Chapter 3

JENNA peeked through the small gap in the hospital room door. It was a private ward, and Ben was the only patient inside.

For the past ten minutes, she had been pacing back and forth outside, unsure of how to face him.

Just as she was about to gather her courage, the door suddenly opened. Startled, Jenna quickly stepped aside and hid in a small corner.

A man and a woman, both in their late thirties, walked out. Their expressions were heavy with worry, as if something bad had happened.

"What do we do now? He doesn’t remember anything at all," the woman with a long hair said, her voice filled with concern.

Jenna frowned. Doesn’t remember?

"The doctor said it’s only temporary. His memory might return gradually," the man replied, trying to sound hopeful.

Jenna leaned against the wall, listening closely.

"But the doctor also said they don’t know when he’ll remember. He doesn’t even know his own name. I’m scared… what if he never remembers anything?"

"Honey, don’t stress yourself. If you’re stressed, who’s going to take care of Ben? Let me handle the company. You just focus on looking after him until he recovers, okay?"

"And about the company… we’ve been planning to pass the management to him. We agreed to step back and just be a shareholders, to finally take a break."

"We’re still young, honey. I can help you. We’ll get through this together. I believe Ben will regain his memories."

Despite his reassurance, the woman still looked troubled.

Jenna hugged Ben’s backpack tightly. If what they said was true, then Ben wouldn’t remember anything—not the bag, not the portrait drawings inside, not even her.

There was no point in meeting him.

But there was something else she had to do.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced around before slowly making her way toward Ben’s room.

With a hesitant hand, she pushed the door open.

BEN looked at the girl from head to toe. Another unfamiliar face. Or more accurately, another face he couldn’t remember.

According to the doctor who treated him, the impact on his head had caused him to lose his memory.

“I’m sorry for bothering you,” the girl said. “I came today to say thank you. You saved me.”

Ben remained silent.

“If you hadn’t… maybe I’d be the one lying here instead of you,” she added, introducing herself as Jenna.

Ben crossed his arms, unsure of what to say.

“If you ever need anything…” Jenna handed him a small card. “This is my number. I’ll help however I can. Maybe… with your medical bills or something.”

She swallowed hard. Ben hadn’t said a word since she walked in.

“I—”

“No need.” Ben cut her off. “Just go. You don’t have to do anything.”

Jenna fell silent before nodding slowly. She was still clutching Ben’s backpack tightly, unsure whether to return it to him or not.

“Alright then. I’ll get going. Thank you... Ben.” She turned to leave.

“Wait.”

His voice stopped her in her tracks.

“I… saved you?”

Jenna turned back to face him. “Yes. You did.”

Ben stared at her for a moment before giving a small nod, then said nothing more.

Jenna hesitated for a few seconds before finally walking out.

Ben leaned back against the bed’s headboard. The doctor had said he needed rest, to stay calm so his memory could return gradually. His right hand touched the bandage on his head.

His mind was blank. If he had to describe it, everything was black and white.

And in the hazy grey between them, a face appeared—somewhere between blurred and clear.

Who?

JENNA stared at Ben’s backpack, lost in thought. In the end, she decided to just take it home. She had no idea how to explain it to Ben if he asked—especially when she herself still had so many unanswered questions.

Tired of thinking about it, she got up and left her room. In the living area, Latifa and Sue were chatting away while munching on snacks in front of the TV.

“So, you’re just gonna keep quiet about it? Are you sure he doesn’t remember anything at all?” Latifa asked after Jenna told them a bit about Ben’s condition.

“His head injury was really bad, Latifa. He lost a lot of blood—so much that the doctors had to give him a transfusion. That signboard was huge, and heavy too. I don’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened if the impact had hit…”

“Hey, don’t say that! I don’t wanna imagine anything bad happening to my friends,” Sue cut in, shaking her head.

“Accidents can happen to anyone, Sue. If it weren’t for that guy, Jenna would be the one in the hospital right now,” Latifa pointed out.

Sue still shook her head.

“For now, I’ll just wait. I’ll check on him from a distance. Once the doctor says he’s stable enough to be discharged, then I’ll finally feel relieved,” Jenna said.

“But it’s kinda sad, isn’t it?” Latifa frowned. “He got hurt just to save you. What if his family finds out why he got injured? Won’t they blame you?”

Jenna fell silent at that. She hadn’t even thought about it. For the past three days, all she had focused on was Ben’s condition. She never once considered how his family might be feeling—how devastated they must be.

“Of course they’d be sad. Who wouldn’t be if their loved one got into an accident? But what’s done is done, and they have to accept it,” Sue said. “Besides, it’s not like Jenna asked him to save her. He did it willingly. No one forced him.”

Latifa nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, so don’t go blaming yourself, okay? He made his own decision. He chose to save you, even if it meant getting hurt,” Sue added.

Jenna remained quiet.

Her housemates had no idea about the file containing Ben’s drawings. She had no intention of telling them either. If they found out, they’d only bombard her with even more questions. Right now, she needed to clear her head before figuring out her next move.

"JENNA?"

Beatrice nodded.

"The girl Ben..."

"Yeah, that Jenna. The nurse said she’s been to the hospital three times but never went in. She just watched Ben from a distance," Beatrice explained.

"So that means Jenna already knows Ben likes her?" Wesley asked.

"I'm not sure about that. But what surprised me was when the nurse said she’s the one Ben saved that day."

Wesley raised an eyebrow. "So, Ben got hurt because he saved her?"

"Pretty much. And now, here we are. Ben saved the girl he loves, but he doesn’t remember anything about her or what happened. Meanwhile, Jenna keeps coming here but won’t go in to see him. Ugh, what a mess."

Wesley thought for a moment. "It’s not that complicated. It’s just Ben who doesn’t remember."

"That’s exactly the problem! If he doesn’t remember, that makes things difficult."

"What’s so difficult? Next time Jenna comes, we take her to see Ben. We tell them everything right in front of them. Problem solved."

"Solved? What if Jenna runs off and Ben is still just as confused? How is that solving anything?"

"Okay, okay, calm down. Let’s ask Ben first—does he really not remember anything? Not even who was there when he got injured?"

"And if he doesn’t?"

"Then we just let things be. What else can we do?"

Beatrice let out a heavy sigh. She and Wesley froze when Ben suddenly appeared behind them. Who knows how long he had been standing there?

Beatrice quickly approached him. "Ben, do you need anything? Want me to buy you something to eat?"

Ben simply shook his head and walked back into his room. Beatrice and Wesley exchanged glances before following him inside.

Ben was already sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard.

Beatrice stepped closer. "Ben, I just want to ask—"

"No." Ben cut her off. "I don’t remember. I don’t know what happened." He looked up at her. "I got injured. That’s all."

Beatrice fell silent. "Just get some rest," she said softly.

"Do you really not know what actually happened?"

Again, Beatrice and Wesley exchanged glances.

Wesley stepped closer to the bed, standing on Ben’s left. "We only know what the police and hospital told us. You were brought here in an ambulance and…"

Ben looked at him when he suddenly stopped talking. "And?"

"When we arrived, there was no one there. The witnesses had already left. That night, your sister and I were out of town for work."

Ben nodded. "It’s fine. I understand." Then, he fell silent again.

"Don’t think too much. Just rest," Wesley told him.

As before, Ben said nothing.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***