Chapter 390: Only Remembers His Wife and Children

The medical staff methodically completed the transfer. The gurney moved smoothly through the hospital corridors, avoiding the crowds as they took Adrian Lancaster straight to the top floor.

The VIP room was spacious and serene, its decor elegant and soothing. It was a world away from the noise of the outside, and a stark contrast to the cold, oppressive atmosphere that had perpetually shrouded the intensive care unit.

Ample light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and warm sunlight filled the room.

Soft blackout curtains, a separate area for visitors, and comprehensive recovery facilities—every detail had been meticulously arranged to create a tranquil healing environment.

The medical staff carefully settled Adrian Lancaster onto the bed, reconnected the basic monitoring equipment, and gave the family detailed instructions before quietly exiting the room.

Now that he had survived the most critical stage, the Lancasters no longer had to watch him from a distance, separated by the cold, heavy doors of the ICU.

They gathered around the bed, their gazes fixed on Adrian Lancaster, their eyes filled with unconcealable heartache, concern, and the bittersweet relief that the worst was over.

The room was silent as everyone waited for Adrian Lancaster to wake up on his own.

Before long, the eyelashes of the man on the bed fluttered. His consciousness slowly withdrew from a hazy void, and a profound exhaustion, coupled with weakness, seeped back into every inch of his body.

Adrian Lancaster slowly lifted his heavy eyelids.

His vision was blurry and unfocused at first, with hazy shapes of light overlapping before his eyes. After a moment, things slowly came into focus and grew clear.

The first face he saw was Wren Sutton’s, right beside him.

In that instant, his muddled thoughts cleared. The blankness in his eyes vanished, replaced by a bone-deep sense of familiarity and peace, and a profound, lingering tenderness.

Even though his body was weak and his mind still groggy, Adrian Lancaster remembered Wren Sutton perfectly. He remembered her features, her eyes, and the tenderness within them.

"Honey..." His voice was hoarse and dry, as if he’d just woken up, but the word was exceptionally clear.

It was a simple word, an endearment for her that was etched into his very being, something he had never forgotten.

But as his gaze drifted from Wren Sutton to the others gathered around his bed, his expression faltered.

The faces before him were gentle, their eyes filled with concern and worry.

Adrian Lancaster’s mind was a complete blank. He had no idea who they were and couldn’t put a name to a single face.

The fragments of their time together, their shared memories, were all shrouded in a thick white fog, blurry and indistinct.

It was as if a piece of his memory had been excised, leaving only his recollections of Wren Sutton and their two children securely locked away.

Everyone else seemed strange and distant to him.

But this sense of unfamiliarity didn’t cause Adrian Lancaster to feel any aversion to his family.

The bonds of blood were etched into his very being, and an innate sense of kinship quietly spread through him.

An inexplicable feeling of gentle closeness welled up in Adrian Lancaster’s heart. He subconsciously relaxed, his guard down, though a trace of helpless confusion lingered in his eyes.

He squeezed Wren Sutton’s hand and looked at her with dependence. "Honey, who are they?" he asked.

At his words, everyone in the room froze. No one had expected Adrian Lancaster to have selective amnesia.

Wren Sutton stared blankly at the man on the bed before explaining gently, "They’re your family. You... you don’t remember them?"

Adrian Lancaster shook his head, his gaze full of affection, his eyes seeing only Wren Sutton.

"I only remember you and the children. You’re my wife, Wren Sutton. We have a pair of adorable fraternal twins, our son Owen, and our daughter Nina."

"Then... do you remember your own name?" Wren Sutton asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Adrian Lancaster nodded. He remembered his identity. "My name is Adrian Lancaster."

The moment he finished speaking, Claire Sterling rushed forward, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Adrian, I’m your mother. You’re my son... You don’t even remember that?"

Adrian Lancaster’s brow furrowed slightly as he tried to search his mind for any relevant memories, but he found only a blank void.

He shook his head weakly. "I don’t remember."

Claire Sterling swayed, grabbing the side of the bed to steady herself as a bitter sorrow welled in her eyes.

’She had never imagined her son would forget her.’

