Chapter 2

I didn't bother looking at Helena's increasingly grim expression as I took Noelle back to our room.

She was crying so hard that she could barely catch her breath. I did my best to comfort her while putting away a photograph that had been sitting on my nightstand.

It was a picture of Cedric, Helena, and me.

When we'd first met ten years ago, those two could barely stand each other.

It all went back to a car accident Cedric and I had been involved in as children.

Our parents had only had time to protect me in the back seat. Cedric, who'd insisted on sitting up front, hadn't been so lucky.

He'd needed ten metal plates implanted in his body after the accident, and he'd hated me ever since.

Our parents had spent years trying to make it up to him, usually at my expense. They gave me cold leftovers, sent me to community college instead of a university, and refused to lift a finger to help me get ahead in my career.

Whenever they mistreated me, Helena would stand up for me. She'd argue with them until she was red in the face.

But somewhere along the way, she'd gone from fighting with Cedric to sleeping with him.

A sudden knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.

Cedric entered with a bowl of mushroom soup.

"Benjamin, I remember how much you used to love this, so I made some just for you," he said warmly. "Go on, have some while it's hot."

I lowered my gaze to the bowl. I had a severe mushroom allergy, and Cedric knew it.

When I didn't move, he urged me again, "What's wrong, Benjamin? Aren't you going to try it? Or did you suddenly remember something?"

I smiled, picked up the bowl, and finished the soup without hesitation.

Almost immediately, I felt a familiar burning sensation in my throat, and the room started spinning.

The last thing I saw before blacking out was Helena rushing toward me in a panic.

…

When I woke up again, I was staring at the white ceiling of a hospital room.

Helena's hushed voice came from somewhere nearby.

"He doesn't remember anything anymore! Why did you have to test him? What if something had happened to him?"

Cedric clenched his fists before storming out of the room.

When Helena noticed I was awake, she hurried over and reached out to help me sit up.

I shifted away before she could touch me. "Thanks, Helena, but I can manage."

Her hand froze in midair before she awkwardly pulled it back.

The doctor told me I'd received treatment quickly enough that my allergic reaction hadn't become too severe. Once I'd finished my IV treatment, we returned home.

But the moment we opened the front door, I heard Noelle crying.

I hurried inside and saw a chubby little boy lighting a firecracker. A loud bang rang out, and several objects nearby shattered into pieces.

I immediately recognized what was left.

They were trophies Helena and I had won together at competitions five years ago. I'd treasured them so much that I used to polish them every day.

As soon as the little boy saw us, he threw himself onto the floor and started kicking and screaming.

"Mom! She wouldn't let me play with the toys! She's so mean! Mom, hit her!"

Cedric smirked and deliberately stepped on the broken trophies, crushing the pieces even further.

"Benjamin, you don't remember any of this stuff anyway, so why bother keeping it? At least your nephew got to have some fun blowing it up. That's more use than those old trophies would've been otherwise."

I didn't bother answering him.

Instead, I carefully checked Noelle from head to toe. Only when I was certain she hadn't been hurt did I finally relax.

"Sweetheart, those are just things. I don't care about any of that," I told her gently. "As long as you're okay, that's all that matters to me. Understand?"

Noelle nodded, and I finally turned my attention to Cedric.

"Cedric, is there anything else around here you'd like? Go ahead and take whatever you want."

His smile faltered. He muttered that I was no fun anymore and started to leave with the little boy.

But Helena suddenly lost her temper. She pulled a stack of photographs from her coat and threw them at me.

"Do you seriously care so little about everything that you're willing to give it all away? Why don't you just let us marry you off while you're at it? Here. We've picked out a few women for you. Go ahead and choose one."