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CHAPTER 80
RYAN’S POV
The hallway felt colder the moment the door closed behind me. Dr Kellan didn’t speak right away, he just looked down at the chart in his hands, exhaled hard, and rubbed his forehead like he was trying to find a way to make bad news sound softer.
“Ryan,” he finally said, his tone quiet but steady, “Anna’s awake, but there’s something you need to know.”
My heart skipped. “Just tell me,” I said, my voice tight. “Is she okay?”
He hesitated, eyes flicking up to mine. “Physically, she’s stable. But she’s suffering from temporary memory loss.”
For a few seconds I couldn’t even react. I just stared at him, waiting for him to say something else, anything that would make that line make sense. “Memory loss?”
He nodded slowly. “The trauma from the fall, the shock, the stress, it pushed her mind into self–protection. She’s lost everything that happened in the last few months. Her brain’s protecting her from reliving the pain.”
I took a step back, my hand pressing to the wall behind me. “You mean- she doesn’t
remember me?”
“She remembers you,” he said gently, “but not the version of you she’s been with recently. The connection, the relationship, the pregnancy… it’s gone from her memory. To
her, you’re still the brother who left for school.”
It hit me like a punch to the stomach. “What??!”
“Her mind has filled in the blanks with what used to make sense to her. You’ve become frozen in that last memory she had before everything started changing.”
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I shook my head, my chest tightening. “No, that can’t be. She looked at me. She knew me.”
“She knows your face, your name,” he said, “but not what you two became. Right now, that part of her life doesn’t exist to her. If you try to force it, you’ll only confuse her more.”
I turned away, dragging both hands through my hair. “So what do I do? Just stand there and let her look at me like I’m her brother?”
Dr Kellan’s expression softened. “Yes. For now, that’s what you have to do. Her memory will either come back on its own, or it won’t. But pushing her will only make it worse. You have to let her feel safe again. Let her mind heal before her body remembers.”
Safe. The word burned. I wanted to scream. I wanted to grab him and shake him until he gave me a better answer. “You don’t get it,” I said, my voice cracking. “She’s my mate. I can’t— I can’t just stand there and act like I’m her brother. I can’t do that.”
He sighed. “I know it’s not easy. But if you remind her too quickly, if you trigger memories her brain’s not ready to face, she could relapse. The trauma was deep, Ryan. You have to be patient. Don’t talk about the past. Don’t tell her what she’s forgotten. Let her rediscover it
slowly–on her own.”
I stared at the floor, my mind spinning. “You’re telling me to lie to her.”
“I’m telling you to protect her,” he corrected softly. “If she believes she’s still living in that time, let her. It’s not forever. Sometimes love means holding back, even when it kills you to do it.”
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “So what happens if her memory never comes back?”
He looked at me, quiet for a moment. “Then you’ll just have to make her fall in love with
you again.”
Something inside me cracked. I turned away, staring through the narrow glass window back into her room. She was there, sitting up a little now, talking weakly to Grandma and Grandpa, completely unaware that our entire life together, everything we’d shared, had just
been erased.
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My eyes stung. “I don’t know if I can do this,” I whispered.
“You can,” he said. “Because you love her. That’s what will save her, Ryan–you.”
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I nodded faintly, even though it felt impossible. My chest felt too tight, like every breath hurt. I kept staring at her through the glass, remembering the nights she’d fallen asleep in my arms, the way she laughed when I teased her, the way she whispered my name like it belonged to her. Now she didn’t even know she was mine.
Mom and Dad walked up quietly behind me. Mom’s eyes were red, Dad’s face pale and tight. “What did he say?” Dad asked.
I didn’t answer right away. I couldn’t. I just shook my head, still watching her.
“She doesn’t remember,” Mom whispered when she realized, her voice breaking.
I clenched my fists, my voice low. “She remembers me,” I said, “just not us.”
Mom touched my arm gently, but I barely felt it. I was too busy trying to memorize every
little thing about her through that glass, the way she tilted her head when she talked, the way her fingers fidgeted with the blanket.
Dr Kellan spoke again, his voice quiet but firm. “Ryan, she’s going to need you more than ever, but not the way she used to. You have to be patient. Don’t overwhelm her. Let her come to you when she’s ready.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah,” I said, though my voice was barely audible. “Patient.”
He gave me a small nod before walking away, leaving me standing there with my parents. I
pressed my palm to the glass, watching her smile weakly at Grandma, a soft, innocent smile that twisted something deep inside me.
She looked exactly the same, but everything between us was gone.
And all I could think was, how the hell am I supposed to touch her again, hold her again, sleep beside her, without reminding her of everything she’s lost?
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How am I supposed to pretend she’s my sister when every part of me burns for her?
I stayed there for a long time, staring at her, feeling completely helpless.
Then my phone buzzed. I looked down.
Alex.
I answered immediately, my voice rough. “Yeah?”
“Ryan,” he said, his tone sharp. “We found the person who did this.”
My eyes darkened, my entire body going still. “Who?”
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