A Love Forgotten (Arianna and Elijah) novel Chapter 1

"It hurts, Elijah. Let me go!

"Will you regret this if I die, Elijah?

"Don't leave with Jocelyn, Elijah. I love you so much…"

I jolted awake and gasped for breath like a fish out of water. I couldn't breathe, and my throat hurt so badly that it felt like it was about to tear in half.

I struggled to open my eyes. The white lights above me were blinding, and I could hear machines beeping beside me.

"Mrs. Linden is awake, Mr. Linden. The doctor said she fainted due to a head injury and agitation. Other than that, she's fine."

Someone was talking on the phone in a low voice near the bed. I finally realized that I was in a hospital ward. Was I sick?

I heard a cold voice ring out over the phone. "Everything's fine as long as there aren't any problems with her. I have a video conference to attend so I won't head over."

The woman wore a formal outfit. After hanging up, she sighed. Then, she turned around. She was startled to see me staring at her. "You're awake, Mrs. Linden?"

I was about to ask her something when she continued, "Mr. Linden has a video conference today, so he can't come over just yet. You can speak to me if you need anything."

I was lost. "Who is Mr. Linden? And I'm not Mrs. Linden. My name is Ariana York."

The woman was taken aback at first before laughing scornfully. "Mr. Linden is busy, Mrs. Linden, as am I. I don't have time to play games with you. Also, you don't have to feign amnesia when you only knocked your head a little."

She scoffed. "I'd advise you against reading too many of those dumb novels. Playing hard to get isn't going to work on Mr. Linden."

I frowned. "I don't read dumb novels, and I feel uncomfortable with how you're talking to me."

The woman didn't exactly have a pleasant attitude when talking to me, and I didn't like her. She carelessly threw a phone at me, saying, "This is your phone. Contact me if you need anything. I'm heading back to work."

She turned, wanting to strut out of the ward, looking haughty.

Just then, the ward's door flew open, and another woman ran in, her hair in a mess. "How are you, Ariana?"

I was shocked when I saw her. "Why have you ended up like this, Teri?"

The woman before me was Teresa Stuart, my best friend. We'd started playing with each other since childhood and had gone to the same kindergarten, elementary school, middle school… We were like conjoined twins who remained by each other's side even during university.

But why did Teresa look so much more mature than I remembered? Her hair had been dyed maroon, and she wore a black form-fitting dress that showed off her curves. She looked familiar yet unfamiliar.

When she saw me like that, her eyes reddened. Then, she shouted, "You're a fucking idiot, Ariana! I told you to leave Elijah, the scumbag that he is. But you didn't listen! Look at what you're like now! You almost died after threatening suicide. You scared the hell out of me!"

She burst into tears toward the end of her rant. I couldn't understand what she meant, but my heart twisted painfully, and my eyes turned red, too. I didn't know why it had happened.

Just then, the woman in the formal outfit turned back, looking upset as she said, "This is the hospital, Ms. Stuart. Keep your voice down, please."

Teri seemed familiar with the woman. She pointed at her and snapped, "Call your precious Mr. Linden and tell him to come to the hospital! His wife is injured and lying in a hospital bed, yet he's still in the mood to attend some dumb charity dinner with Jocelyn Cornell!

"Doesn't he think he's gone a bit too far? Jocelyn, the bitch, dumped him and fled abroad when he was almost bankrupt. Who saved his company? The York family! Now that he's made a comeback, Jocelyn's returned to suck up to him again.

"One is a bastard and a scumbag, while the other is a slutty gold digger. They make a perfect match!"

The woman's face turned red when she heard Teri's rant. Meanwhile, a nurse hurried over and persuaded Teri not to cause a scene. Only then did the woman hurry off like she was fleeing from something.