His Amnesia, Their Perfect Lie

Cole Sullivan's intermittent amnesia has lasted for three years. Every so often, he'll forget me and fall hopelessly in love with my younger sister, Roselle White. The night before our wedding, he loses his memory again. I sit right beside his hospital bed, yet his eyes pass over me as if I weren't there and land once again on Roselle. Mom and Dad have long since gotten used to smoothing things over. "Rach, you know about Cole's condition. Don't take it personally." I make an excuse to leave. Halfway down the hall, I realize I've forgotten my phone. I've just reached the door when I hear my family laughing and talking inside the room. "So, Cole, how do you plan to tell Rachel about your wedding with Roselle?" Mom asks. "I'll book her a trip around Eurora. By the time she gets back, everything will be settled," Cole answers. "And when you do 'marry' Rachel, we can give her a fake marriage certificate to fool her for a while," Dad adds with a laugh. Roselle sounds hesitant. "What if Rach finds out?" "Then, she finds out," Cole says indifferently. "Saves us the trouble of coming up with more lies, anyway." I stand outside the door, my fingertips turning cold. It turns out his so-called intermittent amnesia in the last three years has been a mere performance, written and directed for me alone to watch. I sink to the floor and slowly pull off the glaring engagement ring I've been wearing, then toss it into the trash can in the hallway. Since no one here truly cares about me, I'll give them exactly what they want and disappear from their lives for good. Chapter 1 When I finally got to my feet, my legs still felt weak. It wasn't until a tear landed on the back of my hand that I realized I was crying. Mom suddenly appeared before me. "Why are you crying again? Cole's been sick with this condition for years. Do you really have to cry about it every single day? "And besides, what do you think Roselle is going to feel when she sees you crying like this? You're going to upset her, too!" Maybe because I hadn't said a word for so long, Mom finally softened her tone. "Be a good girl, Rach. Just do it for me and stop crying, okay? Come inside with me. You know what you're supposed to do, right?" I looked up at her. My eyes were blurred with tears, and I couldn't make out her expression. But I knew she was impatient with me. Before I could collect myself, I was already dragged into the room. Seeing the tear streaks on my face, everyone looked gloomy, especially Cole Sullivan. He looked at me coldly. "So, you're my girlfriend? Sorry, but I don't remember you." Then, he turned to Roselle White. "I think I just fell in love with Rosie. As for you and me… We're done." Everyone was watching me, waiting for me to do what I had always done—to agree without a word, then help pave the way for Cole and Roselle to be together. I wanted to smile as I had in the past, but the more I tried, the more impossible it became. At that, Roselle's eyes quickly filled with tears. "Rach, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. If it bothers you, I'll leave right now." She turned as if to walk out, but she didn't get far. Dad caught her by the arm. "Rosie, this isn't your fault. No one can control matters of the heart," he said. "Rach, apologize to your sister now!" I looked up. "Shouldn't she be the one apologizing? Why am I the one who has to beg her to be with my boyfriend—" A sharp slap across my face cut me off. It came from Mom. "What are you talking about? Rosie didn't do it on purpose. How can you say something like that to her?" The slap was so hard that I could barely hear what she was saying. As I watched her mouth opening and closing in front of me, the corner of my lips curved into a bitter smile. Let this slap be the end of whatever bond we had left as mother and daughter. I no longer wanted my family. I no longer wanted my boyfriend either. "Fine. We're breaking up." Chapter 2 My compromise allowed everyone in the room to breathe a sigh of relief. Little did they know, this surrender would buy me permanent freedom. Cole, still lying in the hospital bed, suddenly asked, "Where's your ring?" I lowered my eyes to my ring finger. It was bare. I brushed him off casually. "Oh, I left it at home." Then, as if reminded of something, he explained, "I only asked because I noticed the ring on my own finger." I nodded, pretending I understood what he was going through. Whenever Cole lost his memory, it was almost as if he became a completely different person. Once, I was riding my bike to work when a car suddenly cut me off. I lost my balance and hit the ground hard. A familiar car passed right by me—it was Cole's. He didn't slow down for even a second. Back then, I told myself he must not have seen me. Maybe he wasn't even in the car. Today, I knew I could no longer lie to myself. Beside me, Roselle chimed in, "The ring is so pretty, Cole. I want one, too." As soon as her words fell, everyone's gaze turned to me again. They couldn't be any more direct. They wanted me to give in again. I walked out of the hospital room, grabbed a tissue, and started digging through the trash can. Thankfully, there wasn't much in it, so I found the ring quickly. It was sticky and grimy, with who-knew-what smeared all over it. I walked over to Roselle and handed it to her with a smile. "Here. A set with Cole's." Without a second thought, Roselle slipped it onto her finger. "Rach, seriously? Have you no sense of hygiene? Why is this ring all sticky?" she complained with obvious disgust. I smiled. "Because I just pulled it out of the trash. Do you like it?" Immediately, she screamed. Just like that, the engagement ring I had spent two months custom-making was hurled out the window. The moment Roselle's eyes brimmed with tears again, Cole ripped the IV needle from the back of his hand. "Enough, Rachel! How could you do something like that? Don't you know how much you've hurt Rosie?" He stood there, glaring down at me, but I felt nothing anymore. "And how about when you fall in love with her every single time you lose your memory? Did you ever stop to think about how much you were hurting me?" Of course, he didn't. I stared at the thin streak of blood the needle left on the back of Cole's hand, momentarily lost in thought. Cole had always been terrified of pain. Back when he was himself, I was always afraid he