Chapter 1
After Jonathan Stone lost his memory, I hesitantly called out, "Honey?"
He looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Ms. Lee, if your grades don't make the cut, that's the way it is. Don't try to take shortcuts."
Alright, so he forgot, and I was free now.
I had been in a secret relationship with Jonathan Stone, a cold, distant professor, for two years. He was so possessive that I could barely breathe.
Now that he didn't recognize me, I actually felt relieved.
That night, I went to a bar and had just clinked glasses with a handsome guy.
Out of nowhere, Jonathan showed up, his eyes red.
"I don't remember who you are," he said in a low voice, "but the moment I saw you smiling at him, it hurt so much I couldn't breathe.
"Please, don't be with him."
*****
The sharp smell of hospital disinfectant stung my nose.
I stood by the hospital bed and looked at Jonathan.
A bandage was wrapped around his forehead, making his already pale face look even paler.
He was awake, clear-eyed, but when he looked at me, it felt like I was a stranger to him.
The doctor said the crash had hit his head, causing selective amnesia.
What a dramatic term it was.
My throat was dry. I hesitated, then softly called him what I used to call him in private. "Honey?"
His brows knitted together, and those deep eyes were icy and distant, like he wanted nothing to do with me.
"Ms. Lee," he called me, his tone cold, like I was some troublesome student he barely knew.
"Your thesis is flawed, your arguments are weak, and your logic is all over the place. If your grades don't make the cut, that's the way it is. Don't try to take shortcuts."
My heart sank at that moment. I couldn't help thinking how absurd it all was. It wasn't pain I felt, pure absurdity.
So in his eyes, getting close to him was a shortcut to better grades.
Great. Just great. He had forgotten everything completely, even the two years we spent tangled together. Every single day and night had become nothing but my solo performance.
I looked at him and smiled.
It was a genuine, heartfelt sense of relief, like a weight had finally been lifted off my shoulders.
"Alright, Professor Stone. I understand. Please get some rest." I turned around and no looking back.
The moment I stepped out of the room, it felt like my soul, trapped for two years, could finally breathe again.
I was free.
I didn't have to put up with his suffocating grip on my life anymore.
No more reporting my every move, no more keeping my phone on 24/7 for him, no more dropping everything the second he called.
I could finally be Vivian again, not a bird trapped in Jonathan's cage.
Back at the apartment he had rented for me off campus, I started clearing everything out.
All the gifts he gave me, expensive jewelry, limited-edition bags, and piles of stuffed animals, I packed them one by one and stuffed them into the biggest suitcase I could find.
On my phone, I selected all our photos. Thousands of them. Without looking, I deleted them for good.
Then I blocked his number and deleted him from all my social media.
When I finished, it felt like I had completed a grand farewell ritual.
The apartment was empty, but for the first time, I felt a deep sense of relief.
I called my best friend Emily Jones, my voice spilling with joy I couldn't contain. "Emily, I'm single."
There was a brief silence on the other end, then Emily screamed. "Holy shit! Vivian, you finally woke up? That control freak finally let you go?"
"No," I said with a laugh. "He lost his memory and forgot all about me."
Another pause, then an even louder scream.
"What a stroke of luck! The universe finally cut us a break. Emily, let's go. We're celebrating tonight. We're hitting the craziest club in town and partying till dawn."
At nine that night, I stood in front of the mirror, looking at a completely different me in smoky eye makeup, a red slip dress, and four-inch heels.
This was the kind of outfit Jonathan had always forbidden.
Jonathan used to say my beauty was for his eyes only.
But now, I wanted everyone to see me.
The music in the club was loud enough to shake the floor. Colorful lights flashed everywhere, making everything feel dizzy.
Emily and I made our way into the middle of the dance floor. We moved with the beat, shaking off two years of control and pressure.
A guy with a bright, friendly smile came over, holding two drinks.
"Hey, can I buy you a drink?" he asked.
I smiled, took one of the glasses, and tapped it lightly against his. "Sure."
The amber liquid in my glass shimmered, reflecting the dimples in my smiling cheeks.
As I was about to drink the wine that symbolized freedom, a strong hand suddenly grabbed my wrist.
The grip was so tight it almost hurt my bones.
I frowned in pain, turned my head, and met a pair of bloodshot eyes.
It was Jonathan.
No one knew when he showed up; he was still in his hospital gown. The bandage on his forehead was stained with blood, and his face was so pale he looked like a ghost.
He stared at me, eyes filled with pain, confusion, and something wild I couldn't understand.
"Who are you?" Jonathan asked, his voice rough and hoarse.
Before I could say anything, he spoke again. "I don't remember who you are.
"But when I saw you smile just now, it felt like my heart was going to break."
His grip tightened even more, like a drowning man grabbing onto his last lifeline.
He glanced at the guy next to me, his gaze turning sharp, full of warning and jealousy.
Then he looked back at me, almost begging. "Please, don't be with him."
Seeing him like this, I couldn't help but think how absurd it all was.
The same man who erased me from his memory. The same man who once called me a cheating student, trying to take shortcuts. And yet he showed up as if he were there to protect me.
How ridiculous.
I yanked my hand free and took a step back, putting some distance between us.
"Professor Stone," I said, my voice icy. "Please, show some respect. We're not that close."