He Forgot My Name, I Left

Chapter 2

I finally couldn't hold back and demanded, "You can pick Serena out of a crowded ballroom at a glance, so why can't you recognize me when I'm standing right in front of you?"

That last question set him off completely.

His eyes turned cold and cutting. "Serena is sensitive and fragile. Do you really have to hold everything against her? Can't you just give her a little slack?"

When I didn't argue back, he looked me over from head to toe, taking in my plain, colorless outfit, and let out a mocking laugh.

"What's the point of making yourself miserable, Evelyn? Or are you expecting me to apologize for my condition? You agreed to all of this willingly before we even started dating, didn't you?"

He was right, everything had come to this because I had enabled him, because I had been willing to bend over backward to accommodate him.

Looking at his sneering face, I no longer had the strength to argue.

"I'll be at the press conference tomorrow."

Caspian was pleased with my compliance. He tossed the documents carelessly onto the table and walked out.

I knew where he was going. He was off to watch Serena rehearse her classical ballet, content to sit there for 2 hours doing nothing but observing her, as if that alone brought him joy.

Yet he couldn't even remember what his own girlfriend looked like.

I opened his storage cabinet. An entire shelf was neatly filled with Serena's dance costumes from over the years, performance albums, and commemorative awards.

And there, buried at the very back of the drawer beneath a pile of miscellaneous items and covered in dust, was the dried lunar moss he had once given me with his own hands.

In that moment, the last trace of my youthful longing withered and died.

I placed the dried lunar moss on his desk.

Years of compromise, the promise we made as children in that old courtyard, I was done with all of it.

The next day, I arrived at the press conference right on time.

The spotlight felt like countless blades, all aimed directly at me.

I wore a deep black gown, a complete departure from the pale colors Caspian had always insisted I wear.

Taking the microphone from the host, I spoke calmly.

"I was taken into custody abroad on suspicion of theft because of my boyfriend, Caspian. In front of the security staff at the gala, he explicitly said he didn't know me. He let them hand me over to the local police without lifting a finger."

The room erupted in shock.

I paused, then looked directly into the camera, as if I could see through the screen all the way to Caspian himself.

"He always says he has face blindness. After all this time together, he still can't recognize me. I suppose this relationship has been a kind of torment for him as well.

"So I've decided to set him free.

"Caspian and I are breaking up."

Once I was in the car, I realized my hands were trembling.

Not from fear, but from the relief of finally breaking free from a long captivity.

My phone buzzed frantically. The name on the screen was Caspian.

I held down the power button and shut it off.

The car hadn't gone far before Caspian's vehicle cut us off in the middle of the road.

He shoved his door open and stepped out, his expression dark and furious.

"Evelyn, are you done throwing your tantrum?"

He yanked me out of the car, his grip so tight it felt like he was about to crush my wrist.

"Who gave you the nerve to say all that at a press conference?"

I looked coldly at his enraged face.

"Which part of what I said wasn't the truth?"

The question left him momentarily speechless, but his anger only flared hotter.

"Do you have any idea that your little stunt could drag innocent people into this?

"What if they dig up the surveillance footage from that night and Serena gets pulled into it? She's worked so hard to get where she is now."

So he did know he'd been holding Serena that night.

He really could recognize her after all.

The pain in my chest spread like wildfire, tearing me apart from the inside.

"Caspian, you can recognize her."

Caspian looked utterly baffled, his expression filled with contempt for what he clearly saw as my irrational behavior. "So what if I can? She means something different to me, but I've been with you this whole time."

"Don't forget, you were the one who insisted on staying by my side."

Yes, all of this had been my obsession.

Caspian couldn't even remember my face. How could he possibly remember a promise made 20 years ago?

I wiped the tears from my face. "Caspian, I regret it. We're breaking up."