Chapter 3

At two in the morning, I quietly walked downstairs. I saw Ethan in my former bedroom.

He was lying on his side on the bed. Lily had her back to the door, curled up tightly in his arms.

I stood there for a moment, then silently walked back upstairs.

Human beings really need to have their hearts broken over and over again to finally give up.

The next afternoon, my physical therapist came over as usual.

Lately, whenever the doctor visited, Ethan and Lucas would stand by to have me identify them.

After the basic exercises, the therapist had them stand side-by-side.

"Let's do the live face recognition test today."

My mom sat nearby, her fingers nervously clutching the edge of her shirt.

I immediately saw Ethan. He was standing right next to Lucas.

Their features, which used to be a blurry mess in my eyes, were now crystal clear.

"Which one is Ethan?" the doctor asked.

I purposely stared at them for a long time, then pointed my finger at Lucas.

"This one?"

The doctor looked down and took notes. "The facial recognition is still unstable. We need to keep practicing."

I saw my mom's shoulders visibly relax.

Ethan smiled, walked over, and pinched my cheek.

"How did you get it wrong again?"

Before, whenever I got it wrong, he would get so frustrated. He would place my hands on his face and force me to memorize his features.

Now, when I got it wrong, he actually looked relieved.

After the doctor left, my mom asked me casually:

"Can you still not tell them apart in photos either?"

"No."

"Take your time. You can't rush this kind of recovery."

I thought back to the year I was first diagnosed.

My mom was so worried she couldn't sleep. She begged every doctor she could find.

"As long as Chloe can recognize faces, we’ll pay whatever it takes."

But now that I was almost cured, she wished my recovery would slow down.

In the afternoon, my mom came up to the third floor to find me.

"Where is that white dress? The one Ethan bought you last year?"

"Lily is going out with her boyfriend tonight. She's lost so much weight recently that none of her own dresses fit her anymore."

"She wants my dress? But tonight is my three-year anniversary with Ethan."

My mom didn't seem to think anything was wrong with her request.

"Lily doesn't have much time left. Let her dress up beautifully for a nice date."

"You have plenty of clothes anyway. Just wear something else."

I pulled the dress out of my closet and handed it to her.

"I knew you'd be sensible."

That night, Ethan actually took me out to the movies himself.

Halfway through the film, his phone buzzed.

"It's the office. I need to take this."

Ten minutes later, a man slipped back into the seat next to me.

The same black jacket, the same cologne, and even the same watch.

He reached out and naturally took my hand.

I turned my head. It was Lucas.

So, even a date could be switched halfway through.

As long as I couldn't see it, they acted as if nothing had happened.

When the movie ended, Lily sent me another video on Snapchat.

"I checked off another wish today!"

It was a video of her wearing my white dress, standing on a balcony covered in flowers.

A man was holding a ring, kneeling on one knee in front of her.

I tapped on the video. I saw Ethan looking up at her.

I saw him smile, and then gently slide the ring onto her ring finger.

Finally, Lily burst into tears and threw herself into his arms.

I looked down at Lucas sitting next to me. I suddenly thought Ethan had arranged things so perfectly.

One Ethan watched a movie with me, while the other Ethan proposed to Lily.

No one was left out.

When I got home, I just continued packing my bags.

They still thought that as long as I couldn't recognize his face, this play could go on forever.

But they didn't know.

I had already seen right through Ethan. And right through all of them.