"What?!" Lina cried out. "My husband? I'm sure I have never seen you before! We're married?!"
"Yes sweetheart, we got married eight months ago! What do you remember?" he asked her expectantly.
"Um, I don't remember..." she started to say, but she felt a lump in her throat as big, fat tears began to roll down her cheeks. She didn't remember a thing. She didn't know her name was Lina until he called her by it, nor did she know what she looked liked. She began touching her face and feeling her hair to try recall.
Shen's heart broke as he saw his once confident and strong wife fall apart in front of his eyes. By the way she was acting, he could tell the amnesia was severe. Even though the doctors said she might be safe from memory loss, he knew there was a chance she'd forget parts of her life, but seeing her lost and helpless and scared, his heart hurt just as much as when he saw her for the first time lying in the hospital bed all alone, broken with tubes stuck everywhere covered in white bandages in the intensive care unit after the emergency surgery. The attacks were deliberate and planned - the truck ramming into her, as well. He had sent his men on multiple missions to follow every lead to get to the bottom of this but there were too many theories and dead ends.
In his head, she was targeted because of him. Because people were after him. After all, he was the CEO of Shen Corporation, one of the most powerful conglomerates in the world. He basically controlled the economies of various small countries, ruled over massive public institutions and commanded the politics of his home country J.
He reached out to her to stroke her head, as she cried even harder from the sheer exhaustion and shock at having lost her memory. And feeling helpless, like she was drowning.
"Shh...sweetheart, here let me take you to the bathroom. You can look into the mirror and see just how beautiful you are." he whispered to her, keeping a slight physical distance, so he wouldn't overwhelm her. No matter how close they used to be, she still saw him as a stranger now.
Lina was hesitant as she nodded, she didn't know what to expect. She felt like she was going to meet herself for the first time, and was terrified of not liking what she saw. Shen carefully and gently supported her as she got to her feet, but the weakness attacked her again. She stumbled almost violently, but he caught her and enveloped her thin frame into his strong chest. She was surprised at how muscular this kind, dishevelled angelic man was. She found herself strongly attracted to his body and his scent.
"Sweetheart, just sit up on the bed. No need to get up until you've regained strength. I will bring you a mirror ok?" he said and he smiled at her. Lina nodded at him absently, still in shock. He helped her sit up, made her as comfortable as he could by tucking pillows around her and wrapping her up in the soft blanket.
As he walked back towards her with a pretty white hand mirror, she inhaled deeply trying to calm herself down. She was going to see a stranger in the mirror, and she didn't feel prepared. Her face felt sore, even after three months after the attacks. She hadn't fully recovered. As she she slowly closed and opened her eyes, she lifted the mirror to her face. She almost gasped, because the woman she saw looking back at her was so familiar.
She slowly smiled a little. Her skin was pale and sallow, but her features were small and delicate, despite her high and defined bone structure. Her full lips were dry and still recovering from the cuts, but were still pink and luscious. For some reason, looking at herself in the mirror felt peaceful, like looking into a past life too far away to be clear, but close enough to feel warm and familiar. She remembered a face that looked like the one she was looking at, it was older and slightly different and had the kindest smile on it. The face she remembered had dark hair that was in a loose bun and saying something to her, but she couldn't tell what.
"Lina...Lina...where have you wandered off to!" Shen smiled at her. She realised she'd drifted off into a dream.
Her own hair was long, halfway down to her back and a soft brown to match her eyes. It was soft and wispy and curled into pretty waves at the bottom. Shen stroked her head. He hadn't left Lina's bedside once during the last three months. He single-handedly and flawlessly ran all the operations on the business and investigative front from that very room. And still he sponge bathed Lina's body, changed her clothes and brushed her hair every single day by himself. His men and the higher ups and Moshi Corp couldn't help but feel for their big boss. He had never been a soft man, but this woman had brought him to his knees.
He'd spilled blood and ruled with an iron fist to get where he was today, but the madam was his haven and the only place he'd let his guard down. She was the demon king's greatest treasure.
In fact, he was an uncontrollable monster at the slightest provocation. His temper knew no bounds and his cruelty was a thing of legends. But Lina would have never believed it if she looked at the sweet, emotional man sitting by her bedside.