Chapter 18
Chapter 18 (Alex’s POV)
The morning started like any other.
Emails.
Meetings.
Phone calls.
But today, there was something different on my calendar.
A visit to St. James Hospital.
Every year, my company made a big donation to the children’s wing — medical equipment, scholarships for young patients, quiet renovations.
It was good press.
Good business.
But more than that, it made me feel... something real.
Something human.
Something I couldn’t always find in boardrooms and contracts.
---
I sat in the back of the black SUV, staring out the tinted windows as the city rushed by.
Rachel had offered to come with me, but I told her no.
This wasn’t a photoshoot.
Wasn’t a gala event with flashing cameras and fake smiles.
This was something private.
Something for me.
Something that reminded me — in small ways — that life was bigger than profit margins and power plays.
---
The hospital smelled like it always did.
Antiseptic.
Coffee.
Something metallic lingering in the air.
A nurse in pink scrubs met me at the side entrance and led me through the quieter wings, away from the public areas.
Privacy was important.
Not just for me, but for the patients too.
I shook hands with the hospital director.
Smiled politely at the doctors.
Listened as they thanked me for the new MRI machines, the upgraded pediatric rooms.
I nodded, made the right noises.
It was good.
It was important.
But my mind felt... distant.
Detached.
Like a part of me was waiting for something.
I didn’t know what.
---
As we walked down one of the long white hallways, a strange feeling washed over me.
A pull.
I slowed my steps without even realizing it.
To my right, through a half-open door, I caught a glimpse of a room.
And in that bed — pale against the white sheets — was a girl.
Sleeping.
Or maybe unconscious.
Her hair spread around her like a dark halo.
Her face peaceful but tired.
My chest tightened sharply.
Something inside me screamed.
Something ancient.
Something buried.
I stopped walking.
The nurse paused, looking back at me.
"Everything okay, Mr. Carter?"
I nodded stiffly.
"Yeah. Fine."
I tore my eyes away and forced myself to keep moving.
But the image of the girl burned itself into my mind.
Haunting.
Familiar.
Wrong.
---
The rest of the hospital visit passed in a blur.
I shook more hands.
Signed a few checks.
Smiled for a few private photos.
But my mind wasn’t there.
It was still back in that hallway.
Still standing outside that room.
Still staring at a girl whose name I didn’t know — but whose soul felt like it had been tied to mine in some forgotten way.
---
That night, I sat alone in the living room of my penthouse, staring out at the endless city lights.
A glass of whiskey sat untouched on the table beside me.
The TV played some old movie I wasn’t watching.
My mind kept drifting.
Back.
Back.
Back.
To her.
---
I leaned my head against the back of the couch and closed my eyes.
And suddenly, it wasn’t the city in front of me.
It was her.
---
I saw her laughing, standing barefoot in a kitchen filled with morning light.
I saw her curled up beside me on a couch, wearing one of my T-shirts.
I saw her pressing a kiss to my cheek before running off to her classes, promising to call me later.
Home.
Love.
Us.
---
The images flickered and faded, leaving me gasping for air.
I sat up quickly, pressing a hand to my chest.
What the hell was happening to me?
---
I wasn’t the type to believe in fate.
I built my life on logic.
Strategy.
Hard work.
Not fairy tales.
Not ghosts.
But this?
This didn’t feel like a fantasy.
It felt real.
Like a life I had lived once.
And lost.
Without even knowing how.
---
I stood and paced the room, trying to shake the feeling off.
Maybe I was just tired.
Stressed.
Pushing too hard at work.
Seeing things that weren’t there.
Inventing memories because my life — my perfect, polished life — felt hollow inside.
Maybe.
Maybe.
But deep down, I knew that wasn’t it.
This wasn’t stress.
This wasn’t imagination.
This was real.
As real as the ache inside me.
As real as the girl whose face I couldn’t forget — even if I didn’t know her name.
---
I stopped pacing and stared out at the city again.
Somewhere out there, she was waiting.
Living.
Breathing.
Maybe searching too.
Or maybe not.
Maybe she had moved on.
Maybe she didn’t even remember me.
The thought stabbed through me, sharp and cold.
But even if she didn’t remember...
Even if I was just a shadow in her mind...
I couldn’t let go.
I wouldn’t.
---
I walked back to the couch and sat down heavily.
The city lights blurred behind the glass.
I picked up the whiskey but set it down again without drinking.
I didn’t want to forget.
I wanted to remember.
I needed to.
Because something told me...
My whole life depended on it.
---
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the contacts.
Hundreds of names.
Powerful people.
Business partners.
Friends.
Rachel.
But none of them mattered right now.
I closed the phone and dropped it onto the couch.
I closed my eyes.
And for a moment, in the silence, I let myself imagine it.
A different life.
A small apartment.
Warm laughter.
Simple breakfasts.
Love without contracts or expectations.
Her hand in mine.
Her voice calling my name like it was the only thing that mattered.
Alex.
Not Mr. Carter.
Not billionaire.
Not CEO.
Just Alex.
Hers.
---
The clock on the wall ticked softly.
The night stretched around me, wide and empty.
I pressed my forehead against the cold glass window.
"I’ll find you," I whispered again.
A promise.
A vow.
Even if I didn’t know where to start.
Even if I had to tear my whole world apart to do it.
I would find her.
Because without her...
All of this?
The money.
The power.
The success.
It meant nothing.