Breaking Free, Loving Again -The Flash Marriage with Mr. CEO

Arwen didn't know what she was feeling inside. She thought that finally learning what had happened to her —how she had really lost her memories —things would somehow get better.

But now that the truth had been laid bare, she wasn't sure anymore. Maybe ignorance would have been kinder. Maybe, if she hadn't known, she wouldn't have to live with gnawing dread that for more than half of her life, she had been carrying the scars of something so cruel without even realizing it.

Her chest felt tight, her breaths uneven. The file lay on the desk between her and Reese like a silent monster, its pages heavy with truths she didn't want to read. She wanted to push it away, to deny it, to go back to the moment before Reese had spoken. But she couldn't.

Because now she knew. And once known, it couldn't be undone.

Reese gave her the time to process it. He didn't hurry her; rather, he waited patiently. He knew what she was going through was something no one else could truly understand.

So, he didn't pretend to. He just stayed there, quiet, steady —waiting for her to recover.

Arwen took a while. But after a moment, she seemed to finally accept it. The colour of her eyes shifted subtly as she glanced up at Reese. "What are the specifics of that drug, Dr. Calvin? Will there be aftereffects?"

Reese studied her for a long moment before slowly shaking his head. "As I have also said earlier, the drug was once in your system, but it's no longer there. So, no —there won't be aftereffects. As for the specifics …" His gaze darkened. "Oblivion–X was one of the most dangerous of its kind. A drug capable of erasing the foundation of a person's identity. It could ruin a life completely. You were fortunate to have survived it."

He drew a measured breath before continuing, his voice low and deliberate. "Oblivion–X was originally formulated with a plan of using it as a weapon —used during the interrogations, to wipe the memories of captured spies and extract the information their captors needed. But halfway through the research, the scientist deviated from their real goal. They end up using it in the wrong way to seek success. And that's how, not just the drug but their entire research was banned."

Arwen didn't feel any sympathy for those scientists. Not even a little of it. Instead, her mind latched onto something else Reese had said.

"You said that the drug is no longer in my body system?" she asked, her brows knitting.

Reese nodded,

"Then, where did it go? Did it get washed away on its own, or —"

Before she could finish, Reese interrupted her with a firm shake of his head.

"You were given the cure."

"The cure?" Arwen paused at that, her breath hitched.

Reese's eyes held hers, steady and certain.

"Yes. Oblivion-X was never meant to fade naturally. If there are no traces in your body, then there is only one possibility —you were given the cure, which fought against its effects."

Arwen shook her head almost immediately.

"That's impossible. I was never on any medication. How could I have been given the cure?"

Reese didn't answer right away. Instead, he leaned forward and pulled the fille back toward him. Flipping a few pages, he stopped at the particular section and slid it across to her once again.

"Here, look at this," he said, pointing out a section in the report.

She followed his finger.

"The report clearly states traces of synthetic neurodegenerative peptide and brainstem stabilizing compounds in your blood. These are not part of Oblivion-X. The composition in which they are used acts as the neutralizing agents —the core components of the cure."

Arwen's eyes scanned the page before lifting back to him.

He nodded, then explained further.

"Their presence confirms it. You were given the cure. It couldn't undo the damage that's already inflicted, but it stopped the drug from destroying you completely."

Arwen leaned back in her chair, her mind spinning. She understood what Reese tried to explain to her, but it still confused her. She had been taking the medicine, yet she never realized it. Just how oblivious was she to never notice such things happening to her?

Her brows tugged in a frown as she tried to think hard.

"What are you thinking?" Reese asked when he noticed how silent she had gone suddenly become.

She met his gaze, her voice trembling faintly. "I just … I don't know. I just can't think of the time when all this was happening to me. Neither of the times when I was injected with the drug, nor when I was given the cure. How could I be so heedless?"

Reese's expression softened, though his frown lingered. "It's not your fault," he said, his voice laced with something that Arwen couldn't quite realize. "You were too young to realize it. And as for the cure, you were never aware of the things happening to you, how could you even discern it?"

Arwen gave a hollow laugh, sharp with self-mockery. "How can I not be aware, Dr. Calvin? Those things happened to me while I was awake. If I couldn't discern it, who else could?"

Reese's frown deepened when he heard her put it like that. But he didn't say anything.

After a while, thinking for a little longer, he finally spoke again, "The cure wasn't given to you in a day."

She blinked, confusion flickering in her eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

Reese held her gaze, his voice steady but edged with gravity. "It was given to you gradually … over time. In measured doses." He paused only to continue again. "If you haven't realized it, then it only means that they were put into your daily diet. Something that you have been having every day without a miss."

Arwen's frown deepened. The doses were included in her daily diet. Doesn't that mean that the one behind it was something she was very close to?

"Was there anything that you have been including every day?" Reese asked again when he noticed her thinking.

Arwen stared at him and shrugged. "I don't know," she said, her tone laced with confusion. "I never realized it." She couldn't think at all. Her meals were always curated, but she hadn't been very strict about them. She had been having them outside as well.

"Then you can take your time and think," Reese spoke again. "This is the only way you will be able to find the truth, and the one who's probably behind it all."

Arwen stared at him, but didn't say anything anymore. Her thoughts just tried to think of anything that could explain her better. But at that point, nothing at all was helping her.

"What about my memories?" she asked, suddenly remembering the main reason she wanted to find all of this. "Will I be able to recover it?"

Reese shook his head at her. "I would suggest you to take the risks," he said, continuing, "Oblivion-X is an unfinished drug, which means we are not yet sure of the things it is capable of. If you try hard to recover your memories, your life might be at risk."

"What if I still want to take that risk?" Arwen asked, her gaze as serious as it could be. "Is there a way I can recover them.

Dr Calvin frowned. His fingers are clenching tight. "You want to recover them even after knowing that it could put your life at risk? Why?"

She didn't consider it for the second time. She instead said, "Because those memories are very important to me. I want to have them back, even if it puts me at risk."

"Arwen, it's not —"

"Dr. Calvin, please," she didn't let him complete. "Just tell me if it's possible or not?"

Reese saw the stubbornness in her gaze. And he knew that no matter how he tried to explain, she wouldn't agree to it. "I can't tell you for sure," he said after a while. "I need to look into it."

"Then I will wait to hear from you on that, Dr. Calvin," Arwen said with a small smile on her lips —one that didn't reach her eyes. Pushing the chair, she got up, "I am sure you will be able to find a way. Now …" she paused and then added, "I will make a move. Thank you for helping me."

And with that, she smiled for the last time before turning away to leave.

However, she had just taken a step when Reese stopped her. "What's so important about those memories that you are willing to risk your life for them?"

Arwen paused in her steps. She didn't turn to look back, nor did she answer immediately. Instead, she took her time before responding.

"They are important … very important. So much that I wouldn't mind risking my life a thousand times to have them back."