Chapter 7

Carmie did not leave Rhianne's side as they starts eating their breakfast that morning. She is always asking Rhianne what food she wanted to eat and Carmie will personally put it on her plate. Even if she is not used to it, Rhianne just lets her mother do whatever she pleased. Rhianne had already forgotten how it feels like to have a mother. To see her new mother being caring and attentive towards her brings a weird yet heartwarming feeling to her chest.

"Do you still want another pancake? You can also try this waffle. You like to eat these waffles with chocolate cream and sliced strawberry—" Carmie stops herself from speaking and quickly looks at Rhianne's expression. "Sorry. I just got carried away."

"No. It is okay." Rhianne said.

Carmie gives her daughter a smile although Rhianne can see the awkwardness of it. Rhianne can notice that her mother's eyes are swollen and have a thin dark circles around them. Not only Carmie but also Tim and Francis did not have a good sleep last night. All of them are worried about Rhianne and the future of their family.

Naturally, their love for Rhianne will never change. But what about her? Is Rhianne going to change because she can no longer remember them? Is this going to affect their family in the future? Is Rhianne going to be okay living with her family also she cannot remember them?

"Uhm...Can I say something?" Rhianne asked in a soft voice.

"Of course, dear. What is it?" Carmie said in a gentle voice.

Rhianne takes a deep breath first before looking at the three people sitting with her at the dining table.

"As you all know, I can't remember anything. To be honest, you are all strangers in my eyes right now."

Rhianne paused a little to look at their expression. The look on the couple's faces becomes hurt while Francis is looking at Rhianne with an anxious expression on his face. Her accident really put this family in a hurtful situation.

"That might be the case, but I can feel an invisible connection between us."

And that part is the truth. Maybe it is the connection that the character Rhianne Cartel formed with her family before she took over her body. Rhianne can feel that she can trust and rely on these people. Maybe this is the familiar connection that Rhianne Cartel certainly has with her family.

"Because of it, I want to start over. I may or may not remember the things that happened in the past, but I do not want to dwell on them forever. If I can remember my old memories, then that will be great. But if I can't remember those memories at all, then..."

Rhianne looks at her new family again and smiles at each one of them.

"Then I want to make new memories with my family."

Rhianne has a lot of theories in her head on how did she ended up as Rhianne Cartel. One of them is when Rhianne got involved in a bus accident, Rhianne Cartel fell in the pool at the same time. But for some unexplainable reason, she is now occupying Rhianne Cartel's body. It only means that the real Rhianne Cartel is now forever gone.

"I want to start from the beginning. I want to know all the things about my family. I want to know all about myself all over again. I want to know what kind of person am I. But as I plan to do this, I may not be the same Rhianne that you all used to know after this. I am afraid that you will find me weird and different."

Thinking about it, she feels guilty about her new family. They did not know what happened to the real Rhianne Cartel. She also considered admitting the truth to them, but when Rhianne witnessed their broken-hearted expressions when they heard she had amnesia due to her accident, she decided to keep her mouth shut. These people do not deserve to be hurt over and over again.

Rhianne can't bear to hurt these people even if she is not really familiar with them. So she made a silent promise to the real Rhianne Cartel. She will love and care for her family on behalf of the real Rhianne Cartel. Rhianne will never let them down and she will change their fate. Since she knows what will be the ending of the Cartel family, she will do her best to avoid it.

Both Tim and Carmie feel a lot of emotions when they heard what their daughter said just now. It hurts to hear when Rhianne said they are all strangers in her eyes. Just thinking about what kind of suffering she is enduring right now gives a prick to Carmie's heart. Carmie wanted to take all of her pain and suffering if it was only possible.

Francis is also the same as their parents. The siblings have a harmonious relationship with each other. During the times when Rhianne was unconscious in the hospital, he silently blamed himself. If only he had properly taken care of Rhianne while they were having fun in the pool at that time, she may never be in this situation.

Their silence made Rhianne fidgety on her seat. No one dares to speak a word. They are all silent and looking at her with different expressions on their faces. Did she say something wrong?

"Uhm... You do not... Like it?"

Instead of answering, the three stand up from their seats and each one of them gives Rhianne a hug. It really surprised her, but she did not push them away. Instead, Rhianne awkwardly wrapped her arms around their necks. By just closing her eyes, Rhianne can feel the comforting warmth from their hugs. The last person to hug her is Carmie.

"Remember this, my dear. No matter what happens to you or what changes you are going to do with yourself, it does not matter to us. As long as we can see you happy and smiling, that is enough for us. You will always be a big part of our family."

"With or without your memories, you are still our youngest member of the family." Tim said.

"...Thank you. Thank you so much."

This time, Rhianne has a lot of things to be thankful for. But above all, she is really thankful for these people.

Her new family.

As she tightened her hold on her mother, she vowed in her heart to treasure and love these people with all her might. Even in this way, she can pay their kindness and understanding to her. She promised not to let them down and cherish the second life that is given to her.