"Why is she not dead yet?"

These were the first words Serena heard as she opened her eyes to see a couple standing near her bed. She frowned, trying to make out their faces and understand who they were talking about, but it seemed too much of a strain.

"She was supposed to be dead! What a curse! Now that we've sold her off, she wakes up. This cow is of no use to us now," the woman hissed, her voice dripping with frustration.

"That's not the problem. The problem is, what if he wants to return her? We can't let that happen. We've already sent the money to our son... We need to convince the chairman Hawk to accept her. Hang on, what if we get the doctors to give her a little something? To let her die…"

Serena's mind swam in confusion. Who were these people? What were they talking about? Were they farmers discussing livestock? But why would they be here in her bedroom? Talks about killing cows should be kept for outside...

She looked around carefully then, bright white walls, the smell of antiseptic in the air, and the steady beep of medical monitors. This was not her bedroom. It was a hospital room! Why was she in a hospital?

Her eyes widened then. Were these people talking about her? She was the cow they were planning to kill? Was she the one who was supposed to be dead? No, no, no. She needed to contact... Her thoughts paused. Who did she need to contact to come and save her? 

Panic started to creep in. Why couldn't she remember who was her emergency contact? And why did these people sound like they were talking about her as if she were an object, a piece of property to be sold and returned? And left to die?

The man's voice cut through her haze of thoughts. "If she fully wakes up and starts asking questions, it could ruin everything. We need to act fast. Maybe we should give her the medicine ourselves before CEO Hawk comes... then he will have what he wants, and we won't need to return the money."

The other woman frowned at this and protested, "But, honey, that is our daughter..."

Serena's heart nearly stopped. 

Daughter? These people were her parents? A wave of shock and betrayal washed over her, leaving her reeling. No, no, no. That couldn't be! Her parents did not look like this. They were... She closed her eyes and tried to think of her parents, desperate to see a face or think of a name. They definitely loved her and were not... But she couldn't remember their faces or names either.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she slowly realized what was happening. She was in the hospital with no memories of what happened and the only two people in the room, supposedly her parents, wanted her dead. 

What was she supposed to do now?

Before she could process all of this, the door to the room swung open. A tall man with cold, piercing eyes stepped in. His presence was commanding. His demeanor was intimidating. 

The couple stiffened at the sight of him, fear evident in their eyes. And even Serena was stunned for a moment. Who was this man? He looked familiar and yet not. There was something about him that made her stare...

"Mr. Hawk... your wife," the man, her supposed father, stammered.

The man made a sound of distaste and spoke in a low and measured tone, "What did you say?" 

The man's voice was so low that Serene strained to hear what he was saying This man was her husband. The one who had bought her from her parents. His name was Hawk.

The couple fell to their knees and immediately bowed their heads, "Mr. Hawk, we didn't think our daughter would wake up like this. You must be her lucky star . She has been in a coma for over a year, you know that. Please believe us. But you don't have to worry... you will have a dead wife soon."

"What do you mean?" He questioned in an icy tone, making Serena shudder in fear.

Her husband was scarier than the other two. He looked like he could kill a person with a single look. She dared not blink as she watched the interaction between him and the couple.

Her parents looked at eachother. Then the woman, presumably her mother, spoke, "Mr. Hawk, we know you wanted a dead woman for a wife. Since she has been taken off life support and seems to be recovering, we know she is of no use to you. But here's the thing, no one knows that she has woken up. Perhaps we can just slip her some medicine... and then she will die again."

Serena frowned. Did her parents hate her so much that they would do this? Her mother looked especially eager to get rid of her.

The silence after this was stifling. She needed to find a way to escape, before they took action on their plan and killed her. She'd been in a coma for a year so it might be impossible to physically fight them. 

What was she supposed to do?

"Do you take me for a murderer?" the man asked coldly, his voice slicing through the tension in the room. Serena's heart leapt with a spark of hope—this man didn't want her dead! Maybe she had a chance to live!

The older woman quickly backpedalled, her voice quivering. "Of course not, sir! We dare not think of such a thing. But you wanted a dead woman. And now she's alive..."

"So?" Aiden Hawk's voice was sharp and unwavering. "I will simply divorce her, and you can return my money."

"Sir, please have mercy on us," the woman pleaded. "We have no money! All that you gave us was spent repaying our creditors. We had to take so many loans to keep her alive! Now that we've settled our debts... no, no, no! The transaction is done! She is your wife now. We won't take her back."

Mr. Hawk's eyes narrowed. He took a step closer to the couple, his presence even more intimidating. "You think you can dictate terms to me? You failed to deliver what was agreed upon. I don't care about your debts or your excuses."

Meanwhile, Serena had already started to come up with a plan. As she felt movement return to her legs, she made a slow effort. The people in the room were so engrossed in arguing that they failed to notice that she was now sitting up. 

With single-minded intensity, Serena moved and threw her body towards him, while calling out, "Husband!"

Startled by the sound, Aiden Hawk turned just in time to see a thin body coming his way. Instinctively, he caught her, his arms going around her waist protectively. 

Serena had no idea if she was good-looking or not, but she decided to give him her best smile as she whispered, "Husband. I'm awake," and quickly buried her face in his chest.