Chapter 5

Rhianne remained seated on her bed while Francis is silently watching her. He also put a considerable distance between them thinking that he might scare her. He is trying to put himself in her position right now. Seeing an unfamiliar person inside your room is quite scary.

When the door opened again, two unfamiliar people entered her room. Rhianne's body flinched and unconsciously becomes alert because of their arrival. The wariness on her face is too obvious to them.

The middle aged-woman suddenly burst into tears witnessing how the girl becomes alert the moment they saw them while the stern-looking man on her side tried to comfort her. The woman is calling her different sweet endearments that are fitted for little girls, but Rhianne intentionally ignored them. They also tried to explain to Rhianne that they are her parents and hopes to see any reactions from her. But Rhianne remained silent.

She is giving them a look full of anxiousness and wariness. The way she clutches the blanket and the look on her face that a person is giving to strangers is so painful for them to look at. This makes the woman or rather her 'mother' cry.

After that, Rhianne did not try to talk again. Even when her 'family' tried to talk to her, she did not give them any sort of response. When Dr. Calvin asked her if remembered anything, Rhianne timidly lowered her head and avoided his eyes. It is obvious that she is also planning not to talk with him, but Dr. Calvin is very patient in waiting for her answer.

Seeing that the doctor will not leave her alone without getting any response from her, Rhianne told him in a small voice that she cannot remember anything at all, including her name. This confirmed in their mind that Rhianne has amnesia. This is probably the after-effect of hitting her head hard on the metal stairs.

Rhianne decided to act like she truly had amnesia than making a fuss about her current situation. And besides, her situation is kind of similar in having an amnesia since she really does not know all of them. Even if she found these things ridiculous, Rhianne can't deny the fact that she is not dreaming. She can really understand her situation deep in her heart. The people around her are telling her that she is the Rhianne Cartel they have known.

When Rhianne finally gets some sleep, Dr. Calvin talks with her family in his office. He properly discussed the condition Rhianne is suffering right now. Based on his observation, her brain is like a blank canvass. She cannot remember anything that has happened in her in the previous years, including her name, age, family members, and close acquaintances. Although the Cartel family had already heard about Rhianne's diagnosis earlier, it is still painful for them to hear that their beloved child has no recollection of them.

Carmie, Rhianne's mother, is the most hurt among them. She cannot accept that her youngest child is suffering like this. She is actually scared that Rhianne's condition will be the reason to distance herself away from them. She is going to suffer a lot if this accident will break their family.

Tim, Rhianne's father, is also hurt. The child that he is treasuring on his palm cannot even remember him. The moment he saw her scared reaction when they arrived in her room, it actually broke his heart into pieces. But he tried his best not to show it because his wife needs him right now.

And Francis is blaming himself for what happened to Rhianne. If only he did not ask her to swim with him in their pool, this accident will not happen. Since he is older than her, Francis should have kept a close eye on her. Seeing the despair on his parents' faces, the guilt on Francis's heart is getting bigger.

After staying in the hospital for the next two days, Rhianne is finally discharged from the hospital. Dr. Calvin advised that it will be better for her to be exposed to a place or things she is familiar with hoping that it may bring her memories back. To make things more convenient for Rhianne and her family, Dr. Calvin also added that he will visit their residence once a week to make a regular check-up on her.

No one speaks a word during the whole car ride. Tim drives the car and Francis is sitting in the passenger seat. At the back seat, Rhianne sits quietly while looking at the scenery and Carmie tenderly holds the hand of her beloved daughter. Rhianne is just letting the woman do whatever she pleased. After all, she is now her mother.

Rhianne focused on the moving sceneries on the car window. Everything is very unfamiliar to her. She can't really recognize this place. It is very different from the usual sceneries in her memories.

Rhianne grew up in an environment where children are wearing shabby clothes, the houses were built from wood scraps, and rusty thin metals, electricity, and water were very limited and the smell of trash is lingering in the air. When she was six years old, Rhianne's parents died in an accident while they were working in a factory. She does not have any relatives so she was placed in a Welfare Center. Rhianne grew up there and left the Welfare Center after her eighteenth birthday.

