The doctor said that Darren had amnesia.
His memory stopped at the time before his college graduation, when Vivie was everything to him and I was the rival he disliked the most.
I grew up with him, as our families have been close for generations. But somehow, it felt like we had always been at odds.
I was competitive and he couldn’t tolerate anyone opposing him even a little. During our younger years, we were both full of youthful pride. We argued over everything, from academics to life and every time we met, we almost always ended up in a heated argument.
But Vivie was different.
She was gentle, intellectual, sweet and cute.
If it hadn’t been for her leaving him to go abroad for a better life, he wouldn’t have ended up drunk and in that state, spent a night with me, also intoxicated.
After that, we slowly stopped seeing each other as enemies and began to discover each other’s good qualities.
Despite our relationship breaking the ice, on the day he proposed to me, Darren became entangled in a business dispute. He offended the wrong person and was deliberately set up for revenge, his life hanging in the balance.
Now he’s back, but all the mutual probing and shared understanding over the past years have turned to nothing.
“Is there really no chance for Darren to recover his memory?” Juan asked, frowning.
The doctor shook his head and replied, “The chances are slim.”
We exchanged glances, but none of us spoke.
From our earlier conversation with the doctor, we learned that Darren’s treatment had been ongoing for several months.
During this period, he slowly began to remember many things and it wasn’t until recently that his memory finally returned to the level of when he was in university.
Apart from this, I was also forced to listen to a lot of evidence of his love for Vivie.
For example, after each treatment, Darren would experience a period of withdrawal symptoms.
At this point, he didn’t want anyone, only Vivie could calm his emotions.
Another example was that Darren had proposed to Vivie last month and she happily accepted. They were soon to be officially married.
It felt absurd.
My lover disappeared for three years and when he finally returned, he was about to become someone else’s husband.
When we left the treatment room, Ned’s eyes were red.
He said, “Cindy, let’s go confront Darren. We can’t let them get married, can we?”
“No.” I firmly rejected the idea, knowing that with the way Darren felt about me in this memory, if we went and caused a scene, not only would I be cut off from him, but even Ned and Juan would no longer be considered his friends.
“What should we do then? Just let things get worse?”
I looked out the window, feeling dizzy. These past few days, with everything going on at the company, I hadn’t slept well at all.
Today, a friend told me they saw someone who looked very much like Darren at this hospital. I hadn’t slept all night and rushed over here. The result was a huge blow to me.
They knew it too, but there was nothing they could do, nothing they could change.
By the time I got home, it was already evening. I lay on the sofa, staring blankly at the light above me.
That crystal chandelier was something Darren and I bought during a trip to Lochfog, spending tens of thousands dollars to have it shipped back.
At times, he loved to hold me here because every facet of the crystal chandelier reflected the traces of his love for me.
“Darren, I hate you so much.” As I spoke, I couldn’t help but cry again.
The next second, a noise suddenly came from outside the door and I was momentarily stunned.
The door opened and Darren stood at the doorway.
He was holding a briefcase in his hand and because his memory only stopped at university, he was dressed like a college student, with not as many schemes in his eyes.
Of course, every time he stood at the door looking at me, he never had any schemes. He only had a smile on his face, then walked over and gave me a romantic kiss.
But now, when he saw me, he paused for a moment. Then, with a tone filled with deep disgust, he said, “What are you doing in my house?”
I sat up from the sofa and replied, “Darren, this is also my house.”
He furrowed his brows, walking in step by step, his eyes scanning the apartment.
Everything in here was paired up, clearly showing signs of the life we had shared together.
Even the big wall in the living room was adorned with all the photos of our trips.
All the evidence of our love was displayed in front of him and I didn’t need to explain anything
“Move out,” he said.
I took a sharp breath, my voice trembling as I asked him, “What’s the reason?”
Darren’s lips twitched slightly, looking a bit pained.
I struggled to force a smile, “Darren, you’ve just forgotten. You do love me. Please, don’t make me hate you, okay?”
Darren seemed confused, as if he was deep in thought.
But my casual words weren’t enough to change the expression on his face.
Instead, it reminded him that his company was still in my hands. That was why he had come back to find me tonight.
“Yes, you reminded me,” he said, pulling a document from the briefcase he was carrying. “I hope you can return my company to me. And also...”
He took out another item, with a red cover embossed with golden lily of the valley flowers and the large double happiness character almost drew my gaze.
“They say I had a relationship with you, but I forgot. Now I’m getting married and I hope you can come to our wedding.”
