Chapter 3

I took off my wedding ring and wrote a letter.

Finally, I slipped the letter and the ring into an envelope and shoved it deep into the narrow gap beside the balcony planter.

Just then, my phone started ringing frantically.

My best friend Nora hesitated for a long time before speaking:

"Maya, I have to tell you something. Adrian might be cheating on you. I was just outside the ER at the Boston private hospital, and I saw him hugging and holding another woman."

I gave a calm hum of acknowledgment.

"It's fine. Let him be."

Nora was startled by my indifference.

"Maya, are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Adrian and I are already divorced."

"What?"

I gave her a brief rundown of what happened. When she heard that I had taken the pill, Nora immediately started cursing.

"That bastard! He is utterly shameless. He'd stoop to anything just to marry that woman."

"You gave up your position at the Institute for him! Half the success he has today is because of you. And now, to please some other woman, he wrongs you and literally feeds you an amnesic drug? Who the hell does he think he is? Where does he get the nerve!"

A wave of pain finally surfaced in my eyes, draining the color from my face.

Five years ago, when Adrian was at his absolute lowest, I married him without a second thought.

I helped his company secure funding, pulling it back from the brink of collapse to the massive scale it was today.

Back then, he would hold me every night, whispering against my ear that I was the only love of his life.

But over time, everything slowly changed.

He let someone else into his heart, and gradually forgot everything I had sacrificed for him.

He demanded that I be obedient and understanding. He demanded that I forgive his "sympathy" for Claire.

Was staying faithful to one person really that hard?

Why could I do it, but he couldn't?

On the other end of the line, Nora cursed him out for several solid minutes until she was out of breath. Finally, she delivered her verdict:

"I guarantee you, Adrian is going to regret this decision so much it'll keep him up at night."

"He has no idea the antidote doesn't exist. Let him hurt. I hope it tears him apart."

"As for you, this is the perfect chance to truly let go."

My gaze landed on the gap beside the planter, where the letter I just wrote was hidden.

After living with Adrian for so many years, I knew his habits inside and out.

Whenever he was frustrated or suffocating under the weight of his emotions, he would stand alone on the balcony and drink in silence.

If he truly regretted his choice after the wedding, he would definitely find that letter.

Late that night, Adrian came into the apartment, rummaging through the closets and drawers.

"What are you doing?"

His hands stopped. He turned to see me standing in the doorway in my pajamas. His brows furrowed slightly as he grabbed a coat and draped it over my shoulders.

"It's freezing tonight. Why are you dressed so thin?"

I ignored his concern.

"What are you looking for?"

"I want to borrow your wedding dress. Claire wants to wear it for the ceremony."

Adrian quickly explained:

"You might have forgotten again. It's the one you wore when you got married."

I stared at him in silence. Of course I hadn't forgotten.

That custom wedding dress was designed by his own hands.

From the first sketch to the final stitch, it took him two entire months.

All because I had casually mentioned one day:

"I want a wedding dress that is completely unique."

And now, he was taking the dress he designed specifically for me to fulfill another woman's wedding fantasy.

I suddenly found the whole situation laughable. I asked deliberately:

"Is this dress really that important? Why does it have to be this one?"

Adrian's hand froze.

The day the dress was finished, he had looked me in the eyes and said:

"It will only ever belong to you."

I watched him. He hesitated for only a fraction of a second before saying smoothly:

"It's a one-of-a-kind piece from the designer, and Claire really loves it. Her only wish is to get married in it."

Seeing me lower my eyes, he quickly added:

"Don't worry, I'll return it to you the moment the wedding is over. Whatever you want to compensate for it, just tell me."

He was still lying.

On the day of our wedding, his eyes had been glued to me the entire time. He hadn't looked away for a single second.

After the ceremony, he had carefully, almost reverently, packed the dress away in the closet.

I had smiled and asked him:

"Why are you treating it like a fragile artifact?"

He had looked at me with absolute seriousness.

"Because you gave it a unique, irreplaceable beauty. I want to preserve this memory forever."

But now, just because Claire said she liked it, he was handing it over without a second thought.

This dress was no longer a treasured keepsake. It was just a prop to make another woman smile.

"It's getting late. Go back to sleep. I have to head out again."

Adrian didn't notice anything wrong with my reaction. He picked up the wedding dress and left.

I let the coat he draped over me slide to the floor. Looking down at the empty closet, my heart was hollowed out by disappointment and sorrow.

"It doesn't matter. Just like this room, once everything is cleared out, I'll be fine."

It was just being abandoned.

Once the memories were completely wiped clean, I could truly let go.

The next second, a violent, splitting headache struck again. A massive chunk of my memory was suddenly wiped blank.

