Waiting for the Moon to Fall

"Miss Graham, are you sure you want to undergo a temporal lobe resection? While the surgery can cure your epilepsy, you may experience memory confusion afterward ... Even memories tied to emotions could disappear."

The doctor tried to explain all the postoperative risks to me in detail, "You and your husband are deeply in love. If you lose those beautiful memories, I'm afraid you'll regret it ..."

Without hesitation, I signed the surgical consent form, "I won't regret it. Let's proceed with the surgery!"

As the anesthesia was injected, my body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Out of habit, I pressed the emergency call button and Jaden's heartfelt complaints to his girlfriend came through the receiver, "Just thinking about wasting ten years of my youth and love on Richelle makes me feel disgusting all over!"

"You have no idea how revolting she looks when she has a seizure. If it weren't for you cleansing my body and soul these past years, I couldn't even stand to look at her again!" I hung up the call and my body stopped trembling.

The surgery was a success and I successfully forgot everything related to Jaden Carter.

——

"Miss Graham, should we pause the surgery and wait for your husband to arrive?" the doctor asked.

"No need, please continue," I said calmly.

The doctor, mistaking my trembling for fear, couldn't bear to see me undergo the surgery alone. This wasn't the first time I had secretly lain on the operating table.

But every time, I hesitated at the last moment, afraid of losing the memories of being in love with Jaden.

It was precisely these moments of indecision that forced Jaden to repeatedly care for me during my episodes. All the medical staff at the hospital knew I had a devoted husband who never left my side.

But no one knew that each of my episodes meant he would leave to seek three days of excitement and comfort with his secret girlfriend.

When I woke up in the ICU, the doctor congratulated me with a joyful expression, "Miss Graham, the surgery was very successful! Are you feeling any discomfort? Perhaps memory confusion or blank spots?"

Hearing this, I felt a brief pang of sorrow in my heart. It seemed as if I had lost something important, yet it felt inconsequential.

Before I could ask the doctor further, my phone suddenly rang. Seeing the familiar name on the screen, I instinctively frowned and declined the call.

But the person on the other end was persistent and the noisy ringtone began to irritate me.

"Miss Graham, that's your husband's call. Aren't you going to answer?" After seeing me reject several calls, the joy on the doctor's face gradually turned to concern, "You … you haven't forgotten your husband, Jaden, have you?"

The word 'husband' repeatedly struck my mind and I felt inexplicably delighted at the sense of blankness in my memory.

As I zoned out, the doctor answered the call for me and Jaden's anxious voice came through, "Richelle, are you okay? Why aren't you answering my calls?"

In the background, I could hear the rustling of clothes being put on, the clink of a belt buckle and a woman's annoyed hum. In my mind, an image naturally formed of a man climbing out of a woman's bed.

Suppressing my disgust, I calmly replied, "I'm at the hospital. It's inconvenient to answer."

Hearing that I was at the hospital, Jaden's tone immediately changed, "Darling, what happened? Don't be scared. I'll come to the hospital right away!"

He arrived quickly, his wrinkled shirt still mismatched at the buttons, which he hadn't even noticed.

When he learned I had undergone surgery alone, he hugged me tightly in fear, "Richelle, thank goodness the surgery was successful! If anything had happened to you, what would I have done? I'd rather take care of you every time you had an episode than have you risk even the slightest danger with surgery!"