Love Me Again

Chapter 3 - Memory loss

Chapter 3 – Memory loss

Without any signs of serious injury, Sean was reading a business magazine and had it put away when they entered the room. While Ashley stared at him, he did the same too. She tried to look casual when he assessed her from head to toe.

"You look different than I remember," Sean spoke first, his voice deeper than she remembered.

"So do you," Ashley replied coldly.

Sean looked puzzled, and she fought not to frown. Did he expect her to greet him warmly? Politely?

Evan let out a cough, getting Ashley's attention. "This is what I meant."

"You will have to explain to me, doctor." Ashley suddenly felt the need to be defensive.

Evan sighed. "He has lost four years of his memories."

Ashley dragged Evan out of the room and questioned in a sharp tone, "Why didn't you tell me about his loss of memories earlier?"

"What's the difference between telling you earlier and not?"

"I could have prepared myself!" She wished the doctor had told her about Sean's condition through the phone call! Physical injury or memory loss asked for different reactions!

"Like what?" Evan sighed. "I wouldn't have asked you to come here if it wasn't urgent. And speaking about his injury will be best told face to face rather than over a phone call."

"Why not just let him stay here until one of his relatives arrives?" Ashley sounded desperate.

"As you know, I couldn't contact his parents and his wife. There aren't any relatives that are nearby or free to take care of him. And it is good for him if he recovers in his own home."

"Did you drop by his house to see if there's anyone in there?"

Evan stared at Ashley as if she had just said something funny. "You seem rather desperate to stay far away from Sean."

"We are divorced, doctor. We parted on bad terms," Ashley answered curtly.

"... Apologies. Actually, there is another reason why I asked you to come here."

"What reason?" Ashley asked warily.

Evan sighed, looking troubled. "I want you to help him recover his memories."

"Isn't that supposed to be your job?" Ashley scowled at the doctor.

"All I know is that he has lost four years of his memories, with the possibility that he himself is unconsciously suppressing his own memories."

"Suppress it? Didn't you say it's because of the head injury?"

Evan shook his head in negative. "The check-ups found that his head injury isn't serious enough to trigger memory loss."

"So, you think he doesn't want to remember certain things, so he... unconsciously suppresses his memories?"

"Correct. I need you to find out what he wanted to suppress and to help him recover his memory if possible."

Ashley desperately wanted to groan out loud. "Can't you ask a counselor to do it? They are certified to do so! I'm just a restaurant manager!"

"Counsellors would not be able to help much, and they advise letting the patient recover their memories naturally to avoid harming their delicate mind. It would be better if it's a person that he's familiar with to help him with his recovery."

Ashley smelled bullshit, but she was not an expert in such things, so she could only shoot him a glare. "I am not that familiar with him."

Evan stared at Ashley with a contemplative gaze. "Truthfully, Sean had asked for you as soon as he was awake. That's why I insisted on you coming over."

Ashley's heart skipped a beat. "T-That's impossible."

"It's not impossible. There's nothing wrong with a husband who wants his wife to be with him."

"I'm no longer his wife."

"Correction, you are his wife, four years ago. He said the last thing he could remember was planning to go on a honeymoon with you. He's looking forward to it," Evan revealed.

"Does he? How surprising," Ashley said bitterly. Sean had been a romantic husband with his newlywed wife during their honeymoon trip, but it only lasted until they returned to their daily lives.

"I won't ask what happened between you two, but do it for his sake... and maybe yours. As soon as he remembers everything, the more quickly you can get out of here, right?"

"I could get out of here now," Ashley threatened, her hand tapping on her luggage.

Evan chuckled helplessly. "I could not stop you if that's what you want. But I hope you will reconsider and stay to help."

In the end, Ashley reluctantly agreed to help Sean. If she was smart, she would buy a ticket and fly back home, washing off this sticky matter from her hands.

But Ashley could not bear to do it when she met Sean's gaze, which was filled with affection for her. She remembered how miserable she was four years ago when Sean's gaze was no longer loving when it met hers. She had cried and wished for anything to have Sean be warm to her again, but the longer she waited, the more distant Sean became.

When Ashley could not stand it anymore, she made the tough decision to end their marriage.

She had been doing well after the divorce, slowly getting used to the life before meeting Sean. But when she was alone at night, her dreams would show what her heart really wanted—wishing to be with Sean again. What tortured her the most were her dreams of what would never come true, such as them being a loving couple until the end of their lives.

Ashley ruthlessly crushed that tiny hope and kept her mind focused. She was here to build good karma. Until his parents or his wife returned, she would keep an eye on Sean. After that, she would immediately pack up and leave.

It was surprisingly quick to discharge Sean, pack up his small number of belongings, and hail a cab to take them to his house. During the ride, Ashley remained silent, and Sean seemed content to be quiet as well.

"This is not our house," Sean said when the cab stopped in front of a nice-looking house fit for a family.

"No, it's not." Ashley got out of the cab, thanking the driver as he hauled out their luggage from the back boot.

"Then why are we here?" He asked as he followed her.

"This is your house."

"You just said that this isn't our house."

Ashley told herself to be tolerant of the patient. "This isn't my house. This is the house you are currently living in, registered under your name." She grabbed Sean's bag and rummaged inside until she found a bunch of keys. She turned and stared at him, who, in return, stared back at her.

Ashley held out the keys to him. "I was hoping you would at least remember which is the key to your door. I don't really want to try every key, looking like a darn fool."

Sean stared at the keys for a while before shaking his head. "Sorry, I don't remember."

Ashley noted that Sean was rather calm for someone who had lost four years of his memories. If she were in his shoes, she would have freaked out a long time ago.

Sean took the keys. "But I could try." He stared at the keys for a moment before randomly picking one.

Hearing a click that signaled the door was unlocked, Ashley's eyes widened in anticipation. "You remember something?"

Sean stared at Ashley, and she wondered if she had imagined seeing a flash of anger in his eyes before it was replaced with a frown. "No. The pattern of this key matched the lock."

"...I see."