Chapter 2

The next morning, I opened my eyes and immediately saw Emerald's latest post. It was a carousel full of photos.

They'd wandered through an entire food street together, taken pictures on the Ferris wheel, and visited all the local attractions.

There was even a video of the two of them filming together in their hotel room.

It was as if they'd forgotten I even existed.

Bridger had also forgotten the entire purpose of the trip. He was supposed to be taking our engagement photos.

Two days later, after the trip was over, he finally called me.

"Uh... I forgot to buy you a ticket. But we're back now. Let's go on a vacation after we get married, okay? We'll have plenty of time to travel during our honeymoon."

Emerald's cheerful voice chimed in, "Oh no, I forgot to remind him too. We got so caught up having fun. Next time I'll keep a close eye on him. I promise he won't leave you behind again."

Leaning against the window, I looked at the packed suitcase beside me and replied softly, "It's okay. I'm just glad you two had a good time."

The day Bridger returned, he brought me a pair of earrings.

"I picked these out while we were traveling. Emerald spent a long time helping me choose them. I think you'll like them."

I accepted the box, opened it, took one glance inside, then set it back on the table.

Bridger frowned. "Aren't you going to try them on? Emerald put a lot of thought into picking those out for you."

I met his dissatisfied gaze and smiled faintly. "Last year, for my birthday, you gave me earrings made from the exact same material. I ended up in the hospital because my ears had a severe allergic reaction."

His expression stiffened.

After a long silence, he finally muttered, "I forgot."

There it was again.

"I forgot."

But by then, I'd already given up hoping Bridger would remember anything about me. When those words left his mouth, all I felt was, 'Of course.'

"No matter what, Emerald really put her heart into choosing them. You should at least thank her."

Hearing that only exhausted me.

"Bridger, do you think anything that has to do with me just isn't important? That you'll never remember any of it?"

He fell silent, his face darkening. "Ensley, I thought we were past arguing about this. You've known about my memory impairment from the very beginning. If it bothered you this much, why did you choose to be with me in the first place?"

Every word struck straight through my heart. It wasn't his memory impairment that bothered me. It was the way he always treated Emerald differently.

When I still didn't respond, Bridger coldly threw out one last sentence.

"Take some time and cool off."

Then he slammed the door behind him.

The next morning at work, my period started. The cramps were so bad I could barely sit upright.

I lay slumped over my desk and emptied every drawer searching for painkillers, only to discover the bottle was empty. I'd forgotten to buy more after finishing the last one.

With no other choice, I ordered some through a delivery app.

While I waited, I glanced out the window.

A familiar car was parked downstairs. Bridger stood beside it, holding a hot drink in one hand and a pharmacy bag in the other.

The next second, Emerald came jogging out of the side entrance with a bright smile and ran straight toward him.

They were too far away for me to hear what they were saying, but I could picture his words perfectly.

"Your cycle started today. I know you have cramps, so I bought these for you."

As far as I could remember, Emerald had only mentioned the date of her period once. As for me, I'd reminded Bridger so many times that even I'd lost count.

My phone buzzed. My delivery had arrived.

Dragging my aching body downstairs, I walked out of the building.

Bridger spotted me and froze. His eyes swept over my pale face, his brows knitting together. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

I stopped in front of him.

A gust of wind swept by, and another sharp cramp twisted through my lower abdomen.

"It's my period."

The air fell silent.

Emerald, standing beside Bridger, looked flustered for a moment and hurriedly held something out. "Ensley, here..."

Bridger reached out and stopped her. Turning to Emerald, he said, "Aren't you ill too? You have this first. I'll go buy another one for her."

I watched him step in front of Emerald, shielding her as though she were something precious.

"No thanks." I took the bag from the delivery driver. "I already bought my own."

Bridger looked at me with a conflicted expression before reaching out and taking hold of my wrist.

"What happened last night and today was my fault. I promise that, from now on, I'll make a separate reminder list just for things related to you. I won't forget again.

"Ensley, don't be mad anymore. We're about to get married. Let's not keep fighting over things like this."

"After work, I'll go home and make you some cinnamon oatmeal, okay?"

Looking at the guilt in his eyes, I forced a smile. "Okay."

He'd forgotten again.

I hated cinnamon oatmeal. It was Emerald who liked it.