would get hurt. Even the smallest cut on his hand was enough to make my heart ache. Now, I felt absolutely nothing. When Cole noticed me staring at the back of his hand, he looked slightly uneasy. "Are you going to bandage it for me?" I shook my head without thinking. "No. Have Roselle do it. We've broken up. It wouldn't be appropriate anymore." Cole's expression darkened, but he still nodded. "Cole, my hand feels a little uncomfortable," Roselle said softly, carefully wrapping her arms around him. "Could you come with me and help me disinfect it?" He parted his lips, as if he wanted to explain something to me, but I walked away without looking back. Whatever we had before, I wanted none of it. Chapter 3 My wedding with Cole was scheduled for next week. His episodes of amnesia usually lasted about two weeks, which meant he and Roselle could get married without a hitch next week, and I could finally leave everything behind. When I got home, the first thing I did was hand in my resignation to my boss. Once I finished handing over my work, I would be free to leave. But clearly, Roselle wasn't content with the situation. Less than two days later, she showed up at my door in tears and had the lock picked—literally. I had changed the door code the moment I got home, and I had also put my family and Cole on the apartment complex's blacklist. Still, I never expected them to find a way in anyway. The moment Cole stepped inside, he started yelling at me. "Rachel, why did you change the door code?" I was speechless. "Because we're no longer together. What's wrong with me changing the code?" He was stumped. I knew that in the past, I would never have talked back to him. Now, I was becoming less and less willing to let things slide. "Still, you can't just blacklist all of us!" Roselle argued. "Besides, this place isn't just yours. What gives you the right to block Cole, too?" I looked at her, genuinely confused. "Have you ever considered that maybe this is actually my place? What's wrong with me blocking you?" My response threw Roselle off. She turned to Cole with a wounded look, and he immediately became eager to defend her. "Rachel, I'm here today to tell you some good news. I found a booking on my phone for a two-person trip around Eurora. I'm guessing I planned it for the two of us. "I have to go on a business trip next week, so why don't you go on the tour by yourself?" I pondered briefly. Good thing I hadn't decided where to go to clear my head yet. A free trip was a free trip, so why not? "Sure." The moment I agreed, I could visibly see Cole and Roselle relax. Maybe because I was being more cooperative than they had expected, he wired me 7,000 dollars. The remarks read, "Breakup fee." I didn't say a word and accepted it. "Rachel, I remember your grandmother left you a necklace," Cole said, suddenly changing the subject. Only then did I realize what he was really after. The gemstone on the necklace Grandma left me was incredibly rare. It was practically priceless. I glanced at the 7,000 dollars I had just received and secretly scoffed. That amount wasn't even a fraction of what the necklace was worth. But thankfully, he reminded me. "What do you want?" "It's just that I have a friend who's getting married next week. I was wondering if she could borrow your necklace for the wedding." I glanced at the "friend" Cole was talking about, Roselle, whose eyes were gleaming with excitement. Of course, I knew she had been dreaming of having that necklace for years. All this time, I had never agreed to give or lend it to her. But now… "Sure. But I need to find it first. Why don't you come by this weekend to pick it up?" At that, Roselle threw her arms around Cole in excitement. He was the first to remember I was still standing there. "S-Sorry." "It's alright," I said. "If there's nothing else, you can leave. I'm a little tired." For once, they actually listened. They headed for the door together, but as Roselle passed me, she couldn't resist a little mocking chuckle. "Everything you have belongs to me, Rach." "Well, good luck." My belongings weren’t so easy to take. Chapter 4 Once Roselle and Cole were gone, I took out the necklace Grandma had left me. Under the light, the gemstone shimmered with strange, brilliant flashes of color. Without a doubt, it was worth a fortune. I pulled up Amazon and used the necklace as a reference.I had mastered every one of Grandma’s jewelry-making techniques, so making a replica would be a piece of cake. The other thing I needed to deal with was the apartment. It wasn't a particularly large place, but I had bought it with every penny I had saved over the years. Mom and Dad had planned to sell it and set the proceeds aside for Roselle’s future. So, before that could happen, I needed to sell it myself. I contacted a real estate agent. Less than two days later, I found a buyer. It was a young couple. They took one look at the place and wanted to sign the contract on the spot. I agreed, though I thought I should make a few things clear first. For one, my family and Cole were probably keeping an eye on the place. There was a good chance they would come looking for trouble after the sale. The couple exchanged a glance, then, almost in unison, rolled up their sleeves. Their biceps were absolutely massive. "Don't worry, girl. My husband is a martial arts coach, while I'm a wrestling champion. I’d like to see anyone try to cause trouble for us." That put my mind at ease. I told them they could keep all the furniture and use whatever they wanted. I only asked them to get rid of anything they didn't need. They readily agreed. … By the weekend, Cole and my family all showed up. I invited them inside. When I took out the necklace, everyone was stunned by its beauty. "No wonder Rach never let us see this necklace all these years. It looks incredibly expensive!" Mom was practically grinning from ear to ear. I knew right away that the necklace wasn't simply going to end up around Roselle's neck. More likely, Mom would seize it from her and send it straight to an auction house. I couldn't help but smile. Seeing how happy I looked, Mom inched closer. "Rach, since you're going traveling and won't be staying here for some time, why don't you…" I immediately understood what she was getting at and nodded. "Feel free to stay here, as long as you don’t make a mess. “After all, I’ve already sold the place.”