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Lahat ng Kabanata ng When Love Becomes a Memory: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

9 Kabanata

Chapter 1 Six Years of Hatred

By the time Nicole Menton arrived home, Dr. Maggie Roberts' interview was just wrapping up on TV.Her husband, Sean Robinson, glanced at the screen in surprise. "Honey, isn't that your ex-boyfriend's mother? I heard her son—""I've never had an ex-boyfriend."Nicole cut him off so coldly that Sean fell silent. Realizing she'd been too harsh, she rubbed her forehead and softened her voice. "I'm sorry, Sean."She walked over and kissed his forehead. "Marrying you was the best thing that ever happened to me. Just promise me you won't bring up anyone from my past anymore. They mean nothing to me now."He nodded, but I noticed the flash of hatred in her eyes as she spoke.I stood right beside her, as a spirit, watching everything. Even though I had been gone for years, seeing how much she still hated me made my heart ache like before.I sighed quietly. 'It's been six years, but her hatred for me hasn't gone away at all.'I knew why Nicole hated me. I had stood her up that night, van

Chapter 2 The Day Everything Fell Apart

With that, Nicole walked away without another glance, leaving my mother standing in silence.…Four hours later, Nicole finally finished the exhausting surgery. As she was washing up, the anesthesiologist came over and let out a relieved sigh."Man, that was close. The patient actually opened his eyes for a second during surgery. It nearly gave me a heart attack."He shook his head, still looking a little rattled. "You know, I can only think of one other person who could've handled a surgery that complicated, and that's Alex Calder."He added, "It's a shame he'd already left the hospital by the time you joined. Otherwise, we might've gotten to see the two of you working together as husband and—"Nicole turned off the faucet. The sudden silence made him stop mid-sentence.After a moment, she gave him a faint smile. "You've got it wrong. Alex and I were never married."I hovered nearby, listening to their conversation with a bitter smile.She was right. We had never been marri

Chapter 3 Maybe When You're Dead

The shock was too much for Nicole's grandmother. Her condition got worse quickly, and the doctors hurried to help her. However, I was the only one who could perform surgery on her.By the time I finally broke down my bedroom door and escaped, my feet were cut and bleeding. I raced to the hospital, desperate to arrive in time.Still, I was too late.The doctors had done all they could, but without surgery, nothing more was possible. Nicole's grandmother died in agony, and I was blamed for it.Nicole stood at the end of the hallway, glaring at me with hatred. "I was stupid enough to fall in love with you. That's my mistake. But what did my grandmother ever do to deserve this?"Her voice shook with anger as she continued, "Alex Calder, you're the youngest oncology specialist in the state. Is this how you treat your patients? My grandmother is dead. Are you happy now?"I shook my head frantically, trying to explain what had really happened.However, Nicole wouldn't listen. She would

Chapter 4 His Grave

My mother lowered her head and added quietly, "But he'll never get to hear me say that."Nicole stopped and turned to look at her.My mother seemed lost in thought for a moment before continuing, her voice sad. "I'm taking Alex's ashes to another country tomorrow. If you want to say anything to him, you can visit his grave at Westfield Cemetery."Nicole stared at her, her face pale. She stood quietly, trying to understand what she'd heard until the anesthesiologist finally spoke."What did Dr. Roberts mean by that? Come to think of it, I haven't heard anything about Alex in years."Nicole didn't answer right away. She took off her white coat and hung it on the rack, her expression slowly returning to normal."Alex always did love being dramatic," she said with a scoff.After a moment, she added, "Anyway, I'll need to take tomorrow off. I'm going to Westfield Cemetery."The anesthesiologist looked at her unsure. "Are you going to find out if he's really...""Don't be ridiculous

