Chapter 5: Rebirth
349words
"She's stable, but there might be brain damage. Seawater in her lungs has caused infection, and with those bruises and fractures throughout her body, it's a miracle she's alive at all."
"Those marks on her body aren't accidental. The bruising pattern on her wrists and neck suggests deliberate violence."
After what could have been hours or days, I finally opened my eyes to see an unfamiliar face with sharp, defined features.
"Who are you?" the man asked, his voice steady and controlled.
I tried to shake my head but winced at the stabbing pain. My mind was a complete blank.
"I... I don't know..." My voice was a raspy whisper.
"I'm Jack Thompson. My crew pulled you from the ocean. Do you remember anything about yourself?"
Panic surged through me as I desperately searched my memory, finding only a terrifying void. "No... nothing. I remember nothing."
Jack handed me a glass of water. "The doctor says you likely have temporary amnesia. You have injuries that suggest this wasn't just an accident."
I stared at the dark purple bruises circling my wrist, a primal fear clutching at my heart.
"We found no ID, and strangely, no one has reported a missing person matching your description."
"What happens now?" My voice trembled with vulnerability.
"You can stay at my place while you recover. Until you regain your memory or we figure out who you are."
Before Jack turned to leave, something complex flickered in his eyes—recognition. Though I couldn't know it then, he knew exactly who I was: Michael Davis's wife. But he decided to keep that knowledge to himself, for now.
Outside the hospital room, I couldn't hear his assistant murmur: "Boss, that cruise ship was chartered by Michael Davis for his anniversary celebration. He never reported his wife missing—just announced her death by drowning the very next day."
Nor could I see the cold gleam that flashed in Jack's eyes as he replied, "Dig deeper. Focus on his relationship with that assistant of his."
