The morning sun streamed gently through the windows, casting a golden hue over the breakfast table where Nora and Zayan sat in rare peace. The aroma of coffee and buttered toast lingered in the air. Zayan looked at her, his dark eyes soft yet uncertain.
"If I asked you to marry me… would you?" he asked quietly, his voice betraying a vulnerability rarely seen in him.
Nora blinked, caught off guard. Then she smiled teasingly, tilting her head. "Do you want to marry me, Master?"
He looked at her, long and hard, and then shrugged with a sheepish grin. "Yeah… I want to."
Nora's smile faltered for a moment, replaced by a flicker of fear. She looked down at her plate, then back at him. "I do love you, Mr. Zayan Kai… but I don't know if you love me back. That scares me."
Without a word, he stood, walked behind her, and gently rubbed her shoulders. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, whispering into her skin, "I love you, Nora. I always have."
That evening, Zayan arranged a surprise. He told the boys to bring Nora to his room by 8 p.m.—everything had to be perfect. But fate had other plans.
Nora wandered close to the beach, captivated by the waves. She barely had time to react before something struck her head. Everything went black.
Hidden in the distance, Rex caught a glimpse of her distinct hair and shouted, "HEY! Give her back!" He ran toward the group of masked men, yelling for backup. Shaw's voice crackled through Zayan's phone, urgency in every word.
"Zayan! Someone's taken Nora!"
That was the moment the Devil inside Zayan broke free.
His body radiated heat like a furnace, rage coursing through him like lava. Moments later, a text arrived:
"If you want her back, give me what you owe—The Silver Dragon Skin and the Raven Ring. Come alone."
Zayan smiled coldly. Fools. He was already ten steps ahead.
By nightfall, the meeting was set. Zayan arrived at the abandoned dock, case in hand. His jaw clenched when he saw Nora—bloodied, bruised, barely conscious.
A familiar voice rang out from the shadows.
"Ah, Zayan… it's been a long time," said Leon, smirking. "Never thought someone like you—the Devil—could fall in love. She's beautiful… such a shame."
Zayan's eyes darkened, fury boiling within. "Hello, Leon," he said coldly. "Still pretending you matter?"
Leon laughed and gestured for his men to bring Nora forward. But as she stirred, trying to rise, Leon grabbed a steel bar and struck her head again.
"NORA!" Zayan screamed, her name tearing from his soul.
Something inside him snapped.
"You fucking bastard!"
Gunfire erupted. The boys, Asher, and their men ambushed from all sides. Leon's henchmen fell one by one. Leon tried to flee, but Asher's bullet found him first.
"Motherfucker," he spat.
Zayan ran to Nora, scooped her into his arms, and raced to the car.
"Nothing will happen to you, my love. Nothing…"
Her eyes fluttered open, blood dripping from her lips.
"Z…Zayan," she whispered, a soft smile forming. "I love you… Thank you…"
Then everything went black.
At the hospital, Nora was rushed into emergency surgery. Zayan sat silently, his hands stained with her blood, staring at the ICU doors.
The boys watched through the glass, helpless. Zayan's mind drifted—her laughter, her eyes, her smile. Everything he loved about her.
Hours later, the doctor came out, his expression grave.
"She lost a dangerous amount of blood… and now…"
Zayan held his breath.
"…she's alive. But the trauma… caused memory regression. She won't remember anything—and she'll behave like a four-year-old child."
The world tilted.
Zayan stood frozen. The boys gasped. Asher's fists clenched. "I'll kill him. I swear I'll finish Leon."
She would wake in an hour.
By dawn, they were back at the mansion. Zayan had already informed his mother. Aveline and her daughters were heartbroken when they saw Nora's condition.
He placed Nora gently on his bed. Then he walked to his mother's room, sat at her feet, and broke.
His mother froze. Her son had never cried.
"Zayan… are you crying?"
"It's all my fault," he whispered, shaking. "I wasn't there. I failed her. I broke her promise, Nana… I broke her."
She held him as he wept, her hands trembling as she stroked his hair. "She'll come back to us, Zayan. She will."
Twenty minutes later, a soft cry echoed through the house.
"Nana…? Nana…?"
The boys rushed in. Nora sat up, her eyes wide and teary. "Nana… my head hurts… where's my Nana?"
Asher knelt beside her. "Nana's on a vacation, baby. She'll be back next year. She said we should watch over you, okay?"
"But… but why'd she go?"
"She had to, sweetheart. But we're here now."
"Are you hungry?" he asked gently.
Nora's eyes brightened. "Yummies… yum yum?"
Asher smiled. "I'll go get you some cinnamon rolls, okay?"
She clapped happily. Zayan stood at the door, watching her—his Nora, broken yet alive.
He whispered to himself, his voice raw with pain and determination,
"I promise… I'll do everything, anything, to make you whole again. My love… I swear it."