When I opened my eyes again, soft lights greeted me, not too harsh, just enough to see the sterile hospital room around me.
Machines beeped quietly. My hand was wired, tied with monitors, and my body felt heavy, unfamiliar.
A young woman sat beside me, graceful, serious, holding a notepad. Her eyes were calm but intense.
"Hello, Lenny. I am Dr. Evelyn. Do I look familiar?" she asked softly.
"Kinda." I frowned, trying to move, realizing the wires, the monitors, everything.
"Why am I here, am I sick?" I muttered, voice shaky.
My gaze shifted to the mirror on the wall.
My reflection stared back-red eyes, tear-streaked cheeks, and an expression I didn't recognize.
"Yes, you're sick, or rather, your brain is trying to heal," she said gently. "It's time to help you start remembering, but we'll go slow. I'll ask simple questions-answer if you can, but don't force it. Understand?"
I blinked and nodded.
"What is your name?"
"Lenny...Lenny Browns," I answered cautiously. "And your age?"
"Age...20?" I said, unsure. My voice wavered with the doubt in my mind.
"Wrong," she said firmly.
I blinked, confused. She didn't wait, continuing. "Do you remember the campus trip you went on?"
"Yes, last year," I replied, a small sense of pride in remembering something.
"Wrong," she said. Her tone was gentle but unwavering. "It's been two years since that campus trip."
I froze, shock rooting me to the bed.
"You're twenty-two now, Lenny. That campus trip ended two years ago. Something happened during that trip, a shocking incident. The trauma was too much for your brain to handle, and it caused a kind of protective blackout. You're not able to remember clearly, not just the trip, but even events from before it. That's why things feel, foggy, right?"
I nodded slowly, the weight of her words sinking in.
Pieces were there, scattered and broken, but at least now I could see why my mind felt like it was wrapped in fog.
My head began to pound violently, my mind shaking as if it was rebelling against itself. A chill ran through my body, blood turning cold, and I clutched my hair, trying to hold myself together.
"I...I can see things, I'm...maybe remembering things...but it feels weird..." I muttered, voice trembling.
"Don't stress yourself," Dr. Evelyn said softly, leaning closer. "Just tell me everything you're remembering. Every detail, no matter how small."
I closed my eyes, and the fog in my mind began to lift, fragment by fragment.
Suddenly, flashes started flooding in. The first thing I saw, Radrien's face. Warm, familiar, yet distant in memory.
Childhood memories, pure and simple: we weren't fighting, we were laughing, eating ice cream together, our fingers intertwined.
And then, middle school, the fight I remembered wasn't really a fight at all.
I'd been upset because Radrien had eaten my last chocolate-but the next day, he bought me an entire packet of the same chocolates as apology.
Tears prickled my eyes at the memory.
And then, Eighteen, my eighteenth birthday, the one I had been waiting for endlessly.
I remembered whining excitedly, holding Radrien's hand. "See? I'm an adult now! Finally! So we can kiss like they do in dramas," I had said with a sneaky smile.
Radrien, he was younger then, but his eyes-his eyes were the same. Full of love, adorationand devotion.
I remembered the way he had congratulated me, and the way he had given me the kiss we had waited for, patiently, until I was "grown up."
From that day forward, I could see it all-the years we had been inseparable, from childhood to college. How he always called me honey or other cute nicknames, the way the entire campus knew about us, supported us, and even shipped us. How famous we had been as a couple-our looks, our achievements, our passion, how everyone adored us and cheered for us.
It all came rushing back, a tidal wave of memories and emotions I hadn't felt in years, and I could feel my chest tightening, my eyes welling up uncontrollably.
I finally remembered that night-after a beautiful, passionate moment, we had lain under the covers in the dark room, our hands intertwined. I couldn't stop babbling about marriage, teasing and dragging Radrien into agreeing to the campus trip to the forests.
I had practically forced him, saying, if he came along, I'd marry him. And, of course, he couldn't ever say no to me. But then, that trip, it changed everything. Ruined everything.
A mere week had shifted our world. I remembered the trip guide-how he had eyes on me, how I hadn't noticed, but Radrien did. He had warned me to stay away from him, and yet, I hadn't listened. The first four days had been perfect. Fun, carefree, almost like a date trip. But then came the night after our truth-or-dare game, after everyone had gotten drunk. Radrien had kept me close, holding me at arm's length, not letting go. And yet, I was such an idiot. Whining, demanding ice cream in the middle of the damn night. I could see it all so clearly in my mind.
"I want ice cream now," I had whined, eyes squeezed shut, cheeks red.
Radrien had guided me to our shared room. "Not now, honey. Can you wait until morning?" he had said softly, making me sulk even more. I had grabbed his face and kissed him hard, deeply, biting his lip, as if punishing him for saying no.
"No! I want it now, or I won't kiss you anymore," I'd said, nibbling on his neck. I wanted ice cream badly-I knew the store was far away in the woods.
How could he possibly get ice cream at this hour?
Yet, he had only smiled. "Okay, baby, then promise me you'll stay here. I'll see if I can find a store nearby, okay?" He had kissed my forehead.
"Okay, thank you, hubby," I had giggled, kissing his face all over. He had laid me down, covering me with the blanket. He hesitated, but for someone who had never said no to me before, he quickly left, locking the door from outside to go get ice cream.
I had been drunk, drifting in and out of sleep, until I woke up and found Radrien nowhere near me.
"Hubby... Husband... Where are you...Where is he? Why's the door locked?" I murmured, panic bubbling up. My heart ached to see him, and without thinking, I tried the door-locked tight. I glanced around, spotting the big window.