Chapter 5 The Truth Behind the Camera

I bought a camera to record Nicole's grandmother's treatment. From her first doctor visits to the final steps before surgery, I filmed everything, hoping to give her the videos as a memory after she got better.I never thought those recordings would eventually become the only evidence I had left to prove my innocence.Nicole's hands trembled as she took the camera from my mother. …When she got home, she set it on the table and stared at it for a long time, unable to bring herself to turn it on.Sean was making dinner in the kitchen, the clatter of pots and pans carrying into the living room. Normally, Nicole would have gone to help him, but tonight she barely noticed.Eventually, she picked up the camera and pressed play.The screen lit up, revealing me smiling brightly at the camera, my eyes crinkled with excitement.Nicole's breath caught."Today is the 12th of March. I had a meeting with my professors and colleagues today," I said cheerfully.I went on to explain that he

Chapter 6 The Life She Never Knew

After dinner, Nicole shut herself in the study.The camera sat on her desk, its dark lens facing her, but no matter how long she looked, she couldn't bring herself to press play again. She was afraid of what she might see next.Over the following days, Nicole tried to carry on with her usual routine. She went to work at the hospital, came home for dinner, and acted as though nothing had happened. Sean still noticed she was becoming quieter and more withdrawn.Most evenings, she went to the study and spent hours looking at the camera. She couldn't say why she was scared to watch the rest of the videos; she just knew something was stopping her. Whenever Sean asked if she was having problems at work, she said everything was fine.And so, the camera remained untouched.…One day, while browsing social media, Nicole found a short clip from my mother's retirement interview.The host asked which patient had left the strongest impression on her over her career. After a long silence, my

Chapter 7 The Goodbye She Never Got

I held my test results up to the camera, trying to smile."The doctor said things aren't looking good." My lips trembled, and my smile quickly faded. "They found a shadow on my lung, so I'll need more tests."I lowered the report and stared into the camera for a long moment, unsure of what to say next."Nicole..."I wanted to tell her so many things, but I couldn't find the words. In the end, I simply shook my head and turned off the camera.The final recording was filmed in a hospital room.I sat on a bed, with plain white walls and pale blue curtains behind me for privacy. My hospital gown was faded from many washes, and my hair had thinned so much that my scalp showed.I'd lost so much weight that my face was mostly skin and bone. My skin looked sickly, and my lips were pale. Still, when I looked into the camera, I tried to smile."Nicole," I whispered. "I saw you today."Nicole's eyes widened as she watched."You were walking down the hallway in your white coat, surrounde

Chapter 8 A Life Lost to Regret

"Alex, I'm sorry..." Nicole sobbed, her fingers resting against my photograph. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me..."She repeated those words until her voice grew hoarse. The wind swept through the cemetery, blowing strands of hair across her face, but she was too overwhelmed by grief to notice.I stayed beside her, watching helplessly. Wanting to comfort her, I crouched down and gently reached for her hair, hoping to touch it like I used to when we were together.However, my fingers passed straight through her.I tried again, but felt the same emptiness. No matter how much I wanted to, I could no longer touch her.Just then, Nicole shivered and lifted her head. She glanced around as though she'd sensed someone beside her, but saw no one."It's okay," I whispered, wishing I could somehow ease her pain.My voice was barely louder than the wind, so I knew she couldn't have heard me. Yet, Nicole suddenly stopped moving."Alex?" she called softly, looking around again. "Was that y

Chapter 9 Until We Meet Again

"Nicole."Sean called her name one last time. When she looked up, he hesitated, as though he'd wanted to ask her for a long time but had never found the courage to say it."You never really loved me, did you?"Nicole parted her lips, but no words came. She could see the hurt in his eyes, and for a moment, she wanted to say something that might make it easier for him. But she couldn't bring herself to lie.Her silence was enough.Sean gave a faint, sad smile. No anger remained in his expression, only the quiet resignation of someone who had finally accepted the truth. He looked at her for another moment, then stepped outside and gently closed the door behind him.Nicole stayed where she was, listening until his footsteps faded. When the house fell silent, she returned to the study and sat in a corner, drawing her knees to her chest. She clutched my camera tightly, as though she feared losing the last thing that connected her to me.In the weeks that followed, Nicole's health cont

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