She took a lot of part-time jobs to pay for her small apartment and feed herself. Fortunately, she got a full scholarship at a local college school so Rhianne does not need to think about her tuition fee anymore. After graduating, Rhianne sent her resume and work profile to the companies where she wanted to work.

Unfortunately, the reality is too cruel and hard for her. Rhianne knows to herself that she is qualified to do the job, but what the company hired are those applicants who came from a famous and elite school. She will always go to her job interviews full of vigor and go back deflated after receiving their rejections.

She is always one of the top students in their class. Rhianne received more awards from the school competitions she participated in and became a member of their school organization. Even if Rhianne filled her resume with the all academic achievements she got, as long as they know that she came from an unknown and local school, the companies will simply tell her that they contact the number listed on the resume if they will have another job vacancy that is fitted for her. This never fails to make her very disappointed.

After being rejected by so many companies, she became a little depressed. Full of disappointment in her heart, she stopped pursuing her dream job in the meantime. Her sources are only limited and Rhianne is running out of money.

In the meantime, she decided to settle for different low-paying jobs to support herself like food server, cashier, and dishwasher.

Rhianne is always thinking that her works are only temporary and will try to get what she wants to achieve after getting more experience. After several months, Rhianne found a stable job in a department store as a saleslady for branded shoes and bags. Her monthly salary is only enough to pay for her bills and food. And so, she decided to teach her neighbor's five-year-old child how to read and write every morning before her work shift starts as an extra income.

Rhianne snaps out of her thoughts when she feels the car stops. Carmie helps her daughter to get out of the car. Rhianne suddenly becomes speechless when she sees the huge villa. She literally stands in her place while staring at her new house.

'So this is where Rhianne Cartel lives? This place is like a real-life mansion!'

While she is in a daze, Carmie and Tim gently urge Rhianne to get inside and bring her to her room. The room has pink and white wallpaper with little strawberry pictures on it. There is also a queen-sized bed with a white bed sheet on it. At the left corner, there is a big glass cabinet full of stuffed bears. There is also a balcony where she can see the flower garden below as a view.

The couple is hoping to see any changes in their daughter's behavior after showing her room. Rhianne loves her bedroom so much because they designed it according to her wishes. But the couple becomes slightly disappointed seeing the blank expression on their daughter's face. Not letting Rhianne feel their disappointment, the couple tells her to rest for a while and they will call her again once their dinner is ready. She only gave them a nod as a response. Rhianne lets out a soft sigh when she is finally alone.

After staying in this world for so many days, Rhianne already knows what possibly happened to her. But still, she is not yet ready to accept it. Or rather, she cannot accept it that easily.

Walking around the room, she spotted a hand mirror on a small desk. She grabs it and looked at her face. Rhianne is stunned to see a lovely girl in the mirror.

The book did not lie in how it describes Rhianne's appearance. Rhianne Cartel has long and natural wavy chestnut-colored hair, her skin is fair and smooth without any scars, pouty lips that have a natural pink shade, and doll-like and charming eyes with caramel-colored pupils. Her whole face is a little round, making her more adorable to look at. Rhianne remembered when Carmie told her that she just turned fourteen this year. Rhianne Cartel is still young but she also knows that the little girl reflected in the mirror will grow as a beautiful lady in the future. This face is really pretty.

Except, this is not the Rhianne she knows.

A single tear slid from her eye. When she wipes it using the back of her hand, a couple of tears escaped more from her eyes. She tries to wipe it again, but her tears burst like water from a dam that keeps spilling on her pretty face.

She did not have any relatives in the past or close friends to rely on. Maybe when people found her dead body, no one will care about it. They will just probably give her a rushed burial and that's it. But it does not mean that it is okay for Rhianne to die alone just like that. Rhianne still has more plans and dreams she wants to achieve. Rhianne still wants to do things that will surely give her a sweet feeling once she achieves it.

So why are her fate and destiny keep on failing her?