(Amnesia, Orchids, and Suspiciously Good Acting)
"...So," Aria said slowly, staring at the IV needle taped to the back of her hand, "what did the doctor say?"
She lifted her arm weakly and wiggled her fingers.
"Can I get out of bed, or am I still considered decorative furniture?"
Across the bed, Ethan Vale sat calmly in a chair.
Black suit. Perfect posture. Expression colder than a winter glacier.
If statues could judge people, they would probably look like him.
"The doctor said you've recovered," Ethan replied flatly.
No excitement.
No relief.
Just a statement.
Aria blinked.
Wow.
Not even a 'welcome back to the world of the living'?
Tough crowd.
Then Ethan spoke again.
"Do you remember what happened before the car accident?"
His eyes fixed on her face like a scanner.
Aria froze for half a second.
Inside her mind, she screamed.
SYSTEM.
EMERGENCY MEETING.
The system popped up instantly.
"Relax," it said lazily. "Just follow the plan."
Right.
The classic amnesia strategy.
Simple.
Effective.
And extremely dramatic.
Aria pressed two fingers to her temple and frowned slightly.
She closed her eyes as if concentrating.
Then she sighed.
"My head feels messy," she said softly. "Like someone threw all my memories into a blender."
She shook her head slowly.
"There are a lot of things… I can't remember."
Ethan's gaze sharpened.
"You mean you remember nothing?"
Aria kept her expression perfectly sincere.
Acting level: Oscar nomination.
"Not nothing," she said gently.
Then she looked up at him.
Her gray-black eyes softened.
"I remember you."
She smiled faintly.
"Ethan."
Inside her mind—
Please appreciate my emotional performance.
Thank you.
---
For the first time, Ethan seemed slightly startled.
His expression changed for a fraction of a second.
Because when they were children—
Aria used to follow him everywhere.
Like a tiny shadow.
"Ethan, wait for me!"
"Ethan, look what I found!"
"Ethan, my parents said you have to eat dinner with us!"
She used to call him endlessly.
Until the day everything fell apart.
His father's company collapsed.
His friends disappeared.
And the Larkspur family left the country without looking back.
Including her.
The memory darkened Ethan's eyes instantly.
He leaned forward slightly.
"You only remember me?"
His voice carried a hint of disbelief.
Aria nodded seriously.
"I tried really hard to remember more."
Then she lowered her voice.
"But the only thing that feels clear…"
She pointed gently toward him.
"...is you."
Inside her head, she added silently.
Congratulations.
You are the lucky survivor of my fake memory wipe.
The system sighed.
"You are shameless."
"Thank you."
---
Ethan studied her face for a long moment.
Searching.
Calculating.
Analyzing.
But Aria remained calm.
Gentle.
Confused.
The perfect fragile patient.
Finally Ethan leaned back slightly.
His patience clearly running out.
After asking several more questions—and getting equally vague answers—he stood up.
"I'll have someone bring dinner."
Then he left.
Aria watched the door close.
Three seconds later—
She flopped back dramatically onto the pillow.
"Oh my god."
"That man is terrifying."
The system snorted.
"He's the male lead. What did you expect?"
Aria stared at the ceiling.
"Let me summarize my situation."
She raised a finger.
"First, from his perspective I'm a heartless childhood friend who abandoned him."
Second finger.
"I conveniently woke up after two years."
Third finger.
"And now I'm claiming he's the only memory I have left."
She sighed.
"…Yeah, I wouldn't believe me either."
---
Over the next few days, Aria gradually figured out her situation.
The villa was called Mooncrest Pavilion.
It sat inside a luxurious mountain estate far from the city.
Beautiful.
Quiet.
And incredibly inconvenient.
Translation:
A perfect prison.
Every time Aria tried to step outside the gate—
A bodyguard would appear instantly.
"Miss Larkspur, the doctor said you must rest."
Another one would politely block the path.
"Fresh air is available inside the garden."
