When Love is a Question Mark
Chapter 286: Twist of Fate

Chapter 286: Twist of Fate

"You scared me," Zinnia said, her voice muffled as she buried her face against his shoulder. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"I’m sorry," Samuel murmured, his tone heavy with guilt. His fingers weakly brushed against her hair, trying to comfort her. "I didn’t mean to make you worry."

Zinnia pulled back slightly, just enough to look at his face. Her hands cupped his cheeks, and her eyes searched his, as if to reassure herself he was really there. "Don’t ever do that again. Promise me, Sam. Don’t leave me like that again."

His gaze softened as he looked at her, and for a moment, he was silent. He could see the raw fear and relief in her eyes, emotions she wasn’t trying to hide. Finally, he nodded. "I promise."

She sat back down, still holding his hand. "Do you feel alright? Should I call the nurse?"

Samuel shook his head slightly. "I’m fine. Just... tired." His voice faltered, but his hand squeezed hers weakly, as though trying to reassure her. "I didn’t think you’d stay here all night."

"Of course I stayed," Zinnia said firmly. "Where else would I be? I wasn’t going to leave you, not after everything that happened."

Samuel’s eyes softened even more, and a faint smile touched his lips. "You’re incredible, you know that?"

Zinnia shook her head, a tearful laugh escaping her. "Don’t try to charm me when you just woke up from something like that."

"I’m serious," he murmured, his voice growing quieter. His gaze didn’t waver, filled with a depth of emotion that made Zinnia’s chest tighten. "Thank you... for saving me."

Her breath hitched. "Sam..."

He closed his eyes for a moment, exhaustion creeping in again, but he wasn’t ready to drift off yet. "When I was in that lake... I thought it was over. But then you... you pulled me out. You saved me, Zia."

Her grip on his hand tightened. "I wasn’t going to let you go," she said firmly. "Not then. Not ever."

Samuel’s smile widened just slightly before his eyelids began to grow heavy again. "Stay... with me?" he murmured.

"Always," Zinnia whispered, brushing his hair back gently as she watched him fall asleep once more, his breathing steady and calm.

She stayed by his side, her heart finally feeling lighter. The sight of him resting peacefully was enough for now.

After a while, the door creaked open, and a familiar figure stepped in.

Zinnia turned and saw Steven Lucas, Samuel’s father, standing near the doorway. His expression was unreadable, but there was something heavy in his eyes—something that made Zinnia straighten in her seat.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Steven asked, his voice quieter than usual.

Zinnia hesitated, glancing briefly at Samuel before nodding. She carefully released his hand, stood up from her chair, and followed Steven to the small couch near the window.

Once they were both seated, Steven pulled a small, elegant box from his coat pocket and placed it gently in her hands.

"I have something I need to confess to you," he said, his voice laced with a solemn weight.

Zinnia’s fingers curled around the edges of the box as she looked up at him, confusion flickering in her eyes. "Confess?" she repeated, tilting her head slightly. "What do you mean?"

Steven met her gaze for a long moment before sighing deeply. "Open the box, and you’ll find out."

A strange feeling settled in Zinnia’s chest as she slowly lifted the lid.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Inside, resting on a soft velvet cushion, was a watch—a familiar one. The same watch she had bought and given to James on his birthday, before he... before he went missing.

Her hands trembled as she lifted it from the box, her fingertips brushing over its surface. It was slightly worn, but it was unmistakably the same.

Her eyes filled with tears. "Why do you have this?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "I gave this to James. But then... he disappeared."

Steven cleared his throat, shifting slightly in his seat. "That watch," he said carefully, "was with Samuel when we found him."

Zinnia’s heart pounded against her ribs. Her grip on the watch tightened as she turned to him, her brows furrowing. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice tinged with desperation. "Why would Samuel have this?"

She stared at Steven, searching his expression for answers. Then, a thought struck her—one so wild, so impossible, that she almost couldn’t voice it.

"You mean... Samuel..." Her breath hitched. "He’s... James?"

Steven nodded slowly. "Yes." His voice was thick with regret. "He is James."

Zinnia felt the world tilt beneath her.

It didn’t make sense—how could it? But at the same time, it did. The first time she saw Samuel, something deep in her heart had told her he was James. She had convinced herself it was just wishful thinking, that she had been grasping at ghosts. But now...

Now, it was real.

She swallowed, her hands shaking as she clutched the watch. "How could this be?" she whispered. "No wonder... no wonder I felt like I knew him. No wonder I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was James, even when I tried to believe otherwise."

Steven exhaled heavily, running a hand down his face before he spoke again. "My son," he said, his voice raw. "The real Samuel... he died."

Zinnia’s breath caught. She looked up at him in shock.

"He died just a few days before we found James," Steven continued, his tone thick with pain. "And James... he had lost his memories. He looked so much like my son, and in my grief, I made a decision—a selfish one. I took him in. I let him become Samuel."

Zinnia’s mind reeled. She had spent years searching for James, clinging to the hope that he might still be out there somewhere. And all along...

He had been here.

He had been Samuel.

Her hands gripped the watch so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She turned her gaze back to the hospital bed, her vision blurring with unshed tears. Samuel—or rather, James—was still fast asleep, his face peaceful.

She had found him.

He had been here all along.

A broken laugh escaped her lips, tinged with disbelief. "What kind of twist of fate is this?" she murmured, shaking her head.

She wiped her tears away before looking back at Steven. "And he doesn’t know?"

Steven shook his head. "He just found out yesterday," he admitted.

Zinnia swallowed hard. Her heart ached as she turned back to the man she loved—the man she had lost and found again, without even knowing it.

She had spent so long grieving him. But now, she had to face the reality of what this meant.

James was alive. But he had been living another life.

And when he woke up, she had no idea what it would mean for both of them. But what mattered most was that she loved him—both when he was James and now as Samuel.