Chapter 22: Trying to Recall the Lost Memory

It was half-past nine and she was bored to death. She kept scrolling through the channels but she couldn't find anything interesting to watch on tv. She groaned loudly as she kept scrolling for something interesting. Just as she was about to give up and try to fall asleep she landed on a channel with her face on the screen. Jiaye was dead drunk dancing on a table with Jayden and some girl. They looked like they were having fun and she smiled slightly looking at how stupid they looked, but she couldn't remember this day for the life of her. It was a more recent picture of Jayden, as he looked now. Now that she thought about it, Jayden did look different now from as she remembered him, She'd assumed it was coz of the bandaging and bruises but now that she put it into thought, he had grown a bit bulkier and taller, his hair was a bit longer too. Damn what had happened a few days ago? Jiaye shook her head coming back to the present world and turned up the volume. She's feeling frustrated and mad.

"This is the most recent pic we have of our fallen princess-" fallen princess??? "Jiaye Zhi, even after marriage it seems nothing will stop the party animal in her. Her mother was caught on amateur video trying to fight off her parole officer while screaming hysterically, let's watch the video."

She saw her mom break off from the clutches of a strong-looking woman and running a bit before getting caught again. She was flailing her hands wildly looking so disheveled. This was so unlike her, who was that? that was even holding her back anyway?

Someone suddenly walked inside the room and she quickly switched the channel.

"Jaiye." Oh great, it was my darling husband, she said in her mind.

"Hey buddy, what brings you by so late?" she said sarcastically forcing a sweet smile to her face.

He held out his hand then she finally noticed the box he was carrying.

"Yea...I couldn't get your old phone so I bought you a new one instead. You can recover the stuff you backed up..." he trailed off awkwardly then put the phone on her bed.

"Could you please unwrap it for me? a bit of a hassle that can be avoided." she requested to him.

"Yea..yea, sure." he reached over and took it, set it up for her all and then gave it back to her to recover her stuff.

"Thanks." suddenly loud moaning sounds pierced through the silence and she quickly looked up seeing it was an erotic scene playing. Should she just leave it on or change it? what will remove the awkwardness that was setting in hot and fast?

"I got bored, so..." she pointed at the tv laughing nervously then tried to casually change the channel. Thankfully, it was a news channel so she left it at that and reduced the volume.

"Anyway, is there anything else you wanted?"

He slowly shook his head then took a seat beside her. "I figured you'd need some company for the night. I've cleared up my schedule, canceled and postponed everything else to devote myself to you fully."

Jiaye looked at him suspiciously. "I might not remember much, but I had a feeling you're not that type of guy. Why did you do all that? You look like the kind of person whose life revolves around them making more and more money, the kind of guy whose life and business cannot be separated. Am I right?"

He just looked at her for a moment but didn't reply. She rolled her eyes and focused her attention on her brand new phone.

"How are you feeling?" he suddenly asked breaking the silence. lousy way to start a conversation with her and trying to catch her attention.

"Well, I'm alive. I can't complain," she said without raising her head.

"Yea, that's nice. Have you ever thought of transferring into another hospital? Coming closer to home? I could get you a good hosp-"

"No.," she said smoothly cutting him off and not living any room for further argument on the topic.

"Okay then." They elapsed into another one of the awkward silences. That seemed to be happening a lot, made her question how her life was being his wife? As her phone was backing up and updating there was not much she could do so she was just staring blankly into its screen trying to make it look like she was busy.

"What about food? Have you eaten? Would you like me to go grab something for you?" Maddie asks her again.

"Look, man, I'm fine. Really. You can go back to wherever it is you're coming from, okay? Thank you so much for the phone. It's enough company for me until tomorrow. You can come and check on me then. During visiting hours. When there are many people in the room and we don't have to keep relapsing into these awkward silences, okay?"

"Look Jiaye, at least I'm trying here-"

"Well excuse me for not knowing what to say to a stranger I met who is my husband! But now that I say that out loud, how was our sex life?" she put her phone down and turned to face him giving him her undivided attention.

"We haven't really...we haven't consummated our marriage." he turned away a bit as he gave her that piece of information.." it seemed like he was still hiding something from me but she wouldn't push"

It all seemed a bit fishy though.

"How long have we been married for?"

"A little over three months," Maddie replied

"That's not long. But it is actually long in terms of consummating a marriage. Why haven't we done it yet?" she was just getting too curious to try and solve this clue by herself and no memory or anything to refer to.

He dragged his hand through his hair trying to find the appropriate response then finally said, "Look, I don't know. We just never had the chance. I was always busy with my meetings and trips, and honestly, our schedules never really matched."

"No, no, no. that doesn't make any sense," she told him as she shook her head trying to figure things out. Her head was beginning to hurt.

"If we wanted to, we would have created time. We would have done it by now. I'm sorry, but I think it's your fault. This one's entirely on you as I am now, I don't know if I changed, but, as I am now... I'm filled with pride but I'm pretty sure I dropped you some hints, or maybe even seduced you or something. Three months? no, nope, it just doesn't add up." all this time Maddie was quiet.

She was even more or less talking to herself more than him at this point. "Were we in an open marriage maybe?"

"No. Why would you think that?"

"I can't say for sure, me being a woman and all but can you men go that long without sex? especially hot ones like you who don't seem to have any problem wooing the ladies."

"When we love-"

"Oh please," She rolled her eyes at the stupid words he was spouting, " don't give me that crap. I already figured that this was a marriage of convenience, at least for me. And I can't see why you'd have chosen me, or have somehow 'fall in love' with me enough to abstain for our entire marriage." her head was now seriously pounding. She felt like there was something she could remember but she couldn't fully grasp it yet. No matter how much she strained she couldn't remember a damn thing. She let out a tiny scream when a sudden pain pierced through her head.

"Are you okay?" he stood up alarmed and came and stood over me.

"Yes, a glass of water and these painkillers being pumped into me will do the trick for me. I think I just need some rest that's all. If you don't mind. I'm going to sleep now."

She didn't even wait for his response. She lay on her side and her back facing him and closed her eyes praying sleep would come quickly.