Chapter 1 On the eve of our wedding, my fiancé, Julian, suddenly got amnesia. He remembered everyone—his friends, his family, even his dog—but he had no idea who I was. Today, I finally got my hands on an experimental drug rumored to restore lost memories. I ran to the private club where he’d been staying, my heart pounding. I was just about to open the door to his VIP room when I heard familiar voices. "Jules, man, faking amnesia? That is next-level. How did you even think of that? Celine has no idea. How long are you gonna keep this up before you tell her?" The laughter froze me. My smile cracked. Julian... was faking? All those nights I’d spent crying, all the doctors I’d begged, all the agony... what was it all for? A chilling cold crawled up my spine. Then I heard Julian's voice, lazy and unbothered. "Give it another month. Then I'll go back to Celine, play the part of the faithful, devoted fiancé." "A month? You sure that's enough?" one of his friends laughed. "You've been with, what, three different girls this week? Just break up with her. Who dates someone for seven years anyway? You're not tired of it?" "Seriously," another chimed in. "You're sneaking around, faking a whole medical condition just so she won't get mad. Isn't that exhausting?" Julian’s voice lost its joking tone. "I will never break up with Celine. I love her. I only love her. But... seven years is a long time. We got... boring. In bed, she's too reserved. I can't be rough with her. This is just... hitting 'pause.' A little vacation. When the month is over, I'll go back to her, and I'll be her 'one and only' again." "But, Jules," his friend argued, "Celine isn't the type to just let this go. If she finds out, she'll leave you. You know how she is about loyalty." "Yeah, man, remember that Gu kid? His girlfriend went abroad, and he's still chasing her like a lunatic. You're playing with fire." Julian just laughed. "She's mine. For life. I don't care if she changes her name, moves to another country, or marries someone else. As long as her name is still Celine, I'll find her, I'll drag her back, and I'll chain her to my side." The room erupted in cheers. I was numb. I stumbled away from the door, walking out of the club and into the street. It was pouring. I didn't even feel the rain. The bottle of pills I had fought so hard to get slipped from my numb fingers. They scattered on the wet pavement, dissolving in a gutter. As the medicine washed away, so did my last hope. I met Julian at the winter formal, freshman year of high school. I was the last performer of the night, and my rendition of Liszt's "Liebesträume" brought the house down. He told me it was love at first sight. He cornered me backstage with a massive bouquet of roses. I’d heard all about Julian. He was the "King of the Campus," with a list of ex-girlfriends as long as my arm. I hated playboys. My parents' marriage had imploded from mutual infidelity. I had zero tolerance for it. I shut him down, hard. But he became obsessed. He chased me for three years. He was relentless. He pulled the fire alarm to get me out of a final I wasn't ready for; he publicly rejected every girl who asked him out; he read all my favorite books, just so he could talk to me about them. I still said no. Until the summer after graduation. I was cornered in an alley by a group of guys. Julian showed up. He fought them—four of them. He got stabbed twice and almost bled out in my lap. I sat by his hospital bed, sobbing. I couldn't understand how someone could be willing to die for another person. That's when I knew. He was the one. We were together for seven years. From college dorms to our first apartment. He was perfect. Everyone said the playboy had finally been tamed. I believed them. Then, three months before our wedding, he was in a "car accident" on a business trip. The diagnosis: selective amnesia. He'd forgotten me. I almost fell apart. But I held on. I spent every second researching, finding doctors, trying to get him back. And it was all a lie. I walked home, my clothes soaked. I pulled out my laptop. Then I went to the courthouse. The clerk looked at me, confused by my request. "I'd like to petition for a name change," I said, my voice hoarse. She handed me the forms. I signed my old name, and my new one. Julian would never find me. Chapter 2 The legal notice for the name change had to be published. The whole process would take a month. I booked a one-way ticket to Melbourne for the first of next month. I'd been accepted into a master's program there three years ago but kept putting it off. Julian didn't want a long-distance relationship. Now, there was nothing holding me back. I spent the next morning purging my life. I filled five heavy-duty trash bags with his gifts, our matching clothes, the letters he wrote me in college. I was dragging the last bag to the curb when a limited-edition McLaren pulled up. Julian got out. He had a girl wrapped around his arm. He saw me but didn't even flinch. Of course not. He was "Julian with amnesia." He didn't know me. I knew why he was here. After the "accident," he'd had his friends kick me out of our shared condo. The next day, the apartment right next door became available for a ridiculously cheap rent. It wasn't luck. It was a cage. He was faking amnesia, but he was terrified I'd actually leave. I ignored him and dumped the last of our memories in the trash. He looked at the pile. "What's all this?" "Trash," I said, not looking at him. "But... that's my varsity jacket." I turned. "How would you remember that? You have amnesia." He stiffened, then