Chapter 02

Dr. Graham's words left me baffled, and as I watched his resolute departure, I withdrew my outstretched hand and curled back under the covers. Yet, his words intrigued me. What did he mean?

Had we met before?

While I was nestled in the covers, deep in thought, I suddenly heard the sound of a chair being moved inside the room. Cautiously, I peeked out only to find that Dr. Graham had returned without my noticing, busying himself with his laptop.

"Dr. Graham? Didn't you say..."

"Taking care of patients is a doctor's duty."

He didn't even look up, his light remark effectively silencing me before another word could escape. His voice came again from behind his laptop,

"Rest early. It's good for your recovery."

I rolled my eyes at him and turned over, preparing to sleep. The rhythmic tapping of the keyboard in the spacious hospital room not only didn't disturb my sleep but instead made me feel more at ease. Just before drifting off, I couldn't help but ask,

"Dr. Graham, did we know each other before?"

The tapping stopped abruptly. After a long pause, as I was nearly asleep, I faintly heard his deep voice,

"Yvonne, you'd be better off not remembering."

The next day, when I woke up, Dr. Graham was no longer in the room. I was enjoying my hospital breakfast and eagerly asked the young nurse checking in about Dr. Graham. The nurse gave me a blank look and poured cold water on my curiosity.

"Dr. Graham is indeed very popular, but I'd advise you not to pursue him. I heard he had an ex-girlfriend who hurt him deeply, causing him to lose interest in women."

Ah? Was he impotent? That was such a waste.

I sadly poked at the food on my plate, lamenting the loss of another handsome man to cheer me up, while the nurse, after checking the room, gave me a knowing look and left.

Right after I finished eating, a fiery woman burst into my hospital room, dragging a man with her.

"Yvonne, you're awake. I've caught this jerk for you!"

"Look, she's fine, isn't she?"

"She's been in the hospital for over ten days, and you've not cared to check on her while you go around with other women. What kind of boyfriend does that make you?"

"I've always been like this, and Yvonne knows it. Besides, she's doing fine!"

As I watched the bickering couple by my bed, I was perplexed. Meanwhile, I sneakily reached under the pillow trying to call Dr. Graham.

"Yvonne, I heard from that nurse that you had a severe head injury. Are you alright?"

The woman released the struggling man and rushed to my bedside, her face full of concern. I stared at her for a long while before stuttering,

"Hi... Sorry, but who are you?"

Instantly, the expressions of the woman and the man at my bedside changed. Unlike the woman's increasing worry, the man scoffed and sarcastically said,

"Cut it out. Is this your new trick? Yvonne, come on! Let's see how good your acting is!"

Crazy!

I kept pressing the call button under the pillow, hoping someone would quickly come and throw these two out.

The woman by the bed grabbed my hand, her voice breaking as she asked,

"Yvonne, don't you recognize me? You really don't know who I am? I'm Anne! We've been friends since we were kids!"

Anne's eyes were round and tearful as she looked at me, something hot dropped onto the back of my hand, making my heart flutter. Amid her sobs, fragments of memory came flooding back.

"Anne..."

She suddenly grabbed the hand I had reached out to wipe her tears with and burst out speaking excitedly,

"Yvonne, you remember me? That's great。"

She threw herself into my arms, and I immediately began to gently stroke her back. Although the memories were fragmented, they slowly started forming a puzzle in my mind. Anne was my childhood best friend. Our families lived next door and were very close.

The man by the bed, who had initially looked surprised, now wore a mocking smirk.

"You’ve recalled that now, haven’t you? It hasn't even been five minutes. Yvonne, is that all you've got?"

I felt a throb in my temple. I had to stay calm. Dr. Graham had said mood swings weren't good for the brain.

After calming Anne down, I crossed my arms and tilted my chin up at the man.

"Excuse me, Mr. Nosy. Who might you be?"

At that, not only did the man freeze, but so did Anne. The questioned man pointed at himself and leaned in close to my face,

"You don't know who I am?"

His smell of tobacco and alcohol was overpowering, and I couldn't help but click my tongue and turn my head away, pinching my nose.

"Are you some kind of big cheese that I need to know?"

Apparently angered by my gesture, the man looked about to lunge forward but Anne stopped him.

"Yvonne, this is Justin, your boyfriend."

"What?"

I already had a boyfriend? What about Dr. Graham, the heartthrob?

I was devastated. Fortunately, Dr. Graham arrived just then. Seeing me visibly shaken and collapsing onto the hospital bed, he quickly ran to shield me.

"The patient is still not fully recovered and is emotionally unstable. Please do not agitate her."

Exactly! I sat up and sought refuge behind Dr. Graham, clutching his white coat and starting to cry out.

"Dr. Graham, he's agitating me. He actually said he's my boyfriend! How could I possibly like someone like him? This is slander!"

Perhaps it was my imagination, but I felt Dr. Graham stiffen in front of me, his hands that had been protectively spread like a mother hen slowly drooping.

"You're Justin? It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Bond."

Justin? I remembered that when I had just woken up, Dr. Graham had also asked if I remembered this person. So, this damned man was Justin.

Perhaps noticing the hatred in my eyes, Justin was seething with anger, and his gaze passed over Dr. Graham and fixed on me.

"Yvonne, what do you mean? Have you forgotten how you've been fawning over me since we were kids?"

What? Me, fawning over him from childhood? Was my taste really that bad before?

"Sorry, I really forgot. Since it's like this, let's break up now."

"What did you say? You want to break up with me?"

Anne tried to rush over but was solidly blocked by Dr. Graham. She could only open her mouth in a vain attempt to persuade me,

"Yvonne, don't be hasty. We all saw how much you loved Justin. Don't regret this later when you remember."

Regret? Not a chance!

"You don't need to persuade me. I will never change my mind, because I don't like him anymore. I like Dr. Graham now!"