After the breakup, I returned home to pack up my belongings. The person who opened the door wasn’t Aria, but a young man I didn’t recognize. He was wearing loose-fitting loungewear, and the scent of shower gel lingered on him. Anyone could tell at a glance that he was the owner of this place. He paused for a moment, a flash of understanding crossing his eyes, but he still pretended to be confused and asked, “Excuse me, who are you? Is there something I can help you with?” “I’m here to collect my things,” I replied, unable to suppress a sigh as the words left my mouth. This place was once the shared home of Aria and me, our cozy little nest where we lived together. I never imagined that right after our breakup, she would be so eager to bring another man home, and he would greet me as if he were the rightful owner. “Didn’t Aria tell you I was coming to pack up my stuff today?” I asked. Hearing my words, the man finally put on an act of sudden realization, “Oh, so you must be Mr. Liam?” He smiled slightly, his words laced with sarcasm, “Aria’s memory hasn’t been great since she woke up. It’s understandable that she might forget some unimportant things.” I nodded silently and walked past him into the apartment. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice: “This might have been your home once, but it’s not anymore.” I turned to see Aria standing with her arms crossed, looking at me coldly. “Mr. Liam, although I’ve forgotten many things, I hope you can be sensible.” “When you’re packing, don’t take anything that doesn’t belong to you.” Her face was impassive, as if she had truly lost her memory. But I knew that all of this was just an act. Why did it have to be like this? If she no longer had feelings for me, she could have simply said she wanted to break up. I would have left gracefully, never to bother her again. Why pretend to have amnesia, making everything so awkward? This wasn’t just insulting me; it was trampling on the beautiful memories we once shared… I swallowed the bitterness in my heart and replied briefly, “I don’t have a habit of stealing.” With that, I walked into the bedroom and started packing my suitcase. Aria and her new boyfriend stood nearby, watching me like supervisors. They flirted and joked around from time to time, just as she used to do with me. She used to love cuddling in my arms, acting coy, as if she wanted to melt into me. Now, these intimate gestures were directed at someone else. I didn’t have many possessions – just a few clothes and some daily necessities. I finished packing quickly. Standing up, I said to Aria, “Miss Aria, do you want to check?” “You’d better make sure now whether I’ve stolen anything of yours or not.” She didn’t answer, just waved her hand, gesturing for me to leave quickly. I picked up my suitcase and walked straight out of the apartment. The cold door slammed shut behind me. I took a deep breath, my eyes stinging a little. If it weren’t for those memories, perhaps I would feel a bit better. I took out my phone, hesitated for a moment, and finally dialed the doctor’s number. “I’ve made up my mind. I’ll come to the hospital soon to discuss the surgery plan…” “It doesn’t matter if I lose my memory.” “I don’t have any important memories worth keeping anymore.” Due to the presence of a brain tumor, I often suffered from headaches. Originally, I had planned to keep this secret to myself, not letting anyone know. Even Aria, I didn’t intend to tell her. Because the doctor told me that although the tumor was currently benign, there was a potential risk of it becoming malignant. Early removal surgery was the best course of action, but— Since the tumor was adjacent to nerves, the surgery carried some risks. It could potentially lead to partial memory loss after the operation, and whether recovery was possible remained uncertain. In the past, I viewed my memories as treasures, fearing to forget even the smallest important moments and people in my life. But after breaking up with Aria, this worry seemed to gradually dissipate, as I felt I had nothing left to cherish. She was willing to fabricate lies to push me away, to deny the beautiful moments between us. So why should I stubbornly hold onto them? I went to the hospital and confirmed the details of the surgery plan with the doctor. The next practical issue I faced was raising funds for the surgery. I was an art student, majoring in fine arts, and had dabbled in photography after graduation. With these skills, my life was relatively comfortable, but the high cost of living in New York City meant I hadn’t been able to save much in two years. Just as I was leaving the hospital, at a loss about how to fund the surgery, a familiar voice softly called out, “Liam?” I turned around to see Aria not far away, along with her current boyfriend, Jack. I nodded slightly in greeting, then prepared to leave. But Aria pursued, asking, “Are you feeling unwell?” I frowned slightly, casually brushing it off, “It’s nothing, just a routine check-up.” Aria stared at me, her eyes a mix of concern and confusion. She seemed to want to say something but closed her mouth instead. Huh… Wasn’t she pretending to have amnesia? What act is she putting on now? Jack, sensing something amiss, interjected, “Aria, I told you it was just a minor cold, yet you took half a day off work to worry.” His words seemed apologetic but were actually boastful. See, she cares so much about my little cold that she took time off work to accompany me. And you? All alone, how pitiful! I found their behavior both childish and tiresome, and couldn’t be bothered to engage. As another headache struck, I didn’t want to show weakness in front of Aria, so I turned to leave. Unexpectedly, Jack