Chapter 1

I woke up in a hospital bed with amnesia.

I remembered everyone—except Ethan Hayes, the man I’d desperately chased for five years.

But Ethan was never good to me.

All his tenderness belonged to his first love, his ultimate obsession. Even when I tumbled down the stairs and knocked myself unconscious, his only concern was whether she had gotten a scratch.

Everyone used to say I loved Ethan so much that I threw my dignity into the dirt.

What a joke. Now, I don’t even remember who Ethan Hayes is.

If he wants to be cold and distant, fine. I’m done chasing him.

But later, Ethan grabbed my arm so tight his knuckles turned white. With bloodshot eyes, he begged me:

"Chlo, please. I beg you to remember. Once you remember, you can love me again."

"Chlo, are you seriously faking this? Or is this just your new tactic to get Ethan's attention?"

Harper tilted her head, utterly confused. She couldn't understand why I remembered everyone else but forgot Ethan Hayes, the man I used to love more than life itself.

But hearing that name now, my mind was a complete blank.

I blinked blankly and asked,

"Who... is Ethan?"

Harper was completely stunned. She quickly grabbed my phone from the nightstand and thrust it into my hands.

"Ethan Hayes!"

"Look! Your lock screen is a photo of him, and your password is his birthday. Ever since you fell head over heels for him at a gala five years ago, you've been obsessed. You chased him like crazy for five whole years."

"You even gave up your dream admission to the Parsons School of Design just to work a grueling corporate finance job at his company!"

Harper spoke with intense passion, but as my eyes fell on the photo on the screen, I felt nothing.

No butterfly in my stomach. No warmth. Just complete detachment.

"So, did we get together?"

My question made Harper choke on her words. She shook her head, looking at me with pity.

"No. Ethan... he actually disliked you a lot."

"He has this first love, Veronica, whom he could never forget. You fell down the stairs because you got into a fight with her right after she came back to the country. Ethan lost his temper and pushed you. It was an accident, but still..."

As Harper spoke, a strange, residual muscle memory flared up in my body.

My nose stung, and a dull, aching pain throbbed in my chest.

I looked down at the man on my lock screen. It was clearly a candid photo. The way he looked at the camera was filled with annoyance and disgust. It made me want to cry for the girl I used to be.

I took a deep breath, swiped my phone, and changed both the lock screen and the password.

"Chlo, what are you..."

"Since five years of chasing got me nothing, maybe forgetting is a blessing for both of us. I won't have to suffer anymore, and he can finally be free."

I patted Harper’s hand to reassure her.

Then, I deleted every single trace of Ethan Hayes from my phone, including his contact info.

Harper sniffled, suddenly throwing her arms around me.

"Good! You should’ve done this a long time ago!"

"He's not the only guy in the world. You’re beautiful and kind, Chlo. You can have anyone you want! Why the hell did you suffer in that toxic finance department, working overnight every day? Ethan has terrible taste anyway, choosing to love that fake green tea b"tch, Veronica!"

Harper got more worked up by the second, ready to curse Ethan for another three hundred rounds.

Just then, a nurse knocked on the door and called her out.

"Chlo, hang out for a bit. I’ll be right back."

I smiled and nodded, picking up a fashion design magazine to pass the time. I was completely absorbed in it when—

"Knock, knock."

The ward door was pushed open. I looked up.

"Mr. Hayes?"