The knock came again, firmer this time.
"Miss…? Are you awake?"
Her heart pounded against her ribs. She stared at the door, her hands clutching the letter as if it were a lifeline.
Should she answer?
A part of her hesitated. What if this person was dangerous? But then again, they knew she was here. And if they meant her harm, wouldn't they have already done something?
Slowly, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, her bare feet meeting the cool floor. She took a deep breath, bracing herself, before reaching for the doorknob and pulling it open.
The man standing before her was tall, dressed in a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing strong forearms. His dark eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine.
But it wasn't just his presence that unsettled her.
It was the way he looked at her.
Like he knew her. Like he had been waiting for this moment, and now that it had arrived, he couldn't believe it was real.
For a long, charged moment, neither of them spoke.
"Thank God," he murmured, exhaling as if he had been holding his breath. "You're awake."
She couldn't find the words to reply. His gaze was magnetic, drawing her in despite the confusion twisting inside her.
"Who… who are you?" she finally asked, her voice trembling slightly.
He ran a hand through his dark hair, the frustration evident in the small gesture. "You don't remember me?"
She shook her head, her pulse quickening.
He seemed to take a step back, as if the realization had physically affected him. "I'm Adrian," he said, his voice lower now, softer. "And you… you're Layla."
Layla.
The name hit her like a wave, familiar yet foreign. It felt like it belonged to her, but it carried no memories, no images, nothing she could hold onto.
"Layla," she whispered, tasting the name on her lips, trying to grasp it, but it slipped through her fingers like sand.
Adrian's eyes softened, and for a moment, the intensity was replaced by something else something warmer, more vulnerable. "Yes. Layla," he repeated, as if saying her name out loud would help them both make sense of this tangled mess.
"You've been gone for so long," he said, his voice a mix of hope and regret. "I—I didn't know if I'd ever find you again."
A knot twisted in her chest. She couldn't understand why hearing his words felt like a wound reopening, something deep and raw that she didn't remember yet couldn't ignore.
"Why?" she asked, her voice small. "Why did you search for me?"
His gaze flickered to the ground for a second, as if he was weighing his words carefully. "Because you loved me," he said softly. "And I loved you."
Her breath caught.
Loved him? The idea seemed impossible, and yet… her heart felt a strange pull, as if his words resonated in some corner of her soul she couldn't quite reach.
He stepped closer, his gaze never leaving hers, and this time, there was no hesitation between them. It felt like the world had narrowed to this moment this raw, fragile connection. His hand reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face, his touch lingering longer than necessary.
"Layla," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion, "I never stopped loving you. And I'll never stop fighting for us."
She closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the sensation of his touch, the warmth of his words. Something deep inside her stirred, a yearning she couldn't explain, a need to believe him, even if she couldn't remember him.
For a long moment, they stood in silence, the world outside the door forgotten, as if this moment this small piece of time was all that mattered.
"Why does it feel like I've known you forever?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Adrian's lips curled into a faint, sad smile. "Because you have. You've known me your whole life, Layla."
And despite the uncertainty swirling in her mind, she wanted to believe him.