.......BLACK...........
after a few hours
Why is my head aching like this? Damn, my back hurts too. Feels like I'm lying on a rock or something. This bed, or whatever it is, isn't as comfy as mine at home—wait, I can call it home, right? Though I can't quite remember it.
Wow, the pillow I'm holding is so warm. Nice... Wait, since when did pillows move?
As I tried to open my eyes, they were momentarily blinded by the harsh lights. It had been closed for so long. That's when I realized what I was holding: Julian's hand. It startled me so much that I shouted and woke him up. Damn it! For once, he looked more angelic than cute while sleeping, and I ruined it. He was clearly confused and asked me something I didn't quite catch. "Hmm?"
"Why are you asking so many questions?" I muttered, feeling flustered.
"No, just tha—" I began, then it all came flooding back. I remembered trying to tell him I was about to blackout, and he hadn't listened.
"Are you okay now? Feeling better? Why did you shout?" Julian's voice was gentle, full of concern.
"What happened, darling?" he asked softly.
"Don't you dare call me darling, Julian!!"
"Wait... What did I do?"
"WHAT THE HELL DIDN'T YOU DO?" I snapped, a sharp pain slicing through my head. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to block out the pain. Julian noticed and tried to soothe me, offering water, but I just shouted two words that made me feel slightly better.
"GET OUT!!!"
He looked wounded by my outburst, his expression pained, but I couldn't muster any concern. He hadn't cared when it truly mattered. After he left the room, Lisa entered a few minutes later.
"Hey, bro... I just found out about your acute amnesia. Are you feeling better now? Is there anything you need?" Her voice was filled with concern and care.
That's when I broke down, crying like a baby, quite literally. Lisa immediately moved to comfort me, her voice trembling with worry. "What happened? Why are you crying? Did that fucking bastard Miller hurt you, bro? Tell me, did he? I swear, if he made you cry, I'll make him regret it."
"Lisa... Julian—wait, who's Miller?"
"Oh, right, sorry. I forgot about your amnesia. Julian Miller—he's..." She paused, suddenly alarmed. "Wait! What did that fucking bastard Julian do?"
"Lisa... Can you answer me honestly?"
"Yes."
"Does Julian love me like Victor loves you?"
"What? Are you serious? Why would you even ask that?"
"Because... Because it feels like Victor would do anything for you, but Julian... he didn't even listen when I told him I was about to blackout—"
I don't know if it was the phrase "didn't listen" that triggered her or what, but she transformed into an angry bird or something, shouting, "JULIAN!! FUCKING MILLER!! GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT HOW DARE YOU HURT HE-"
The nurse, interrupting the heated exchange, said, "Ma'am, this is a hospital; please maintain silence."
"Have you ever been closer to your best friend than to your husband?"
"No, ma'am, but—"
"Just be quiet. Julian Miller, how dare you hurt my best friend!"
"Just shut up. JULIAN MILLER I AM GONNA KILL YOU -NO TORTURE YOU IN THOUSANDS OF WAYS FOR HURTING MY BEST FRIEND!"
Julian came in, and to my surprise, so did Victor. Victor immediately asked Lisa, "Baby, what happened? Why are you shout—"
"Victor, just shut up for a minute. I need to have a word with my best friend's husband." [My favorite line of Lisa's.]
That shut him up. I guess she's the only one who can control him, which shows how much he loves her.
"Julian, you bastard how dare you not listen to Gina when she said she was feeling dizzy? How exactly are you planning to live with her—by hurting her?"
It seems that when Lisa shouts, it triggers something in Victor. He then said, "Miller, how dare you hurt your wife?"
From their conversation, it became clear that Victor had caused me a lot of heartache. But now, he was supporting me. How pathetic. I guess love turns you into a puppet.
"Shut up, Victor! I am trying to talk to Julian here."
"Okay, honey, but don't shou—"
"Answer me, Julian!"
"Shout," Victor murmured.
"But Lisa, I don't understand what you're talking about," Julian said.
"Oh really? Didn't Gina tell you she was about to black out before she did?"
