Chapter 23 (Author’s POV)

Raphael sat alone in his office, the silence pressing against him like an unbearable weight. His elbows rested on his desk, and his hands gripped his head, fingers tangled in his dark hair as if trying to hold himself together. But nothing could stop the flood of memories crashing through his mind.

It had been six years. Six long years.

He had just returned home from Spain, exhausted from the trip but welcomed with open arms. His mother's warm embrace, his father's firm handshake, and most of all, Bella-his beloved elder sister, the one person he trusted beyond reason. They had always been close, their bond unshakable. That day, they had sat together, laughing over stories of Spain, talking about the food, the people, the culture. And then the conversation shifted to her upcoming marriage.

She had been so excited, glowing with happiness. She wanted them to hang out that evening, just the two of them, like old times. He had smiled, promising to meet her at the location she had chosen. She had kissed his cheek, playfully reminding him not to be late.

But he had never made it there in time.

On his way out of the house with his assistant, something unexpected happened. A girl. A young girl and her little brother, trapped at a bus stop, surrounded by three men who looked at them like predators stalking their prey. Raphael had parked his car at least fifteen feet away and stepped out. He had approached them with a quiet but lethal determination, but the men were not phased. They stood their ground.

He tried having small talk with them, even offering them money, but it seemed like they actually wanted to get hit. And that was exactly what he did, before they ran off like kids.

Then, he saw her.

Amanda.

It was the first time their paths had crossed, and yet, something about her had struck him like lightning. She had been breathtaking, her beauty magnified by the fierceness in her eyes. She had held her little brother protectively, her posture both fragile and unyielding. He had never seen anyone like her. She was young-too young-but something in him had wished she were older. Wished he could claim her, protect her, make her his.

Then, his phone rang.

That call destroyed everything.

His sister had been in an accident. The very sister who had been waiting for him, excited to spend the evening together, now lay broken and bleeding.

His heart had stopped.

He had left immediately, his car tearing through the streets, his mind in turmoil. But fate was not done with him yet.

The accident was brutal. The impact had shattered glass, slicing into his back, leaving deep, jagged scars. The same scars Amanda had seen when he stood in the kitchen.

He had woken up in a hospital bed, dazed, disoriented, and in pain. Bella had been in the same hospital, her body battered beyond repair. The doctors said she would never walk again. Her fiancé-once the man who claimed to love her-had abandoned her without hesitation. Rafael had watched his sister's spirit wither, her dreams crushed, her life forever altered.

And he had suffered too.

The head injury he sustained should have healed with time. That was what they told him. But time only made it worse.

At first, it was just moments of disorientation. Blurred thoughts. A few lost memories. Then, it became something far more terrifying.

He would black out.

He would forget where he was, who he was with. The faces around him would become strangers. He would wake up in places he had no recollection of going. And sometimes, he would grow aggressive-his mind slipping into an uncontrollable frenzy.

NBAS. NBAS stands for Neurodegenerative Brain Autoimmune Syndrome.

That was the name of the disease. The doctors had given it a name, but no name could define the horror of living with it.

A year ago, they had told him the truth. He had less than a year left. The disease was reaching its final stage. No cure. No salvation. Just a slow descent into oblivion.

And that was why he had done what he did.

A tear slipped down his face as he gripped his hair tighter.

If only Amanda knew.

If only she understood why he had married her.

If only she knew the truth.