A Replacement Bride

"Moreover, Kathy doesn't just have holes in her memories," Xavier explained. "There were even jumbled memories. When I
asked her about certain events in the past, she would tell me a distorted version of the events. What happened just over 10
years ago would suddenly become an event that happened 20 years ago. I didn't realize it at first, but the more we talked, the
more holes I discovered in what she told me. It was only then that I noticed her memory issues. I even tested her to confirm my
guess."
There was an extremely stormy look on Joaquin's face when he heard that.
He did notice something off about Katherine's behavior, but he did not expect his feelings to be proven true.
He shot to his feet, wanting to head back up to her, but David stopped him.
"What are you doing?" David asked, giving him a worried stare.
Joaquin pursed his lips and coldly replied, "I'm taking her to the hospital."
David sighed and stood up to block his way.
"I know you're worried. I am her friend as well. I am concerned about the issues she has, but I think we should still listen to the
doctor and observe for now. Let's see what happens tomorrow. After all, she did suffer a shock. Perhaps, she'll be much better
after some sleep. It will not be too late to bring her to the hospital tomorrow when her condition does not improve. She's
exhausted. Let her rest."
Joaquin silently stood there for a moment before agreeing to the suggestion. Still, there was an extremely stormy look on his
face.
Her condition did not improve the next day.
After Katherine woke up, she just sat up on the bed and huddled under her blanket, not even moving an inch.
When she saw Joaquin enter her room, she even scowled and grumbled, "Why didn't you knock before you enter?"
He was stunned. He had never seen her act like this before. His feet faltered as he wondered if he should continue walking over
to her.
Her face turned even uglier as she barked out in an even harsher tone, "Who are you? How can you just enter my room? What
do you want?"

She then warily shuffled backward until her back was flat against the headboard.
His entire face froze. His throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed before hoarsely asking, "Don't you recognize me, Kathy?"
She scanned him up and down with a suspicious glare. "Should I know you? Just who are you?"
Her questions made his face go scarily dark. His conflicted emotions and worry were evident in his eyes as he stared at her.
There was a moment of silence before he eventually asked in a warm voice, "I'm your husband, Joaquin Levisay. Kathy, do you
really not remember me?"
"Joaquin? My husband?" She frowned in clear disbelief. "Are you for real? You're not lying to me, are you? I'm not married."
Just then, David and Noah walked into the room. They did not know what was going on, though, and started smiling when they
saw she was awake.
"Kathy, did you sleep well? Do you feel better?" David asked.
Noah was ecstatic to see her and immediately leaped onto the bed.
"You're finally awake, Mom! I was so worried last night. I waited and waited, but you never woke up. I was so worried that I
couldn't sleep at all. Do you feel better now?"
Katherine seemed to be lost in thought for a moment as she stared into Noah's wide eyes. Eventually, she nodded and wrapped
her arms around Noah in an embrace.
"I feel much better now, Noah. Why am I here though?"
Noah was shocked by Katherine's question. She stared at Katherine in confusion. "What's going on with you, Mom? Don't you
remember what happened yesterday?"
"Yesterday? What happened yesterday? Also, where is this place?"
Katherine was absolutely confused. She spent a moment observing David and Noah before her gaze locked with Noah's. "What
is going on here?"
Her question made the entire room go so silent that an awkward tension was steeped into every corner of the room.

With a face full of shock, David turned to stare back at her. "You don't remember anything at all? Have you forgotten everything
from yesterday?"
She reached up to massage her forehead. "I-I don't remember anything. Why am I here?"
Evidently, she did not even remember waking up yesterday.
At such sight, both David and Joaquin turned pale.
Joaquin clenched his jaw and spat out, "Get the car ready! I'm bringing her to the hospital."
David immediately left the room to order the men to get ready. He knew this trip could not be delayed.
Half an hour later, the group arrived at the hospital where a doctor immediately subjected Katherine to a full-body check-up.
David and Joaquin sat outside the examination room with stormy looks on their faces. Even Noah's tender face was clouded
over.
Noah walked over to Joaquin and tugged at his hand while looking up into his eyes.
"Dad, why does Mom not remember you? She sounds like she has forgotten about a lot of things. Will she forget about me one
day?"
Her eyes were red-rimmed with worry by the time she was done asking her questions. They shimmered with tears, but she
stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.
Joaquin's heart clenched in pain upon seeing that. He hurriedly held her hand back as he tried his best to reassure her.
"That won't happen. She's only suffering from some temporary issues. She'll remember everything once the doctor cures her.
You are her most beloved daughter. She will never forget you."
As the father-daughter duo talked, a doctor walked out of the examination room.
"Excuse me, who is the patient's husband?" the doctor asked after taking a moment to examine the two men waiting in the
hallway.

Joaquin stared at the doctor for a moment before he snapped back to his senses and hurriedly stepped forward. "I am. How is
Kathy?"
The doctor pointed at the door and replied, "Come with me. The patient wishes to see you. We can talk inside."
Kathy wanted to see him?
Joaquin immediately pushed everything aside, left Noah in David's care, and strode into the room.
Inside the doctor's office, Katherine was uneasily shifting around in her seat as her slender brows were locked together in a
frown.
The moment he walked into the room, she shot to her feet and dashed over to grab his sleeves as though he was her savior.
"Why did you bring me to the hospital for a check-up? The hospital makes me uneasy. Joe, can we go home?" she asked.
This never-before-seen side of her surprised him.
What was even more surprising was the familiar nickname she used. His eyes lit up as he stared at her in anticipation and
surprise. "You remember me."
Unexpectedly, she shot him a look as though he was acting like a fool. "What do you mean by 'remember you'? When did I forget
about you?"
He was stunned by her response. He stiffly turned to the doctor with tightly pursed lips.
"What is going on with her, doctor? What do the results say?"