Chapter 3
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Nathaniel’s breaths were ragged, his forehead glistening with sweat that dampened his bangs.
Alarm surged through me. “What are you doing here? How did you even get in?”
I should’ve known better than to talk trash about someone behind their back. Right after I’d called him a lunatic, he popped up like some kind of jinx.
“Mae, I’m home.”
His arms locked around me, squeezing me against his chest. The scent of his lemon cologne the one I used to love–filled my nose. I shoved him away, my body recoiling from his touch.
“Get out! Or I swear I’m calling the cops!” I snapped.
A whirlwind of emotions exploded inside me–rage, disgust, the raw instinct to defend myself.
Nathaniel staggered slightly when I shoved him, then dropped his gaze to his watch.
“It’s been long enough. The drug should be out of your system by now,” he muttered.
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“Get out of my house!”
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I pulled out my phone to call the police, but he rushed forward and ripped it from my grip.
“Mae, relax. It’s me, Nathaniel. I’m not some stranger. You just don’t remember because of the memory loss, but it’ll come back. Give it five more minutes.”
I wasn’t listening to his bullshit. Looking at him made my skin crawl, and my stomach twisted with disgust.
I wasn’t dumb enough to fight him directly. I knew I wouldn’t win if this turned into a physical struggle. So I played along, stalling for time while hoping he’d give me my phone back.
Nathaniel relaxed when he realized I was finally willing to talk to him. He handed me the phone, and the second it was in my hand, I dialed the emergency number to call the police.
“Why don’t you believe me, Mae?” His face twisted with hurt when he saw what I was doing. “Don’t blame me for this.”
Before I could react, he pulled a test tube from his pocket, uncapped it, and forced whatever was inside into my mouth.
“What the hell is this?”
I fought back, but he was too strong. In a panic, I grabbed the
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heavy vase beside me and swung it straight at his head.
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He’d broken into my home and tried to drug me. How could he be this brazen? Even if the police showed up, this was obviously self–defense.
Nathaniel’s head was split open and bleeding, but he didn’t loosen his grip. He forced most of the drug down my throat.
I dropped to my hands and knees, gagging, my body convulsing as I tried to throw it up. Blood dripped from his forehead, but Nathaniel’s eyes burned with something like hope.
“Stop! Stay away from me! The cops are coming!” I shouted, my voice ragged with fury.
He forced himself to stay calm and took a step back when he saw the jagged piece of ceramic in my raised hand. But even then, he held out the drug again.
His expression was shattered, his voice desperate and pleading. “Please, Mae, just a little more. You’re almost there. You’ll remember me soon.”
He was almost out of his mind, his eyes bloodshot as he added, “I don’t get how we ended up like this, Mae. We’ve been in love for five years. We were supposed to get married-”
“Shut up!” I cut him off. “I already know everything. You
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क्ष
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cheated with your first love, and now you’re pretending you still care?”
Nothing he said would change things. It was over between us.
But Nathaniel wouldn’t stop. His voice kept echoing in my head until everything went fuzzy. The last thing I saw before I passed out was the delighted surprise in his eyes.
I opened my eyes to a plain white ceiling. The sharp smell of disinfectant hung in the air, and Yelena’s voice buzzed around
- me.
Apparently, the emergency call had gone through. The dispatcher heard my fight with Nathaniel and sent the police right away.
By the time they arrived, I was already out cold on the floor. The officers rushed me to the hospital to get my stomach pumped.
“Seriously? Nathaniel is such a scumbag! He’s completely heartless! How could he force you to drink some sketchy drink?” Yelena yelled from the side.
At the same time, the officer next to us asked if I wanted to handle things out of court, since going after Nathaniel legally would be tough.
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&
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He used a key to get in, so there was no evidence of breaking and entering. The drug he gave me was tested, and it didn’t have any harmful substances.
In fact, it was full of nutrients that help brain cells regenerate. On top of that, it was a legally approved memory–recovery drug that had already gone through clinical trials. Taking him to court would be really difficult.
This whole thing was a wake–up call. I’d thought I could just ignore them since we had no connection, but now I knew I had to stay far away from him and Jolene.
I had an offer for an assistant professorship at Aetherbury University, so I went ahead and accepted it. I also agreed to the officer’s suggestion to settle things out of court.
:
On the day of the mediation, Nathaniel looked at me with hopeful eyes. “Mae, do you remember me now? I’m your fiancé. Something happened, and our wedding was canceled. I’m sorry for pushing too hard. I just wanted you to remember me again.”
He held me tight, like he was afraid I’d disappear.
Before I could even respond, Yelena lost it. She started yelling curses at him, jabbing her finger in his direction. An officer
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jumped in right away, pulling Nathaniel back and warning him to stay away from me.
His voice broke, thick with tears and pain. “It’s been a whole month. The drug should’ve worn off by now. Why can’t you
remember me?”
I looked away, avoiding his eyes. “I really don’t know who you are. If you don’t stop, I’ll have to call the cops again,”
Determination hardened his expression. He only said one thing before walking away. “Mae, we’ll have an even bigger wedding someday.”
As soon as Nathaniel left, the tension finally left my body. He’d scared me half to death. That man was completely insane.
Yelena stood beside me, arms crossed, and said dryly, “Getting involved with someone like him is like staining your life
forever.”
It was like my perfect reputation had been ruined by some lab psycho.
“Come on, let’s go home,” I said, nudging Yelena. When she gave me a questioning look, I pressed my lips together and added, “We need to take a shower to get rid of the bad energy. We’ve been tainted by something disgusting.”
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After washing up, we finally started to relax.
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my
I turned to Yelena and said, “Nathaniel was supposed to be fiancé, but he married someone else and went on a honeymoon instead. That just shows you what kind of man he really is. I was blind before, but now I see things clearly. And honestly, it’s better this way.”
My words made Yelena pause. “I just think you deserved better. You gave him five years of your life.”
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