Chapter 168: 19 Year Old Theo
Daisy ran through the hallway after hearing the news that Theo had finally opened his eyes. It felt like her feet weren’t even touching the floor, her heart ready to burst with joy at the thought.
She stopped in front of Theo’s hospital room. He had been transferred there that morning, but since she had exhausted herself and hadn’t slept for two days, no one had woken her up until an hour ago.
She recalled how Lily, smiling through her tears, had delivered the good news: "Sir... he’s awake now..."
Her hand now gripped the handle, ready to slide the door open, when sudden commotion inside made her pause.
"What do you mean?" Richard’s voice rose slightly in pitch, thick with shock.
"Mr. Kingsley, I can’t say for certain yet," the doctor replied carefully. "We need more time to monitor his condition. But for now... yes, it appears he may be experiencing psychological regression. At this moment, he seems to believe he’s still 19 years old."
The handle slipped from Daisy’s fingers as her hand fell, frozen by the weight of the doctor’s words.
Inside, Richard frowned deeply, his voice sharp with confusion. "Wait... how is that possible? He was stabbed in the stomach, not hit in the head."
Evelyn, pale and trembling, clutched her hands together. "Yes... how can his mind..." she trailed off, her eyes darting to Theo in desperation.
The doctor sighed, lowering his tone. "It’s not about the injury itself. Trauma can affect the mind in many ways. His body suffered, yes... but his mind may have reacted differently. Right now, he seems to believe he’s nineteen again. Until we run more tests, we can’t be sure how deep this regression goes."
On the bed, Theo frowned, more annoyed than weak. "Mom... Dad... can I rest? And... Can you ask Julian to bring me my new comic? I still haven’t finished it..." He sighed and shut his eyes.
Evelyn’s breath caught. Her gaze darted to Richard, whose face had gone stiff. Both of them froze at the name, as if the years had been peeled back in a blink. Julian...
Richard swallowed hard and the spoke slowly. "So... he’s stuck at the time when Julian was still alive..."
Evelyn’s lips trembled, her eyes shimmering with shock. "That means... he doesn’t even remember..." She cut herself off, unable to finish. Turning to her husband, she pouted weakly. "Honey... what should we do?"
Outside the room, Daisy leaned back against the cold wall, her body trembling as if the ground beneath her had been ripped away. Slowly, she slid down until she was crouched on the floor, her head hung low, hands pressed over her mouth as if to hold herself together.
For three endless weeks she had prayed, begged, cried, waiting for this moment. Waiting for Theo to wake up. And he did. He finally opened his eyes.
Her husband... the man she had finally begun to share real love with, the one who had slowly broken through her walls... didn’t even remember their life together. Those few months of marriage, their laughter, their fights, their growing bond, all erased in an instant.
She buried her face in her hands, her chest tightening with a pain sharper than any knife. What was she supposed to do now? Walk in, force a smile, and pretend? Pretend she knew nothing, pretend she wasn’t a stranger in her own husband’s eyes?
The joy she had clung to for three long weeks shattered in an instant, slipping through her fingers and leaving nothing but a hollow ache.
Through the thin wall, she could still hear their voices. Evelyn’s, low and quivering. "Doctor... is there a chance this regression will pass quickly? That he’ll... remember again?"
There was a pause, then the doctor’s calm, careful tone. "It’s hard to say. Sometimes the mind does this as a shield. It clings to an earlier time, one less painful, because it cannot face what came after. If he’s rejecting the present, it’s likely because something about it was too much for him to bear."
Richard exhaled shakily. "Too much... to bear?"
Daisy’s fingers dug into her scalp as the words pierced her. The blood in her veins turned cold. Too much to bear. Was it her? Their marriage? Everything they had gone through together? Had she become the unbearable part of his life that his mind needed to erase?
The doorknob rattled. Evelyn and Richard were moving, sliding the door open, deciding to let Theo rest for now, only to be startled when they stepped out and found Daisy crouched against the wall.
She startled, quickly pushing herself to her feet. A strained smile forced its way onto her lips.
"Ah... the maid told me about Theo..." she nodded, her voice light, though the smile sat painfully on her face. "I saw you both inside. Since it seemed serious... I thought it was better to wait out here first."
Evelyn’s expression softened, though her eyes were still clouded with worry. "Sweetheart..." she began, reaching a hand toward Daisy.
Richard, however, studied her more quietly, the weight of everything heavy in his gaze. "You heard us, didn’t you?"
Daisy’s smile faltered, but she didn’t answer. She only tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked down at the floor, as if admitting it without words.
"I... I think it’s not the best time to introduce myself, right?" Her voice wavered, thin as glass. She didn’t raise her head, afraid her tears might spill the moment she met their eyes.
Evelyn’s heart clenched. "Daisy..." she whispered, stepping closer, but Daisy took a small step back, shaking her head.
"I don’t want to confuse him... or make things worse." Her hands twisted together, trembling. "If he doesn’t remember me, then... then maybe I shouldn’t force myself into his world right now."
Richard’s jaw tightened, his silence heavy, but his eyes softened with something unspoken... pity, regret, maybe even guilt.
"Go back and rest for now," he said gently. "You’ve overstrained yourself these past weeks, taking care of Theo. When he’s a bit more stable... and when you’re ready... we’ll find the right moment."
Daisy bit down on her lip, nodding weakly. Without another word, she turned away, her steps slow and unsteady. She told herself she needed to calm down first, to gather her strength before she could face Theo but deep down, she knew it was fear holding her back. Fear of seeing his eyes and finding no trace of recognition in them.