Chapter 2

Just then, a sickly sweet voice rang out.

"Adrian, there you are."

I turned toward the sound. Claire was walking briskly toward us, but her foot caught on a stone, and she stumbled forward.

Adrian instinctively shoved me aside and reached out to catch her.

The force of his push sent me crashing into the wall. The headache instantly flared into a splitting agony.

Claire fell into his arms and offered a shy, delicate smile.

"Adrian, thank you for catching me."

Only then did Adrian realize what he had just done. He immediately looked at me.

"Maya, are you hurt? Claire's condition is unstable. If she scrapes herself, the bleeding might not stop, so I had to catch her first. I'm sorry."

I had already steadied myself. Enduring the throbbing pain, I brushed the dust off my clothes.

"I'm fine."

Claire clung to his arm, her voice dropping into a soft murmur.

"Adrian, it was just signing some divorce papers. Why did it take so long? I waited for you forever."

I stared straight at them.

Adrian let out a stiff cough. He looked at me with a guilty conscience but made no move to push Claire away.

"It's done. We can focus on preparing for the wedding now."

Claire's face lit up instantly. She shot me a triumphant, gloating look.

"Maya, Adrian and I have been together for five years, and we're finally getting married. The wedding is in three days. You absolutely have to come."

I smiled.

"It's my brother's wedding. Of course I'll be there."

Claire's smile deepened.

"Then you can take pictures for us. You have to capture the exact moment Adrian and I kiss at the altar."

"Claire." Adrian's face darkened, his eyes warning her to stop talking.

He stared at me intently, as if searching my face for any sign of heartbreak. But there was nothing.

"She doesn't need to attend our wedding."

Claire frowned, immediately going limp against his chest.

"Adrian, my heart suddenly hurts so much. I can't breathe."

Adrian's expression shifted to instant panic. He held her tight.

"Is it acting up again? Hold on a little longer, I'm taking you to the private hospital's ER right now."

He glanced up at me, asking in a low voice:

"Maya, do you still remember where the apartment is? Do you want me to have someone drive you back?"

I shook my head.

"No need. I remember."

"Good. Head back to the apartment first. I'm taking Claire to the hospital."

With that, he scooped Claire up in his arms and carried her toward his car.

Leaning against his chest, Claire spoke in a weak, breathy voice:

"Adrian, to be held by you out in the open like this... Even if I die right now, it's all worth it."

Adrian scolded her softly:

"Don't say things like that."

Through the car window, I watched him buckle Claire's seatbelt. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his earlobe.

The intimacy of the scene was blindingly harsh.

A cold knot tightened in my chest, followed by a visceral, suffocating ache.

The sting of betrayal.

The car quickly disappeared around the corner.

At that exact moment, my phone rang.

"Ms. Bennett, the Cambridge Biomedical Research Institute has arranged your project handover. We look forward to welcoming you back in three days."

I hung up and headed back to the apartment in Back Bay, Boston.

It wasn't until I pushed the door open that I realized the place was completely empty.

This was the home Adrian and I had bought together. We had picked out every piece of furniture hand in hand.

Back then, he told me he wanted to live in this warm, beautiful place with me for the rest of his life.

But now, every single thing related to him had been cleared out.

Even the soil in the balcony planters we used to tend together had been dug up and turned over, as if someone was terrified of leaving behind a single trace that might trigger my memory of him.

I looked around the hollow rooms and let out a dry laugh.

Adrian, you prepared so thoroughly. Are you afraid that remembering the past will cause me pain, or are you terrified that if I remember everything, I'll go crazy and ruin your perfect wedding with Claire?

If you knew there was no antidote, and that I would never recover my memories, would you regret this?

Chapter 2

Just then, a sickly sweet voice rang out.

"Adrian, there you are."

I turned toward the sound. Claire was walking briskly toward us, but her foot caught on a stone, and she stumbled forward.

Adrian instinctively shoved me aside and reached out to catch her.

The force of his push sent me crashing into the wall. The headache instantly flared into a splitting agony.

Claire fell into his arms and offered a shy, delicate smile.

"Adrian, thank you for catching me."

Only then did Adrian realize what he had just done. He immediately looked at me.

"Maya, are you hurt? Claire's condition is unstable. If she scrapes herself, the bleeding might not stop, so I had to catch her first. I'm sorry."

I had already steadied myself. Enduring the throbbing pain, I brushed the dust off my clothes.

"I'm fine."

Claire clung to his arm, her voice dropping into a soft murmur.

"Adrian, it was just signing some divorce papers. Why did it take so long? I waited for you forever."

I stared straight at them.

Adrian let out a stiff cough. He looked at me with a guilty conscience but made no move to push Claire away.

"It's done. We can focus on preparing for the wedding now."

Claire's face lit up instantly. She shot me a triumphant, gloating look.

"Maya, Adrian and I have been together for five years, and we're finally getting married. The wedding is in three days. You absolutely have to come."

I smiled.

"It's my brother's wedding. Of course I'll be there."

Claire's smile deepened.

"Then you can take pictures for us. You have to capture the exact moment Adrian and I kiss at the altar."

"Claire." Adrian's face darkened, his eyes warning her to stop talking.

He stared at me intently, as if searching my face for any sign of heartbreak. But there was nothing.

"She doesn't need to attend our wedding."

Claire frowned, immediately going limp against his chest.

"Adrian, my heart suddenly hurts so much. I can't breathe."

Adrian's expression shifted to instant panic. He held her tight.

"Is it acting up again? Hold on a little longer, I'm taking you to the private hospital's ER right now."

He glanced up at me, asking in a low voice:

"Maya, do you still remember where the apartment is? Do you want me to have someone drive you back?"

I shook my head.

"No need. I remember."

"Good. Head back to the apartment first. I'm taking Claire to the hospital."

With that, he scooped Claire up in his arms and carried her toward his car.

Leaning against his chest, Claire spoke in a weak, breathy voice:

"Adrian, to be held by you out in the open like this... Even if I die right now, it's all worth it."

Adrian scolded her softly:

"Don't say things like that."

Through the car window, I watched him buckle Claire's seatbelt. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his earlobe.

The intimacy of the scene was blindingly harsh.

A cold knot tightened in my chest, followed by a visceral, suffocating ache.

The sting of betrayal.

The car quickly disappeared around the corner.

At that exact moment, my phone rang.

"Ms. Bennett, the Cambridge Biomedical Research Institute has arranged your project handover. We look forward to welcoming you back in three days."

I hung up and headed back to the apartment in Back Bay, Boston.

It wasn't until I pushed the door open that I realized the place was completely empty.

This was the home Adrian and I had bought together. We had picked out every piece of furniture hand in hand.

Back then, he told me he wanted to live in this warm, beautiful place with me for the rest of his life.

But now, every single thing related to him had been cleared out.

Even the soil in the balcony planters we used to tend together had been dug up and turned over, as if someone was terrified of leaving behind a single trace that might trigger my memory of him.

I looked around the hollow rooms and let out a dry laugh.

If you knew there was no antidote, and that I would never recover my memories, would you regret this?