Chapter 96

When César woke up, the first thing he noticed was the sound of an argument. His mind was clouded, as if a heavy veil prevented him from remembering clearly. Belladona, elegantly wrapped in her fur coat, raised her voice in fury as a nurse left the room with tears in her eyes.
Before he could process the scene, Belladona's sharp scream echoed through the room as she noticed his eyes were open. The intensity of the sound made him reflexively close them again, a throbbing pain pulsing in his head.
"Aunt, César woke up!" the woman announced, her excitement contrasting with the seriousness of the atmosphere.
A middle-aged woman, her brow furrowed with worry, quickly approached the bed.
"César, are you okay? Don't worry, I’ve called your cousin. He will take care of everything regarding your medical treatment."
César tried to move, but the pain in his body stopped him. Something in his head pounded violently, as if his mind was struggling to recall what had happened.
"Where are the other survivors…? There were children…" he rasped, bringing a hand to his forehead.
"Don’t worry about that now, César," his aunt said with a forced smile.
"Why does my head hurt so much? It feels like… like a cloud is in my mind…"he muttered, frowning.
The two women exchanged tense glances. His aunt cleared her throat before speaking in a measured tone.
"César… it’s best if you stay calm until your cousin examines you."
Something about her response felt evasive. His eyes cautiously settled on Belladona. Her expression was serene, but there was something in her gaze that unsettled him.
"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that, darling?"she asked with a troubled smile.
"I don’t know why, but I feel like I’m forgetting something… something important," he admitted, an uneasy feeling pressing against his chest.
Belladona gently cupped his face and gazed at him intently.
"César, I’ve been so worried about you. I thought… I thought I was going to lose you,"she whispered before hugging him tightly "I won’t let you go ever again."
César remained still, his arms too weak to return the embrace. His aunt watched the scene with unease. Her nephew was awake, yes, but something in his vacant expression sent a sharp pang of concern through her. Was it really right to keep the truth from him? What if what he had forgotten was more important than they realized?
"The woman…" he suddenly whispered.
Belladona tensed.
"What woman?"she asked quickly.
"The blonde woman who was with you. Do I know her?"César tilted his head slightly, trying to dig up the memory that floated in his mind like a ghost.
His aunt opened her mouth to respond, but Belladona swiftly cut in.
"She’s your brother Kyelef’s fiancée,"she replied firmly.
An uncomfortable silence settled in the room. César’s aunt pressed her lips together before addressing Belladona.
"I’d like to speak with you alone."
Belladona nodded, and both women left the room. As soon as the door closed, the older woman turned to her with a stern look.
"Do you really think it’s a good idea to lie to him about that woman? What if this only worsens his condition?"
Belladona sighed impatiently and crossed her arms.
"Or maybe it's the perfect excuse to get rid of that little tramp. Why would it matter if it's something so insignificant?"
"I don’t think it’s that insignificant if César refused to leave her side when I warned him. Maybe she’s someone crucial to him," his aunt argued seriously.
Belladona’s face darkened.
"She couldn't have been that important if he forgot her. I won’t say a word… so I ask you to let things unfold as they should. Maybe it’s for the best."
César’s aunt looked at her with distrust. Something in the way Belladona spoke made her uneasy. It was evident she was hiding more than she was willing to admit. As she watched her return to the room with a charming smile on her face, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were making a terrible mistake.
Meanwhile, César remained lying in bed, staring at the ceiling with a strange sense of emptiness. His mind, clouded by pain and confusion, struggled to unearth the fragments of memory still floating in the mist of his subconscious. Every time he closed his eyes, flashes of blurry images surfaced briefly: the sound of the sea, a sweet laugh, a hand holding his… but whenever he tried to grasp those memories, they slipped away like sand through his fingers.
"Why do I feel like something is missing?" he murmured to himself.
A shiver ran down his spine. Maybe Belladona was right, and remembering wasn’t worth it, but deep inside, something told him that the truth was hidden within the shadows of his lost memory.