Episode 3: The One Who Loved Me First
1014 Words
A Love That Once Was
Claire Lancaster.
The girl who had loved him first. The only girl who had ever loved him so deeply, so selflessly, that she gave up parts of herself just to be with him.
She had waited for him when he was busy chasing promotions. She had fought for him when their love was tested. She had believed in him—even when he had stopped believing in them.
And now?
She didn’t even remember his name.
Ethan clenched his jaw, gripping the edge of the café table as he watched Claire from across the room. She was sitting by the window, sipping a cup of coffee, oblivious to the storm raging inside him.
He had been the first and only boyfriend she had ever had.
She had told him that once, late at night, when she was curled up in his arms, her voice soft with affection.
"I never wanted anyone else, Ethan," she had whispered, tracing circles on his chest. "It’s always been you."
And now, she was falling for someone else.
Ryan.
Ethan’s stomach twisted.
How the hell was this happening?
In another life, in another time, he had been her entire world.
Now, she was slipping away from him faster than he could hold onto her.
No.
He wouldn’t allow it.
The War for Claire’s Heart Begins
It had been two weeks since Ethan woke up in this world.
Two weeks of watching Claire fall for another man.
Ryan had taken the role that belonged to him. He walked Claire to class. He bought her coffee. He sat beside her during study sessions, making her laugh—the way Ethan used to.
And the worst part?
Claire was letting it happen.
She had always been careful with love. In the world Ethan remembered, Claire had been shy about dating, cautious about who she let into her heart.
She had given herself only to him.
But now, Ryan was breaking through those walls effortlessly. And Ethan was losing.
He had to do something.
Something big.
Something that would make her see him—not as just another classmate, but as the man she was meant to be with.
The Challenge—Winning Her All Over Again
Ethan had spent hours thinking of a way to force Claire to see him again—really see him.
And then, one evening, as he watched her and Ryan laughing outside the university auditorium, an idea struck him.
If Claire wouldn’t remember their past… he would make her relive it.
He would recreate every single moment of their love story—every milestone, every stolen glance, every kiss that had once belonged to him.
And if fate thought it could erase him from Claire’s heart, then Ethan would carve his way back into it.
One memory at a time.
Memory One: The Rain That Started It All
In the world Ethan remembered, the first time Claire had truly seen him was in the rain.
She had been drenched, standing outside the university library, hugging a pile of books to her chest. The storm had been unforgiving, drenching her clothes, making her shiver.
Ethan had walked past her—until something in his chest told him to stop.
He had taken off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.
And when she looked up at him, her eyes had softened.
That had been the beginning of everything.
So now, Ethan waited.
He had checked the weather forecast. A storm was coming.
And Claire? She was sitting inside the library, exactly where she had been that day.
The sky darkened. The first drops of rain began to fall.
Ethan’s heart pounded.
This was it.
Any second now, Claire would step outside. She would be cold, wet, and shivering. And Ethan would be there, just like before.
Then—the library doors opened.
Ethan straightened.
Claire stepped out—but she wasn’t alone.
Ryan was beside her, holding an umbrella over her head.
Ethan’s stomach plummeted.
His moment—their moment—was gone.
Instead of running into Ethan’s arms like she once had, Claire was walking away with Ryan.
Under his umbrella.
Laughing.
Looking at him the way she used to look at Ethan.
A deep, raw rage surged through Ethan’s veins.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.
This was his memory. His Claire. His moment.
Ryan had taken everything.
No.
Not this time.
Ethan’s Obsession Grows
That night, Ethan barely slept.
His mind raced with thoughts of Claire.
How she used to whisper his name when she was falling asleep.
How she used to cling to him like he was her entire world.
How she had loved him more than anyone else ever could.
And now, she was slipping through his fingers.
For the first time, a dark thought entered his mind.
"What if Ryan never existed?"
His heart pounded violently at the idea.
No. That wasn’t who he was.
He wasn’t that kind of person.
But as he lay awake, staring at the ceiling, he realized something terrifying.
If he lost Claire completely, he wasn’t sure what he was capable of anymore.
The Ultimate Test—Claire’s First Date With Ryan
The final blow came when Ethan overheard Claire talking to her friends.
"So… Ryan asked me out," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "And… I think I might say yes."
Ethan’s vision blurred.
This was it.
His last chance.
If Claire went on that date, he would lose her forever.
He had to stop it.
But how?
He had to do something so big, so undeniable, that Claire would be drawn to him again—no matter what.
And suddenly, it hit him.
There was one memory he hadn’t tried to recreate yet.
The night he had told Claire he loved her for the first time.
A night that had changed everything.
A night that—if done right—could bring her back to him.
Even if it meant breaking every rule of this world to do it.
(To Be Continued…)
- Writer
