I Forgot the Man Who Broke Me

"We're already at the door. Just go in, sit for ten minutes, hand out the invitations, and we'll leave."

My best friend, Chloe Harper, grabbed my wrist and pushed open the door to the reserved dining room.

The noise inside died the instant the door swung open.

More than a dozen pairs of eyes landed on me at once.

I hadn't wanted to come.

This college reunion meant nothing to me, because I had no memories of college at all.

A car accident six months ago had wiped out four entire years.

But Chloe had insisted on dragging me here. She said some things had to be delivered in person before they could truly be put to rest.

Chloe pulled me toward the table. I had just reached into my bag for the invitations.

Then a man seated beside the head of the table rose.

He wore a tailored black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms. His long-fingered hands rested against the table.

He was strikingly handsome, but right now, his eyes were faintly rimmed with red.

The way he stared at me made my skin crawl.

"You came."

I gave him a polite nod but didn't respond.

He didn't sit back down. Instead, he leaned across the table and locked his eyes on mine.

"So you've forgotten your own boyfriend now?"

I looked at him. Nothing in me stirred. He was a stranger.

I smiled and shook my head. "I'm sorry, but I really don't remember having a boyfriend. I only have a husband. His name is Nathan Sterling."

His brow creased slightly, as though my answer displeased him.

Derek let out a short laugh.

He settled back into his chair and took a slow sip from the teacup in front of him.

"Ava, it's been six months. That's long enough for this little tantrum of yours."

"Just admit you've been faking it, and I'll overlook the fact that you disappeared on me for half a year."

The air in the room shifted.

A guy sitting next to him cleared his throat and chimed in.

"Yeah, Ava. Derek is the one who reached out. What else do you want from him?"

"You used to be crazy about him. There's no way you've actually forgotten everything."

"You two are supposed to be getting married. This kind of drama isn't a good look. Just let it go."

I turned and looked at these strangers, all talking over each other.

Every one of them looked at me as if I were the one in the wrong.

To them, I was some unhinged woman who did not know when to stop.

Chloe slammed her bag onto the table.

"Are you all out of your minds?" Chloe swept the room with a cold smile. "Ava was in a car wreck. She suffered a concussion and lost four years of memory. Want me to slap her medical records down in front of you?"

The room went silent for a beat.

Derek set down his teacup. The porcelain clicked against the glass tabletop.

"Chloe, I know you've always had a problem with me."

He looked at her, his expression still calm and composed.

"But you can't just go along with her nonsense. Amnesia? That excuse might fool other people, but it won't fool me."

He turned to me, his eyes softening with a patronizing tenderness.

"Ava, the fact that I'm sitting here today is me giving you a way out."

"Come home with me. We'll go through with the wedding, and I'll let everything else slide."

I stared at his self-assured face.

The edge of the invitation crumpled between my fingers.

The sheer arrogance of it stunned me. He truly believed that one concession from him should have been enough to make me grateful.

"I'm going to say this once more." I held his gaze, enunciating every word. "I don't know you, and I don't need your way out."

The composure on Derek's face finally cracked.

His jaw tightened. His eyes went cold and hard.

"Ava, are you really going to humiliate me in front of everyone?"

A girl sitting in the corner let out a sharp laugh.

"Ava, who are you trying to fool with this act?"

"You chased him for years. Everyone on campus knew you were head over heels for him."

"And now you're going to stand here and tell us you don't remember? Who do you think is going to buy that?"