LOVE RESTART

UNCOVERING HER PAST

Allison clicked the notification banner to see the rest of the message, gritted her teeth, and her hands felt cold at what she saw.

Why does Marco seem to be concerned about me?

Not knowing what to do, Allison put the phone on the bedside table and was startled when the bedroom door opened, revealing the female nurse.

The nurse holds a silver tray with a glass of water, a small medicine bottle, and a digital thermometer.

"Let's talk about him later," Matthew ordered her coldly.

Allison stared at him blankly, wondering if she was hearing him right.

If she remembers correctly, she and Matthew lived together for two and a half years before they decided to divorce.

During those years, both of them acted civil, but they barely talked to each other.

Allison had always known their wedding was just another business deal for Matthew. He sent his assistant to apply for their marriage license with Allison.

Matthew only went to Makati City Hall for an appearance and officially register their marriage.

There were no photos.

No ceremony.

No celebrations.

Nothing.

It was like they were just two strangers in a contract marriage.

Matthew snatched Allison's attention when he sighed loudly.

He grabbed the tray from the nurse, and tried to be polite when he asked her to live. Then, he put the tray on the bedside cabinet.

Matthew wrapped an arm around Allison's back and helped her adjust to a better sitting position. She was too dazed to talk. He used the thermometer on Allison's forehead and shook his head. Then, he handed the medicine to Allison, who appeared to be a bit hesitant to take it. She took a sip of water and winced when the bitter pill got stuck in her throat.

Allison was in the middle of drinking her water when her phone beeped again. Marco's name appeared on the screen. She glanced at Matthew and used her other hand to reach for it, but Matthew beat Allison to it. Anger registered on his face as he flipped the phone over.

The expression on Matthew's face softened when he noticed Allison's sudden discomfort. He thought that it was because of the pillows behind her, so he leaned closer to arrange it.

Allison blinked rapidly, surprised at how their faces were too close to each other. She swallowed when Matthew remained in his position, his hands pressed on the spaces beside her. She didn’t know why, but she unwillingly closed her eyes when she thought that he was going to kiss her. Then, she felt confused when she felt Matthew re-putting out the pillow behind her back.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Matthew asked.

Allison opened her eyes abruptly and caught the sarcastic smirk on his face.

“I– uh…” Allison struggled to find words.

“Whatever you are thinking, stop it.” Matthew teased.

Caught in an embarrassing situation, Allison lifted her free hand and tried to push Matthew away. Matthew chuckled, amused at how her cheeks suddenly turned pink. He went back to the couch and watched her. He noticed how she seemed to be zoning out.

Matthew stared at his wife’s expression. He felt a sudden pang of guilt, wondering if he had been too harsh on her. He decided to leave her alone with her thoughts, making way for silence between them.

Someone knocked on the door, catching both of their attention. With Matthew’s permission, the door opened, revealing a woman in her mid-twenties, pushing a trolley with a tray of soup and other food.

“Mr. Laxamana, ” the woman greeted Matthew. Then she glanced at Allison and gave her a warm smile.

“This is Katherine. She’s a nutritionist. I hired her to prepare meals that were approved by your doctor.

Allison looked briefly at the bowl of oats and a glass of smoothie on the tray then forced a smile towards Katherine.

“Your doctor instructed me to prepare you a light meal. Don’t worry. Dr. Enriquez has also instructed me to give you light meals only until tomorrow morning.”

Katherine stayed in the room for a while and explained to them the weekly meal plan that she made for Allison. She politely excused herself, leaving them again in the room.

Matthew offered to help Allison with her meal, but she refused.

When Allison was done, Matthew rang the bell again, and one of the helpers came to pick up the tray.

“When was the last time I bathed?” Allison asked out of nowhere.

Matthew heard what Allison said, but he could not help but ask, “What?” to confirm he heard her correctly.

Allison rolled her eyes.

Matthew chuckled when she turned her head to the left, raised her arm, and smelled an armpit.

“A helper gives you a sponge bath every day,” Matthew said after a while.

