Chapter 5

Andrea added, "The doctor said you have severe hypoglycemia. If I hadn't gotten you to the hospital in time, you could've died."

I stayed silent as I more or less knew why. My memory had been getting worse these past few days. I kept forgetting whether I'd eaten or not, so I'd eat when I was hungry and skip meals when I wasn't. And lately, I'd been feeling so down that I just didn't feel like eating.

As my memory continued to deteriorate, I was finding it harder and harder to remember things. Sometimes it felt like I couldn't even get a complete sentence out anymore.

A sudden, unsettling thought crossed my mind. I might already be in the late stages of the disease. As it progressed, I'd lose more and more of my memories, forget everyone I knew, and eventually lose my ability to speak. At that point, there'd be no point in continuing treatment.

As such, I turned back to Andrea and said, "Fine. We're even."

By the time I was done talking, I didn't feel a thing anymore. Andrea, on the other hand, visibly froze for a moment when she heard my words.

The light in her eyes suddenly disappeared.

After a beat, she spoke in a slightly hoarse voice. "Think it over a little more. We both need to cool off and give each other some time."

I kept my emotions to myself, offering only a small smile as I replied, "Alright."

After Andrea and I parted ways at the hospital, she eventually got what she'd always wanted and ended up with Spencer. I would still occasionally see their social media posts showing off how happy they were together.

Before long, I flew back to my old city and found a care facility for myself. I was afraid that once I'd truly forgotten everything, I'd no longer be able to take care of myself.

After getting everything sorted out, I made a trip back to my hometown. I wanted to bring my grandma back with me so she could live with me. But just as I got on the bus, I received the news that my grandma had passed away.

Just like that, I had lost the only family I had left in this world. After laying my grandma to rest, I returned to the city.

I quit my job, and when I saw the news that Andrea and Spencer were getting married, I deleted every last way of reaching her.

By then, I'd already lost the ability to speak. All that lingered of her in my mind were a few fleeting memories.

What I never expected was that Andrea would suddenly have second thoughts just before marrying Spencer. She went back to the rental apartment where we'd once lived together.

But when the door opened, a stranger was standing there. No matter where she looked, she couldn't find any trace of me.

Tony and Anya had long since moved away. And I'd never told anyone about my memory loss.

She broke down and sobbed, but there was nothing she could do to change anything. Then one day, Jason spotted her from a distance while he was out on the street.

He told her the truth. "Vincent was diagnosed with Alzheimer's before he proposed to you. He's in a care facility now.

"He told me not to interfere with your life. But since you're asking about him now, I think the least you could do is apologize to him. If you hadn't taken all his savings, he wouldn't have gone all the way to Ivalor for you.

"His grandma fell critically ill right around then, and she passed away. He couldn't save his family, and he couldn't save himself either. Do whatever you want with that information."