Looking at the innocent warmth and confusion in Adrian Lancaster’s eyes, Claire Sterling felt no resentment, only a heart-wrenching ache.

Theodore Lancaster’s entire demeanor grew heavy, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He stood frozen in place, his back still straight, but he couldn’t hide a fleeting sense of desolation. His fingertips tightened unconsciously.

"Adrian, do you remember your dad?"

Adrian Lancaster turned to look at him and shook his head again.

"..." An indescribable bitterness and melancholy rose in Theodore Lancaster’s heart. After a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh.

The matriarch’s previously loving gaze instantly dimmed, and she raised a hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"How can this be..."

Julian and Lucia Lancaster, the two siblings, had been overjoyed and excited just moments before, having finally seen their older brother wake up safe and sound.

Now, however, the smiles on their faces froze, and their eyes were filled with disappointment and sadness.

Looking at their familiar yet strangely distant older brother, Julian and Lucia felt their hearts ache. They had so much they wanted to say, but now they couldn’t get a single word out. All their sadness transformed into heartache for him.

’If the car accident hadn’t happened, their brother wouldn’t have amnesia. He wouldn’t have forgotten them.’

’It wasn’t his fault; it was the accident.’

Julian Lancaster clenched his fists, vowing silently that he would get to the bottom of that car accident, no matter what it took.

The silence in the room was shrouded in an undeniable sorrow, yet there wasn’t the slightest hint of blame or complaint.

Looking at Adrian Lancaster on the bed, his expression vacant and his face pale, their heartache for him quickly overshadowed the pain of being forgotten by their loved one.

Everyone understood that the sudden car accident had nearly claimed Adrian Lancaster’s life. For him to be alive and out of the intensive care unit was a miracle.

Compared to his fractured memory, his family was far more concerned about his physical health.

Wren Sutton felt a knot of conflicting emotions.

Although Adrian hadn’t forgotten her, he had forgotten his family.

Her heart ached for him, and it ached for the Lancasters, too.

"This is probably selective amnesia caused by the head trauma. It might just be temporary. As Adrian slowly rests and recovers, his memories will probably come back, bit by bit."

Wren Sutton was comforting the family, but she was also giving herself a pep talk.

Adrian Lancaster saw the heartache and sorrow in their eyes. Though he couldn’t remember them, that innate sense of kinship stirred a pang of guilt in his heart.

"I’m sorry for making you all worry."

Those simple words struck a chord deep in everyone’s heart.

Claire Sterling wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Silly child, don’t apologize to your family. As long as you’re safe and sound, that’s more important than anything else."

"It’s okay if you can’t remember. We’ll wait. Just focus on getting better. It’ll be fine whenever you remember."

Theodore Lancaster reined in his somber air. "Just focus on recovering. Don’t think about anything else. Your health is the most important thing. As for your memory, just let nature take its course."

’He never expected his son to remember everything at once. He only wished for him to be free of pain, to recover his former vitality, and to be by his family’s side, safe and healthy. That was enough.’

The matriarch shuffled forward, her loving gaze falling on her grandson as she gave a gentle wave of her hand.

"Don’t apologize, and don’t feel guilty. The fact that you’re awake is a wonderful thing. It’s all right if you don’t remember your grandma. I’ll be with you every day, and I’ll be here while you get better."

Julian Lancaster unclenched his fists and managed a gentle smile.

"Brother, just focus on your recovery. Whether you remember or not, we’re family. We always will be."

Lucia Lancaster quickly nodded in agreement, her eyes red as she fought to keep a smile on her face while looking at Adrian Lancaster.

"That’s right, Brother. We’ll always be family, a close and loving one."

Adrian Lancaster looked at this group of strange yet familiar people, a warmth slowly spreading through his heart. The confusion and helplessness in his expression gradually faded.

He turned his head to look at Wren Sutton beside him, and the gentle light returned to his eyes.

"Honey, with you and my family here, I’ll recover well."

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, pouring into the hospital room.

Memories might temporarily gather dust, but the kinship that flowed through their veins was already etched into their very bones.

As long as the family stood united, one day, all that was broken would slowly be made whole again.