Aria smiled sweetly.
Inside her mind—
You human barricades.
Do you think I can't outrun you?
Because she could.
Easily.
But escaping would be stupid.
Her target was Ethan Vale.
Running away would destroy the mission.
So instead—
Aria became the model patient.
She stayed inside the pavilion.
Read books.
Played piano.
Watered plants.
Occasionally wandered into the kitchen.
Her life suddenly looked like that of a retired rich grandma.
The bodyguards reported everything weekly.
---
A week later.
Inside Ethan Vale's office.
"You're saying she hasn't tried to leave again?" Ethan asked.
The bodyguard nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"She reads, gardens, and plays piano."
"…That's it?"
"Yes."
Ethan frowned slightly.
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Because the Aria he remembered…
Was not this obedient.
---
That afternoon, Ethan decided to visit the pavilion himself.
When he entered the garden—
He froze slightly.
Aria stood under the sunlight.
She wore light green casual clothes and a ridiculous floral apron.
In her hands was a small gardening shovel.
She was kneeling beside a flowerbed, carefully pulling weeds.
When she looked up and saw him—
Her face brightened instantly.
"Ethan!"
She stood up quickly.
A drop of sweat slid down her forehead, sparkling in the sunlight.
For a brief moment—
She looked almost radiant.
Ethan couldn't deny it.
Aria Larkspur was very beautiful.
Even two years in a coma hadn't damaged that.
The distance between them was only a few meters.
She smiled.
Dimples appearing.
Then—
Without warning—
She collapsed.
Straight into the flowerbed.
Face first.
Ethan: "…."
Bodyguards: "—!"
Aria lay motionless in the soil.
Her face now decorated with premium organic dirt.
Inside her mind—
Did I overdo the fainting?
Maybe slightly.
---
Ten minutes later, the doctor finished examining her.
"She's fine," he said calmly.
"Her body is still weak."
"She probably overexerted herself."
Ethan glanced at Aria lying on the bed.
She looked pale.
Fragile.
Ridiculously harmless.
"Thank you, doctor," she said politely.
Then she noticed Ethan staring at her.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
He pointed.
"There's dirt on your face."
Aria froze.
Then she grabbed a mirror.
"…Oh."
Indeed.
A large streak of soil decorated her cheek.
She wiped it off quickly, slightly embarrassed.
"Gardening accident," she mumbled.
Ethan suddenly asked,
"Why were you pulling weeds yourself?"
Aria blinked.
Then she answered seriously,
"These are rare white orchids."
"If the servants aren't careful, they'll damage them."
Ethan almost laughed.
A grown woman fainted after ten minutes of sunlight…
Because she was protecting flowers.
Ridiculous.
But strangely convincing.
---
Ethan stayed only a short time before leaving again.
After he was gone, the system spoke.
"You're not making much progress."
Aria stretched lazily.
"Relax."
"If I push too hard, he'll get suspicious."
Then she smiled slyly.
"Besides…"
"I've learned something interesting."
She had been chatting casually with the servants recently.
And apparently—
Everyone in the house believed something fascinating.
In their eyes—
Aria Larkspur and Ethan Vale were lovers.
Aria nearly choked when she first heard it.
But then she smiled slowly.
Because suddenly—
She had a very useful advantage.
Later that day she sat by the bay window, holding a book.
Sunlight fell across her face.
Her expression soft.
Almost lonely.
"Ethan is just too busy," she said quietly.
The servants fell silent.
They awkwardly left the room.
But Aria wasn't talking to them.
She glanced subtly toward the ceiling.
Where a hidden camera watched everything.
Inside her mind she whispered smugly—
"Checkmate."
Because somewhere in the city…
Ethan Vale would eventually see this recording.
And when he did—
He would start wondering.
What if…
She really only remembers me?
Aria smiled faintly and turned a page.
Sometimes the best traps…
Were built from half-truths and good lighting.
---