recovered, pulling the girl closer. "Just... curious. I don't remember you. I'm with Lexi now. She's the one who was there for me after my accident." Accident. The lie came so easily. The girl, Lexi, was all makeup and micro-skirts. She was, I assumed, the "vacation" he'd found most satisfying. "Whatever," I said, and walked back to my apartment. He watched me go, his brow furrowed. I was supposed to be crying, screaming, making a scene. My calm was confusing him. That night, my doorbell rang. It was Lexi. "Hi," she said, chewing gum. "I'm Lexi. I'm staying with my boyfriend, Julian, next door. Since we're neighbors, I figured I should get your number." "No, thank you." I started to close the door. She stuck her foot in it and snatched the phone right out of my hand. She added herself as a contact and handed it back, smiling. "Just being friendly. Oh, by the way... do you have any condoms? We just ran out. Julian is... insatiable." My hand trembled. "No." She laughed, a high, tinkling sound. "Right. Stupid of me to ask. I guess you're not really using them anymore, are you? Since he dumped you." Chapter 3 I tried to close the door again. This time, she threw herself backward onto the hallway floor and burst into tears. "Celine! I know you're upset, but you don't have to push me! I was just trying to borrow some sugar!" Before I could even process the ridiculous accusation, Julian was there, running down the hall. He scooped her up into his arms. He looked at me, his eyes cold with anger. "What the hell is your problem? She's my girlfriend now. You need to respect that." He carried her away. My hands were shaking. I slammed the door. That night, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. A video call. From Lexi. I groggily answered. The screen was filled with a close-up of pale skin, covered in dark, angry hickeys. I heard a woman's moan. I heard a man's low growl. I was wide awake now, frozen. Then I heard Julian's voice, rough with lust. "You're not... allowed to go... provoke Celine... anymore. Got it?" "But you like it," Lexi purred. "You like that I'm naughtier than her. You like my body, don't you? That's why you're here..." "You talk too much," he growled. "Get on top." The camera shifted. I saw his face, his eyes closed in pleasure. My stomach turned. I bit my lip until I tasted blood. I hung up. I stared at the ceiling, tears burning my eyes. When we were together... he was always so gentle. So worried about hurting me. He must have been so... bored. I didn't sleep. A few days later was my best friend Maya's wedding. "I invited Julian," she whispered, as I helped her with her veil. "I know he's sick, but maybe... maybe seeing a wedding will jog his memory." I just shook my head. As I was about to answer, I saw him. He walked in, Lexi on his arm. Maya saw them. She saw them kiss at the door. "That bastard," she hissed, and started to march over. I grabbed her. "Maya, don't. It's your day. It's... it's almost over anyway." She didn't understand, but the music started, and she had to go. I sat at my assigned table. The only empty seat was next to Julian. I took it. During the dinner, Lexi was all over him. "Jules, feed me this. Jules, my glass is empty." He did it all. He even ate a bite of cake off her fork. I just watched the bride and groom, my stomach empty. Maya's mom put a dumpling on my plate. I picked it up. Julian's hand shot out and slapped it onto the floor. "You can't eat that," he snapped. "It's shrimp. You're allergic." Chapter 4 The table went silent. I just stared at the dumpling on the carpet. He paled, realizing his mistake. "I... I just remembered. Our... our housekeeper... she... she told me once." He didn't look at me again. He just started peeling a shrimp for Lexi. She whispered something in his ear. He stood up, grabbed her hand, and they walked out. I didn't care. After the bouquet toss, I went to the restroom. I heard... noises. A rhythmic slapping sound. From inside the men's room. I stopped. "You're really something," I heard Julian growl. "Wearing... this... to a wedding? Hmm?" "Don't you... like it?" she panted. "I love it." I turned around and walked away. The wedding ended. I got downstairs. Julian's McLaren was parked out front. Lexi grabbed my arm. "Julian had to run to the office. He left the car for me. We're neighbors, I'll give you a ride." I tried to refuse, but she shoved me into the passenger seat and locked the doors. She drove like a maniac. "You know he's faking, don't you?" she said, glancing at me. "So why are you still playing along? Why don't you just tell him?" I ignored her. "I mean, I'm glad you're not," she laughed. "He's incredible in bed. I'm happy to be his... vacation." I just closed my eyes. Her voice turned sharp. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" She wrenched the steering wheel. I heard the horn, the screech of metal. I opened my eyes just in time to see the windshield spiderweb. I threw my arms up. Pain. Hot, searing pain in my right arm. Then, darkness. ... "Mr. Fu? Mr. Fu, you have to make a choice." A voice. A doctor. "Both patients have severe trauma to their hands. Our specialist can only operate on one at a time. The other... the other may suffer permanent nerve damage. Who do we save first?" I was floating. I tried to speak. "Julian... my... my hand... I'm a photographer... my hand..." The hand that was holding mine... let go. I forced my eyes open. I saw him. He looked... terrified. He put his hand on Lexi's shoulder. "Save Lexi," he said. "Save her first."
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