“Oh!” Allison replied. “But what about my hair? May I wash my hair?”

“Certainly,” Matthew said before she stepped out of the room.

After a while, someone knocked on the door again, and another woman’s voice asked, “Mrs. Laxamana, may I come in?”

Allison was a bit startled to hear an unfamiliar voice. It also felt odd how the woman addressed her as the mistress of the house, knowing that she and Matthew had already divorced.

The woman outside might have sensed her hesitation and said, “Mr. Laxamana sent me to assist you.”

“Please, come in.” Allison tried to speak normally, but her voice still came out weakly.

The woman came in, pushed a wheelchair, and assisted Allison, so she could sit on it.

It takes Allison longer to bathe since most of her left limbs are still covered with bandages, and her movements are limited. Her legs still felt weak and hurt whenever she moved them, so she called for Anita and asked for some help.

When they were done, Anita wheeled her into her walk-in wardrobe.

She was astonished when she found out that all her dresses and other clothes were neatly arranged in them. Everything seemed like how it used to when she was still living there.

Allison pointed at one of the dresses and expressed that she wanted to wear it. When she was done, Anita politely excused herself and left Allison sitting in the wheelchair.

“Are you going anywhere?” Matthew asked, startling Allison.

He looked at the dress that his wife was wearing, and there was a grim expression on his face. Allison looked down and started to feel a little uneasy.

“I– um–”

Allison did not know what to say. She does not intend to go anywhere. She dressed up because she wanted to celebrate her second chance at life and plan her revenge. She knew she needed a plan to catch Yvonne and Marco in their trap.

She glanced at Matthew. She wondered why she was so desperate to divorce him in the past just to be with Marco made her sick to the core. Allison could not think of how he still decided to take care of her after all she had done and wondered if, perhaps, Matthew did so to eventually take revenge on her.

The two of them remained in the room with unbearable silence. Allison was about to say something when she felt dizzy. She slouched into the wheelchair, her hands automatically reaching her temples. She did not complain this time when Matthew lifted her and carried her back to bed.

“Are you okay?” Matthew asked her worriedly as he put her down gently on the bed.

Allison looked up at him with a flushed face and slowly nodded her head. She smiled awkwardly at Matthew as he pulled her legs up on the bed. Her legs suddenly reminded Allison of how Yvonne and the man she hired intentionally left her injured.

She leaned her back against the pillow that Matthew arranged for her and closed her eyes for a moment. Matthew watched her silently.

Unknown to him, Allison's thoughts had drifted back to the fire incident. She was too focused on recalling past events that she did not realize that she had started to talk aloud.

“How did I end up in the fire? Why did I even go to that place?” Allison opened her eyes, confusion all over her face. Then she looked up at Matthew and asked, “How long did you say I was in a coma?”

“Almost six months,” Matthew replied while observing Allison’s expressions intently.

Allison’s voice kept on moving as she murmured to herself. Her voice was too low, and Matthew could not understand a word she said. Matthew furrowed her brows when Allison started searching for her phone, and when she found it, all she did was check for the date.

“What? It’s already 2023? How come it’s already 2023?” Allison snapped. She brushed her hands on her head, trying to make sense of it.

Matthew’s sight did not leave her face, and he saw how her expression shifted from confusion to surprise to worry.

“And what about my parents? Where are my parents?” She tried to be as calm as she could, but her mind was already racing. She started to wonder why they were not the ones looking after her.

“The last time that your parents came here to visit you was two days ago. Yvonne visited you more often than them. I don’t trust her, so I never leave her alone in the room with you." Matthew paused, then continued, "I called your parents earlier, and they were ecstatic to hear that you had regained consciousness. However, they are out of the country. They will come back as soon as they can to see you.”

"Oh... And Noah? What about Noah?"

Allison searched her memory. The last time she could remember her brother was his motorcycle accident.

"Why do you seem to leave out information about Noah?"

Matthew walked closer to Allison and sat on the edge of her bed.

He did not know why Allison seemed worried about Noah, so he asked, “Allie, how much do you remember from the fire incident? How far back do you remember before it?”