The word "woke up" echoed in Luna's mind.
Again.
And again.
And again.
"…Who?"
Her voice barely came out.
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
And that delay—
It made everything worse.
"Ethan…" she said, her tone sharper now, "who is it?"
He exhaled slowly, like he was choosing his words carefully.
"…The driver."
Silence.
Complete.
Crushing.
Luna blinked. "…The driver?"
Ethan nodded once. "The one who hit you that night."
Her breath caught.
"He… survived?"
"Yes."
A strange feeling twisted in her chest.
Confusion.
Fear.
Something heavier she couldn't name.
"…And he remembers?"
Ethan looked at her.
"That's what we're about to find out."
Her heart started racing again.
Faster this time.
Because this—
This wasn't just memory fragments anymore.
This was real.
Someone who was there.
Someone who saw everything.
"I want to go," she said immediately.
Ethan's brows furrowed. "Luna—"
"I need to hear it," she cut in.
Her voice wasn't shaking anymore.
It was firm.
Determined.
"If he knows what happened… then I need to know too."
Silence.
Ethan studied her face carefully.
She wasn't hesitating.
Not this time.
"…Fine," he said.
"But you stay with me. No impulsive moves."
She nodded.
But her mind was already somewhere else.
At the hospital.
At the truth.
The drive there felt suffocating.
Luna's fingers stayed clenched the entire time.
Her thoughts wouldn't stop.
What if he confirms everything?
What if I really hid it?
What if… Ethan is lying?
She glanced at him briefly.
He looked the same.
Calm.
Controlled.
Unreadable.
And that scared her.
The hospital building stood tall and silent under the dim lights.
Cold.
Unwelcoming.
Like it already knew what was about to happen.
They walked in together.
But the tension between them—
Was louder than their footsteps.
At the reception, Ethan spoke briefly.
A nurse guided them down a quiet hallway.
The sound of machines grew louder with each step.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Luna's heartbeat started matching it.
They stopped outside a room.
The nurse turned to them. "He regained consciousness an hour ago. He's still weak."
Ethan nodded.
"Can he talk?"
"A little," she replied. "But don't stress him."
Stress him.
The irony almost made Luna laugh.
The nurse left.
Now it was just them.
And the door.
Luna stared at it.
Her hand didn't move.
"…What if I don't like what I hear?" she whispered.
Ethan looked at her.
Then said quietly—
"…Then we deal with it."
That answer again.
Simple.
But heavy.
She took a breath.
Then pushed the door open.
Inside—
A man lay on the bed.
Pale.
Weak.
But awake.
His eyes slowly shifted toward them.
Then—
They stopped on Luna.
And something changed.
Recognition.
Luna felt it instantly.
"…You know me," she whispered.
The man's lips parted slightly.
His voice came out rough.
"…You…"
Ethan stepped forward slightly. "Tell us what happened that night."
The man didn't look at him.
His eyes stayed locked on Luna.
"You were running…" he said slowly.
"…in the rain…"
Her breath hitched.
"You ran into the road… I couldn't stop in time…"
Her hands trembled slightly.
"Yes… I remember that part…"
But the man shook his head weakly.
"…No…"
Silence.
"That's not all."
Luna's heart dropped.
"What do you mean?"
The man swallowed painfully.
His voice dropped lower.
"…You weren't just running…"
A pause.
"…You were looking back."
Luna froze.
"…Looking back?"
"Yes…"
His breathing became heavier.
But he continued anyway.
"Like… you were waiting for someone…"
Her mind went blank.
"Who?" Ethan asked sharply.
The man's eyes shifted slightly.
But then—
He looked at Luna again.
"…Him."
Silence.
Luna's voice came out barely above a whisper.
"…Adrian?"
The man's eyes flickered.
"…No…"
Everything stopped.
"No?" Ethan's voice hardened.
"Then who?"
The man's lips trembled slightly.
Then—
He said the one word that shattered everything.
"…You."
Silence exploded in the room.
Luna stepped back instantly.
"…What?"
Her heart started pounding violently.
"That doesn't make sense…"
The man's voice was weak, but clear.
"You were looking… at yourself…"
Confusion.
Fear.
Panic.
"What are you saying?!"
"You… were arguing…"
Luna's breath stopped.
"…Arguing?"
"…With someone…"
A pause.
"…who looked exactly like you."
Everything broke.
Luna's vision blurred.
Her body went cold.
"That's impossible…" she whispered.
Ethan didn't move.
Didn't speak.
But his expression—
Darkened completely.
Because now—
This wasn't just about memory.
This was something else.
Something far more dangerous.
Luna shook her head slowly.
"No… no, that's not real…"
But deep inside—
Something responded.
A fragment.
A shadow.
A version of herself—
She didn't recognize.
And suddenly—
The past didn't feel broken anymore.
It felt hidden.