Chapter 2

Nathaniel came home in the middle of the night. The lights were off, and I was curled up on the couch, watching him without a word.

He flipped the switch and froze when he saw me sitting there. After a moment, he started walking slowly toward me.

"You already knew?" he asked, his throat tight as he swallowed.

I nodded.

We'd spent five years together, long enough to know each other inside out. The way he blurted out his promise, his shirt half-untucked, told me everything. He was guilty and panicking.

To Nathaniel, I'd always been the carefree one. Me, sitting there dead silent in the middle of the night? That wasn't like me at all.

We both knew something was wrong.

He eased down, leaning against me, and placed a test tube filled with drugs before me.

"It breaks my heart to see Jo lying in that hospital bed, all hooked up to tubes," Nathaniel said, looking completely at ease. "I promised Mr. Lanier I'd take care of her."

A cold dread seeped into me, stiffening my limbs. "So you're staying with her until the end?"

He gave a quiet hum in reply.

Silence settled over the room. After a beat, Nathaniel reached out hesitantly, his fingers brushing the test tube.

"What's this?" I asked, my voice tight as I met his eyes.

He looked away before answering, his tone soft. "Jolene needs me for the next month, Mae, but I know you'd never agree to let me go. I still want to marry you when this is over, so I need you to forget me until then. Once I'm back, we'll have our wedding like we planned."

Then I realized. This had to be the memory-wiping drug Nathaniel had recently developed.

"You want me to forget you?"

I was stunned. The man I loved was leaving to give himself completely to someone else.

"No! Mae, I'm not saying you should forget me forever. It's just for a month," Nathaniel said, his voice still gentle, even if the request was absurd. "I'll come back to you after that."

I sat there in a daze. The sting at the corners of my eyes betrayed how I felt. Five years together, and this was all I got.

With a self-deprecating laugh, I said, "This is a brand-new drug. It hasn't even been tested in clinical trials yet. What if something goes wrong? What if I forget you for more than a month? What if it harms me?"

Nathaniel paused for a moment as he worked the test tube cap loose, but soon after, he continued without hesitation. The cap gave way with a soft pop.

"My drug is perfect. I'm the top neuroscientist in Halyndra." He held the test tube to my lips. "I'll come back for you in a month. Then we'll get married and be the happiest couple alive."

I turned my head away. "Why would I say yes? I'm not some trash bin for garbage. I don't just take whatever filthy thing gets thrown at me. You're clearly cheating, so don't even think about coming back!"

"I'm not cheating!" Nathaniel said, his agitation rising. "She's suffering! How can you talk about her that way?"

The man I loved with all my heart had just crossed a line, choosing to defend another woman instead of me.

Nathaniel took a deep breath and held up the test tube. "Mae, everything will be fine in a month."

Out of nowhere, he stood and forced me back against the couch. His fingers clamped around my jaw, squeezing my cheeks until my teeth pressed into the inside of my mouth.

Then he jammed the cold test tube between my lips. The liquid slid down my throat, sharp and bitter.

During the struggle, some of the drug went down the wrong way, and I started coughing hard. But Nathaniel didn't back off. If anything, he pinned me down even harder.

I thrashed wildly and drove my foot into his stomach. He grunted, and for just a second, his grip loosened.

I tried to turn my head and spit out the drug, but he grabbed my hair and yanked me back, forcing the liquid deeper into my mouth.

The test tube cut my tongue, and the metallic tang of blood soon replaced the bitter taste. Tears sprang to my eyes from the pain, blurring Nathaniel's face.

The second the last drop was gone, he released me. I shoved my fingers down my throat, trying to make myself throw up, but only bile came up, scorching my throat.

Choking, I fought to breathe through ragged, wheezing gasps.

I trembled, clutching my head as searing pain pulsed through my skull over and over, like something was trying to burst out of my temples.

The agony slowly took over, and my thoughts began to slip away. My limbs went weak, giving out beneath me as my vision turned hazy.

The only sound I could make out was Nathaniel's soft voice. "Mae, I really do love you. But Jolene is dying, and no matter what, I have to stay with her until the end. Forget me. Forget… Nathaniel Mercer."

His voice faded more and more, drifting out of reach, until I slumped sideways onto the couch. Those last two words lingered in my mind—Nathaniel Mercer.

Who was that?