I nodded, in spite of my tears.

Ryder's mom held her hand out to me. "Come. Family should wait together." She said.

Paris put an arm around me and we all went into a lounge to wait for news of Ryder's surgery.

At first, I was scared to meet Ryder's family. I knew most rich people would prefer an equally rich woman for their heir.

But from the moment I arrived at the airport, Paris had arranged for a limousine to pick me up and take me to the hospital. As soon as she saw me, she recognized who I was and hugged me, as if she had known me for a long time.

The first thing that Ryder's mother said to me was, "I wish we had met at more fortunate circumstances, Astrid. But I am glad to finally meet the most important woman in my son's life."

They have been nothing but nice to me. And their calmer reaction towards Ryder's accident gave me a little strength that Ryder would survive this.

A man arrived at the waiting room.

"All those bastards are in jail now." He said to Helen. "And I will make sure they stay there."

I knew he was talking about the drunk teenage kids who hit Ryder. They were over-speeding and they almost totaled Ryder's Cayenne. The only things that saved him were the car's safety features. But still, he suffered from severe head trauma and a couple of broken bones.

I was looking down and didn't notice that Mr. Van Woodsen was looking at me.

"And who is this beautiful young woman?" He asked.

I stared up at him and thought I saw a ghost... only an older version of it. He has raven black hair and his piercing green eyes were similar to Ryder's.

"Before you get any ideas, Richard, I have to inform you that this beautiful girl already belongs to your son." Helen said matter-of-factly. And then she turned to me. "Sweetheart, this is Richard, Ryder's father." She leaned closer to me and in a lower voice she said. "Don't worry. Ryder is nothing like him." Then she turned to the man. "Richard, this is Astrid, your son's fiancee."

I stared back at Ryder's mother. "I'm sorry, Ma'am... I'm not his fiancee." I corrected her.

She stared at me and smiled. "I think you will be... once the doctors get him fixed." She reached out and squeezed my hand.

I looked at Ryder's father and extended my hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Van Woodsen."

He shook my hand. "It's nice to meet the woman who finally captured my son's heart. For a while I thought he would be like his mother. Cold and incapable of falling in love."

"I think my son is better off that way. Unlike you who falls in love with anything that wears a skirt." Helen retorted haughtily.

Clearly, even though Ryder's parents manage to be in the same room with each other, they both still have a lot of unresolved issues.

"Mom, Dad..." Paris interrupted. "If you keep on with the bickering, Astrid would probably turn down Ryder just so she wouldn't be part of this family."

As if realizing the way that they were behaving, Ryder's mom smiled at me apologetically and Mr. Van Woodsen said, "I'm sorry, Astrid. I guess it's too early for you to witness that."

I forced a smile.

Paris took my arm and said, "Come, Astrid. I'm starving. You look like you need chocolate to cheer you up."

I was quiet all the way to the cafeteria. Paris ordered coffee for both of us and devil's chocolate cake. When I sat on the table opposite her, she was eyeing me wearily.

"I'm sorry." I said. "I can't help worrying."

She smiled. How could she be so calm?

"Ryder will get through this." She said.

"I really hope you're right." I stared back at her. She looked so much like Ryder but she looked every bit feminine and beautiful. Her hair is perfectly tied in a pony. Her long delicate fingers ended with perfectly trimmed short nails. Her skin was creamy and flawless. She was every bit a princess with her calm demeanor, bright eyes and haughty smile.

"My brother loves you, you know." She said.

I nodded. "I love him too." Then tears brimmed my eyes again. "God, I wish I could say that to him again."

"You will." She said encouragingly. "He's a fighter. He won't give you up so easily. Well... you know that by now, right?"

I nodded. I know that. Ryder spent months waiting for me to realize that he's the right one for me. I only realized that two days ago. And two days is just too damn short for me to show him that I was worth the wait. I pray that I have more time with him. And I would make up for all the months I resisted falling in love with him.

"I was so excited to meet you." Paris said. "I thought my brother cared for nothing but our businesses and his own. But when he gave me Oil Rig Manhattan, I knew something was up. And then I realized it was you. He was ready to settle down and spend down time with the girl of his dreams."

"How do you know I was the girl of his dreams?"

"Because you made him fall in love." She replied. "And he seemed so incapable of doing that. He wanted a woman who would like him even if he wasn't who he was."

"The fact that he is Ryder Van Woodsen made me think twice or thrice about falling for him." I said. "I didn't want a complicated relationship."

"But he's so much worth it, sweetheart." Paris said. "Ryder is probably the sweetest guy I know. He just doesn't show it."

I smiled bitterly. "He showed me all the time. I was too stubborn to appreciate it. And then... two days ago, I gave in. I gave up fighting what I feel for him. I thought I'd take a risk. Because he was worth it. And now..." Tears rolled down my cheeks. "This can't be over!"

"Ssshhh..." Paris reached out and squeezed my hand. "A love story as beautiful as yours couldn't be over too soon, Astrid. You have so much more to go through together. You both deserve to be happy with each other."

Just then, her phone rang. It was her mother. My heart pounded in my ribcage.

