RETURN OF THE FORGOTTEN BRIDE

ChapterFive

NATALIE’S POV

I burst through the hospital doors, my breath catching in my chest as panic clawed at me. My heart raced as though it were trying to escape my ribcage, pounding as fast as my feet had on the pavement outside. My eyes darted around the reception area, desperate to make sense of the chaos. The antiseptic smell stung my nose, and the relentless hum of machines, distant voices, and hurried footsteps pressed in on me. Everything felt wrong, surreal.

I had to see him. Richard. I had to know he was okay.

“Richard” I said while desperately trying to catch my breath “Richard Temple” I said again as I tried to sound calm but to no avail. It was evident i was worried

I tried making my way through the halls while frantically searching for a room which boldly screamed ‘Richard’

But the receptionist at the desk stopped me, her voice calm yet unyielding.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” she said, looking at me with professional sympathy. “Only immediate family is allowed in at the moment.”

I gripped the edge of the counter, my knuckles whitening. “I’m his fiancée,” I pleaded, my voice shaking. “Please, I need to see him.”

“The hospital called me” i said in an attempt to show her my recent calls but my trembling hands were a hindrance

The nurse hesitated, her lips pulling into a tight line. For a moment, I thought she might relent, but before she could say anything, a voice behind me broke through the chaos.

“Natalie.”

I turned, my heart lurching again, this time with a mix of relief and dread. Lana Temple stood there, her face pale and drawn. Even in this state, she carried that same quiet elegance she always had, but the redness of her eyes and the trembling of her hands betrayed how shaken she was.

“Mrs. Temple,” I managed, rushing to her. My voice was breathless, tinged with desperation. “Have you seen him? Is he—?”

She shook her head, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “They’re running tests,” she said, her voice trembling. “It was a head injury… They won’t tell me much yet.”

The ground beneath me seemed to drop away. My stomach knotted, and I fought the wave of nausea that rose with the realization of how bad this might be.

“He’s strong,” I said, more for her than for me. I reached for her hands, holding them firmly. “He’ll pull through. He has to.”

Lana nodded, but her tears finally spilled over. I wrapped my arms around her, the need to comfort her anchoring me. If I focused on her pain, maybe I could ignore my own, at least for now.

Time dragged on in the waiting area. It felt like hours before a doctor finally approached us. His face was solemn, his voice careful.

“You can see him now,” he said, and my heart leapt. But his next words chilled me. “There’s something you should be prepared for.”

Lana and I exchanged a worried glance, but neither of us hesitated. We followed him down the long, sterile hallway. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, and the echo of our footsteps seemed louder than it should have been.

When we entered the room, I froze.

Richard lay on the hospital bed, his face pale, a bandage wrapped around his head. The sight of him, so still, so vulnerable, stole the breath from my lungs. I moved forward on autopilot, but when his eyes met ours, my chest tightened. There was no recognition. No warmth.

His eyes were as cold as the bottom of the deep blue sea

“Richard?” Lana’s voice was soft, tentative, as she stepped forward.

His gaze shifted to her, and for a moment, something flickered in them—recognition. Relief. Familiarity. “Mom?” he said, his voice hoarse and unsure.

Lana let out a shaky sob and rushed to his side, gripping his hand.

I followed hesitantly, my heart in my throat. “Richard… it’s me, Natalie,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He blinked at me, confusion clouding his features. “I’m sorry… Do I know you?.”

“Richard? It's Natalie” my voice breaking “your fiancee” with the hope that hearing my voice and name for the second time would trigger something

He looked at Lana then back at me. “I'm really Sorry but….. I don't know who you are” he murmured

The words hit me like a physical blow to the chest, the air rushing from my lungs. For a moment, I couldn't move. I stood there, shaken, staring at the man I love, feeling like a complete stranger to him. The same voice which always reassured me and sounded a lot like home, now sounded very unfamiliar

Lana glanced back at me, her face, a mirror of the shock and pain I felt. Her mouth opened for a second but no words came forth

“It’s okay,” I said, forcing my voice to steady even though my chest ached with every word and my sight blurry as I tried to fight back the tears. I took a step closer, my eyes locked on his. “We’ll figure this out together. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

He looked at me, then back at his mother, holding her hand as if it were the only thing keeping him tethered to reality. Lana looked at me, her eyes filled with heartbreak but also determination.

And as I stood there, silently, looking at him, a sharp ache spread through my chest, but beneath the pain was something else: a quiet yet painful determination. I would help him remember. I would bring him back to me. And I would be damned if I gave up on us.

Because our love wasn't just about memories–it was about staying, fighting and believing.

RICHARD’S POV

Over the next few hours, more doctors came and went. They poked, prodded, and asked me questions I couldn’t answer. My name, my birthday, the current year—I got those right. But when they asked about my recent past, about Natalie, about the accident, I came up blank.

Natalie stayed by my bedside the entire time, even when the doctors asked her to step back. She watched me with a mix of hope and sorrow, and every time our eyes met, I felt a pang of guilt for not being able to give her what she wanted—a sign, any sign, that I knew her.

My mom stayed too, her hand rarely leaving mine. She was my anchor in the sea of unfamiliar faces, the one person I could cling to without hesitation.

By the time the room emptied again, I was exhausted. Natalie sat in the chair beside the bed, her hands clasped tightly in her lap like a student that had been scolded. She hadn’t said much since I’d told her I didn’t remember her, and the silence between us was heavy.

“I’m sorry,” I said finally, breaking the quiet.

Her head shot up, her eyes wide. “For what?”

“For not remembering you,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “You seem… important. I wish I could—” I stopped, struggling to find the words.

“You don’t have to apologize,” she said quickly. She leaned forward, her hands gripping the edge of the bed. “This isn’t your fault, Richard. You’ve been through so much, and… and I’ll wait. For as long as it takes, I’ll wait.”

Her words should have been comforting, but they only made the ache in my chest worse. She deserved more than this—a broken man who couldn’t even recall the sound of her laughter or the feel of her hand in mine.

“Thank you,” I said quietly, not knowing what else to say.

She smiled then, a small, sad smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “We’ll get through this,” she said. “Together.”

I nodded, though doubt still lingered in the back of my mind. Together. It was a word that carried so much weight, so much meaning, but right now, it felt like a shadow of something I couldn’t grasp.

As the night stretched on, Natalie stayed by my side, her presence a quiet reminder of a life I had lost. My mom sat on the other side, her hand in mine, anchoring me to the present.

I didn’t know what the future held or if my memories would ever return. But as I closed my eyes and let exhaustion pull me under, I held on to the only truth I had left: I wasn’t alone. Even in the fog of my fractured mind, I had people who cared, people who wouldn’t let me face the darkness by myself.

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