Ryan’s POV
From Ethan Quinn’s expression, I had my answer.
"You think Serena is your long-lost sister, don’t you?"
He nodded, his gaze steady. "Mr. Blackwood, how much do you actually know about Serena’s past?"
I frowned. "Not much. When we married, she had lost part of her mory. She couldn’t rember where she ca from or who her parents were."
Quinn shot to his feet, composure crumbling. "Are you saying she’s been suffering from amnesia all this ti?"
I nodded slowly, eyeing his reaction. "Mr. Quinn, none of this is certain. She has amnesia—there’s a real chance you’re mistaken."
He shook his head emphatically. "That can’t be a coincidence. Serena looks remarkably like my mother, and her mory loss coincides with when my sister disappeared. Doesn’t that tell you sothing? I need to speak with her directly."
Quinn turned to leave, but I stood quickly and stopped him. "Wait! Serena is still recovering in the hospital. You can’t question her now."
He paused, then turned back. "I’ll wait until she’s discharged, then I’ll ask her myself."
I motioned for him to sit back down. "This matter requires delicacy. I’ll approach Serena first. If she doesn’t wish to reconnect with her past family, you should respect that."
"Serena is my family. Even without the Quinn na, whether she rembers or not,she’s well taken care of."
My voice turned cold. "Serena is my family now. She may not carry your na, but she’s cared for and protected. You’d do well to rember that."
He narrowed his eyes, gauging . "Mr. Blackwood... what happened back then was an accident. The Quinns spent years trying to find my sister. We never gave up."
He took a step closer. "If Serena really is—"
I cut him off. "That’s a big if. Don’t jump to conclusions."
I gestured toward the door. "If there’s nothing else, you know your way out."
My tone left no room for argunt. Quinn hesitated, then left without another word.
Once the door closed behind him, the silence in my office felt oppressive. The implications of what he’d said wouldn’t stop spinning in my head.
Could he be right? Could Serena really be soone else’s blood? Soone else’s sister?
I couldn’t shake the unease gnawing at . Dusk had fallen, and I was still staring blankly at my desk, work completely forgotten.
After sending Simon a quick ssage with instructions, I grabbed my keys and headed straight for the hospital.
Serena’s POV
I swallowed the bitter pill, feeling the dicine slowly ease the throbbing pain. Hospital rooms are strange places—too quiet, too sterile, too... lonely. When Ryan walked in, my heart did that stupid little flutter it always does around him.
"Ryan, you’re back," I said, my eyes brightening despite myself. "How did everything go at the company?"
"The company’s fine. Kane can’t do anything to threaten my position."
I felt my shoulders relax slightly. "That’s good."
The walls seed to close in on , and I couldn’t stand another minute in this suffocating room. "Ryan, I just spoke with the doctor. He said I can recover at ho. Would you help check out?"
Ryan frowned, clearly skeptical. "Did the doctor really say that?"
"Why would I make that up?" I challenged him, raising an eyebrow. "If you don’t believe , go ask him yourself."
And he actually did—walked right out that door to verify my claim. I smiled to myself while slipping on my shoes, feeling strangely victorious over this small mont of trust.
When he returned, I was already sitting on the edge of the bed, ready to leave.
"I wasn’t lying, was I?" I couldn’t help the smug smile spreading across my face.
"Let’s go," he said simply, his arm wrapping around as we left the room. His touch was warm, secure—sothing I’d missed during our ti apart.
We’d barely settled into the car when my phone rang. Maya’s na flashed on the screen, her voice already rambling before I could properly say hello.
"Serena, is Ethan Quinn in New York?" she demanded, sounding annoyed.
I froze, unsure how to respond. Thankfully, Maya didn’t wait for my answer.
"He must have heard about rushing back last night and followed here," she continued, her tone shifting from irritation to sothing almost hopeful. "But I don’t understand why. He already rejected , so why show up again?"
She laughed suddenly, embarrassnt coloring her voice. "Serena, do you think Ethan is playing hard-to-get with ?"
I struggled not to laugh. Maya could be surprisingly self-centered sotis. I couldn’t exactly tell her Ethan had visited because of , so I scrambled for an excuse.
"Maybe he’s in New York for business, Maya."
She scoffed imdiately. "Impossible! I saw his car near the studio. It’s the sa Maybach he drove during the jewelry collaboration last season."
My brow furrowed. "You’re saying Ethan is near Dreamland Studio?"
"Yes! Why else would he be there if not looking for ?"
Ryan, clearly eavesdropping on our conversation, reached over and took my phone.
"Ms. Carter, Serena just checked out of the hospital. She won’t be coming to the studio for a few days. You’re in charge of work matters," he stated bluntly before adding, "If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up now."
He disconnected before Maya could protest. I glanced at him, slightly annoyed yet sohow touched by his protectiveness.
As we drove in silence, my mind kept circling around Ethan’s strange behavior. Why would he be waiting near my studio? It didn’t make sense.
Ryan must have noticed my distraction. He returned my phone and squeezed my shoulder gently. "What are you thinking about?"
"Just wondering why Ethan would be hanging around Dreamland. Do you think he really has feelings for Maya?"
The suggestion felt wrong even as I said it. Sothing about Ethan’s intensity when we t in the hospital... it wasn’t about Maya.
"Serena, can you rember anything from your past?" Ryan asked suddenly, his question catching completely off guard.
I blinked rapidly. "Why are you asking about that now?"
Ryan took my hand, his eyes montarily dropping before eting mine again with a gentle smile. "You promised to marry again after our child is born, rember?"
My heart skipped. I hadn’t expected him to bring this up now.
"When that ti cos," he continued, "I want to give you the perfect wedding. I’d like to et your family too—your real family."
Sothing stirred inside —a mixture of longing and fear. I felt my face fall as reality crashed back.
"But I... I don’t rember anything," I admitted, the words painful to say aloud. "I can’t rember who my family is or where they might be..."
I swallowed hard, voicing the fear that had haunted for years. "Maybe they’re like ... maybe they didn’t survive that accident..."
Ryan turned to face directly, his hands on my shoulders. "Serena, do you want to find your family? I can help you."
I gave him a sad smile. Did I want to find them? God, yes. During those three miserable years of marriage, through countless tearful nights, I’d imagined how different things would have been if I had a family to turn to—people who cared about , who would have given sowhere to escape to when life with Ryan beca unbearable.
If I’d had relatives, would I have felt so worthless? So utterly alone?
"Ryan, is it even possible?" I asked, hope and doubt battling inside . "My mories are gone. There are millions of people out there—how could we possibly find them?"
"Do you want to recover your mories, Serena?" His question was gentle but direct.
I nodded without hesitation. "Of course I do."
"Then I’ll take you to see a specialist tomorrow. We’ll find your mories together."
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