Chapter 2Erasing You

I hung up the phone and went back to the house. Only then did I realize that the place was completely empty. It was nothing but a hollow shell.

This was the house Arthur and I had renovated together. Back then, he swore he wanted to live in this cozy little home with me for the rest of our lives.

But now? The tea set we designed together, the decorations we picked out—everything related to him had been completely scrubbed from the house.

He was probably terrified that seeing them would trigger my memories. He even had the landscaping crew dig up and turn over all the soil in the balcony planters where we used to grow flowers together.

Looking at the barren, empty house, I let out a mocking laugh.

Arthur, you planned all this out so meticulously. Are you really doing this to spare me pain? Or are you just terrified that I'll remember everything, lose my mind, and ruin your perfect wedding with Claire?

If you knew there was no antidote, and that I would never regain my memory... would you regret this?

I took off my wedding ring, wrote him a letter, sealed them both in an envelope, and wedged it into a hidden gap between the empty flower pots.

Just then, my phone rang frantically.

It was my best friend, Avery. She hesitated for a long time before finally speaking: "Mia... I need to tell you something. I think Arthur is cheating on you. I'm outside the hospital right now, and I just saw him hugging and holding some woman."

I just said, "Mm. It's fine. Let him be."

Avery was shocked by my reaction. "Mia... are... are you okay?"

Hearing the sheer panic in her voice, I actually laughed.

"Why wouldn't I be okay? Arthur and I are already divorced."

"DIVORCED?!"

I briefly explained the whole situation. When she heard that I had taken the pill, she exploded with a string of vicious curses.

"That cheating bastard! He is unbelievable! Feeding you an experimental drug just so he can marry that bitch without feeling guilty?!"

"Five years ago, you gave up a fellowship at the Institute just to stay with him! Half of his success is built on your hard work! And now he's tossing you aside for another woman, claiming he's doing it so 'you won't suffer'?! Who the hell does he think he is?!"

A profound, agonizing ache finally surfaced in my eyes. My face turned ashen.

Five years ago, when Arthur was at his absolute lowest, I married him without a second thought.

I leveraged every single connection I had to drag his failing company back from the brink of bankruptcy.

Back then, he would hold me every single night, whispering in my ear that I was his one and only, his forever love.

But then, slowly, everything changed.

His heart started wandering.

He gradually forgot all the sacrifices I made. He demanded that I be 'understanding' and 'obedient'. He demanded that I accept his 'merciful charity' toward Claire.

Is it really that hard to just love one person consistently?

I did it. Why couldn't he?

Avery ranted furiously for another five minutes. Finally, exhausted, she caught her breath and declared:

"I guarantee you, Arthur is going to regret divorcing you and feeding you that pill! He's going to regret it until it destroys him!"

"Hah, he definitely doesn't know you never actually finished the antidote! Let him suffer! And you? You get to finally move on."

I looked over at the gap between the flower pots where I had just hidden the letter.

After living with Arthur for so many years, I knew his habits inside and out.

Whenever he felt stressed or depressed, he would stand on the balcony and drink alone.

If he truly regretted his decision on the day I left, he would definitely find that letter.

Late that night, Arthur came back to the house. I heard him tearing through the closets in the bedroom.

"What are you doing?"

Arthur froze. He turned around and saw me standing in the doorway in my pajamas.

He frowned and quickly draped his coat over my shoulders.

"It's freezing tonight. Why are you wearing so little?"

I ignored his question and asked again, "Are you looking for something?"

"Yeah. I need to borrow your wedding dress. Claire wants to wear it for the ceremony."

Arthur explained, "You probably forgot this too, but it's the one you wore when you got married."

I stared at him in silence.

Of course I hadn't forgotten. He had designed that dress for me himself.

From sketching the blueprints to the final tailoring, it took him two entire months.

And he did all of it just because I had casually mentioned, "I want a wedding dress that is completely unique."

And now, he was taking the dress he designed specifically for me, to make another woman's wedding perfect.

I found the absurdity of it all almost funny. I asked him intentionally:

"Is this dress really that important? Why does it have to be this exact one?"

My question seemed to trigger a memory for Arthur. His hands stopped moving.

The day the dress was finished, he had told me, "This dress will only ever belong to you."

I watched him closely. He hesitated for only a fraction of a second before smoothly lying.

"It was designed by a master. It's the only one of its kind in the world. Claire loves it, and her only dying wish is to get married in this dress."

Seeing my eyes lower, he quickly added, "Don't worry, as soon as the wedding is over, I'll bring it right back. And then, whatever you want, just name your price."

It was the same flawless, airtight lie as always. But my heart took another brutal, heavy hit.

On the day of our wedding, Arthur's eyes never left me for a single second.

After the ceremony, he carefully, meticulously preserved the dress and locked it in the closet.

I had teased him, "Why are you treating a piece of fabric like it's a religious artifact?"

He had looked at me with total seriousness. "Because you are the one who gave this dress its unique, irreplaceable beauty. I'm going to preserve this memory forever."

But now? Just because Claire said she liked it, Arthur handed it over without a second thought.

The dress lost all its sacred meaning. It was just a tool to make Claire happy.

"It's late. Go to sleep. I have to go."

Arthur, completely oblivious to my internal devastation, grabbed the dress and left.

I let his coat slip off my shoulders and fall to the floor. I looked down at the empty closet, my heart drowning in disappointment and grief.

"It's fine. It's fine. Just like the house, once he finishes sweeping everything out, it will all be over."

It was just an abandonment.

Once my memory was wiped clean, I could finally, truly let it all go.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, another agonizing spike of pain drilled through my brain, and another massive chunk of my memory vanished.

I was violently yanked out of my grief.