Cecilia pulled back slightly, needing to look Victor in the eyes, her face frozen in shock.

"What?!" she gasped, her voice trembling. A small, nervous smile flickered across her lips, as if hoping he would say it was all some cruel joke. But the solemn look on Victor’s face made her entire body start to tremble.
"Seven years? Are you serious?" Her voice was barely a whisper now, her eyes staring into nothing.

She didn’t know what to think. Part of her had already feared she’d lost some memories in the accident, but she had assumed it was a matter of hours, a day or two at most. Not years. Certainly not years.

Lost in her dread, she didn’t even notice Victor’s hesitation before finally pulling her into a firm embrace.

"What did I miss?" she asked at last, after what felt like an eternity. Her trembling had stopped, but the numbness lingered.

Victor’s gaze narrowed as if weighing every word. "What’s the last thing you remember?"

Cecilia recounted the details. How she had left work early because there was going to be an audit at the café, how she’d gone home to eat with Victor. She was surprised by how clearly she could see it all in her mind.
Victor’s face softened in recognition, a flicker of memory crossing his eyes. He made a brief, sour expression, then met her gaze.

"Nothing important happened," he said with forced firmness.

"What? But it’s been seven years. Something must’ve happened!" For a moment she forgot how weak she was, flinging her arms in frustration. The room spun around her and she fell back onto the bed.

Victor reached out, steadying her, his voice gentle now. "Nothing worth risking your health over," he said. "The doctor said you need to stay calm. The memories will come back—eventually."

Cecilia scowled, crossing her arms like a stubborn child. She wanted to protest, but the dizziness lingered, and being held by Victor was too comforting to fight against. They sat in silence for a long time.

Even with the headache pounding behind her eyes, Cecilia felt Victor watching her, sometimes with the same quiet anger as earlier, and sometimes with something closer to tenderness.

The stillness was broken by the buzz of Victor’s phone. Cecilia watched as his face darkened while reading the message.

"What’s wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"Nothing," Victor replied abruptly, making a motion to leave.

Cecilia reached out quickly, grabbing his hand. She didn’t know why, but she was desperate to keep him from walking away. "Are you okay?"

He growled a short "Yeah," then softened his expression. "Get some rest. I’ll be back soon. It’s just… work stuff." He raised the phone meaningfully.

She watched him go, her chest heavy with a sense of loneliness she couldn’t explain. Lying back in bed, she kept her eyes on the door, waiting, but sleep found her before Victor did.

Cecilia was sitting in the living room. The TV was playing one of those cheesy infomercials she used to get lost in, but now it was just noise in the background. Instead, her eyes rested on a pair of stuffed toy cats lying on the floor. Shaking her head, she picked them up.

They belonged in the toy chest.

Without realizing it, she stepped into a small room. The walls were painted a soft sky blue, decorated with posters of cartoon animals, the same characters as the stuffed toys in her hands, along with a few dogs. The posters read "The Ninja Cat and Friends."

She placed the plush toys into the toy chest and took a good look around. In one corner stood a small desk, a violin case resting neatly on top. Across the room, a wardrobe, and in the middle, a small single bed.

There was a lump under the blankets.

Cecilia smiled and moved closer, but as she pulled the covers back, her smile vanished. There was no one there. Panic tightened her throat. She scanned the room, but it was empty. She darted into the hallway, checking every room, one by one.

No one was there.

Her breathing turned ragged, her chest tight. She wanted to call out a name, but whose name? She couldn’t remember.

"Where… where is he?" Her voice was thin and shaking as she moved faster, frantic, the air thick and unbreathable.

She woke up coughing, gasping for air. Her heart pounded like it would burst from her chest as she scrambled upright in bed. She glanced wildly around the room, the details of the dream faded too fast, but the aching need to search for something, for someone, still clung to her.

After calming herself down, she noticed it was the early hours of the morning. Victor hadn’t come back.

Forcing herself to lie down, she stared at the ceiling, restless. The remaining hours of night were broken, filled with shallow sleep and unsettling dreams. Each time she drifted off, she was pulled back by a wave of fear she couldn’t explain, whether it was from the accident or the emptiness beside her, she wasn’t sure.

When morning finally came, desperation gnawed at her. She needed Victor to come back, to explain, to make sense of this. But he never appeared.

Instead, a nurse she didn’t recognize knocked on the door. Cecilia frowned, half disappointed, half irritated. Victor was taking too long. There were questions she needed to ask him.

Even though he said her memory wasn’t important, something inside her heart screamed that it was.

"Good morning, Cecilia Uriarte?" The young nurse approached when Cecilia nodded. "I’m Inés. Sorry for intruding, I know you’ve just had an accident, and having a stranger in your room probably isn’t great."

"No, no," Cecilia quickly shook her head and waved her hands, trying to explain that her frustration wasn’t because of Inés. "It’s just—I didn’t realize how late it is. I don’t think I slept at all last night."

Inés frowned. "Oh no, that’s not good. Even if your injuries aren’t too bad—mind if I call you by your first name?"

Cecilia made a gesture to tell Inés she didn't mind.

"You really need to rest. Are you in any pain?"

"No, nothing physical. I just—I don’t know. I’m worried." She pressed a hand to her chest.

"Everything’s going to be okay," Inés tried to comfort her with a reassuring smile and gestures. "Like I said, no serious injuries. When we pulled you from the car you’d lost a bit of blood from your head wound, but you stabilized quickly overnight."

Cecilia’s eyes widened. "You were at my accident?"

"Yeah. My team and I responded when it was reported."

Cecilia fidgeted with her hands, a knot forming in her stomach. "Was-was anyone else hurt?"

"No," Inés shook her head. "You made a huge mess, but the street was nearly empty. Once they realized whose car it was," she placed a finger to her lips, "everything went quiet. No onlookers causing problems."

Cecilia lowered her gaze. "I’m sorry," she whispered.

"No need to apologize. It was a strange but entertaining night. Also, I hope you don’t mind me saying this—your fiancé’s a bit of a pain in the ass, but man, is he handsome." Inés winked. "You’re a lucky girl."

"Um—" Cecilia’s eyes shot open in shock. There was no denying Victor’s looks, but no one had ever called him her fiancé before. This was news.

She must have gone silent too long because Inés stepped closer, checking her carefully.

"I-I guess I am lucky," Cecilia finally muttered, dazed.

Inés smiled and reached out to check her blood pressure. "You said you didn’t sleep. Any pain?"

"No." She let Inés unwrap her arm and press the cold stethoscope against her skin. "It’s just this weird feeling… like something’s missing."

Inés nodded, satisfied with the readings. "Oh, right! I almost forgot. I came to bring you this."

She handed Cecilia a small bundle wrapped in paper.

"When we moved you from the car, this fell and rolled under the equipment. We finally fished it out this morning. Maybe this is what you’ve been missing."

Cecilia took the bundle and carefully unwrapped it. Inside was a beautiful engagement ring.

"It’s lovely," Inés said before leaving to continue her rounds.

Cecilia stared at the ring in her hand, the weight of its meaning settling on her chest like a stone.