The Royal Contract

Chapter 1202  Absence made the heart grow fonder

David watched Rosella from the small distance in the room. Of course, he wished to smother her with kisses and keep her in his arms. But he could not even do that.

He was afraid to frighten her off more than she already was. He remembered how she reacted to his touch when he came to her side when she first opened her eyes.

"Rosella," David called her name, excited to see her open her eyes.

The doctors were busy examining her, but he could care less about what was happening around them.

He just wanted to hold and tell her how grateful he was and how much he missed her. He was oblivious to the worried looks that the doctors were giving them. His mind could only come up with one thing.

"I am so happy to see you." He said as he moved closer. He took her hand, keeping it warm in his palm. He knew he could barely contain his emotion as he stared into her eyes.

However, he finally noticed something odd. It was the way she looked at him. Her eyes seemed to register fear.

Was she afraid of something? Did she have a bad dream? He had to know so he could assure her that from that point on, everything would be alright. She had nothing to worry about.

"Hey, baby. What is wrong?" He asked as he leaned forward, wishing nothing else but to be near her, swearing that he would never leave her side.

Her expression confirmed that it was not just his imagination. Her fear and anxiousness were genuine. Nonetheless, he remained puzzled by her unusual behavior until she ultimately spoke.

"Who are you?" She said in a shaky breath and barely a whisper.

Frankly, he did not comprehend what she said, but he realized that her fear was because of him. He saw it in her expression and sensed it with her action when she abruptly pulled her hand away. Then, he pushed herself away as if she was trying hard to avoid him.

"Hey, it is me, David." He wanted to reassure her that she had nothing to fear. "Calm down." But his words did not seem to matter.

When he tried to reach her hand, she pushed them away. It seemed she did not want him to touch her. But he did not let her fear stop him as he persisted.

"Please let go of me." She finally spoke again, louder and clear this time.

Her words surprised him. He was not expecting that she would cringe against his touch. "Why? What is going on?" He asked, confused by the situation.

"I don't know you." The woman before him claimed she did not recognize him. "Please get away." She begged again. He did not know if she was pulling a prank on him, but her reaction appeared legitimate.

"You are not serious." He asked her, still believing that this was just a misunderstanding. He thought that in a few minutes, things would return to normal. Then, they would be laughing about this incident.

Unfortunately, it never did.

Now, he sat in the corner, waiting for the day her memories would return. Then, they would continue with their lives. He could finally propose to her and marry her.

But would that ever happen? Would that time ever come? Suddenly, the future seemed so oblique. His carefully laid plans vanished in the air. Now, he believed he was back to square one.

"How are you holding up?" Roseann asked, making him realize he had been staring into space for some time. Then she joined him on the sofa after chatting with her sister and the rest of their family.

He had to step out while they spent time with Rosella, suddenly feeling like an outsider again. Without Rosella, he was not a part of the family. At the moment, he was unsure what he would do with their situation or what to call his relationship with her.

Eventually, he was glad their parents, siblings, and relatives had finally left. He could not deal with all of them after Rosella's mother insisted on taking his fiancee away from him.

But what could he do when he had no legal claim on her? He still had to marry her once she accepted his ring. But even that seemed impossible now.

"I don't know." He honestly answered Roseann as he stared at Rosella's sleeping form.

At first, he thought it was an automatic impulse of her body and mind to react and protect herself after the trauma of the accident. She just needed time to adjust to her condition. But eventually, his fiancee would remember him.

Nevertheless, he was not expecting the doctors to diagnose her with amnesia, that Rosella had suffered memory loss, making her forget who she was and everyone she loved.

But what could he do? Could he force her to remember him?

"Don't give up. It might be just a temporary condition." Roseann put her hand on his, reassuring him that there was a solution to this problem. "Let us just give her time to heal and remember."

He hoped Roseann was right. But was he ready to give Rosella up if she did not remember him? No. He was not. He swore to love her and even fought against death to get her back. He was not about to give up now.

"I know you are right. I am not losing this fight. Rosella will find her way back to us. I know she will." He was convinced, forming his resolve to fight for her in this new battle.

He knew that Rosella needed him now more than ever. He just needed to be more patient with her. He would do anything to win her back, even if he had to do everything, all over again, to show her how much he loved her.

If her memory never returned, he would have no choice but to build a new memory with her again. He would never tire of showing her why he loved her and why she loved him back.

"I don't know how my sister ever got so lucky to have you in her life," Roseann said as she stared into her sister's sleeping form. "But I guess she deserves it for her kindness. For all the help she gave without asking anything in return."

He silently agreed with her. He witnessed firsthand how Rosella always prioritized the need of others more than herself. It was one of the things he had loved about her. She was selfless.

She deserved to be loved and everything else. Not this.

But he would be there for her every step of the way. He would never leave her side until she found herself again. It would be a long road ahead of them, but he would devote the rest of his life to her as long as she would have him.

"You also deserve to find the right man for you. I know he is out there, the man that would willingly sacrifice his life for you." David had suspected that Roseann might be developing some feelings for him. "And love you with all his heart." But it was not him. His heart belonged only to one woman.

He could not blame her. He believed it was not him that she wanted but the idea of him. Then add the situation with her sister. He thought her infatuation stemmed out because of the pain they both shared.

But he was not going to take advantage of her weakened state. He believed she only needed a friend. And he would be there for her in that capacity.

No more.

No less.

"I hope so." She said, but he could hear the despair in her tone as she looked down at the floor as if she had given up.

However, he hoped her sadness was because of her sister. And not because of him. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her unintentionally because he could not give her what she wanted and needed. He could never love her back.

"Anyway, I hope you will try to understand my Mom. She is just trying to think of what would be best for Rosella." She looked at him with an apologetic smile.

Although he reacted negatively to her mother's suggestion, he believed he could not take it against her if she wished to protect her daughter. Somehow, he agreed, even if it was difficult to accept, that he was practically a stranger to Rosella.

Maybe their mother was right. Rosella was better off going home with her family until they could all figure out how they could deal with the situation and help her.

He also believed it was her welfare that they should prioritize and not what he wanted. He could not be selfish and demand what would make him happy.

"I wish I could say that your mother is wrong. But how could I demand that Rosella should stay with me when she appeared scared of me." He concluded, admitting that what he wanted was impossible.

Suddenly, he stood up from the sofa and straightened his clothes. He checked his phone and keys in his pocket, preparing to leave. Maybe he and Rosella needed time apart. He had to go home and change. At the same time, he had to prepare himself to go back to work.

As much as he wanted to stay, he had to give Rosella some breathing space. As they said, absence made the heart grow fonder.