God! Please!

Paris hung up and she stared at me. She smiled slowly. "Surgery is done." She said. "The doctors said he is stable but still unconscious."

Relief washed through me. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I stood up and hugged Paris.

"See? I told you, your love story isn't over yet." She said as she hugged me back.

I stayed with Paris in Ryder's apartment. In the mornings, I relentlessly stayed on Ryder's side, waiting for him to open his eyes. His vitals are stable but we cannot be sure he is out of danger until he opens his eyes.

He has a broken wrist and a couple of broken ribs. His major injury is in his head. And that worries everybody the most.

Then finally, he opened his eyes. I hugged Janis in relief when we first heard him speak.

"Come on, guys." He said to them. "I'm slightly tougher than you give me credit for."

Then he whispered everybody's name as he looked at us one by one. We were all laughing and crying at the same time. It was such a relief for us to see him get through a terrible accident.

Then finally, his eyes landed on me. I smiled at him with all the love I have in my heart.

A glitter lit in his eyes for a moment and then it died. He narrowed his eyes and continued staring at me.

Finally, he opened his mouth and asked, "Who the hell are you?"

Everybody in the room gasped, including myself.

"Ry... Ryder... you're kidding, right?" I whispered.

He raised a brow and stared at me haughtily. Then he stared at his father. "Dad, I told you I don't want a female secretary! We discussed this. The last thing I want is for one of our female employees to get too close to me and dream she could get her hands on me..."

"Ryder Anthony Van Woodsen!" His mother's voice boomed in the room getting everybody's attention, including Ryder. "I didn't raise you to act so ungentlemanly towards a woman... especially if she is your girlfriend."

Ryder blinked back at his mother. "Girlfriend? The last time I checked, I was very... very single."

I lost my breath. How could this be?

"Wait..." Paris said. "You don't remember Astrid?"

"Is that her name?" Ryder asked. He looked back at me curiously. "I'm pretty sure I would remember having a girlfriend. But I don't. Sorry, sweetheart. Nice try, though." And he turned away from me.

My heart felt like it just shattered to pieces. How could he act like this towards me?

Jake came back with the doctor. We were asked to leave the room. Jake put an arm around my shoulder and escorted me outside the room.

"What's wrong with him, Jake?" I asked.

"I have a suspicion. But we need tests to confirm this." He said. He squeezed my shoulder. "Ryder loves you, Ash. Trust me. I've known him since we were kids. No matter what happens, I want you to keep remembering that, okay?"

Then he went back into Ryder's room.

Tears streamed down my face. Paris and Janis both hugged me.

"It will be okay." Janis said.

I took a deep breath and hugged them back. "But at least, he's conscious now, right?"

Even if he was acting weird like he doesn't know me, I am sincerely glad that he made it out of this accident alive.

We waited for a whole six hours. We were asked not to see Ryder while the tests are being done. Even Jake didn't want to say anything to us. The waiting is killing me. I'm relieved that Ryder will make it. But I'm so scared of the way he acted towards me when he woke up.

It was three in the morning when finally Jake came to the waiting room. He looked tired. But I could see that he didn't look devastated, and somehow that was comforting enough for me.

"He's stable." He said and everybody breathed in a sigh of relief. Then Jake took a deep breath and said, "But... he's suffering from retrograde amnesia."

"What?" Mr. Van Woodsen echoed.

"It's a form of amnesia, where the patient loses some of his memories. But it could be temporary. It could heal by itself eventually."

"When?"

Jake shrugged. "We can't tell."

"What could be done?" Ryder's Mom asked.

Jake shook his head. "Nothing much. Some therapies could help. But other than that, we just wait it out."

"How... how much of his memories did he lose?" I asked in a weak voice.

Jake had a hard expression on his face when he looked at me. I could immediately tell it was not good news for me. He didn't answer.

"How much?" I repeated my question.

"A year, Astrid."

I gasped. A year. No wonder he doesn't remember me.

An arm came around me. I realized it was Paris's. She gave me an encouraging squeeze. When I stared up at her, tears were brimming my eyes.

Paris promised that Ryder would come back for me. He did come back, alright. But not for me. He doesn't even know me.

"Could we... see him?" Janis asked.

Jake stared at me for a while. Then he said, "It's not a good idea for Astrid to see him yet. He's not ready for you, honey. We have to take this slowly."

I whimpered. When I squeezed my eyes shut, tears slid down my cheeks. But I totally understand what Jake was saying. We all have to do our parts in getting Ryder through this. And right now, my part is... to stay away.

"I... I understand." I whispered.

"It's already late, child. You haven't had enough sleep. You could rest. I will ask the driver to take you back to Ryder's apartment."

I didn't argue. I nodded and gave Helen a weak smile. Then I looked at Jake. "When could I see him?"

"I will see how he improves in a couple of days." He replied.

I fought the tears and kept a calm facade in front of Ryder's family and friends. The last thing they need is to see me devastated. They deserve to be happy that at least Ryder is out of danger now. That he will live through this.

But once I got inside the limousine that Helen sent for me, I broke down and cried my heart out.