approached me, asking, “Mr. Liam, you don’t look well.” “Aria was planning to make some health supplements for me. Why don’t you join us for dinner at our place?” I was quite surprised and involuntarily glanced at Aria. We had lived together, so of course I knew she could cook, though I had never tasted her cooking. “No need,” I said, starting to walk away before I had finished speaking. “Don’t be so polite,” Jack persisted, trying to show off further. He grabbed my hand and said, “Where are you headed? How about letting Aria drive you?” “I’m like family to her now, she’ll listen to me. Don’t feel shy, just ask for what you want.” The headache made me increasingly irritable. I yanked my hand away abruptly, “I said, I don’t need it.” I barely used any force, but Jack stumbled and fell to the ground. He frowned, looking somewhat angry, “Mr. Liam, I kindly invited you to dinner and offered you a ride. It’s fine if you refuse, but why did you have to get physical?” His boasting was so obvious, his intentions clear as day! I couldn’t believe a grown man could be so shameless! “What are you doing?!” Aria approached, her face cold as she questioned me. “I didn’t push him!” I stood my ground, refusing to admit fault. Hearing this, Aria’s expression darkened further, “Are you saying Jack fell on his own?” Even if that was the truth, who would believe it? I could see a glimmer of sly satisfaction in Jack’s eyes. “Apologize!” Aria commanded me, “You should know the consequences of offending me…” “I am the heiress of the Aria family, if I make a move…” As the heiress of the Aria family, Aria had enough background and power to make it impossible for me to survive in New York City. Around us, many passersby had stopped to watch. “This guy seems quite ungrateful, doesn’t he? They kindly invited him, and not only was his attitude terrible, but he even got physical?” “What a loser, disgusting!” “Hmph… I bet this guy doesn’t have many friends. Is he jealous of the happy couple?” Faced with the crowd’s condemnation, I clenched my fists helplessly. Jack got up from the ground, holding Aria’s hand, and said, “It’s okay, I’m fine.” “I just didn’t expect Mr. Liam to have such a bad temper. It’s a good thing you broke up with him early, Aria. I can’t imagine what might have happened otherwise.” Hearing these words, the onlookers’ criticism became even more intense, directly labeling me as an “abusive boyfriend.” Aria just looked on coldly, showing no intention of defending me. Instead, she said sternly, “Apologize!” Forced by the circumstances, I had to lower my head, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed you…” I reversed black and white, trampling on my own character and dignity. “Is that enough?” I asked Aria, my heart as dead as ashes, but noticed her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. As I turned to leave, feeling dispirited, she called out somewhat uncertainly, “Liam!” I heard her footsteps, but Jack held her back, “Aria, I’m feeling a bit dizzy. Let’s go home.” Go ahead. You go to your home, and I’ll go to my rented room. It’s best if we never cross paths again. I’m really tired. I don’t want to have any more entanglements with Aria. That day, my boss assigned me a big project. It required not only photography but also hand-drawing a portrait. In the entire studio, I was the only one capable of taking on such a commission. According to my boss, this client was extremely generous. There was hope for my surgery fees, so I accepted without hesitation. However, I later discovered that it was Jack who had specifically sought out our studio and placed this order. I needed to photograph them as a couple and draw a loving portrait of them… Time flew by, and I arrived at the scheduled beach with my equipment. Out of habit, I knew from which angles to shoot to best capture Aria’s beauty. No matter who she was posing with, I could take the most perfect pictures. Based on this foundation, poses like gazing into each other’s eyes, embracing, and kissing became the icing on the cake. The entire photoshoot went very smoothly, with frame after frame of sweet moments frozen in time as I pressed the shutter. Throughout the process, my heart remained as calm as a dry well, without a ripple or a splash. Towards the end, I still needed to discuss with them which photo they wanted to use as the reference for the hand-drawn portrait. Jack took the camera and flipped through the photos, “Mr. Liam’s photography skills are really good, and his attitude is quite impressive too. It doesn’t seem to affect you at all.” The sarcasm in his words was clear, but what did it matter? This was just work, after all. “I’m glad you like them,” I replied calmly. Soon, Aria and Jack picked out a photo. “Let’s use this one for the oil painting,” they said. In the picture, they were facing away from the sunset, holding hands and smiling, their expressions sweet. The brilliant sunset painted everything in a beautiful light. I glanced at Aria discreetly. Back then, our first photo together also had a sunset as the backdrop. At that time, we were still shy, our awkwardness revealing our innocence and purity. I wonder if she still keeps that photo now? Never mind, whether she kept it or threw it away, it has nothing to do with me anymore. I packed my equipment into my bag and took a taxi home alone. Once I complete this commission and get paid, I can have the surgery. What will I forget then? I hope it’s Aria. I don’t want to hurt anymore. It would be best, best of all, if I never remember her again. Our love should die at its most beautiful moment. But life seemed to offer me no hope. Something happened with Jack.
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