I Lost the Memory of the Man I Love after an Accident - Chapter 4

A sharp voice broke through.

What the hell is this? Katarina snapped, snatching the crumpled card from his hand.

Is this a joke? That [ __ ] is really getting married, and she sends this on your birthday.

What is she trying to say? Humiliate us.

Dylan said nothing.

His thoughts were too loud, too jumbled.

Katarina kept ranting.

And Vincent, seriously, that’s who she picked.

Don’t tell me you believe this crap.

It’s fake.

I know it is.

She turned, eyes landing on someone nearby.

Alice, she called, spotting Dylan’s sister.

Is this real? Is Reese actually getting married? Alice froze.

Then her eyes narrowed.

Yes, she is.

Katarina scoffed.

Please.

That clingy little stalker probably made that up just to feel important.

She lies all the time.

Like when she claimed I hit her.

You did hit her.

Alice snapped.

Katarina rolled her eyes.

I didn’t.

She’s just making things up like always.

Alice pulled out her phone, tapped it, and thrust it into Katarina’s face.

Funny, because the CCTV at the bridal shop doesn’t lie.

on the screen.

Katarina raising a vase and smashing it down on Teresa’s head.

Katarina pald.

That’s out of context.

No, it’s not.

Alice’s voice shook with fury.

You heard her.

And if you don’t do something about it, then I will.

She turned to Dylan, eyes blazing.

Katarina will never be good enough for you.

I’ve stayed quiet because you’re my brother.

But not anymore.

Katarina clutched Dylan’s arm with fake innocence.

She’s scaring me, Dylan.

Alice scoffed.

“Whatever.

Be with her, then be blind.

I don’t care.

I don’t even see you as my brother anymore.” “Stop,” Dylan said, stepping between them.

“Just because of Ree, you’re really going to hate me.” Alice stared at him.

“If you were my family, Dylan, you wouldn’t keep hurting the people I love, especially not someone who genuinely loved you.” That hit like a bullet.

Someone who genuinely loved you.

And just like that, the memories crashed in.

She remembered when he had a terrible fever and told no one.

Reese found out somehow showed up with medicine in the pouring rain.

She stayed all night.

Even when he told her to leave, she remembered how she drove hours just because he mentioned a craving for that spicy fried chicken no one sold nearby.

She never said a word.

It just showed up.

She remembered how she always remembered his small habits, the way he liked his coffee, how he hated cologne, how his right eye twitched when it rained.

She’d always been there.

and he’d called her a child, a silly, clingy kid who didn’t know when to stop.

But now that same child was marrying someone else.

Alice walked out without another word.

Dylan didn’t stop her.

Beside him, Katarina sniffled dramatically.

I just I feel so hurt.

Your sister hates me for no reason, and she’s defending that liar.

I don’t get it.

Dylan slowly pulled back from her embrace.

Looked her in the eye for the first time.

Really looked? Did you really hit her? he asked, voice flat.

Katarina blinked.

Dylan, did you try to kill Reese? He repeated louder this time.

Her eyes widened.

I didn’t mean to hurt her.

I just I lost control.

She kept provoking me and that’s not what I asked.

Silence fell.

Something shifted.

The next morning, Dylan buried himself in work.

He arrived early, determined to lose himself in spreadsheets and backto-back meetings.

He didn’t want to think about Reese’s message.

He didn’t want to think about the tightness in his chest after Alice said she was really getting married.

He didn’t want to admit why it mattered.

In the boardroom, executives discussed expansion strategies.

Dylan nodded, gave input, but his mind was elsewhere.

Even the coffee tasted like ash.

As the meeting ended, the glass doors to his office slammed open.

What the hell, Dylan? Katarina stormed in, heels clacking, her eyes wild with rage.

Why aren’t you answering your phone? She waved her screen.

20 missed calls.

We were supposed to finalize the catering today.

She flung her bag onto the table.

We’re getting married in a few weeks and you’re treating it like a business errand.

I forgot.

Dylan muttered, rubbing his temples.

Katarina froze.

You forgot? She echoed, stunned.

You never forget anything.

What is going on with you? He didn’t respond.

She stared at him, jaw tight.

Is this about Ree again? Silence.

So what? You’re mad now because you found out I was the one who hit her.

Seriously, you said it yourself.

You hated her.

I did it for you.

I didn’t mean it.

She pissed me off.

It’s not my fault she’s weak.

Dylan’s jaw clenched.

Katarina’s voice dropped.

So, it was true? She asked.

The rumors about you trying to drown her.

Were they real? She faltered as he looked away.

That’s the thing he finally said.

I didn’t care before.

But now, after everything Alice had said, after remembering the quiet ways Ree had loved him, her love had been real, and he’d thrown it away.

Katarina stepped closer.

“So what now?” she whispered.

“You going to apologize?” “Go crawling back.” After everything I did for you, Dylan still didn’t speak.

Seeing his silence, her fury shattered into tears.

“I can’t believe this,” she sobbed.

“You’re choosing her over me?” He stepped forward, hugged her half-heartedly.

I’m sorry, he muttered.

Let’s just go shopping.

Buy anything you want, Katarina sniffled against his chest.

I promise, Dylan added hollowily.

I won’t think about her anymore.

But the truth was, no matter how many times he said it, he already was.

Meanwhile, in a cozy, sunlit restaurant across town, Ree sat opposite Vincent.

She hadn’t expected him to be her fianceé.

Vincent had always lingered on the edge.

charming, magnetic, dangerous.

He used to flirt with her subtly, even when Dylan had been her whole world.

But since reconnecting, she could finally breathe.

Vincent didn’t treat her like glass.

He didn’t dismiss her.

He saw her.

And for the first time, she felt cherished.

“I still think we should go with a duck conf,” Vincent said, lifting a fork full of truffle risoto to her lips.

“But I’ll let you in if you let me pick the wine.” Reys laughed.

The way he fed her, the way he looked at her, it didn’t make her nervous.

It made her feel safe.

“You’re glowing,” Vincent whispered, brushing a crumb from her mouth.

“I think I’m falling in love with you all over again.

Everyday,” she smiled shily.

“You say that every morning, and I mean it more each time.” What neither of them noticed, several tables behind them, hidden by a wall of potted plants.

Someone was watching.