Chapter 4Erasing You

All the color drained from Arthur's face. He looked absolutely terrified. He marched over to Avery, his brow deeply furrowed as he tried desperately to maintain his composure. "Are you lying to me?!"

"Lying?!"

Avery sneered. "Do you think I have nothing better to do than come here and lie to you? You are so unbelievably arrogant. No wonder Mia wanted to leave you."

"Do you know what she told me? She said she hated herself for being so weak. She hated that she loved you too much to leave you. She told me she was actually grateful that you forced her to take that pill. It finally gave her an escape."

Her words completely pulverized the final psychological barrier in Arthur's mind. His voice trembled violently. "Where... where is she right now?"

Avery's eyes were filled with mockery. She lifted her chin provocatively. "Weren't you just bragging about how much you loved her? If you love her so much, go find her yourself."

Arthur clenched his fists. He threw the bridal bouquet onto the floor, turned around, and sprinted toward the exit.

"Arthur! Arthur! Don't go! Our wedding isn't over yet!"

Claire hiked up her wedding dress and ran after him in a panic, reaching out to grab him. But his jacket slipped right through her fingertips, leaving her with nothing but his rapidly retreating back.

When Arthur frantically rushed back to the house and pushed open my bedroom door, he was met with absolute emptiness. All my clothes were gone.

"Mia?!"

He called out several times. Silence answered him.

The bed was perfectly made. The desk was spotless.

I had a habit: whenever I packed for a trip, I always deep-cleaned the room.

And now, my room was so clean that every trace of my existence had been erased. It looked as if no one had ever lived there.

He slid down the doorframe, collapsing onto the floor.

According to his original plan, as soon as the wedding was over, he would give me the antidote. Everything would go right back to normal.

Claire would get her dream wedding, and I wouldn't have to suffer.

But why... why did everything turn out like this?

Arthur clenched his fists and punched the wall violently. Then, he immediately dialed his assistant.

"Find out exactly where Mia went. Right now."

After receiving confirmation from his assistant, Arthur hung up. Frustrated, he poured himself a glass of whiskey and downed it.

He walked out onto the balcony, staring into the night, slowly trying to calm his racing heart.

He poured the remaining liquid from his glass into the dirt of a planter. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small envelope wedged tightly in the gap between the pots.

He pulled it out. Seeing my familiar, elegant handwriting on the envelope, his fingers froze.

Inside the letter was the love I had painstakingly held onto for five years.

"The drug doesn't cause instant amnesia. It slowly erases you. Over these past three days, I watched you give Claire your entire heart. I watched you lie to me for her."

"I know you still love me. But your heart cannot beat for two people at the same time. Arthur, what I wanted was absolute, unwavering loyalty."

"Thank you for forcing me to take that drug. You severed my indecision. This time, I choose to leave."

Arthur stared blankly at the letter.

A memory from long ago suddenly flashed through his mind. It was our very first major argument, and the first time he had ever seen me lose control.

Just because he had stayed at the hospital to keep Claire company while she received an IV, he had accidentally missed our anniversary. I had exploded in a furious rage.

He didn't understand. He couldn't understand why I was being so petty and unreasonable with a sick woman.

But now, reading my words, his heart trembled violently.

He had always convinced himself that his feelings for Claire were nothing more than pity and tolerance. It was absolutely not something as heavy as 'love'.

But now, even he had to admit the truth to himself. His emotions did fluctuate because of Claire. That was why, when he saw her red, swollen eyes, he agreed to throw her a massive wedding without a second thought.

When exactly did he start caring so much about Claire? And when exactly did I give up on him?

Arthur's mind was a chaotic, tangled mess. He crushed the letter in his fist until it was crumpled and ruined.

His knuckles turned white as he muttered hoarsely, "Mia, I was wrong."

Meanwhile, I was sitting on an airplane, checking the time.

In exactly two minutes, my memories of Arthur would be completely erased.

By now, he had probably already seen the letter.

Would he regret his decision?

I looked down and let out a soft laugh.

Whatever. Whether he regretted it or not, it had nothing to do with me anymore.

From now on, our paths would never cross again.

After deleting his final contact number from my phone, I suddenly clutched my chest. The very last fragment of my memory of him shattered completely.

When I looked up again, a flight attendant was handing me a cup of hot water, asking gently:

"Miss, are you alright? You looked unwell, so I brought you some water."

I shook my head and smiled. "I'm fine. Thank you."