Before I Forget His Name Novels & Stories

It’s bad enough the office is talking about the incident earlier, I don’t need them to know about me being sick. Once my stomach is empty and I am left dry heaving I continue towards my 2015 Hyundai Sonata and climb inside. It takes another minute for me to focus and when I do, I turn my car on and drive away. Riker’s number flashes across the touch screen of my car once the Bluetooth has connected but I ignore it. He told me I was nothing to him, so that’s what I will be right now.

The memory of last night burned vividly in my mind—his firm arms, smooth muscles, and the way he moved like an insatiable beast, keeping me up until late. "Say my name," he had murmured in the dark. "It's Ian." I was barely conscious, lost in exhaustion, and when I hesitated, he would drive into me with more force until I finally moaned out his name, and only then did he relent. Leaning down, he whispered, "Forget him." It had all happened so fast that I barely had time to process the breakup, let alone feel sad about it. Staring at the messy sheets and scattered clothes, I realized the reckless thing I had done.

On the nightstand were a few items: a brand-new ID card, a bank card, and a pale blue note. I picked up the note. In elegant handwriting, it said: "Forget the past, embrace a new life." Forget the past? I frowned, only then realizing I couldn't remember anything at all. What was my name? Where did I come from? Why was I here? All that remained in my mind was a faint awareness of being a werewolf living in the human world; everything else was a blank slate. But strangely, I didn't feel any panic. Instead, I felt a sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

The name is right there, but my tongue feels heavy. “I… I can’t remember.” She nods sympathetically. “That’s okay. You need rest, not stress. I’ll let Dr. Hale know you’re awake.” Before I can stop her, she’s gone. Silence floods the room. My head throbs. I press my fingers to my temples, dragging the name out of the fog. Noah. It feels right—but the harder I hold onto it, the faster it slips away. The door opens again. My mother walks in.

I sank into Kane's arms, a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth where no one would see. Of course, I knew what Mnemowort could do. It would be excruciating, but there was a good chance it would bring back his memory. I couldn't let that happen, not yet. Not until my game was over.

She looks at me. I shake my head. “It is his memory, it’s… not good. He forgets things…. A lot.”

That wrecked him. He limped toward me, reaching for my hand. I stepped back like it was nothing. "Mister, keep this up and I'm calling the cops." His eyes were wild, voice cracking as he yelled, "I don't believe you forgot me! Rhea, you said forever! I only forgot you because of that temporary amnesia—but I remember now! I know you're the one I love!" I laughed. Hard. What a clown. Acting like some tragic lover. Would he have "remembered" so fast if I hadn't walked away for good? Doubt it. He'd still be playing house with Juliet and her stupid little props.

Yet, somehow, he knew me. There was only one explanation. He knew me from the outside. “Who are you?” I croaked, disbelief cutting through my fear. He scoffed loudly, his laughter echoing against the stone. Then he leaned close and hissed, “How do you forget the name of the man you sent to prison?” His eyes burned into mine. “How did you forget me, Kaine?!” The name slammed into me like a punch. My chest tightened with recognition. Memories I had buried deep clawed their way back.

Iris stood at the end, wearing the dress she wore the day my memory was erased. “ Do you remember me now?.” she asked stretching her hand for me, I stepped forward one foot in fire and the other in bloom, I ran to her holding her hand the moment I got to her. Through time, through pain, every door that gave been close in my memory. Faces I had erased, voices I had silence. My father, my mother and my son. And then I noticed a door I had never see before, I opened it and behind the door was Wren, he smiled and said “ still think this is your mind Callum?”

"Captain Ashby lost her memory. She insists the clinic caretaker, Dylan Foster, is her husband and refuses to come with us. But we've already contacted the army's top neurosurgeons. We can schedule her treatments as early as next week to help her remember you." The conversation was identical to the one from my previous life when I first found Eleanor Ashby. Only this time, the ecstatic joy and bitter resentment were gone, replaced by total serenity. I shook my head, declining the offer, and did two things afterward.