LOVE RESTART

HIDDEN TRUTH, FORGOTTEN LIES

The fire incident must have jarred her memory. She realized now that Noah’s motorcycle accident occurred on the night of her wedding with Matthew.

Noah is Allison’s only brother and is four years younger than her and an upcoming first-year student at the university. Though he chose to work as a part-time model in the meantime, Noah has always been determined to work for the company and is vocal about his indifference towards Yvonne.

Allison grabbed the side of her temples as the events from before the fire incident flashed across her mind, like a scene from a movie, and stopped at the moment when Yvonne confessed that Noah’s accident was also her own doing. Her trail of thoughts might have connected the fire incident that she was involved in with Noah’s motorcycle accident. Her chest tightened and she gasped for breath.

“Allie, are you okay?” Matthew questioned.

Allison looked up to meet his gaze and saw that his face was filled with worry. An idea strikes her mind. Thinking about what Yvonne was capable of doing to be the sole heiress of their family business sends chills down her spine.

Allison looked anxiously at Matthew. Then she bit her lower lip, knowing too well that what she was about to say was a lie.

“I can’t remember anything that happened between Noah’s accident and the fire incident.” She blinked, looked down on her legs, and then added, "I don't know what I was doing there, who I was with, and how it all happened."

Allison had no time to think about the consequences of her lies. She has also considered telling the authorities about Yvonne’s involvement and intent to murder her, but she is afraid that she does not have any concrete evidence against her step-sister. She also could not bring herself to open up to Matthew because she was well aware of how their relationship ended in bad taste because of her wrongdoings.

She could not think of anything other than pretending to have amnesia. The condition is also the first thing that pops up in her mind, as she is reminded of one of the characters she auditioned for in the past.

Matthew put his hands on his waist and nodded his head slowly. He brushed his hand on his bearded chin and said, “Noah only sustained a minor injury from the accident. He broke his ankle, stayed a couple of days in the hospital, and then went on to undergo rehabilitation therapy. As for our marriage,” Matthew paused about what he should say next. He walked closer to the bed and said, “We’re still trying to make it work.”

Allison said, “Ohh,” trying hard to conceal her reaction. She wondered if Matthew lied about their divorce because he wanted to catch her lying. She looked up at him and saw that he was watching his face intently. Matthew held her gaze and she did not know how to break it. Thankfully, her phone rang again.

Matthew gritted his teeth. The expression on his face remained grim as he watched Allison pick up the call.

Her hands trembled as she picked up her phone. Her eyes are fixed on Noah’s name on the screen, fearing that any second, it would disappear or change into someone else’s. She slid the green phone icon and Noah’s voice filled the silence between Allison and Matthew.

“Hello? Allie? I just heard the good news and I wonder if it's true?”

She felt her heart beating loudly inside her chest when she heard her brother’s voice. She did not notice when Matthew walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

“N-Noah?” Allison burst into tears when she confirmed that it was indeed his brother on the other end. “I- I miss you. Where are you?”

“Are you okay, Allie? I’m in the studio and have just finished a photoshoot. How about you? Where are you?”

Allison could hear her brother panting as they talked and the surrounding chattering.

“I’m in my room at Laxamana’s Estate. Why?”

Allison heard Noah answer a short uh-uh. A long pause followed before he spoke again, “Don’t you ever meet with Marco again, Allie.”

“No! Of course not, no!” she answered quickly.

Noah did not answer. Instead, he requested a video call, which Allison accepted. She gasped when she saw her brother’s face on the screen. A sob escaped from her mouth, making her brother worried.

“What’s wrong, Allie? Why are you crying?” Noah asked. His face appeared closer to the screen. “Did you already fight with Matthew?”

Allison shook her head and wiped her tears away. She cleared her throat before she spoke.

“No. We did not fight. Matthew has been treating me well, I am sure you all know that.” She sniffed, and then she smiled. “I am just happy to see you. I miss you so much.”

Noah chuckled and said shyly, “I miss you too.” He shook his head and the expression on his face went back to worried when he asked, “Are you sure Matthew is not treating you badly?”

“Look, I wouldn’t be alive if he wasn’t treating me well. So, yes. I am all right. You do not have to worry about me.” She answered in between sobs.

Noah nodded. He asked Allison to put the phone away from her face, and when he seemed like he had enough inspection, he asked, “Why are you wearing a dress instead of sleepwear?”

She smiled, took the phone closer to her lips, and then whispered, “Because it’s my second chance at life, you silly. I can’t go out and this is the only way I see to celebrate it.”

Noah laughed. He told Allison how he wanted to see her, but unfortunately, his schedule did not permit it. The video call continued while Noah boarded the car with his manager and ended when he finally got to the next location.

Once again, Allison found herself alone with her thoughts. She saw her call log and realized that both Marco and Yvonne had been calling her. She knew Matthew had probably seen her phone while she was in a coma. He had probably answered some of those calls, but that was the least of her concerns now.

Meanwhile, Matthew was standing on the other side of the door. He did not intend to eavesdrop, but he heard the conversation between Allison and her brother. He found it odd that she did not talk about the amnesia with Noah, but on the other hand, he was relieved that he did not need to suddenly barge in if Noah mentioned the divorce.

Matthew let out a sigh as he walked away from the door. He hoped Allison meant it when she told Noah that he was treating her well. Although he technically bought their marriage, he wanted their marriage to work.

He felt bad that she had to get hurt when she broke up with Marco. But Matthew believes Marco isn’t the right man for her. He does not deserve Allison’s love. He only hoped that the day would come for her to realize that.

It was wrong of him to invade Allison’s privacy. He acknowledges that. While he feels guilty whenever he picks up the calls, he is furious that Marco never failed to call Allison since the fire incident. Although he was delighted to see how Allison seemed to have a change of heart, he was a bit worried when he saw her coming out of the bath wearing a yellow dress. The first thought that came to mind was that she wanted to meet with him as soon as she woke up from the coma.

He smiled, thinking about how Noah had also forbidden his sister to meet Marco. They never had the chance to speak casually, but Matthew felt like he and Noah could agree on a lot of things, especially when it came to Allison.

Originally, he wanted to spend the night in the room, like he always does when she is still in a coma. But considering the status of their relationship and how much Allison could remember, he thought it would be best to let Allison approach him gradually. Matthew silently walked away and went inside the adjacent room.

He had just settled in bed when he heard a knock on the door. He was astounded when he found Allison in her wheelchair, smiling at him.

“Hello, Matthew. May I come in?”