Chapter 2
"Five more days... It feels like forever," Richard grumbled.
After chatting quietly for a while, Richard suddenly asked, "Essie, are you okay? You sound a bit off."
Essie paused, surprised at how quickly he picked up on her mood.
She replied softly, "No, I just miss you a little."
It wasn't until someone called Richard back to his meeting that he finally hung up, clearly not wanting to let go.
Just as Essie tucked her phone and medical report into her bag, she saw Carolyn storming over in high heels, her face full of fury.
Before Essie could do anything, Carolyn swung her hand and slapped her right across the face.
The slap was crisp and loud.
Carolyn's sharp, manicured nails raked across Essie's soft cheek, leaving thin red lines behind.
Everyone in the hospital corridor was stunned, staring at the two of them in disbelief.
Carolyn looked down her nose at Essie, her gaze icy and her attitude downright domineering.
Carolyn sneered, "So, Essie, you heard Harrison got amnesia from the car crash and his memory is frozen at 22, so you showed up here on purpose to try and win him back, huh?
"You bitch, let me tell you, I'm not someone you want to mess with.
"Keep those cheap little schemes to yourself. If you dare try to seduce my husband, I'll make you pay."
The people around Essie suddenly started giving her judgmental looks, as if she were some shameless homewrecker.
While Carolyn was ranting and raving, Essie calmly rolled up her sleeves, thinking to herself.
Back when Harrison was 22, he loved her more than anything.
At 22, Harrison would've risked his life for her without a second thought.
No wonder Carolyn was so rattled.
Essie gave a cold smile, then grabbed Carolyn by the hair and, without hesitation, started slapping her flawless, made-up face.
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!
Essie didn't stop until she'd landed ten slaps in a row.
"Aaaah!"
Carolyn's screams echoed through the hallway as Essie kept slapping her.
By the time Essie finally let go, Carolyn's face was so messed up that one could barely tell who she was anymore.
Carolyn stared at her, trembling.
She clutched her face, jaw clenched tight, her voice full of venom.
Carolyn spat, "You actually dared to fight back?
"I'm Mrs. Vance now. You think you can get away with crossing me? Aren't you scared that Harrison will take revenge on you once he gets his memory back?
"Essie, don't you dare forget how you used to kneel at my feet, begging me to spare you like a dog!"
Right as Carolyn finished, Essie looked up and saw Harrison, still in his hospital gown, rushing over from nearby.
The scene unfolding in front of her was like five years ago. The three of them were locked in a standoff, making Essie feel as if she were reliving the past all over again.
Essie was three years older than Harrison.
She'd rescued Harrison on a rainy night and brought him home.
Back then, her parents went out to get her birthday cake, but their car crashed into the sea in an accident, leaving her all alone.
She was so utterly lonely that she felt an urge to jump into the sea and find her parents.
That rainy night, after making up her mind, she ended up finding Harrison unconscious by the shore, washed up after falling into the water.
When she revived him and met his cold, distant eyes, she didn't ask about his past.
Instead, she asked, "Can you be my family?"
Harrison stared at her calmly for a few seconds, then nodded.
"Okay."
From that day on, they only had each other.
She always had a silent shadow at her heels, Harrison.
Whenever someone called her a curse who caused her parents' death, Harrison would grab a brick and charge right at them to defend her.
Whenever she was feeling down, Harrison, usually so quiet, would rack his brain to come up with the lamest jokes to make her smile.
When she was sick, he'd look so worried, like he was suffering even more than she was.
Later, when Harrison was short on cash for his startup, Essie secretly sold the house her parents had left her to help him get his business off the ground.
That night, Harrison, who never cried, held her tight and cried so hard in her arms that he soaked her shirt with his tears.
Over the years, they walked side by side, finding comfort in each other, like two vines twisting together, their lives forever intertwined.
He named his company Vance & Greene Group, and every product he designed himself was named after Essie.
Every year on Essie's birthday, Harrison would give the whole company a day off and spend the entire day by her side.
He even made a will early on, stating that if anything ever happened to him, all his assets would go straight to Essie.
Essie used to think that she and Harrison loved each other more than life itself.
She thought they would be together forever, no matter what.
But then, she caught Harrison and Carolyn cheating in bed, right there, in her own home.
Essie screamed, completely losing it, grabbing anything within reach and throwing it at them like a lunatic.
Harrison jumped in front of Carolyn to protect her, but something smashed into his forehead, leaving a bloody gash.
His glare was ice-cold, colder than she'd ever seen.
"Are you done with your crazy tantrum? Don't scare Carolyn," Harrison snapped.
Essie stood there as if time had stopped, unable to move.