke, something caught her eye.
A thin silver ring hung from a chain around Damien's neck.
Frowning, she removed it carefully.
"This old thing again?"
Lucas's expression changed immediately.
"Please don't touch that."
Victoria looked confused.
"It's just an old ring."
Lucas shook his head.
"No."
"Mr. Blackwood has worn that ring every single day for the last seven years."
Victoria's smile faded.
"He refused to throw it away."
"He wouldn't even tell anyone who it belonged to."
Victoria stared at the ring.
A strange feeling settled in her stomach.
If Damien still treasured another woman's ring...
Then why had he agreed to marry her?
A Memory Returns
Later that night, Ariana entered the room alone to check Damien's medication.
The lights were dim.
Rain continued tapping softly against the window.
She adjusted his blanket.
Just as she turned to leave...
A weak hand wrapped around her wrist.
She gasped.
Damien's eyes were half-open.
He looked confused.
Weak.
But unmistakably awake.
"Ariana..."
His voice was barely a whisper.
Tears filled her eyes.
"You remember me?"
He struggled to breathe.
"I... never..."
His words faded.
His grip loosened.
Then he slipped back into unconsciousness.
Ariana stood frozen.
He had remembered her.
Not just her name.
Her.
Outside the room, someone had witnessed everything.
Victoria.
And the jealousy burning in her eyes promised that Ariana's life was about to become far more complicated.
Additional Scene for Chapter 3
Victoria remained standing outside the ICU room long after Ariana left.
She replayed the scene in her mind.
Damien had opened his eyes.
The first name he had spoken was not hers.
It was Ariana.
Victoria slowly tightened her grip on her handbag.
"Who are you?" she whispered to herself.
Lucas approached quietly.
"Miss Victoria, Mr. Blackwood needs to rest."
She forced a smile.
"Of course."
"But I'd like to know something."
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"The nurse..."
"How does Damien know her?"
Lucas remained silent.
"There are some questions I can't answer."
Victoria stepped closer.
"I'm his fiancée."
"Don't I deserve the truth?"
Lucas met her gaze calmly.
"The truth belongs to Damien."
"When he's well enough, he'll tell you himself."
Victoria nodded politely, but frustration burned inside her.
As she walked toward the elevator, she secretly took out her phone and sent a message.
Find out everything about Nurse Ariana Cole. I want a full background report before tomorrow morning.
She pressed Send.
---
Inside the ICU, Ariana stood beside Damien's bed, carefully checking his medication.
She looked at the silver ring hanging around his neck.
The ring looked exactly like the one she had given him on the day they promised to build a future together.
She couldn't believe he had kept it all these years.
A soft knock came at the door.
It was Dr. Ethan Morris.
"His condition is improving," he said quietly.
"But he still needs complete rest."
Ariana nodded.
"Doctor..."
"Yes?"
"When patients wake briefly after surgery..."
"Can old memories return before recent ones?"
Dr. Morris thought for a moment.
"It happens."
"Sometimes the strongest emotional memories are the first to surface."
Ariana lowered her eyes.
"So he really remembered me."
"It appears so."
Before she could respond, Lucas entered the room.
"I need to speak with you."
They stepped into the hallway.
Lucas looked unusually serious.
"The police confirmed something."
"The accident wasn't random."
"We found traces of a remote tracking device inside Mr. Blackwood's SUV."
Ariana frowned.
"So someone knew exactly where he was."
Lucas nodded.
"And whoever planned the attack may know he's still alive."
At that moment, the hospital lights flickered once.
Then again.
The hallway suddenly fell into darkness.
Emergency lights switched on, casting everything in an eerie red glow.
Nurses looked around in confusion.
"Power failure?" someone asked.
A hospital technician ran toward the control room.
"No," he shouted.
"The backup generator has been shut down manually!"
Lucas's expression hardened.
"This wasn't an accident."
He reached for his phone.
"Lock every entrance to the hospital."
"No one leaves."
"No one comes in."
Far away, inside a black SUV parked across the street, a masked man watched the hospital through binoculars.
He smiled.
"The lights are out."
He picked up his radio.
"Phase Two begins now."
The engine started.
The SUV slowly rolled toward the hospital entrance.
- Writer
