Before You Forget Me

The Forgotten Birthday

Iris stared at the message until the screen slowly went dark.

"This is only the beginning."

Her fingers trembled as she read those words over and over again.

Someone knew what had happened.

Someone was watching her.

"Iris?"

Chloe's voice pulled her back to reality.

"Are you okay? You look pale."

Iris quickly locked her phone and forced a smile.

"I'm fine."

But she wasn't.

Not after what had just happened.

The rest of the day felt unusually long. No matter where she went, she couldn't stop thinking about Ethan's eyes.

They were the same eyes she had loved for years.

Yet they held no memory of her.

That night, Iris returned home exhausted.

She dropped onto her bed and noticed the calendar hanging beside her desk.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow was her birthday.

A small smile appeared on her lips.

No matter how terrible today had been, birthdays always reminded her of happier times.

Every year, Chloe was the first person to greet her at exactly midnight.

She never forgot.

Maybe tomorrow would make everything feel normal again.

At exactly 12:00 a.m., Iris waited for her phone to ring.

One minute passed.

Then five.

Then ten.

Nothing.

No messages.

No calls.

She frowned.

Maybe Chloe had fallen asleep.

Trying not to overthink it, Iris placed her phone beside her pillow and closed her eyes.

The next morning...

She woke up to complete silence.

No birthday messages.

No missed calls.

Confused, she opened her social media accounts.

Friends were posting photos of their day.

Some were chatting happily in their group conversation.

Not a single person greeted her.

Her smile slowly faded.

Just then, Chloe entered the classroom carrying a small paper bag.

Relief washed over Iris.

She stood up immediately.

"I knew you wouldn't forget."

Chloe looked at her in confusion.

"Forget what?"

"My birthday."

A brief silence filled the room.

Then Chloe laughed awkwardly.

"Your birthday?"

"I'm sorry, Iris... I didn't know today's your birthday."

Iris froze.

"What do you mean?"

"We've been best friends since we were kids."

"You've celebrated every birthday with me."

Chloe's smile slowly disappeared.

"I'm really sorry..."

"But I don't remember any of that."

At that exact moment...

Iris's phone vibrated.

Another message from the unknown number appeared.

**'One memory has disappeared.'**