Chapter 1

Cecily Sweeney lost her memory in a car accident. She could recall everyone except Clyde Steiner. Her best friend, Evelyn Steiner, had stayed with her for days. Evelyn's expression shifted completely when she realized Cecily didn't remember Clyde. "Cece, it's just us here. Tell me. Are you pulling some new stunt to play hard to get? Is this your way of getting Clyde's attention?" Cecily looked bewildered, her eyes clouded with confusion. "No, I honestly don't remember. Who is he?" "You're not lying? Swear to me!" Confronted with Evelyn's skepticism, Cecily didn't hesitate and swore earnestly. Her solemn promise left Evelyn shaken. Evelyn seized Cecily by the shoulders and gave her a hard shake. "You actually lost your memory? And the only person you forgot is Clyde?" Cecily couldn't understand why this was such a big deal. She couldn't help but press for more details. "Who is Clyde, exactly?" Evelyn's expression shifted, and she looked at her with exasperation. She had no choice but to explain everything. "Clyde is my brother. When you used to come over to hang out at our place, you fell for him the moment you saw him and spent seven years trying to win him over..." As Evelyn continued, Cecily's mind went completely blank. "So, is he my boyfriend now?" A hint of unease crossed Evelyn's face. "No. Clyde was cold toward you. He was already in love with someone else. He turned you down and rejected everyone else who pursued him. The only person he cared about was his first love, Isabel Jacoby. "When they broke up, he was devastated. He drank nonstop, ended up in the hospital, and nearly died. He never truly got over her. "Actually, the reason he left you stranded on the highway in the pouring rain was that he went to pick up Isabel, who was returning to the country. That's when you got into the car accident and lost your memory." Those few words left Cecily shocked and at a loss for words, her face a whirlwind of emotions. "If what you're saying is true—that Clyde treats me so coldly, that he's in love with someone else, and that he even hurt me for her—then what do I see in him? You're not lying to me, are you?" "Why would I lie? Everyone knows you're totally hung up on Clyde." Evelyn shook her head and quickly handed Cecily's phone to her, motioning for her to unlock it. Cecily took it with a doubtful look and entered a familiar set of numbers, but the password didn't go through. "Your password isn't your celebrity crush's birthday anymore. It's Clyde's—0715!" Cecily unlocked her phone using the password Evelyn had provided. She opened the photo gallery and saw the screen filled with thousands of pictures of a man she didn't recognize. She stared at his incredibly handsome face for a long moment before finally realizing that Evelyn had probably been right. Clyde's looks were totally her type. But in each of those secretly snapped photos, taken from every angle, his eyes seemed cold whenever they fell on her. Cecily felt a heavy pressure in her chest as she looked through the photos. Then, she opened the memo app. Inside, she found endless notes about Clyde—his likes, dislikes, and even the things he couldn't tolerate. There were also daily diary entries where she had poured out her feelings of unrequited love. "It was the seventh Valentine's Day. I'd spent two weeks rehearsing my confession, but just like I figured, you shot me down again. Clyde, you told me we had no future, yet I still couldn't walk away." "You got drunk again tonight. You mistook me for her and kept calling out her name. You said you couldn't get over her, that even though you knew she'd never feel the same way about you, you'd still give up everything for her. Right then, I realized we were both just love-struck fools." Even though Cecily had lost her memories, she could still feel the raw pain and hopelessness in those words. Her heart ached like it had been pierced by a needle, sending waves of sharp, lingering pain through her. Her nose burned, and her eyes stung with unshed tears. She stayed rooted to the spot, unable to collect herself for a long while. The hospital room stayed silent for an eternity before Evelyn finally spoke up. "So, what are you going to do now? Are you planning to continue with the treatment? My uncle's a top psychiatrist, but he's overseas at the moment. If you—" "Don't bother. Even if I don't remember Clyde, I can tell that loving him must've hurt. Maybe it's better this way." Cecily took a deep breath and lowered her head. She erased every photo and note. Evelyn gaped at her. She was about to speak when her phone rang. She answered the call briefly before snatching up her bag and hurrying out the door. Her only words were, "I've got to handle something at home. Cece, just focus on recovering. I'll be back as soon as I can." The door shut firmly behind her. Just as Cecily was about to lie down and rest, she got a call from home. "Cece, remember when I told you about that childhood marriage arrangement? It's been put off for years now. Have you thought about it at all?" Mary Fennell, Cecily's mother, had already prepared herself for rejection. This phone call was her final attempt. But after a short pause, Cecily surprised her by saying, "Okay, Mom. I'll come home when I wrap things up here and go through with the marriage." Mary was so startled by the response that her voice came through the phone thick with disbelief. "What did you just say? You're not hung up on your best friend's brother anymore? "You refused to return to Harlport just to stay in Jorleton for him. What changed all of a sudden after years of chasing him?" Cecily didn't know how to explain her memory loss, and she didn't want her family to stress over her involvement in the car accident. After a brief pause, she answered vaguely, "I don't feel anything for him now. And I never will again."