Chapter 9 - Secret marriage

Shen was astounded at what was happening. His little wife had turned into a little ball of shivering tears, curled up in his arms at his desk. As he wrapped himself around her to warm her up, he kissed her head. She smelled slightly of berries. He inhaled deeply, wanting to remain attached to her.

"D-don't leave me again..." he heard a quiet whisper from the girl. Her face was pressed into his chest, her tears soaking his shirt. He realised she was clutching the little photo frame with the photo from their wedding day. They had only gotten themselves registered - there was no big wedding.

What he hadn't told Lina yet, was that only their household and his family knew about their marriage. To the outside world, they didn't know each other.

'Has she remembered?' he wondered. He suddenly remembered the day she had been attacked. She was unconscious as they wheeled her into the emergency surgery, covered in blood and barely breathing.

The surgeons informed him that she sounded like she was mumbling his name and begging him not to leave her. And then she didn't wake up for the next three months.

"What's wrong, my love?" he asked her gently, wiping away the tears soaking her face.

"I don't k-k-know." she hiccuped. "I saw this photo and I missed you."

"Do you remember anything?" he probed.

"No. Nothing. I only have more questions, and I hate it." she replied, sullen.

"We can talk about it tomorrow. I will tell you everything I can. But right now you need the rest. I'll take you back to sleep, ok?" Shen comforted her by stroking her head. It made her drowsy again. But she didn't want to leave him.

Something inside her was terrified of being ripped away from him, even though their relationship felt like she was living in a dream. It was unreal and she was floating in a life she couldn't quite piece together yet.

But somehow as long as they remained in this mansion she felt safe, and that nothing could touch them.

She clutched on to him like a small kitten and shook her head.

"No, I want to stay with you." she refused to let go of him. "You can work, but I want to stay right here."

Shen smiled gently. "Ok, don't worry. You can stay like this as long as you want. I promise I won't ever leave you, my little angel."

He pulled a blanket over her from the side and let her drift off to sleep as he continued reading the stack of doc.u.ments in front of him. He felt more relaxed. Even if she didn't have her memories, at least, she still felt attached to him.

***************

-- 3 am --

A beautiful middle aged woman smiled at Lina, extended her arm out beckoning to her. A warmth spread within her body as she moved and tried to approach the woman.

But somehow the distance between them didn't close and she couldn't seem to reach her. The woman was still smiling, her soft hair in a loose bun at the nape of her neck. Suddenly her lips began to move as she tried to tell Lina something. There was worry in her eyes but she still smiled at Lina.

'What? I can't hear you?' said Lina...but she couldn't even hear her own voice.

'I can't hear you! Can't understand what you're saying!' Lina tried to say louder and more urgently.

A pang of fear gripped her heart as she saw the woman's expressions change. She was no longer smiling at Lina, and terror was written all across her face. She looked like she was yelling now, gesturing wildly and pointing at something, Lina as tears ran down her cheeks.

'What??! What is it!' Lina panicked.

Suddenly she saw the woman collapse in front of her screaming as flames began to lick her body, making her heart hurt unbearably.

Before she knew it, her eyes flew wide open to see Shen holding her and whispering into her ear.

"Sweetheart...wake up, you're having a bad dream. I'm right here baby...right here." he was comforting her in his arms, wiping away her sweat and tears as she shivered uncontrollably.

"I saw it again, I saw her."

"The woman?"

"Yes the woman was burning. She was pointing at something and screaming, I couldn't hear her."

Lina wasn't crying anymore, she was simply dazed and stiff.

True to his word, Shen had been sleeping on the sofa. As Lina turned to her side, still in his arms, she saw that a pillow and blanket messily thrown over the sofa. He had come over to her when he heard her whimpering in her sleep.

He had carefully carried her back into the bedroom after he finished reading the doc.u.ments in the study where Lina had fallen asleep in his arms, the photo frame still tightly in her hands.

Now it was carefully placed on her bedside table.

Looking at the picture made her feel calm, knowing that she had been happy around this husband and that being around him would keep her safe. She didn't want to go back to the darkness she endured for 3 months.

"Go back to sleep, angel."

After she drifted off to sleep again, Shen returned to the sofa, deep in thought.

The first time he met her, she was a soft bunny-like creature. She didn't realise her fiery, determined eyed had given her away to someone as observant as Shen. He just never knew why she pretended to play dumb, but she'd intrigued him and he wanted to continue being around her.

Within the next few weeks, her act was unraveling and he saw the confident and strong woman she really was. He'd set up little tests for her and she'd reveal something extraordinary about herself when she thought he wasn't looking.

Even though he knew the work she did was extremely important, there seemed to be a show of helplessness around her.

He would casually discuss his work with her, and she would unknowingly make astute observations or absent-mindedly share her insights, that left him astonished. Her mind was sharper than highly trained consultants or strategists.

But then she'd say something silly and pass it off as joke.

"Hehe hubby, don't listen to me. You'll go bankrupt!!" and she'd get a pat on her head.

She was definitely hiding something, but with every passing day she had begun to trust him more. He'd never pushed her to reveal her past or why she was hiding behind her mask. He didn't need to.

Until the accident.