THE BILLIONAIRE'S FOREVER CONTRACT

THIRTY

"You are lucky he was brought in immediately and the bullet missed his brain by inches" The doctor told a bloodied Mara.

"Will he be alright?" Mara asked

"Yes but I must warn you, the shock trauma to his brain would make it recognition hard but hopefully his brain will pick up in time."

After the shooting, they were discovered by the others. Alexander was already dead by the time they had gotten to the hospital but Lucien was immediately operated upon and was stable at the moment although he had yet to open his eyes. Elizabeth and Lucien's mother were on their way to the hospital and Mara refused to leave Lucien's side, she wanted to be there when he opened his eyes.

She must have dozed off because there was sudden pressure to her hand, the one she held his own in.

"You are awake" She screamed, bursting into tears again.

Jason nodded to his brother, relief flooding his veins.

"I feel like shit" Lucien muttered

"You will be fine, the doctor says you will probably begin experiencing..."

"Who the fuck are you?" Lucien shot, interrupting Mara's ramble.

She stared at him in disbelief before Jason cut in

"Brother, this is Mara Sinclair" He said

"Okay. It is nice to meet you, Mara Sinclair" He replied, staring at her in confusion

"I should probably call in the doctor" Mara finally said

The doctor confirmed that Lucien was experiencing what is known as selective amnesia and it was his brain's way of healing from the shock trauma, by blocking out his painful memories and that he might regain them after he is healed or they might be forever lost to him.

...

"He doesn't remember me" Mara said softly as she hugged Elizabeth

"He will, it is the trauma" A pregnant Elizabeth reassured her.

"Why me... I am a painful memory to him" She muttered again.

"You know you are not, don't say that"

Mara said nothing, she knew her friend was probably going to counter any negative thing she said but it still remained that she was a painful memory and anytime she looked at the new Lucien, he did not recognize her. She was some stranger to him and she had overheard him ask his brother if she was some sort of stalker or past girlfriend of his and what she was continually doing in the hospital with him. She had heard Jason explain to him that she was mostly the reason he was in the hospital and he had taken a bullet for her, one that should have killed her.

"There is no way I would take a bullet for some girl, you have it all wrong, brother" He had laughed.

"I was there and I can guarantee that, you just need to get your memories back"

"I don't think I want to remember myself stupid enough to fly all the way to Italy and get myself involved in some mafia shootout for some girl"

Mara had cried her eyes out but it was clear after two full weeks that Lucien was in no way closer to recovering his memories and it was too painful for her to look at him and remember everything they had shared.

"I am leaving" She said to her friend, Elizabeth who had given birth the previous week.

"Where will you go?"

"Somewhere I can heal, Liz"

Mara left in the dead of the night to the airport with only her best friend, Elizabeth aware of her location. She wanted to be away from everything and most especially away from the only man she had ever loved who no longer knew who she was.

...

Lucien was having the most beautiful dream, he held someone in his arms and although he could not see her face... he knew he loved her, judging from the emotions rolling through him.

"I love you" He heard himself mutter

"I love you too, Lucien Rodrigues" The flickering image of the person responded.

"I love you, Mara Sinclair" he said again

Her face suddenly became visible, it wasn't a dream and he wasn't asleep. A dull throbbing pain spread through his head almost immediately, paralyzing him where he stood and suddenly he remembered... EVERYTHING.