He Forgot Her, Then Lost Her Forever

Chapter 5 You're a Curse

Josselyn headed back to the banquet.

Twenty long minutes passed before Zachary led Darlene out of the restroom. Her lips were swollen and split, oozing a little blood.

'Was it really that intense?'

Josselyn slowly lowered her eyelids. Her eyes felt dry, and not a single tear fell.

A heavy stone pressed against her right ribs—even a small cough sent a sharp pain shooting through her.

A guest beside her jumped back in alarm. "Are you okay, ma'am?"

"I'm fine," Josselyn said. Her face was as white as paper, but she tried to stand tall.

A warm, stinging rush suddenly flowed from her nose. She wiped it with her hand and found it covered in blood.

The bleeding wouldn't stop—red streaks seeped through her fingers and pooled on the floor.

More guests gathered to watch. Even Zachary and Darlene glanced over.

A medical intern in the crowd hesitated, his voice trailing off. "Her symptoms... It looks a little like liver—"

He never finished the word "cancer." A cold, mocking laugh cut him off.

"Josselyn, are you trying to pretend you have cancer?" Zachary stared at her bleeding nose, a sneer on his face. "Quit putting on a show. Even if you drop dead in front of me, I won't bat an eye."

The man who'd once freaked out if she scraped her knee now didn't care if she lived or died.

Josselyn looked at his cold, hard face. She said softly, as if saying goodbye to a part of herself, "Don't worry. I won't like you anymore—ever again."

A hush fell over the crowd for a split second.

Zachary let out a cold laugh, his eyes empty of any emotion but mockery. "This trick won't work on me, Josselyn. Give it up."

She didn't say another word and turned to leave.

Suddenly, the crystal chandelier above her swayed and teetered—then it plummeted toward her.

Before he could even think, Zachary acted on instinct. He shoved Josselyn out of the way, taking the full force of the chandelier himself.

Blood pooled on the floor as Zachary lay there, his face ashen and lifeless.

"Zachary!" Josselyn's whole body shook. She never could have imagined he'd jump in to save her.

*****

In the hospital bed, Zachary's head was wrapped in bandages, his lips drained of color.

He couldn't open his eyes, trapped in a nightmare. His fingers tightened around Josselyn's hand, murmuring, "Run..."

It was exactly like the battlefield rescue three years ago.

She'd been tied up with bombs, every second ticking down. Even the commanding officer had given the order to evacuate.

Only Zachary had charged into the enemy camp alone. With fifty-two seconds left, he'd shot himself without hesitation, collapsing to the ground, covered in blood.

His eyes had been blazing red as he'd shouted, "Take my life—swap it for hers."

Memories of those words twisted Josselyn's heart. The pain was so sharp she could barely breathe.

She thought he'd finally remembered. But then Zachary mumbled, his voice weak and desperate, "Darlene... in danger. Darlene!"

Josselyn's throat went completely dry. Her heart felt like it was being torn to shreds, over and over.

'So Zachary saved me only because he mistaken me for Darlene. Of course. He hates me more than anything—how could he ever have saved me willingly?'

A hard slap landed across her face, leaving a bright red mark that burned like fire.

"What did my son ever do to you?" Rosina's eyes blazed with rage, as if she wanted to tear Josselyn apart. "Three years ago, you almost got him killed. Now you won't leave him alone—are you waiting for him to die before you're satisfied?"

"You're a curse," she snapped. "Every time my son lays eyes on you, something bad happens. I never should have let him marry you in the first place."