"I guess she did, but I—"
"There is no excuse for what you did. Now get the hell out of here!"
I guess Julian couldn't bear Lisa's temper; no one could. He left the room.
"And you too, Victor."
"But bab—"
"Get out."
For a second, he looked at me like I was going to kill Lisa or something, but in reality, I was the victim here. After a few seconds, making sure she wouldn't change her mind, he left.
"I'm sorry, bro, for shouting while you're still recov—"
"Lisa, you're still the same. You still are short-tempered."
"Yeah, of course I do. I would never change my temper for anything. How are you now? I guess I should update you on the current affairs of our lives."
"Yeah, please do. I feel hopeless after all this."
"Alright, first of all, you and that idiot have been married for three years and have a six-month-old baby. As for me, Victor and I are in a relationship. And don't worry, I'm not going to marry him until I've achieved success in my career."
"Don't tell me 'successful' means becoming a CEO or something, right?"
"Well, you're close, but I want to become a COO."
"You still think something like that is simple," I murmured.
"What?"
"Nothing, continue."
"Well, Hailey got into a relationship with a guy named Kevin a few months ago. He's planning to propose to her, and she's now a cardiologist."
"Oh, thanks for updating m—"
"Wait! It's not over. Our friend Maria, do you remember her?"
Maria? Why can't I exactly remember her?
"You know, the one who always says 'die, die, die'?"
"Oh, that girl? I thought she was dead."
"Wait... WHAT? Who told you that? She isn't dead, bro. She started a real estate business from scratch and married Christian. I guess you really don't remember her."
"Wow, I guess I must have missed a lot. Thanks for catching me up, Lisa."
"No problem. It's a lot to take in, but we're all here for you."
Certainly! Here's a more professional and polished version:
"Well, I guess I just hallucinated, thinking she was dead."
"Bro, don't believe anything you remember from the blackout, okay?"
"Okay."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Pinky promise?"
"Pinky promise."
"God promi—"
"FUCK, LISA, I PROMISE YOU IN EVERY WAY!"
"What? Why are you shouting at me?" she asked, showing her puppy dog eyes.
"You're still as annoying as you were as a child."
"I know, right? That's my best quality," she said, flipping her hair dramatically.
"But you shouldn't say that when you're the mother of one. You should be used to this," she said, looking at me with that mischievous grin. I playfully hit her on the shoulder. She hadn't changed a bit. She was still the same ambitious, short-tempered person I knew. She scowled, and then we both burst out laughing. Just then, Victor came in and said, "Babe, we gotta go. It's getting late."
She turned to me and said, "Okay, take care. Follow the doctor's orders, don't you dare open your laptop, or I will kill you. Call me immediately if that Miller bothers you again. I'll come by tomorrow morning to check on you and Cassandra since I have the day off. I can take care of her if you need me to. Bye, bro." She glared at Victor for interrupting our moment and then left.
I was so happy to see Lisa. She's the only person who can lift my spirits from zero to infinity in an instant. Hailey and Maria would take a little longer; they need more practice.
A few minutes later, Julian came in. I was still mad at him, so I tilted my head to one side. He came and sat near me and said, "Gina, I'm sorry. I should have listened to you, but I was so caught up with Victor. You saw how he talked, right? I just... I can't forget the fact that he made you miserable to get back at me. I feel so guilty about not making you happy and letting him use you to get at me. You've gone through so much to keep your friend happy. Lisa is a good person; she doesn't deserve someone lik—"
He didn't finish because I interrupted, "Then I am also a good person, and you think I deserve a husband who cares more about fighting his enemy than the safety of his wife? YOU LITERALLY YELLED AT ME TO KEEP QUIET, JULIAN. I COULDN'T EVEN REACT! What if—WHAT IF—Lisa hadn't come in time and caught me before I fell and hit my head? If she hadn't come in time, I would have hit my head on the pavement! Then you could forget me and continue fighting and blaming your mistakes on others! Now I doubt whether you even LOVED ME! Plus, I just don't get how I loved you! And Lisa very much deserves Victor because he at least loves and cares for her at any cost. As long as Victor is loyal to Lisa and Lisa loves him back, no one has any right to say anything! DO YOU EVEN LOVE ME, JULIAN?"
