CHAPTER 9
A few seconds later, the doors finally slid shut. Rayne pouted, staring at the digital display showing the passing floors.
When it reached the third floor, a soft ding sounded, and the elevator stopped.
Stepping out, Rayne found himself in a long corridor lined with several wards. The faint smell of medicine hung heavily in the air, seeping into every corner.
He rubbed the back of his index finger under his nose, trying to lessen the scent, and looked down both ends of the corridor.
It was quiet, though a few nurses came out of rooms and passed by.
Rayne stopped one of them. “Excuse me, can you tell me where ward number seven is?”
The nurse gave him a quick look from head to toe before answering, “Go straight, the last room at the end of the corridor.”
Rayne walked in that direction, and when he opened the door, he saw Losif lying unconscious on the bed. A bandage was wrapped around his forehead.
The ward was painfully silent, so quiet it felt like even the walls were screaming, reminding Rayne how Losif had cheated on him.
Losif had suddenly stopped coming to university, and even when he did, he avoided Rayne completely.
And now, after all these days, Rayne was meeting him again, but this time, as a patient. Totally unexpected.
Rayne stepped inside, took a deep breath, pulled the chair closer to the bed, and sat down.
Losif’s arm was also fractured. Why hadn’t Ken come yet? Wasn’t Losif cheating on Rayne with him?
Then shouldn’t Ken be the one sitting here instead of Rayne? Yet somehow, Rayne was the fool sitting here like an idiot.
He scratched the back of his neck out of habit, his eyes fixed on Losif.
“You seem fine… I should leave now,” Rayne muttered, even though he knew Losif couldn’t hear him.
Placing both hands on the bed for support, Rayne stood up from the chair. But just then, Losif’s fingers twitched, and his face tightened as if in pain.
In the next second, his eyes slowly opened.
Rayne immediately pressed the button near the bed to call the doctor. They needed to come and check on Losif.
He felt like he should leave now that Losif was waking up, but his feet wouldn’t move. He stood there, frozen, staring at him.
Losif opened his eyes and blinked a few times, his gaze slowly finding Rayne. After blinking again, his eyes focused, fully awake. Rayne didn’t know what he was going to say.
“I just came because the hospital called me,” Rayne said quickly, not wanting him to misunderstand. “I don’t have any kind of interest in you.”
Rayne was married now. He needed to know how to draw boundaries between himself and an alpha.
Losif’s expression turned confused as he looked at him, then tried to sit up. But with his fractured hand, it was taking forever. Rayne sighed, reached out, and gently helped him up, placing a pillow behind his back.
“Who are you?” Losif asked, his face serious.
“What? Is this a joke?” Rayne asked in shock. “He better stop, because Rayne wasn’t falling for it. He would leave soon, so Losif didn’t have to pretend he didn’t know him.”
Just then, the doctors rushed in and began checking on Losif. They told Rayne to wait outside, so he stepped out, and the door closed behind him.
But Losif’s words, Who are you?, kept echoing in Rayne’s mind like a loudspeaker.
Rayne knew he was pretending. He had to be. But he told himself not to let it bother him anymore.
His phone buzzed, it was the alarm he had set as a reminder to finish something important for work. Rayne pressed his hand against his head in frustration.
Instead of working, he was standing here worrying about his ex—the same man who had cheated on him.
He shouldn’t care about him. Losif probably had plenty of people around him now.
But deep down, Rayne knew the truth, Losif’s family never cared about him.
He had seen it for years. No matter how sick or injured Losif was, his family never answered the phone, never came to pick him up from school.
Rayne had never even seen them once. Losif was always alone. Watching him struggle by himself had always hurt Rayne.
The sound of the door opening snapped him out of his thoughts. The doctors stepped out, and one approached him.
“The patient is out of danger now,” the doctor said.
Rayne nodded, but the doctor’s expression said there was more.
“But…” he continued, hesitating, “he has amnesia. Because of the head injury, he’s forgotten everything. He’s like a child now.”
