Chapter 1

Eliza had always been devoted to me.

But the day her first love was diagnosed with cancer, she handed me a pill that would erase my memory.

She said, "Noah, Henry doesn't have long. Give me three days. Let me give him the wedding he's always dreamed of. This pill will make you forget me just for a while.

"After three days, I'll give you the antidote, and we'll fall in love all over again. Then we can remarry."

Her determination left no room for argument. I took the pill and swallowed it without hesitation.

However, Eliza didn't know that I was the one who created that pill. There was no antidote.

Three days from now, she'd be nothing but a stranger to me.

*****

After we finished the divorce paperwork and stepped out of the city hall, Eliza Norton glanced at her watch.

She said, "Just two more minutes until the pill takes effect. For the next three days, you'll forget you ever loved me. And after you take the antidote, you'll have no memory of anything that happened during these days. You won't be hurt.

"This divorce is just temporary. When everything's over, we'll get married again. Don't worry, Noah. You'll be my only husband."

I stared at her, knowing there would be no going back for us.

As the one who made the Forgetting Pill, I understood its effects all too well.

It wouldn't wipe my memories clean in an instant. Instead, they'd slowly fade away—until every trace of love was gone.

And the antidote hadn't even been developed yet.

But Eliza had no idea.

I whispered, "Are you sure you won't regret this?"

She smiled, affectionately cupping my cheek.

"Henry has loved me for years—his biggest dream is to marry me. How could I turn him down? Since I've made up my mind, I'll stick with it. Regrets aren't my style," she said.

"Noah, you're always so considerate and gentle. You don't need to get tangled up over someone who's dying. When this is all over, we'll just pick up our happy life right where we left off," she added.

I twisted my lips into a self-mocking smile, letting the bitterness in my chest seep into every part of me. I kept quiet.

At the peak of our love, I'd drunk myself into oblivion just to win her a project, and she'd pull relentless all-nighters to help me get my research back.

One time, I teased her, "What if I'm old and I forget all about you?"

Her eyes went red and she grabbed me for a desperate kiss.

"Noah, I love you. Please, don't ever forget me. I'd lose my mind," she whispered.

But now, when she found out that her first love was dying of cancer, she insisted on divorcing me and asked me to swallow the Forgetting Pill, just so I'd forget everything we ever had.

I figured she just wanted to give Henry three whole days of her undivided, flawless love, without having me in the picture.

If she could so boldly turn her back on me and force me to take the pill, then what was the point of bringing up getting back together? It was meaningless.

I laughed out loud, my lips curling into a self-mocking smile.

Suddenly, a stabbing pain shot through my skull. My legs buckled and I pitched forward.

Eliza reacted instantly, catching me. Her pretty eyes shone with worry.

"Are you feeling okay? If you're really worried I won't come back to you, I can give you the divorce certificate and all the paperwork to keep," Eliza offered.

I forced myself to stand straight, giving her a puzzled look.

"What divorce certificate?" I asked.

Eliza paused, then asked carefully, "Noah, you got divorced, remember?"

"Divorce?" I echoed.

Seeing my blank look, something flashed in her eyes—a hint of joy.

I lowered my head and realized I was clutching a divorce certificate. In that moment, I understood.

The pill was kicking in. The first thing to go was the memory of our divorce.

Eliza snatched the certificate from my hand in a hurry, afraid I'd notice her name on it. She softened her voice as she spoke to me.

"Noah, I'm your sister. You've been sick, and some of your memories are gone. Let me hold onto these important papers for you," she said.

I looked up, catching her eyes as she quickly avoided mine, but I kept quiet and let her lie slide.

Whatever. If she wanted to pretend, then I'd play my part too.

Just then, a low voice suddenly interrupted us. "Eliza, there you are."

I turned to see Henry Connor running toward us. He stumbled over a rock and almost went down.

Without hesitation, Eliza pushed me aside to catch him.

I barely had time to react before I lurched right into the wall. My head already felt like it was full of needles, and now the pain spiked even worse.

Henry clung tightly to Eliza's hand, then smoothly slid his arm around her waist. He shot her a smile.

"Eliza, thanks for catching me," he said.

Eliza's face instantly shifted, flustered as she realized what she'd done. She pulled her hand away from his, quickly turning toward me.

"Noah, did you get hurt just now? Henry's health is so fragile, even the smallest injury could cause serious bleeding, so I had to help him first. I'm really sorry," she explained.

I'd already steadied myself. Fighting back the pain, I brushed the dust off my clothes. "I'm fine," I replied.

Henry sidled up and clung to Eliza's arm, dropping his voice. "Eliza, it was just a divorce. Why'd you take so long? I've been waiting forever."

Noticing my eyes boring into them, Eliza coughed and shot me a guilty look. Still, she didn't shake off Henry's hand.

"It's all sorted now. We can finally start focusing on the wedding," she said to Henry.

Henry couldn't hide his joy. He threw me a smug glance and said, "Noah, I've been dating your sister for five years now. Finally, we're getting married. The big day's set for three days from now, so you better be there."

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

Henry's grin got even wider. "Awesome! You should be our cameraman and catch the very moment when Eliza and I kiss at the wedding..."

"Henry," Eliza snapped, her face suddenly dark. She signaled to him to keep quiet and then fixed her gaze on me.

She searched my eyes, but found no sadness. For some reason, that stung more than she expected. "Noah doesn't need to come to our wedding," she told Henry.

My expression stayed the same.

When Eliza sided with me, Henry frowned, then suddenly went weak and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"Eliza, my heart hurts. I can't catch my breath," he whispered.

Eliza's eyes flashed with anxiety as she immediately held him close.

"Is your illness acting up again? Just hold on. I'll take you to the hospital right now," she said urgently.

She looked over at me and asked quietly, "Noah, do you still remember where home is? Want me to send someone with you?"

I shook my head. "No, I remember."

Eliza fell silent. Earlier, the staff had told her the Forgetting Pill would only make me forget the person I loved most—it wouldn't mess with any other memories.

Just thinking she was the person I loved most, Eliza's tense face actually eased up a little.

"Okay. Head home first, alright? I'll take Henry to the hospital," she said to me.

After that, she helped Henry over to the car.

Henry kept his arm draped over her shoulders, whispering weakly, "Eliza, just being held by you like this, out in the open—if I died right now, I'd have zero regrets."

Eliza chided Henry, "Hey, don't say things like that."

Through the car window, I watched her buckle Henry's seatbelt. Suddenly, he slid his arm around her neck and brushed a light kiss against her earlobe.

The sight of that intimate moment sent a chill through me. My heart twisted in sharp pain.

It was the sting of betrayal.

As her car disappeared down the road, my phone rang.

"Mr. Gibson, the research institute in Stualand is all set for your arrival. We look forward to welcoming you in three days," the caller said.