The hospital corridors were unusually quiet.

Arnav walked through them with the same composed expression he wore everywhere else, his polished shoes echoing against the marble floor.

He had no idea why he had returned.

He had rescued hundreds of victims over the years.

Once they were safe, his responsibility ended.

It always had.

So why had this girl occupied his thoughts since the previous night?

Even he couldn't answer that question.

---

He stopped outside Room 307.

Through the glass window, he saw her.

She was awake.

The frail girl who had been fighting for her life only hours ago now sat on the hospital bed, staring blankly at the white walls surrounding her.

There was confusion in her eyes...

Not fear.

Not panic.

Just confusion.

As if she had awakened in a world that belonged to everyone except her.

For reasons he couldn't understand, Arnav found himself walking inside.

She slowly turned her head.

Her eyes met his.

She looked at him for several long seconds, carefully studying his face.

Arnav remained silent.

His expression revealed nothing.

Then, in a voice so soft it almost disappeared into the silence, she asked,

"...Are you my husband?"

For the first time in years...

Arnav Rajvanshi didn't have an answer.

Before a single word could leave his lips—

A knock interrupted the moment.

"Mr. Rajvanshi?"

The doctor stood at the door.

"Could you please come with me for a moment?"

Without taking his eyes off the girl, Arnav gave a slight nod before following him outside.

---

Inside the doctor's chamber, several medical reports lay spread across the table.

The doctor removed his glasses and sighed.

"Mr. Rajvanshi... we've completed her neurological examination."

Arnav waited silently.

"The injuries on her body will heal with time."

He paused.

"But the injury to her head is more concerning."

"What happened?"

"She has suffered retrograde amnesia."

Arnav's eyes narrowed slightly.

"She has lost the memories of her past. At the moment, she doesn't remember who she is, where she came from, or anyone connected to her life before the accident."

Silence filled the room.

"But that's not all."

The doctor folded his hands together.

"After severe psychological trauma, the human brain sometimes creates temporary false beliefs to protect itself from emotional shock."

Arnav remained expressionless.

"She genuinely believes she's married."

For the first time, his brows furrowed.

"It's not deception," the doctor continued. "To her, it's real."

"What should be done?"

"For now... don't force her to remember anything. Don't repeatedly tell her she's mistaken or confront her with her past."

"Why?"

"Because her brain is still recovering from both physical and emotional trauma. Excessive psychological stress could worsen her condition and may even lead to serious neurological complications."

The doctor looked directly at him.

"The safest treatment is stability."

"Let her recover first."

"Once she's stronger, we'll begin gradual memory rehabilitation."

Arnav absorbed every word.

His face remained unreadable.

Inside, however...

His thoughts were anything but calm.

He had saved her because it was the right thing to do.

That should have been the end of it.

Instead...

Fate had left an unknown girl with no memories believing she belonged to him.

Ridiculous.

He had spent years ensuring no woman entered his life.

Now one had arrived without either of them intending it.

He considered leaving.

After all...

She wasn't his responsibility.

But reality answered before he could.

She remembered no family.

No home.

No name beyond the one written in her medical file.

No one had come searching for her.

If he walked away...

Where exactly would she go?

For the first time in years...

Logic failed to give him an easy answer.

---

By evening, the discharge formalities were complete.

A nurse gently supported the young woman as they walked toward the hospital entrance.

"There he is," the nurse said with a warm smile.

The girl looked up.

Her innocent eyes immediately found Arnav standing beside a black luxury car.

A small, unconscious smile appeared on her face.

Without questioning anything, she quietly walked toward him.

Arnav opened the rear door.

She settled inside without hesitation.

Moments later, he took the seat beside her while the driver started the engine.

The city lights blurred past the window.

She watched everything outside with quiet fascination.

Every passing building...

Every traffic signal...

Every child laughing on the roadside...

It was as though she were seeing the world for the very first time.

Arnav didn't look outside.

His attention remained on her.

Years of experience had sharpened his instincts.

People lied.

People pretended.

People manipulated.

Especially when power and wealth were involved.

Was this memory loss genuine...

Or was she playing a dangerous game?

He searched her face for hesitation.

For calculation.

For even the smallest crack in her innocence.

He found none.

Suddenly...

She pressed a hand against her temple.

A sharp pain flashed across her face.

Her breathing became uneven.

Without thinking, she leaned sideways.

Before Arnav could react...

Her head gently rested against his arm.

His body stiffened.

His eyes instinctively dropped to the girl sleeping against his shoulder.

He should have moved away.

He should have created distance.

That was what he always did.

But...

He didn't.

Within moments, the tension left her face as she drifted into a peaceful sleep, trusting him without knowing who he was.

Arnav glanced at her for a brief second before unlocking his phone, answering emails as though nothing had happened.

Yet every few minutes...

His eyes unknowingly drifted back to the sleeping stranger beside him.

For a man who had spent years believing every woman approached him with an ulterior motive...

This girl's silent trust felt strangely unfamiliar.

And unfamiliar things...

Had always been the most dangerous.