Since it was only the first floor, I pushed it open and slipped outside. The cool night air hit me as I landed softly among the trees. The woods stretched before me, shadowy but dotted with flickering lights-lanterns, fireflies, decorations from the camp setup.
"Radrien, where are you, hubby? I want you, I don't need ice cream anymore, no, no! I need kisses now. Come to me, hubby!" I called, stumbling toward the soft glow of the lights, feeling a strange thrill in following them. But soon, the woods grew denser, and the path became confusing-I realized I was completely lost.
"Oh, It's dear Lenny. You look lost," a voice said from behind, smooth but carrying a chill that made my skin crawl.
I froze. Turning slowly, I saw him-Jonathan Banks, our trip guide. Tall, slightly older than us, handsome in a conventional way-but there was something in his eyes that made me instinctively uneasy.
"Oh, hi," I said with a nervous smile, trying to mask my fear. "I'm looking for my husband."
I smiled, "Can you help me find my husband?"
Jonathan's grin didn't reach his eyes, and in that moment, I felt a twinge of dread I couldn't explain.
I was an idiot, remembering it made tears well up. How terrified I had been, how weak I felt being drunk, how he grabbed me and threw me to the ground like I was nothing.
"No, no, stop please, I can't, it feels wrong, don't." My voice echoed in the trees, but he didn't stop.
"Shh, baby, it's just us," Jonathan whispered like a maniac, his hands cruel on my face.
"Think of me as your boyfriend, you're so beautiful, from the very first day of the trip, I've had my eyes on you." His lips trailed across my cheeks, biting, marking me like I wasn't human.
"Don't, it hurts, feels uncomfortable, let me go, you, you aren't him, you aren't my boyfriend, you can't touch me like this... stop." I cried, my body trembling, powerless. He moved like a beast, hands intrusive, devouring.
"Be quiet," he hissed, voice chilling. "I've been holding back while that jerk of a boyfriend keeps you from me. How dare he? You're mine to admire, to taste, don't you see?" Every word, every touch made my mind reel in panic, terror flooding through me.
Before I even realized it, he had ripped off my upper clothes, his hands invading where they shouldn't be. I screamed, my whole body frozen, but a primal sense told me something was horribly wrong.
"No, NO! Stop! Radrien! Where are you... it hurts, save me, please, it feels so wrong, NO! Stop already!" He was about to tear at my pants when it all froze-the air thick with screams, shrill and bone-chilling, like lungs breaking in agony. I couldn't move, my eyes wide, heart hammering, as I saw him.
Radrien—my Radrien-was on top of Jonathan like a beast unleashed, every punch and strike fueled by pure, feral rage. His eyes were wild, dilated, something utterly inhuman in their intensity.
Every fiber of him screamed fury, a maniac determined to rip apart anyone who dared touch me. He wasn't the Radrien I knew-the calm, teasing, loving man-but something raw, brutal, and terrifying. Jonathan's screams turned to gurgles as blood covered his face, his bones cracking under the relentless assault.
Finally, Radrien stopped. He wiped the blood off his hands on his jacket and-still trembling, still unrelenting in his intensity-ran to me. He scooped me up, hugging me tight, covering me with his body as if I were the only thing in the world that mattered.
By then, others arrived-police and rescuers-taking Jonathan away, but Radrien didn't let go. He held me like I was fragile glass, his own breathing heavy, muttering over and over, still shaking from the violence he had unleashed.
As for me, I was still frozen, trapped in that night's nightmare. I remembered screaming the same words over and over, calling for Radrien while he held me all night, trembling and terrified. I had bitten, scratched, and shouted until exhaustion finally claimed me, and I fell asleep in his arms.
The next day, I woke up in the hospital-but everything was gone.
Every memory of the trip, every shared laugh, every moment we had been dating, all erased. I couldn't even remember the person I loved the most. For a fleeting, confused moment, I had convinced myself that Radrien-the one who had always protected me-was my enemy.
And Radrien, he had been left alone with the weight of it all, blaming himself, regretting every second he hadn't kept his eyes on me, every second he had let me out of his sight.
Even though, in truth, it wasn't just his fault-I had been reckless, stubborn, and defiant. Yet somehow, in forgetting everything, I had lost not just memories but the understanding of the love we had built, the connection that had always been ours.
I cried loudly, without holding anything back, my sobs echoing in the hospital room. Doctor Evelyn watched quietly, a faint nod of satisfaction on her face-she knew I was finally unlocking the memories, letting it all out.
Just then, the door burst open. Radrien rushed in, eyes wide with worry, and before I could stop myself, I threw myself into his arms, crying even harder as he engulfed me, holding me tight.
Our parents stood nearby, tears streaming down their faces, speaking softly with the doctor. They gave us space, letting us be alone.
I clung to Radrien's waist, gripping him as if letting go would make the world fall apart. He kept his composure better than I could, though I could see the shimmer of tears in his eyes. "Honey, calm down. It's not alright for you to be like this, please," he murmured, his voice steady but heavy with concern.
"No, this isn't, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I choked out between sobs, pressing into him. "I forgot, everything I forgot you. it's all my fault. If I hadn't gotten drunk, if I hadn't whined like an idiot for ice cream, if I hadn't gone out when you clearly told me not to, none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have forgotten, and you wouldn't have had to suffer in silence..."
Radrien held me tighter, rocking me slightly, whispering gentle reassurances even as his own chest rose and fell with the effort of holding back his emotions. He let me cry, let me release everything I had buried, his hands never leaving me, his presence the only anchor I needed.