The Fragments of Us

He tried to move but found his limbs heavy, unresponsive. Panic surged as his chest tightened, the cold, sterile scent of the hospital room surrounding him. "Easy," a soft

is voice softer this time, more of a confession than a question. Mia's hand tightened on the armrest of her chair, her nails digging into the fabric, as if holding herself back from saying something she didn't want to. Or maybe she was just waiting. Waiting for him to remember everything. He could feel the weight of it-the silence between them, the unspoken history that hung like a fog in the air. There was more she wasn't telling him, more she wasn't ready to say. Before he could ask, a nurse entered the room, her presence breaking the tension, and Mia stood quickly, stepping away from the bed. "Can I have a moment?" Mia's voice was strained as she stepped into the hallway, and Jack was left alone with the thrum of the machines and the quiet of his thoughts. The nurse glanced at him briefly, giving him a gentle smile. "Rest now. We'll talk soon." Jack nodded numbly, trying to calm his racing heart. But it wasn't the pain in his head that unsettled him the most. It was the woman-Mia. The way her name felt like a ghost on his tongue. The way her sadness haunted the room, and the way his heart reacted in a way he couldn't understand. --- ### **Flashback:** The memories started coming in fragments, disjointed and confusing. There were flashes of moments he couldn't place-moments of laughter, moments of anger. A woman. Her face was always blurred, her voice distant, but she seemed familiar in the same way a song you hadn't heard in years might make you ache. He could never remember what had happened, only that something had broken. He thought he had been happy once. He thought he had been in love, but then... Nothing. It was as though his entire life, the last five years, had been wiped away, leaving only the hollow ache of forgotten memories. --- ### **Later That Day** The hours passed in a blur. Jack could feel the weight of Mia's absence like a pal