One evening, Adrian sat on the couch watching television. The low hum of the screen filled the quiet house, but his mind was far away.
As he reached for the remote, a strange feeling came over him, a flicker of something familiar, like déjà vu that refused to fade. He looked around the room, scanning the shelves, the furniture, the space he had lived in for almost a year. Everything seemed ordinary and unchanged.
Still, the feeling persisted, tugging at the back of his mind.
He stood slowly and walked upstairs. He had never gone through his stuff. Maybe, he thought, there was something or anything that could explain why he sometimes woke at night with a heaviness he couldn't name.
Then, when he opened the drawer of his bedside table, he froze. Inside were a few small boxes stacked neatly side by side.
He reached in and pulled one out.
His breath caught.
They were condoms. One box was already open, half-used.
For a long moment, he just stared. The discovery made no sense. He hadn't touched anyone at all including Luna, their relationship had never crossed that line.
A strange weight settled in his chest, cold and heavy.
If not Luna… then who?
He set the box down on the bed, the question echoing like a whisper he could not silence.
*****
The next morning, Adrian arrived at the office earlier than usual. He barely greeted anyone on his way in. His expression was tense, his jaw set, his thoughts heavy with the discovery from the night before.
He went straight to Rowen's office and pushed open the door without knocking.
Rowen looked up from his laptop, startled. "Adrian? You're here early. What's wrong?"
Adrian stood there, his tone sharp and demanding. "Rowen, what happened in those two years? I need to know."
Rowen's fingers stilled on the keyboard. He had heard that question before, more than once but this time something in Adrian's voice felt different, urgent, almost desperate.
"Why are you asking now?" Rowen said cautiously. "I thought we were done with that."
"You're hiding something from me," Adrian said. His voice rose slightly, frustration leaking through his composure.
Rowen exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair. "Adrian, we've talked about this. You're overthinking again. You need to calm down before your temper gets the best of you."
Adrian slammed a small box on the desk, the one he found in his drawer.
"Then explain this," he said coldly. "Why are there boxes of condoms in my room? They weren't for Luna. So who was she?"
For a moment, Rowen could only stare. His stomach twisted. He had promised Elara that he would never reveal her part in Adrian's past.
Still, seeing Adrian's confusion and pain cut deeper than he expected. He didn't knew Adrian and Elara were that close and intimate.
"Adrian," he began carefully, "if there was someone else… I didn't know. That's your private life."
"You're lying," Adrian said, his voice low. "I can tell when you lie."
"Adrian," Rowen said, forcing his tone to remain calm. "You had a difficult time back then. You were angry and lost. Maybe someone helped you through it but if she left, maybe that was her choice. Don't torture yourself trying to remember."
Adrian stared at him, his expression unreadable. Then, without another word, he turned and walked out. The door shut hard behind him, the sound echoing through the room.
*****
Rowen sat in silence for a long moment. He rubbed a hand over his face, guilt pressing against his chest. He had kept his word to Elara but seeing the emptiness in Adrian's eyes made him wonder if he had done the right thing after all.
When Rowen went home that evening, Emi was rocking their baby in her arms. She looked up when he entered.
"You look exhausted," she said gently. "Long day?"
Rowen let out a long sigh and loosened his tie. "You have no idea. Adrian confronted me this morning."
Emi's brows drew together. "About what?"
Rowen hesitated, then pulled out a small box from his pocket,the same one Adrian had slammed on his desk earlier. Emi's eyes widened the moment she recognized what it was.
"Where… did he find that?"
"In his bedside drawer," Rowen said, sinking into the sofa. "He stormed into my office demanding answers. Wanted to know who the woman was."
Emi stared, stunned. "I didn't know Adrian had been… that close with anyone."
"Neither did I." Rowen rubbed his temples. "I promised Elara I'd never tell him. She said she didn't want to cause him confusion when he woke up without his memories."
Emi swallowed. Slowly, pieces came together in her mind. The night they found Elara crying in the hospital hallway… the way she had looked at Adrian through the glass of the ward window… the hollow pain in her voice when she said she wanted him to move on.
"Oh no," she whispered. "That girl… Elara… she must have loved him deeply. And he must have loved her too." Her voice cracked slightly. "I thought she cried just because she felt guilty. But now… it makes sense. She wasn't just a caregiver to him."
Rowen nodded heavily. "I didn't realize it back then either. But seeing Adrian today… he was desperate, Emi. Desperate to know who she was."
Emi tightened her hold on the baby. "Seeing him not remember her… it must have broken her completely."
"It did," Rowen said quietly. "She left everything behind. Not even a trace of her was left in that house. She believed she was doing the right thing."
Emi shook her head with a soft, aching sigh.
Rowen leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "He misses something he can't name, Emi. And she might still be missing someone who doesn't remember her."
Emi's expression softened with sorrow. "Poor Elena, I wondered how she is right now."
Rowen nodded, his voice low. "And I still don't know if keeping their past a secret was the right choice."