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Looking at his guiltless face, at the way his eyes softened with genuine affection for Natalie, I finally understood why everyone said his fake amnesia was so convincing.
Because it didn’t require any acting. No lies, no pretense.
This was the real Ethan Hayes.
When you stripped away the false tenderness he’d shown me, all that remained was the
burning devotion he felt for Natalie.
Disgust churned in my stomach, and I fled the scene in a daze.
The pain was unbearable. Tears spilled uncontrollably the moment I turned away.
I went straight to
09:3
09.56_on, 3 teb
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The pain was unbearable. Tears spilled uncontrollably the moment I turned away.
went straight to the office and handed in my resignation.
I’d always been friendly and well–liked at work, so when my colleagues heard I was leaving, they were reluctant to see me go. They insisted I host a farewell dinner.
At the table, I drowned my sorrows in alcohol, drinking until I could barely stand.
When I stumbled out of the restaurant, my first instinct was to call Ethan to pick me up, just like I used to.
But all I got was a cold, automated voice telling me the number was no longer in service.
It sobered me instantly, sending sharp pangs through my chest.
How could I have forgotten? I was no longer the person Ethan would drop everything for.
I flagged down a cab and returned to the Hayes family home.
As soon as I arrived, I saw movers carrying boxes into the house.
Curious, I peeked inside.
There she was–Natalie, sitting comfortably on the couch, leaning affectionately against Mrs. Hayes while they chatted like old friends.
Ethan was sitting beside them, peeling grapes and feeding them to Natalie like some lovesick fool.
It was such a picturesque scene.
Until I walked in.
The moment they noticed me, the warmth in the air dissipated.
Mrs. Hayes awkwardly pushed Natalie away and hurried over to me.
09:56 Ron, 3 Feb (
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“Anna, this is Natalie. You must remember her–she’ll be staying here for a few days,” she
said, her voice strained.
I smiled faintly but didn’t respond.
“You’ve been drinking?” Ethan asked, frowning as he stood. His tone was sharp, almost
accusatory.
I gave a nonchalant hum of acknowledgment.
His expression darkened immediately. “How could you drink with
drink with your stomach
condition? Have you forgotten about your perforated ulcer?”
Of course, I hadn’t forgotten.
That ulcer had been the result of me drinking excessively to help Ethan close a big
business deal. I’d ended up in the hospital, bleeding internally, and Ethan had spent the
entire night crying outside the emergency room.
I still remembered the way he’d cradled my hands afterward, his eyes full of guilt as he
whispered, “Anna, I’ll never let you touch alcohol again.”
The memory stung, and my eyes burned with unshed tears.
“I forgot,” I lied flatly.
Ethan’s shoulders slumped as a flicker of panic crossed his face. He glanced nervously at
Natalie before turning back to me.
“Natalie’s pregnant,” he said, his tone suddenly stern. “She can’t stand the smell of
alcohol. From now on, don’t drink anymore.”
I didn’t respond.
I simply turned and walked up the stairs.
Mrs. Hayes followed me to my room, clearly worried. She sat beside me on the bed, holding my hand tightly, her eyes red–rimmed as though she wanted to say something but
couldn’t.
09:56 Ron, 3 Feb
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I broke the silence for her.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
She wiped at her tears and cupped my face gently.
“I never thought Ethan would lose his memory and forget everything you two had,” she
murmured.
“But I heard that sometimes amnesia happens because the love was too deep. Maybe Natalie reminds him of you. Maybe he’s with her because, deep down, he thinks she’s you…”
Her voice faltered, but she quickly added, “But no matter what, Natalie is pregnant now.
The Hayes family has to take responsibility.”
A mother always knows her child.
Mrs. Hayes wasn’t fooled by Ethan’s act. She knew he was lying about the amnesia.
But she was Ethan’s mother. His happiness–and her future grandchild–mattered more to
her than I ever could.
Still, Mrs. Hayes had always been genuinely kind to me, even in the years I’d spent here.
I couldn’t hold it against her.
Swallowing the bitterness in my heart, I squeezed her hand and smiled faintly.
“Mrs. Hayes, I’m going home to get married.”
“Please don’t tell Ethan.”