Rayne froze.
Amnesia? His eyes widened, shock running through him like ice. He never expected this, never imagined Losif would lose his memories and become like a child.
“So he doesn’t remember anything that happened before?” Rayne asked.
“He doesn’t remember anything at all. Not his parents, his friends, or even his boyfriend. But don’t worry, his memory should come back soon. He’s stable now, so you can take him home. Bring him to familiar places; that usually helps,” the doctor explained before leaving.
Rayne stood there, completely stunned. Once the nurses left, he finally stepped back inside.
Losif sat on the bed, hugging his knees like a scared child.
“Losif,” Rayne called softly.
Losif glanced up at him, tilting his head in confusion. Rayne walked closer.
“Losif, you don’t remember me, right?”
He shook his head. “Who are you? You’re so beautiful.”
Rayne sat on the chair beside the bed. “I’m your friend. Do you remember your parents? Or… Ken?”
Losif’s face stayed blank, confusion swirling in his innocent expression.
“Who’s Ken? I don’t remember him or my parents. But how could I forget you when you’re this good-looking?”
To Rayne, he didn’t seem like a child at all. The doctor might’ve misunderstood.
The way Losif talked was the same sweet, cute way he used to act around Rayne. Yes, his memories might be gone, but he certainly hadn’t become a child.
When Rayne checked the time, he realized how late he was for work.
“Okay, Losif, stay here. Your parents or Ken will come to get you. I have to go to work,” he said, turning to leave.
But as he moved, he felt a tug on his clothes. He looked back. Losif was holding onto his sleeve, pouting with a sad, trembling expression.
“Don’t leave me alone,” Losif whispered. “I’m scared of being alone.”
His words twisted Rayne’s heart, but he couldn’t soften. Not now.
Rayne knew how much Losif hated the dark and being alone, but he was married. He had no right to worry about him anymore.
So he turned away and left without looking back. If he saw Losif’s face again, he might change his mind, and he couldn’t allow that.
As he walked out of the hospital, his chest felt heavy, guilt pushing against his heart. But he hadn’t done anything wrong… right?
He would tell Lucian about this later. Not now. But he couldn’t hide it from his husband forever.
Once he stepped outside, he glanced back at the hospital and sighed before heading to his car. Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the company.
As soon as he entered, a colleague rushed toward him.
“Rayne! Why are you so late? You were supposed to give the presentation in today’s meeting, but you didn’t send anything or even show up! Mr. Blackwell was furious. He had to handle everything himself!”
“Huh?” Rayne blinked, confused. “What are you talking about? No one told me about any presentation or meeting.”
His colleague scoffed. “What do you mean? Rose said he told you a week ago! I know it’s your first day after the wedding, but that doesn’t mean you can slack off.”
His tone was sharp, every word like a knife. His eyes stared at Rayne with fake concern, but the smirk behind his expression showed his real intention, humiliating Rayne.
And he wasn’t even whispering. His voice was loud, making sure everyone heard that the next CEO couldn’t even complete one task properly.
“Shut up,” Rayne said coldly. “Take me to Rose. Now.”
Rayne had always been gentle with everyone here, trying to be friendly with his colleagues since he would eventually become their boss. But clearly, that kindness had been wasted.
His tone startled the man; his eyes widened and his jaw tightened. Without another word, he nodded and started walking, Rayne following behind.
Before leaving, Rayne looked around at the people staring. “Why are you all just standing there? Don’t you have work to do?”
Everyone quickly turned back to their desks.
The colleague led Rayne to his department and sat down at his desk, glaring as if Rayne had committed a crime. Rayne ignored him.
Then Rayne saw Rose. From the name, he had assumed it was a girl, but Rose was an omega boy, sitting at his desk and scribbling in a notebook.
Rayne stopped beside him and cleared his throat. “Ahem.”
Rose looked up, and the moment their eyes met, his expression turned cold, like he was utterly disgusted by Rayne. Then he looked away and continued writing.