"Macie, I'm your brother. You've been sick, and you've lost some memories. I'll keep these important papers safe for you."

I met Ashton's shifty eyes and kept silent, not calling him out on his lie.

If he wanted to play that game, I would play along.

Just then, a syrupy voice cut through the air.

"Ashton, there you are."

I turned towards the commotion and saw Lydia prancing our way, tripping over a stone in her path.

Ashton instinctively released me to catch her in his arms.

I was caught off guard and stumbled against the wall, throbbing in my head then a sharp stab of pain.

Lydia nestled into Ashton's embrace, her smile tinged with bashfulness. "Ashton, thank you for catching me."

Ashton's expression shifted as he realized the situation. Then he quickly turned to me.

"Macie, are you alright? Lydia's not well, and a fall could cause serious bleeding. I had to make sure she was safe first. I'm sorry."

I steadied myself as I brushed off the dust. With a strained voice, I replied, "I'm fine."

Lydia sidled up again, clinging to Ashton's arm, her voice a whisper.

"Ashton, we're only talking about a divorce. Why is it taking so long? I've been waiting for you."

I could not help but stare at them, and Ashton, with a guilty cough, met my gaze but did not shake her off.

"It's all settled now. We can get on with the wedding."

A gleam of triumph flashed in Lydia's eyes as she gave me a smug look. "Macie, I've loved your brother for five years, and now, we're finally getting married. The wedding's in three days, so you have to be there."

I forced a smile. "My brother's wedding? I wouldn't miss it."

Her grin widened. "Great! You'll be our wedding photographer. Make sure to capture the moment Ashton and I kiss..."

"Lydia…"

Ashton's expression turned stormy, a silent plea for her to hold her tongue.

His gaze fixed on me, searching my eyes for sorrow and finding none, a wave of discomfort washed over him.

"She doesn't need to be at our wedding."

I kept my face carefully neutral.

Lydia's brow creased as she heard Ashton address me. With a feigned fragility, she crumpled into his embrace.

"Ashton, my chest… It's hurting terribly. I can hardly breathe."

Ashton's eyes flashed with concern as he wrapped his arms around her. "Is it the illness flaring up? Just hang in there. I'll get you to the hospital immediately."

He then glanced at me and asked softly, "Macie, you still know the way home, right? Do you need someone to escort you?"

I shook my head. "No, I've got it."

Ashton was silent for a moment, recalling what the staff had told him. The drug would only erase memories of the person I loved most, not harm other memories.

As he realized he was that person for me, his frown eased.

"Okay, then head on home. I need to get Lydia to the hospital."

He gently lifted Lydia into his arms and they got into the car.

In his hold, Lydia's voice was barely a whisper, "Ashton, to be held by you, out in the open like this... If I died now, it would all be worth it."

"Don't speak like that," Ashton murmured back, a soft reprimand.

Through the car window, I watched him buckle her in. Lydia seized the moment to pull him close, pressing a tender kiss to his earlobe.

The sight sent an icy, sharp pang through my heart—the sting of betrayal.

As his car faded into the distance, my phone began to ring.

When I answered, the person on the other end of the line spoke.

"Ms. Pearson, the Aetherion Research Institute has everything set for your welcome ceremony. We're looking forward to seeing you in three days."

After hanging up the phone, I headed home. It was only then that I was struck by the stark emptiness of the place.

There was nothing left but a hollow shell.

It was the house Ashton and I had made our own, where he once promised we would spend our lives together in that cozy little nest.

However, the coffee set we had lovingly designed, the knick-knacks we had chosen—all traces of him had vanished without a trace.

He must have been afraid I would cling to the memories, or maybe he did not want me to spiral out of control and ruin his upcoming wedding with Lydia. He had even turned the soil of the flowers we had nurtured together on the balcony.

Looking around the barren rooms, I could not help but smirk bitterly.

'Ashton, you've covered all your bases. Are you more afraid of my pain or the chaos of me remembering and wrecking your big day with Lydia? Would you have any regrets if you knew there was no turning back for me, no memories to reclaim?' I mused silently.

I slipped off my wedding ring, penned a final note to him, and sealed both our rings in an envelope, tucking it into the empty space of a flowerpot.

Just then, my phone rang with urgency.

It took a moment for my best friend, Noelle Mason, to find her words.

"Macie, I've got to tell you something. Ashton's cheating. I just caught him outside the hospital, all wrapped up with another woman."

I let out a nonchalant hum and replied, "It's fine. Let him do what he wants."

Noelle's voice cracked with surprise, "Macie, are you... Are you sure you're alright?"

Her concern was so genuine that it brought a laugh out of me.

"What could go wrong for me now? Ashton and I have already signed the divorce papers."

"Divorced?!"

