Luna strolled across the university campus with Rebecca and Teresa, absently matching her steps to the rhythm of the wind rustling through the trees. They were waiting for Malcolm, but Luna’s attention drifted elsewhere.
Her gaze snagged on a narrow trail half-hidden by hedges. It led to a cobblestone pathway, worn smooth by time. At the end of it bloomed a garden of milky white roses, glowing softly beneath the afternoon light.

Her breath caught.

Nothing has changed, she thought.

It’s exactly as I remember.

The same uneven cobblestones beneath her feet.
The milky white rose garden.
The chipped cupid statue leaning to one side.
The forgotten fountain with its dry basin.
The old church.
Even the wall where she had shared her first kiss.

Everything is here… only I am in the dark.
I have to get my answers.

A dull pressure formed behind her temples as she strained to remember more. The world tilted. Her knees buckled.

“Miss T!” Rebecca cried, grabbing her arm—but Luna’s weight slipped from her grasp.

She collapsed to the ground.

Teresa, who had wandered a short distance away, turned at the sound and came running. Together, they managed to support Luna just as Malcolm arrived, breathless.

“What happened?” he demanded, his voice loud with panic as he lifted Luna into his arms.

“S-she was walking through the garden,” Teresa said, shaken, “and she just fainted… she fell all of a sudden.”

Malcolm didn’t wait another second. He carried Luna to the car and drove straight to the hospital.

Hospital

Some time later, Luna stirred.

The sterile scent of antiseptic filled her lungs as her eyes fluttered open. She lay on a hospital bed. Teresa and Rebecca sat anxiously beside her, while Malcolm stood a short distance away, speaking with the doctor.

“It seems she fainted due to stress,” the doctor said calmly. “She’ll be fine after some rest.”

Noticing Luna was awake, Malcolm rushed to her side.

“Tia, are you alright?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m okay.”

“What happened?” he asked gently. “How did you faint?”

“I don’t know… I was trying to remember something, and then everything went blank.”

Malcolm exhaled slowly. “You’ve overexerted yourself. Please don’t push so hard—it’s not good for you.”

Luna nodded.

Her eyes wandered around the room.

This hospital… this room…
I’ve been here before.

A flicker of recognition sparked.

Yes. I came here. But when?

“Let’s go home,” Malcolm said softly. “I’ve picked up the anti-stress medicine the doctor prescribed.”

“Hmm… okay.”

Outside the hospital, near the parking lot, something snapped loose inside her mind.

Memories came rushing in.

A much younger Luna—dressed in white, her dress soaked with blood—being dragged toward a car by Maria and Jacob.

“Wait!” young Luna pleaded. “I need to meet Alex. I have to tell him something. I can’t go like this—please leave me!”

“You will not see anyone,” Maria snapped. “You’re coming with me right now.”

“Please, I beg you,” Luna cried, struggling. “Let me find him. Alex! Alex!” she screamed.

“Enough!” Maria shouted. “Get inside the car. Jacob, let’s leave now. I don’t want to stay in this town for even a minute.”

Present day

Luna stopped walking abruptly.
Malcolm turned back. “What happened? Why did you stop?”
“No… it’s nothing,” Luna said quickly. “Let’s go.”
She cast one last lingering glance at the hospital before slipping into the car.

The next day, Luna returned to Coelho Mansion with Malcolm and the twins.

After a few days

As hours passed, restlessness gnawed at her. She began searching the mansion, hoping to find something—anything—linked to the time she had once spent in Pacheco Village.

Room after room yielded nothing.

Finally, she climbed into the attic.
Dust floated thick in the stale air as she searched for hours. Just when fatigue set in, her fingers brushed against a wooden box tucked into a corner.

Her heart skipped.

It felt familiar.

Inside, she found an old pair of binoculars, a small windmill model, a tin box containing used band-aids, a Polaroid camera, and a diary.

Every object stirred something deep within her—but no clear memories surfaced.

She opened the diary, but the attic was too dark to read.
“I’ll read this in my room,” she murmured.

Back in her room, Luna glanced at her dirt-smudged hands and dusty clothes.

“Eww! I’m filthy. No, this won’t do—I need to get cleaned up.”

She looked at herself in the mirror and grimaced.

“Eeekk! Teresa, can you take out some clothes for me? I’m going to take a bath.”

“Sure, Miss T,” Teresa replied.

Some time later, Luna sat on her bed, the diary resting in her lap.

“Finally… I can read this.”

Knock. Knock.

“Yes?” Luna called.

“It’s me, Barnabas, Miss T. Master is calling you to the dining room.”

“Okay. Tell him I’ll be there in a moment.”

The dining room

Jacob was already seated. Luna and Maria pulled out their chairs and joined him.

“It’s been quite some time since we dined together,” Jacob said. “Let’s enjoy dinner.”

After a while, he set his cutlery down.
“I wanted to discuss something with you both.”

“About what?” Maria asked.

“Lazarus came to my office a few days ago,” Jacob said. “He feels it has been long enough since Tia and Malcolm got engaged. He doesn’t want to delay the official announcement any further.”

“But we agreed to wait until Tia completely recovered,” Maria said firmly.

“Yes,” Jacob replied, “but she’s much better now. I don’t see a problem. It might even help her to stay at Mandes Estate for a few days.”
He turned to Luna. “What do you say, Tia?”

Luna hesitated. “Please… give me some time to think about it. I’m not comfortable going somewhere else right now.”

“I’m not sure about the announcement either,” Maria added sharply. “And you’re already planning to send her away? What about her treatment? She still needs physiotherapy.”

“Who would care more about her than Malcolm?” Jacob countered.

“He’s arranged the best physiotherapist and everything else. I’ll personally check the arrangements.”

He looked at Luna intently. “Think about it seriously, Tia. It’s time you return to your normal life.”

Maria shook her head. “I’m still against this idea.”