FORGET ME, LOVE ME AGAIN

Chapter 11

Anna swallowed hard, nodding. “I’m here.”

Juliet’s expression darkened, but she forced a tight smile. “Noah, you need to rest. Don’t push yourself.”

Noah’s brows furrowed slightly as if trying to remember something. Then, his expression shifted—confusion, frustration. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.

Anna’s stomach twisted. Something wasn’t right.

“Noah,” she said gently. “Do you know where you are?”

His eyes flickered between her and his mother, hesitation evident in his face. Then, after a moment, he whispered, “I… I don’t remember.”

Anna felt the blood drain from her face.

Juliet gasped. “What do you mean you don’t remember?”

Noah struggled to sit up, wincing at the pain in his head. “Everything is… blank. I don’t—” He turned to Anna again, searching her face. “Who are you?”

Anna’s heart shattered into a million pieces.

Juliet, on the other hand, had an entirely different reaction.

A slow, almost victorious smile crept onto her lips.

“Well,” she said smoothly, turning to Anna. “Looks like Noah truly is getting a fresh start.”

Anna could barely process what she was hearing. Her mind raced, and for a moment, she couldn’t even breathe. He didn’t remember her. After everything they’d been through, after the love they shared, after their past, he didn’t remember her at all.

“Noah…” Anna whispered, stepping closer to the bed. “It’s me. It’s Anna.”

But he didn’t seem to recognize her, his confused eyes only growing more distant as his mother pressed closer, her presence suffocating.

“Sweetheart,” Juliet cooed, as if Anna wasn’t even in the room. “It’s okay. You don’t need to remember her. You’ve been through so much, and you’re going to be fine. We’ll start fresh. Everything will be just like it was before.”

Anna’s chest tightened, and she felt the ground beneath her feet shift. She had come here to help him, to try and mend what was broken, but in that moment, it seemed hopeless. Juliet was already working her way back into Noah’s life, claiming him as her own, as she always had.

Anna stepped back, trying to hold onto the last shred of control. “You’re right, Noah. You need to rest. You need to heal,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “But when you’re ready, when you remember, I’ll be here.”

With that, Anna turned and walked out of the room, her heart heavy. As she closed the door behind her, she could hear Juliet’s voice inside, soothing Noah, telling him everything would be okay. But the words felt hollow. The woman who had always been a barrier between them was now even more of a threat, and Anna wasn’t sure if Noah would ever remember the love they had—or if he would ever want to.