1

The steady beep of a heart monitor pierced through the darkness. Lucy More’s eyelids fluttered, struggling against the weight of a five-month slumber. As consciousness slowly seeped back into her mind, a wave of panic washed over her. Where was she? What had happened?

Her eyes finally opened, squinting against the harsh fluorescent lights above. The sterile smell of disinfectant filled her nostrils, and she became acutely aware of the IV needle in her arm. A hospital. She was in a hospital.

“Lucy? Oh my God, Lucy! You’re awake!” A man’s voice, filled with excitement and relief, came from beside her bed.

Lucy turned her head, her neck stiff from disuse. A man with kind blue eyes and tousled brown hair was leaning over her, a broad smile lighting up his face.

She blinked, trying to focus on his features, but nothing about him seemed familiar.

“W-who are you?” Her voice came out as a raspy whisper, her throat dry and unused.

The man’s smile faltered for a moment before he composed himself. “Lucy, it’s me. Alex. Your husband.”

Confusion and fear gripped Lucy’s heart. Husband? She had no memory of being married, let alone to this stranger standing before her.

“I... I don’t understand. I don’t know you,” she managed to croak out.

Alex’s face fell, worry lines creasing his forehead. He reached out to touch her hand, but Lucy instinctively flinched away.

“It’s okay, Lucy. The doctors said this might happen. You’ve been in a coma for five months. Some memory loss is to be expected,” he explained gently.

Five months? Lucy’s mind reeled at the information. How could she have lost five months of her life?

“What happened to me?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Alex hesitated before answering. “You were found outside the hospital with a severe head wound. Nobody knows exactly what happened. You’ve been unconscious ever since.”

A nurse bustled into the room, alerted by the change in Lucy’s vitals. “Oh, Mrs. Littleton! You’re awake! This is wonderful news. How are you feeling?”

Lucy stared at the nurse, then back at Alex. Mrs. Littleton? The name felt foreign, wrong somehow.

“I... I don’t know. I’m confused. I don’t remember anything,” Lucy admitted, her voice breaking.

The nurse’s expression softened. “That’s completely normal, dear. I’ll page Dr. Stevens right away. He’ll want to examine you now that you’re conscious.”

As the nurse left, Lucy turned back to Alex, studying his face for any hint of recognition. “You say you’re my husband, but I don’t remember you at all. I’m sorry, but... how do I know you’re telling the truth?”

Alex’s eyes filled with hurt, but he nodded understandingly. “I know this must be terrifying for you, Lucy. I can’t imagine waking up to a world that doesn’t make sense. But I promise you, I am your husband. We’ve been married for three years.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, quickly scrolling through it before turning the screen towards Lucy. It showed a photo of the two of them, smiling happily on a beach. Lucy stared at the image of herself, looking so content in the arms of this stranger.

“That was our honeymoon in Bali,” Alex explained softly. “You loved it there. You said it was like paradise on Earth.”

Lucy felt tears welling up in her eyes. The woman in the photo looked like her, but she had no memory of that moment, that happiness. It was like looking at someone else’s life.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, both to Alex and to herself. “I want to remember, but I just can’t.”

Alex gently took her hand, and this time, Lucy didn’t pull away. “It’s okay, Lucy. We’ll figure this out together. I’m just so grateful you’re awake. The rest... we’ll take it one day at a time.”

As Lucy looked into Alex’s earnest face, she felt a glimmer of hope amidst her confusion and fear. Maybe, with time, she would remember. Maybe this life that seemed so foreign now would start to feel familiar again.

But as Dr. Stevens entered the room, ready to begin his examination, a nagging doubt lingered in the back of Lucy’s mind.

Why did everything feel so wrong?

And what had really happened to her five months ago?