I laid out the whole messy tale for Noelle, and when she heard about the pill I had taken, she let loose with a string of expletives.

"The nerve of him, scheming to marry that woman. He'd stoop to anything. You passed up the great opportunity at work to stand by him, poured your heart into his success—half of what he has is all thanks to you.

"Now, for some other woman, he's ready to sideline you, feeding you some cock-and-bull story about sparing you pain, slipping you a memory-wiping drug. What gives him the right? How can he even look at himself in the mirror?!"

A sharp pang shot through me, my face draining of color.

Five years back, when Ashton was down and out, I did not think twice before saying 'I do'.

I called in every favor to breathe life back into his business.

He used to cling to me every night, murmuring that I was his eternal love.

However, as time wore on, things started to shift.

Ashton's heart made room for someone else.

He brushed aside everything I had done, expecting me to be the perfect, understanding wife, even as he begged me to pardon his soft spot for Lydia.

Was it so hard to keep loving someone, just as before? Why was it that I could, and he could not?

Noelle was on the other end of the line, letting rip a storm of words, and after wearing herself out, she finally caught her breath and laid down her verdict.

"I bet my bottom dollar that he'll rue the day he divorced you and fed you those amnesia pills! Ha! He has no clue you haven't whipped up an antidote. Let him suffer the consequences, and you, you're finally free to move on."

My eyes flicked to the letter tucked away between the flowerpots.

After all the years with Ashton, I knew his routines inside out.

Ashton would often find solace in a lonely glass of liquor on the balcony when the blues hit him hard.

If he truly felt remorse on the day I walked away, that letter would surely catch his eye.

Deep into the night, Ashton came inside and turned the room upside down.

"What are you up to?"

He froze, catching sight of me in my pajamas at the bedroom door.

A crease formed between his brows as he wrapped his coat around me.

"It's freezing. Why are you dressed so lightly?"

Ignoring his concern, I pressed on, "Are you searching for something?"

"Yeah, I need to borrow your wedding dress. Lydia wants to wear it for her big day."

He added, as if I might have forgotten, "It's the one you wore at your own wedding."

I just stared at him silently.

How could I forget? He had crafted that dress with his own hands for me.

From sketch to final stitch, it had taken two whole months.

He had done it all because I once said, "I wish for a wedding dress that's one of a kind".

However, there he was, ready to hand over the dress he made for me to perfect another woman's wedding.

A laugh almost escaped me, but I held it back and asked instead, "Does the dress mean that much? Why does it have to be this one?"

My question seemed to strike a chord, and he stopped what he was doing.

When he finished the dress, he had promised, "This dress will forever be yours alone".

I held his gaze. He wavered for just a second before he blurted out, "It's a masterpiece—the only one like it in the world. Lydia adores it. Her heart is set on getting married in this dress."

As I looked down, he reassured me, "Don't worry, I'll give it back to you right after the wedding. Then, you can ask for anything you want."

However, it was just another perfect lie, and it hit me hard, once again.

On our wedding day, Ashton could not take his eyes off me.

Later, he carefully stored the wedding dress away like a precious keepsake.

"Why do you care so much about this dress?" I joked.

He replied earnestly, "It's because you made it uniquely beautiful. I want to keep this memory alive forever."

However, swayed by Lydia's simple "I like it", he gave it to her without a second thought.

The dress was no longer a cherished memory. It was just a trinket to make Lydia happy.

"It's late. You should get some sleep. I've got to head out," he said, oblivious to my feelings, and took the dress with him.

I dropped my coat to the floor, my gaze falling on the empty cabinet, my heart heavy with disappointment and grief.

"It's okay. I'm in the same boat. Once he's done cleaning up his mess, all will be well," I told myself.

It was nothing more than being cast aside.

When my memories were wiped clean, I was finally able to move on.

Lost in thought, a sharp pain suddenly pierced my mind, and another piece of my memory vanished.

I snapped out of my sadness.

The following day, Noelle mentioned that Ashton was swamped with wedding preparations for Lydia, a spectacle to rival our own.

I nodded, lost in thought. Despite his tight schedule, he still managed to have meals sent to me three times a day.

He was so thorough that he even took care of me. What a two-faced hypocrite!

On the day of the wedding, Noelle dragged me along to witness the spectacle.

Before the ceremony began, we found ourselves tucked away in the farthest corner, catching sight of Ashton and Lydia, arms entwined, the center of attention amidst a circle of giggling bridesmaids.

One of them murmured, "I can't believe it. Ashton threw a wedding just as lavish for Macie once. Who would've thought Lydia would strike it so lucky?"

Lydia's grip on Ashton's arm tightened when she heard my name.

Ashton cleared his throat and replied, "Macie and I are divorced. Today's about Lydia. Let's not dwell on the past."