Chapter 1

Right after getting discharged from the hospital, my boyfriend, Javon Hickman, put together a proposal for my best friend, Abbie Cote.

He had prepared everything, from fireworks and candles to roses and a ring.

He had once promised me a proposal just like this. He said he wanted the whole world to witness how much he loved me.

Now, he was giving that exact profession of love to someone else.

Abbie cast a fleeting glance in my direction.

A second later, my phone buzzed with a text from her. "Abilene, please don't overthink this. Once Javon gets his memory back, I'm sure he'll remember that you're the one he loves."

I stared at the man whose eyes were overflowing with devotion.

Would he, though?

Everything happening right now was exactly what Javon wanted. If I weren't carrying his baby, he'd probably wish this "amnesia" lasted forever.

Seeing Abbie nod, Javon couldn't hide the pure joy in his eyes. He reached for her hand and slipped the diamond ring onto her finger. "Abbie, not even death will part us."

Tears of emotion welled up in her eyes.

Truth was, when they went out on a date a while back, I followed them because I was worried about his condition.

I ended up watching Javon—who used to call amusement parks childish—happily put on matching headbands and take goofy photos with Abbie.

When he came home that night, he had a faint, lingering smile on his face.

I knew this day would come.

The way someone looked at the person they loved could never be hidden. Neither could the way they looked at someone they didn't.

Javon's actions were just too obvious. I didn't even need to look to know the answer.

A bitter smile touched my lips.

Javon whispered something in Abbie's ear before leading her away.

As he passed me, he shoved a few bills into my hand with casual elegance. "You're Abbie's friend, right? Could you help us clean the place up? I'm taking her home now."

Abbie followed behind him, her eyes darting away nervously, though she said nothing.

I watched their retreating figures.

Lowering myself to the ground, I began picking up the rose petals one by one.

Javon had put a lot of effort into today.

He had once heard me say that I wanted a shower of falling petals when he proposed. So today, he hired a fleet of drones just to rain down flowers.

He gave his romance to someone else but left me to clean up the wreckage.

Only after I finished clearing the mess and turned to leave did I notice another text from Abbie.

"Abilene, Javon only mistook me for you because he's sick. The moment he recovers his memory, I'll bring him straight back to you. Just give him a little more time."

I didn't reply.

My attention was caught by Javon's latest post on Instagram. "If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up."

The attached photo showed their fingers intertwined inside a Ferris wheel, with a giant electronic billboard displaying their picture together in the background.

I tapped on the image and zoomed in on the diamond ring on Abbie's finger.

That was the ring Javon had bought for me.

When I accidentally stumbled upon the ring box back then, I thought he was finally going to propose. I spent two hours every day doing my makeup and picking out outfits, dropping hint after hint.

He brushed it off every time, and I assumed he was just keeping it a secret.

It turned out that the ring was never meant for me in the first place.

I liked his post.

A second later, the post vanished.

A heavy pressure settled over my chest before twisting into a sharp, excruciating pain deep inside me.

I doubled over, trying desperately to suppress it. I couldn't tell if it was my body hurting everywhere or if my heart was simply breaking.

Once the pain subsided, I scheduled an appointment for an abortion.

If being with me felt like such a chore to Javon, then there was no point in waiting for him anymore.