Chapter 1
After the fall, I lost part of my memory. I remembered everything, but I didn’t remember Dylan. My best friend Alice had been watching me for days until she finally realized it because not once did I even mention his brother. “Reese, what’s happening?” she demanded. “Tell me the truth. Did you really forget about my brother Dylan, or is this just your act so he would notice you?” I blinked at her, confused. “What are you talking about? Why would I act in front of your brother?” Her jaw clenched, her hands balled into fists at her sides. “Because you love him! Have you forgotten how you stalked him for five years—even though he always pushed you away because he liked someone else?” My chest tightened. “I did that?” I whispered. “I chased someone who didn’t even like me?” She let out a bitter laugh. “Yes. You must have really knocked your head for you not to even remember that. But come on.” She grabbed my phone from the nightstand and shoved it into my hands. “Check your phone. You don’t even remember your password, right?” I stared at the screen. “I… don’t.” “It’s his birthday,” she said coldly. “Your password is Dylan’s birthday, Reese. That’s how far you went.” My fingers hesitated, then tapped the date she’d said. The phone unlocked. My heart started to pound. And there it was—a folder titled “Him”. Inside were dozens of notes. Scribbled thoughts, daydreams, heartbreaks. Descriptions of Dylan’s favorite coffee, the book he once held on the train, the way his voice changed when he was tired. Painful entries about him ignoring me. Dismissing me. About how I tried anyway. Then one entry stood out. Today, I saw him with Katerina. She was holding his hand at the cliff’s edge, and he smiled at her the way I always wanted him to smile at me. Maybe it’s time to let go… but I don’t know how. That was the last note. After that, I must’ve fallen. Alice looked away, her voice quieter now. “You loved my brother, Reese. But he never loved you. He never cared. Still, you have to remember what happened. I’m going to call the doctor.” She turned and hurried out, leaving me alone with the ache in my chest. I sat still, breathing through the confusion and hurt. Why did my heart ache so much over someone I couldn’t even picture clearly in my head? Why did his name feel like a wound? Then I heard voices from the hallway—low, urgent, just outside my door. “Well, that’s a good thing,” a man said. His voice was sharp. Familiar. “Reese can’t remember what happened that day. So she won’t have any idea that we’re the reason she fell. That’s great. At least she’ll stop stalking me. God, I hate her.” My blood ran cold. Dylan. A woman whispered back, “Are you sure? What if she’s just pretending, Dylan? What if she remembers everything?” “I’ll make sure she never remembers,” he said firmly. “We have to act in front of her, that’s why we’re visiting her, so my sister won’t be suspicious, especially since she told me to visit her.” I didn’t realize I was crying until I tasted the salt on my lips. My hands trembled as I gripped the sheets. I had fallen for that man? I had poured my heart out to him? And he hated me? Wanted me gone? What kind of fool had I been? Suddenly, everything inside me hardened. The pain didn’t disappear—but it twisted, burned into something else. Something final. I reached for my phone and dialed the one number that still made sense in my life. “Mom?” My voice shook, but I forced the words out. “I want to go back. I’m ready.” There was silence on the other end. Then her worried voice: “Reese? Are you okay? What happened?” “I’m done,” I said quietly. “Please… arrange the marriage.” “What? Wait—what about Dylan? Didn’t you tell me he was the only man you ever wanted to marry?” I let out a bitter breath. “I must’ve been out of my mind. I’m done loving a man who doesn’t care about me. I would forget about him from now on.”