I said all of it in one breath. I yelled at him, expecting him to be mad and storm off. I knew I was being a little excessive because he didn't mean to do what he did, but right then, I was too emotional. To my surprise, he said, "Gina, I am sorry I gave you a reason to doubt my love for you. Even if the whole world falls apart, I will still love you. I am sorry for what happened. I will never let this happen again. I will never allow anyone or anything to hurt you again. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me this one time. I promise you won't regret it."
"Pinky promise?" I asked, looking at him with hope in my eyes. Damn, he was even cuter than before, with his hair all ruffled and his eyes full of sincerity that I couldn't say no.
"Pinky promise," he said.
"God promise?"
"God promise," he replied.
"Mother promise?" I asked, testing his patience and sincerity—a trick I learned from Lisa.
"I promise you every promise you can ask for," he said. I smiled and said, "I remember our wedding now. Maria, Lisa, and Hailey each gave speeches. Hailey and Lisa made so many jokes that I almost fainted from laughing, and Maria was so sincere in her speech. You... you looked amazing in that suit."
Actually, he looked way more than amazing. Julian's face lit up in an instant, and he hugged me. Now, I no longer felt awkward about his hug; I felt comfortable. Though I still don't know how we met or fell in love, the recent memories made me comfortable with him. However, I made a mental note to maintain some distance until I fully recovered and to see how he treated me without my memories.
Just then, my phone rang. It was Hailey. Gina had told me she lived in New York. Actually, where am I living? Never mind, I answered the call.
"GEORGINA! You didn't forget me, right? THEN HOW DARE YOU NOT CALL ME AND TELL ME YOUR SITUATION? ARE YOU NUTS? LISA JUST TOLD ME... RHYSE, PLAY SOMEWHERE ELSE! SORRY, MY BROTHER IS ALWAYS DISTURBING... BUT HOW DARE YOU TELL LISA AND NOT ME OR MARIA?"
She was yelling so loudly that I didn't need to hold the phone to my ear. Julian laughed at the noise and left the room. After five minutes of shouting, I finally got a chance to respond.
"Hailey, I am totally fine. Just some pieces are missing, but don't worry. I still remember your wedding speech. I didn't have time to call you; I was in shock myself. Please don't yell again; I'm afraid my AirPods will steam up."
"Fine, but Maria is also worried sick about you. Talk to her after me. And I can't visit you for three months because I'm going to India for a surgeon training program. Take care, take your medication, and don't open your laptop, or I will kill you."
"Why do both of you say not to open the laptop like you discussed reminding me twice?"
"Because, Georgina Miller, we know you are the most workaholic person we've ever known. So don't touch your laptop, or Julian will tell me if you do. Happy anniversary, by the way. Are you guys planning for another kid? I'd love to see another niece..."
"Girl, you haven't changed a bit. You still have the same gutter mind! Bye, be careful when you go there. Take care. Bye!"
"Bye!"
After hanging up, I dialed Maria.
"Hey, kid! What's up? I heard about the amnesia and hallucinations from Miller."
"Julian literally told everyone?"
"You may not remember, but we made him promise to report to us immediately if anything happened to you before he put the ring on your finger. So, yes, we know."
"Girl, I'm fine. Just frequent blackouts. But I remember you clearly, 'the girl who says die, die, die.'"
"That's definitely not fine. Take rest. I'm going abroad for a week for business matters and am about to board the flight. Just take care and rest at home. And, by any chance, DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH YOUR LAPTOP, OR YOU ARE DONE FOREVER!"
"Hailey just told me she is going to India. Plus, how are the three of you telling me the laptop dialogue as if you discussed it? Am I that addicted to programming?"
"Yes, you are, idiot. Knowing you, the best you think working is relaxation and programming is satisfaction."
"Yeah, I guess so..."
"Okay, bye, kiddo. Take care."
"Bye!"
HERES THE 3RD PART I HOPE YOU LIKE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!