CHAPTER 919: CHAPTER 919 SHOCK AND PAIN

Minerva’s voice, smooth and pleasant to the ear, only added to the experience. As she spoke and applied her eye makeup with practiced ease, the audience found themselves completely captivated. They couldn’t tear their eyes away from the screen, watching her, listening to her, completely drawn into her world.

While everyone else had returned to their own lives and started moving forward, Hera found herself heading to the hospital to visit Leo after days of separation. And perhaps the old saying was true, ’distance does make the heart grow fonder, ’ because the closer they got, the more her heart pounded.

Xavier was quietly pushing her wheelchair down the hospital hallway, while Zhane had gone ahead to check on Leo and arrange the visit. Hera felt a mix of nerves and excitement bubbling inside her. Just knowing that Leo was awake filled her with hope.

Every time she remembered him lying in a pool of blood, his face pale and lifeless, her heart would sink like a stone to the bottom of the ocean. She had nightmares about it, vivid, haunting dreams that left her restless and drained.

But now... now that she was about to see him with her own eyes, those nightmares felt like they could finally fade.

Xavier, sensing her swirling emotions as she fidgeted in her seat, could only shake his head with a helpless smile. Her nervous excitement was practically radiating from her, but he said nothing; he just kept pushing her forward, steady and patient.

Leo was now transferred to a regular VIP inpatient room located on the top floor of the hospital. Just a floor below, Terry, the attending doctor, and the bodyguard who had been injured alongside Leo were also recovering, both under tight security to ensure no one could pull any shady moves during their vulnerable time. They were now moved out of the ICU and were resting in private rooms, steadily recuperating.

Aside from Zhane, who had gone ahead to check on Leo, Rafael, Luke, and Dave had also gone to visit him earlier. Xavier, on the other hand, was currently escorting Hera to Leo’s room. The others had already prepared everything in advance, medicinal tonics and thoughtful gifts, so Hera wouldn’t need to carry anything.

But still, before heading to the hospital, she had asked Xavier to stop by a flower shop. There, she personally picked out a bouquet of magnolias, white tulips, and lilies of the valley, along with a basket of fresh fruit.

Now, with all those carefully chosen gifts resting in her lap, she sat quietly in her wheelchair as Xavier pushed her to the elevator.

Ding...

When the elevator doors slid open on the top floor, Hera instinctively tightened her grip on the handle of the basket resting on her lap. She gulped nervously, her shoulders tensing as Xavier pushed her forward.

With every inch closer to Leo’s room, her heart pounded louder in her chest. The moment she saw the room number on the door, her stomach fluttered, and a strange chill settled deep in her gut, like a cold wind stirring unease from within.

She didn’t even know why she felt so anxious. Was it guilt, because she hadn’t been there when Leo first opened his eyes, making her feel like a negligent lover? Or was it fear, fear of what she might see? After all, Zhane had told her about Leo’s condition, and it was unsettling. Leo hadn’t said a word since waking. Not even a question about her... not even a mention of her name.

Xavier didn’t bother knocking. He opened the door and quietly stepped inside. The room was filled with a calm, tense silence as everyone sat around Leo’s bed. Without a word, Xavier gently pushed Hera’s wheelchair closer. Zhane, who had been sitting beside Leo, immediately stood and pulled his chair aside, giving Xavier enough space to position Hera right at Leo’s side.

As Hera caught sight of Leo, her breath caught in her throat. He was still devastatingly handsome, but his complexion was pale, his lips drained of color, and his usually warm eyes now looked dull and distant. The sight made her chest tighten painfully.

She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat. Her hands trembled slightly as she reached for the bouquet on her lap and held it out to him with a shaky smile.

"L-Leo... I brought you some flowers," she said softly. "I hope you like them."

Seconds ticked by. Leo didn’t move. He didn’t even look at the flowers.

Hera’s nervousness grew, her forced smile beginning to falter, until finally, Leo turned his head toward her. The motion was slow, almost mechanical. Their eyes met, and Hera’s smile quivered at the edges, her throat tightening as tears threatened to spill.

But then Leo spoke.

"Who are you?"

It was the first thing he had said since waking up, and it hit Hera like a bullet straight to the heart. Her entire body froze, the flowers trembling in her grasp. For a moment, it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room.

Zhane and the others were equally stunned. No one had expected that.

They had all assumed Leo’s prolonged silence was due to his weakened condition or emotional fatigue after the accident. His body had suffered serious trauma, but all the post-operation tests had shown no complications. The scans of his brain had revealed no blood clots or signs of damage that might cause memory loss, so the possibility of amnesia had never even crossed their minds.

But now... it couldn’t be ignored.

Could it be a side effect of the newly developed drug?

That thought hit Zhane like ice water. Without wasting a second, he discreetly pulled out his phone and texted Dr. Zigheart. The man had practically been living in the lab, monitoring the results from Leo’s treatment over the past few days while he was away. Zhane didn’t know if this was a temporary reaction or something irreversible, but whatever it was, it was serious.

He cast a quick, uneasy glance at Hera.

She still hadn’t said a word.

Sure enough, Hera’s face turned ghostly pale the moment Leo spoke. His words hit her like a bolt of lightning, sharp, sudden, and devastatingly painful. Her ears rang, and for a moment, everything around her faded into a distant blur. She stared at him, dumbfounded, unable to believe what she’d just heard.

Leo looked back at her with calm seriousness, his gaze holding none of the warmth she remembered. No flicker of recognition. Nothing. Just the eyes of a stranger.

Hera opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her throat tightened, her chest ached as if her heart were being wrung dry, and breathing suddenly felt like a chore. It hurt more than she ever expected.

But then... she pulled herself together.

If Leo couldn’t remember her, then she’d help him remember.

She had to believe in that.

"My name is Hera," she said gently, her voice trembling but determined. "Do you remember your name? Where you live? Anything at all?"

Leo frowned at Hera, his brows knitting together as if he felt insulted, like he was being treated as some confused fool by a woman who, in his eyes, looked even younger than him. But even so, it was clear he had sensed something was off for a while now.

"I know exactly who I am," he said firmly, his voice steady and composed. "My name is Leo Hendrix. And as for my identity, I’m more certain of it than anyone else. I know I was in an accident, I was rescued, and brought here for treatment. I’ve just been waiting for my assistant, Terry, to return with a full report."

Then his gaze slowly swept across the room. "But as for all of you..." he continued, his voice cooling, "I’ve heard you speaking to me so casually, like we’re close... but I have no recollection of ever being close with any of you."

The words dropped like a bomb.

For a moment, the room went silent.

Even Dave, who had been casually munching on an apple, let it slip from his hand, his mouth frozen wide open in shock. Everyone stared at Leo, stunned and struggling to process what they’d just heard.

From what they could piece together from Leo’s words, it was clear he remembered everything... except them. He had no recollection of Hera, Luke, Zhane, Xavier, Rafael, or Dave. It was as if every moment they shared had been completely erased from his memory.

For Hera, the pain came like a swarm of ants gnawing at her heart, each bite sharp and unrelenting. Her chest ached, her throat tightened, and her eyes reddened as tears threatened to spill. She bit down hard on her lower lip, trying to hold it together, but it hurt. It hurt more than she was ready for.

She had never seen this coming.

She knew memory loss was a common trope in novels, often used to let another woman enter the scene and spark a painful love triangle. But Leo wasn’t a male lead. He was her Leo.