The profound sorrow I felt just moments ago vanished instantly, as if it had never existed at all.

Chapter 3

I took off my wedding ring and wrote a letter.

Finally, I slipped the letter and the ring into an envelope and shoved it deep into the narrow gap beside the balcony planter.

Just then, my phone started ringing frantically.

My best friend Nora hesitated for a long time before speaking:

"Maya, I have to tell you something. Adrian might be cheating on you. I was just outside the ER at the Boston private hospital, and I saw him hugging and holding another woman."

I gave a calm hum of acknowledgment.

"It's fine. Let him be."

Nora was startled by my indifference.

"Maya, are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Adrian and I are already divorced."

"What?"

I gave her a brief rundown of what happened. When she heard that I had taken the pill, Nora immediately started cursing.

"That bastard! He is utterly shameless. He'd stoop to anything just to marry that woman."

A wave of pain finally surfaced in my eyes, draining the color from my face.

Five years ago, when Adrian was at his absolute lowest, I married him without a second thought.

I helped his company secure funding, pulling it back from the brink of collapse to the massive scale it was today.

Back then, he would hold me every night, whispering against my ear that I was the only love of his life.

But over time, everything slowly changed.

He let someone else into his heart, and gradually forgot everything I had sacrificed for him.

He demanded that I be obedient and understanding. He demanded that I forgive his "sympathy" for Claire.

Was staying faithful to one person really that hard?

Why could I do it, but he couldn't?

On the other end of the line, Nora cursed him out for several solid minutes until she was out of breath. Finally, she delivered her verdict:

"I guarantee you, Adrian is going to regret this decision so much it'll keep him up at night."

"He has no idea the antidote doesn't exist. Let him hurt. I hope it tears him apart."

"As for you, this is the perfect chance to truly let go."

My gaze landed on the gap beside the planter, where the letter I just wrote was hidden.

After living with Adrian for so many years, I knew his habits inside and out.

Whenever he was frustrated or suffocating under the weight of his emotions, he would stand alone on the balcony and drink in silence.

If he truly regretted his choice after the wedding, he would definitely find that letter.

Late that night, Adrian came into the apartment, rummaging through the closets and drawers.

"What are you doing?"

His hands stopped. He turned to see me standing in the doorway in my pajamas. His brows furrowed slightly as he grabbed a coat and draped it over my shoulders.

"It's freezing tonight. Why are you dressed so thin?"

I ignored his concern.

"What are you looking for?"

"I want to borrow your wedding dress. Claire wants to wear it for the ceremony."

Adrian quickly explained:

"You might have forgotten again. It's the one you wore when you got married."

I stared at him in silence. Of course I hadn't forgotten.

That custom wedding dress was designed by his own hands.

From the first sketch to the final stitch, it took him two entire months.

All because I had casually mentioned one day:

"I want a wedding dress that is completely unique."

And now, he was taking the dress he designed specifically for me to fulfill another woman's wedding fantasy.

I suddenly found the whole situation laughable. I asked deliberately:

"Is this dress really that important? Why does it have to be this one?"

Adrian's hand froze.

The day the dress was finished, he had looked me in the eyes and said:

"It will only ever belong to you."

I watched him. He hesitated for only a fraction of a second before saying smoothly:

"It's a one-of-a-kind piece from the designer, and Claire really loves it. Her only wish is to get married in it."

Seeing me lower my eyes, he quickly added:

"Don't worry, I'll return it to you the moment the wedding is over. Whatever you want to compensate for it, just tell me."

He was still lying.

On the day of our wedding, his eyes had been glued to me the entire time. He hadn't looked away for a single second.

After the ceremony, he had carefully, almost reverently, packed the dress away in the closet.

I had smiled and asked him:

"Why are you treating it like a fragile artifact?"

He had looked at me with absolute seriousness.

"Because you gave it a unique, irreplaceable beauty. I want to preserve this memory forever."

But now, just because Claire said she liked it, he was handing it over without a second thought.

This dress was no longer a treasured keepsake. It was just a prop to make another woman smile.

"It's getting late. Go back to sleep. I have to head out again."

Adrian didn't notice anything wrong with my reaction. He picked up the wedding dress and left.

I let the coat he draped over me slide to the floor. Looking down at the empty closet, my heart was hollowed out by disappointment and sorrow.

"It doesn't matter. Just like this room, once everything is cleared out, I'll be fine."

It was just being abandoned.

Once the memories were completely wiped clean, I could truly let go.

The next second, a violent, splitting headache struck again. A massive chunk of my memory was suddenly wiped blank.

The profound sorrow I felt just moments ago vanished instantly, as if it had never existed at all.