Brandon stood alone on the staircase, feeling dejected. The psychotherapy session had not only been useless but had also worsened their relationship. With a heavy heart, he busied himself in the kitchen, preparing a delicious meal and even a dessert.
Carefully arranging the food on the table, Brandon knocked on the bedroom door and called out softly, “Honey, it’s time for dinner. You can go back to sleep after eating. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
Natalie opened the door, enticed by the mouthwatering aroma of the food. However, she remained steadfast in her anger. “I said I’m not eating,” she retorted. “Eat by yourself. Stop disturbing me!”
Though tempted by the smell, Natalie refused to eat with him. She had made her decision clear. But as she lay in bed, her stomach grumbled incessantly, overpowering her willpower. Unable to sleep, she glanced at the wall clock—it was already one o’clock in the morning. Brandon must have fallen asleep by now, she reasoned. She could sneak downstairs for a quick bite without him knowing.
Determined, Natalie got out of bed, donned her robe, and hurried downstairs. The food had been stored in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap. Natalie removed the wrap, picked up a meatball, and stuffed it into her mouth. Suddenly, the kitchen lights flicked on, startling her. Squinting, she tried to adjust her eyes and saw Brandon standing before her, arms crossed.
He raised an eyebrow, glancing at the meatball in her hand and then at her bulging cheeks. “Does it taste good, you little thief?” he teased.
Natalie stood frozen, her eyes wide with surprise. She had been caught red-handed. Without changing her expression, she carefully placed the plate of meatballs back into the fridge, licked the sauce off her fingers, and patted Brandon on the shoulder.
“Not bad, but you can do better,” she said, trying to play it cool. She walked past him, intending to go upstairs as if nothing had happened.
“Where do you think you’re going, little thief?” Brandon grabbed the collar of her pajamas and pulled her back towards him in one swift motion. He lowered his head, locking eyes with her. In that dimly lit kitchen, Brandon looked unusually aggressive. It suddenly dawned on Natalie that when they first met, he was nothing more than a bad-tempered and unkempt man.
“What thief? What are you talking about?” Natalie asked cautiously, unable to meet his intense gaze.
“I didn’t steal anything.” Brandon pinched her chin, forcing her to look up at him. “Do you want me to dig out the food from your mouth as evidence?”
Hearing his words, Natalie quickly tried to swallow the half-chewed meatball, but it got stuck in her throat. Choking, she grabbed her neck with her hands and started coughing violently.
Brandon’s expression darkened. He lifted her up and made her sit on the table. Then he rushed to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water for her. After gulping down a few mouthfuls, Natalie finally felt better. Brandon patted her back to help her breathe and used a tissue to gently wipe her mouth.
When she had fully recovered, Natalie turned her face away shyly. “Sorry,” she muttered.
With a sigh, Brandon playfully pinched her cheek and tossed the tissue into the trash can. Then, his expression turned serious.
“I should be the one apologizing. The headaches started two months ago. I was afraid you would worry too much, so I kept it from you. The memories of the past two years are incredibly important to me, that’s when I got to know you and fell in love with you. No matter how much pain it may cause, I’m willing to risk it all to remember you.”
Natalie fell silent, a lump forming in her throat. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face on his shoulder.
“I didn’t realize you cared so much about regaining your memories… I shouldn’t have lashed out. I’m sorry,” she said, her voice filled with remorse.
After a moment of contemplation, she continued, “We can always create new memories. Promise me you’ll stop hurting yourself, okay? Your health is more important than anything, even the past two years.”
“Okay,” Brandon replied softly. He raised his hand to touch her hair, his eyes fixed on her soft-looking lips. Just as he was about to kiss her, his phone on the table suddenly started ringing.
Brandon turned his head to glance at the caller ID, and his expression darkened. It was Frank calling. Natalie knew it had something to do with Brandon’s memory loss, so she handed him the phone, raised her chin, and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I want to hear whatever he has to say too,” she asserted.
Brandon took the phone and put it on speaker. He had initially wanted to take the call in private, but seeing that Natalie insisted on listening, he complied.
“Brandon, we’ve got something. I couldn’t wait to call you as soon as I got off the plane,” Frank said anxiously. “I attended a seminar abroad, remember? There was an expert there whom I had the chance to talk to…”
Brandon’s face lit up with hope as he thanked Frank. The wind seemed to howl wherever Frank went. “Thank you, Frank,” Brandon said gratefully.
Frank chuckled. “No need for thanks, my friend. Your mysterious condition has piqued my curiosity. I love studying anomalies like this. It might just be the greatest challenge of my career. Even if it wasn’t you, I would’ve continued studying it.”
After ending the call, Natalie sighed, feeling uncertain. “Based on what Frank said, although he has a theory about the cause of your condition, we still need to find an antidote. We’re still in the dark.”
With Charis gone, they wondered where to even begin searching for the drug. Natalie felt more anxious and dejected than Brandon. He tried to comfort her by patting her back. “Don’t worry. Now that we know a mysterious drug caused my memory loss, it’s just a matter of finding it. I’ll have my team investigate as well. We’ll figure it out soon enough.”
Natalie nodded, though not entirely convinced. She knew Charis was cunning. If she had a way to erase Brandon’s memories, she must have also erased any trace of where she obtained the drug. But then, a thought struck Natalie. While Charis was no longer alive, her belongings remained. Perhaps there were clues hidden among her personal items.
Excitedly, Natalie grabbed Brandon’s shoulders. “I have an idea!”
Amused, Brandon smiled at her enthusiasm. “What is it?”
“We can start with Charis! There might be information on her computer or in the documents she left behind.”
Brandon expressed his doubts, knowing that Charis’s parents possessed all her belongings and wouldn’t allow them access. He reminded Natalie of their strained relationship with Catherine, who had even attempted to slap her. Seeking help from them seemed unlikely.
Natalie refused to give up. “But this is our only chance. Do you have any other ideas? It’s better than you suffering from headaches all the time… We can’t just give up without trying.”
Brandon understood Natalie’s stubbornness but felt it was inappropriate to approach Charis’s parents for help. He explained the situation carefully, reminding her of their agreement before Charis’s funeral. They had decided to part ways with the condition of never meeting again. Breaking that promise wouldn’t be right. Brandon suggested waiting to see what Frank could find, hoping he might have another solution.
New Book: Beginning with a Daring Encounter
Celsie was tired of being labeled as an introvert, workaholic, and dull virgin by her friends. Determined to prove them wrong, she made a bet that she would do something daring on her 25th birthday. Now that the day had arrived, it was time to fulfill her promise. On her daring to-do list, there was one task: a one-night stand with someone.
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