Holding onto that glimmer of hope, Natalie sent someone to retrieve the haunted house surveillance tapes. It took a long time to get an update on the matter, although it was far from what she wanted to hear. Apparently, the entire surveillance system had collapsed in the fire, and most of the cameras were reduced to ashes. There was no way they could get any kind of archived footage. Natalie had no choice but to give up this option since it was a dead end. Her state of mind, which had been trying so hard to get better, collapsed instantly with the news. She was still discouraged when Brandon returned with his lunch.
“Here, I bought this at a restaurant with three Michelin stars,” Brandon said, placing the food in front of her before adding, “What happened?” He had sharp eyes.
Natalie opened the takeout box and began to eat. “Anything,” she said, avoiding his eyes while chewing. “This is delicious.” She couldn’t tell Brandon that Charis was behind the fire without any conclusive evidence. She would have to wait patiently for now.
After two weeks, Natalie was more than ready to be discharged. Her condition had improved significantly during her stay in the hospital. But Johanna was still worried. She refused to let her daughter out of the hospital until fully cured. Brandon stayed a week to take care of her but had to fly back as there were two matters in particular that required his immediate attention.
First, an alarming volume of internal company documents had leaked. Second, and perhaps most importantly, his memory loss was not improving. On the contrary, it was getting worse. Every time he tried to remember something from two years ago, he suffered from an unbearable headache. In the end, he decided to go to Dr. Frank at the hospital, hoping that the man could help him.
As a materialist and medical genius, Dr. Frank believed that there must be a clinical reason for Brandon’s sudden memory loss. However, he found the case of Brandon strange after examining his friend. A computed tomography scan was done, and it showed that there was no problem with Brandon’s brain. By all accounts, it seemed that Brandon had just lost his memory after an especially high fever. It puzzled Dr. Frank.
“I’m afraid I can’t do anything,” Frank said, looking at the test results and shaking his head. “As for your headaches, I have investigated previous cases of amnesia, but I did not find a patient who experienced the same symptoms. Your case is very special. In fact, I will go abroad for a medical research seminar next week. I’ll see if I can get help from other experts.”
“Thank you,” Brandon nodded and then fixed his eyes on the result of the x-ray, his look deep and unfathomable.
“Why do you speak to me so formally, anyway?” Frank asked. “We were friends, you know? Make sure you get enough rest and avoid thinking too much about the past. You can overexert your brain and hurt yourself.”
“Agreed,” Brandon’s expression softened a bit after hearing that.
In addition to Dr. Frank, Brandon also met with other doctors recommended by the White family. The doctor Beal had previously referred couldn’t help much, but he never gave up. He sought assistance from renowned doctors around the world. Even so, no one could do anything to cure Brandon’s memory loss. In any case, they were only curious about his condition. What exactly caused him to lose his memory? And why was it in such a specific period of time? It was almost as if some sinister force was working behind the scenes.
Sunlight streamed into the ward from the window. The woman’s finger on the bed moved slightly, and the heart rate curve in the monitor next to her flickered.
Charis struggled to open her eyes. It felt like her whole body was wrapped in plaster, and she couldn’t move anything except her fingers. She made a faint guttural sound from her throat, “Hello? Anyone there?”
Catherine, who had fallen asleep on the table, suddenly shuddered upon hearing her daughter’s voice. “Luke, she’s awake! Charis is awake! Come quickly!” Catherine called anxiously from the door. Then she ran to the bed and took Charis’s hand.
Charis was strong. Now that her daughter had finally woken up, tears of joy rolled down Catherine’s cheeks. Charis felt as if her entire body was in pain. She had to take a few breaks before being able to finish a sentence. “Mom… why… why are you here?”
Catherine wiped her tears with the back of her hand and explained in a trembling voice, “You had an accident after entering the haunted house. Someone from the Larson Group took you to the hospital, and they called me and your father.”
At that moment, Luke ran into the room. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Charis with concern. “How do you feel now? Does it still hurt? Do you want me to call a doctor?” Catherine shot Luke a quizzical look, warning him and scolding him for revealing too much.
Only then did Charis realize that something was terribly wrong. She struggled to turn her head towards the window and saw her reflection in the glass. Realizing that she was wrapped in white gauze from head to toe, everything came back to her. She remembered running to the haunted house to save Brandon, only to get trapped inside, suffocating in the thick smoke and being burned alive by the flames.
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Charis remembered her body literally melting and catching fire at that moment, feeling a sharp pain. Seeing herself like this, Charis’s heart clenched. Her reflection seemed to be looking at her in horror, tears running down her face. The pain was beyond words. Her life was ruined, and she knew it. Charis wept bitterly, no longer reserved and elegant as before.
Seeing her daughter like this, Catherine stood up and hurriedly closed the curtains so that Charis couldn’t see her reflection anymore. Then she took a tissue and gently wiped Charis’s tears. Her eyes were full of anguish, but she did her best to keep her composure. However, it wasn’t long before she covered her mouth, choked with sobs.
Charis asked with a trembling voice, “Mom, what did the doctor say about my condition? Will I be able to recover?” Catherine hesitated for a moment, seeming to want to say something but stopping herself. After thinking twice, she said lightly, “Your burns aren’t so serious. Don’t worry, you won’t remain permanently disabled or anything like that.”
Charis’s tone suddenly turned sharp. “Are you saying it will leave a scar?”
“Like I said, don’t worry. The doctor said you can always have plastic surgery.” Catherine’s eyes were red, but she managed to force a smile. “Medicine is so advanced these days, and we have the money. Your skin will be as good as new!”
Hearing what Catherine said, Charis turned her head away from her mother, biting her lower lip and closing her eyes tightly. Her lips trembled, and tears fell silently from the corners of her eyes. She had never felt so much pain and despair before. Charis understood what her mother really wanted to say. She was probably disfigured, burned beyond recognition.