Chapter 2

Allison Day POV:

Erik' s eyes, devoid of warmth, landed on my outstretched hand, then flicked away, dismissing me. The rejection was a physical blow, a fresh bruise on my already battered soul. I stumbled, my injured body protesting, and nearly fell. It was Barbie who spoke first, her voice a sickly sweet concern.

"Oh, Allison, darling, you look dreadful. Are you quite alright? Princess has been so worried about you." She pouted, her perfectly manicured hand stroking the dog' s fluffy head. Princess, sensing her cue, let out a tiny, aggressive yelp, baring miniature teeth at me.

I flinched back, the yelp cutting through the fragile remnants of my composure. Then, just as quickly, Princess tucked her tail and whimpered, burying her head into Barbie' s chest, a picture of innocent distress. Barbie looked up at Erik, her eyes wide and tearful.

"Oh, Erik, look. Allison's upset Princess. She's so delicate."

Erik' s jaw tightened. He didn' t even glance at me. His gaze was fixed on Barbie, on her feigned distress, on the dog he seemed to value more than his own family.

"Allison," he said, his voice a low growl. "What did I tell you? You always manage to upset Barbie, or Princess. Can't you be more careful?"

My breath hitched. "Careful?" I stared at him, my vision blurring. "Erik, look at me. I was just in a car crash. I lost our baby. I'm bleeding." I gestured wildly at the stain on my clothes, a desperate plea for him to see me.

Barbie gasped dramatically, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh my goodness! Allison, are you trying to get attention? You know how delicate Princess's stomach is. She's had such a fright already."

Erik' s cold eyes finally swept over me, lingering for a fraction of a second on the blood-soaked fabric. Then, his mouth twisted in disgust. "You're a mess, Allison. Just like always."

He walked towards me, not with concern, not with comfort, but with a terrifying anger. I braced myself, expecting a harsh word, a shove. Instead, he grabbed my arm, his grip surprisingly strong, sending a jolt of pain through my already aching side.

"You need to apologize to Barbie," he commanded, his voice raw with fury. "Now. For upsetting Princess. And for making such a scene."

My mind reeled. Apologize? For what? For bleeding? For losing a child? For existing? The bitterness rose in my throat, a metallic taste. I could feel the burning resentment bubbling up, mixed with an overwhelming sense of helplessness. Tears, hot and furious, finally streamed down my face.

"Apologize?" I choked out, trying to pull my arm free. "Erik, how can you? I lost our baby. Our son."

Barbie let out a theatrical sob. "Oh, Erik, she's so cruel! She knows how much I adore Princess. And now she's trying to make me feel bad about Princess's little upset stomach!" She held up a small, exquisitely wrapped box. "And look what she did to this! I found it on the floor downstairs. My new limited-edition diamond necklace. She must have dropped it on her way in, hoping to break it!"

My gaze fell on the box. It was the same one Erik had been talking about for weeks, the one he said was too expensive, too rare, for anyone but "his muse." He had gifted it to Barbie just moments before I arrived. And now, she was using it to accuse me.

"No, I didn't," I whispered, my voice barely a thread. "I found it. I kept it safe."

"Oh, Allison, don't lie," Barbie sniffed, her eyes darting to Erik. "You're just jealous. You always are."

"Allison," Erik said, his voice dangerously low. "You will apologize. You will stop lying. And you will stop causing trouble. Do you understand?"

I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. "Erik, please. Trust me. This isn't what happened. I'm hurt. I need your help." I looked into his eyes, searching for a flicker of the man I once knew, the man who had saved me, the man I swore my life to.

He took a step closer, and my heart inexplicably soared. He was coming to me. He would see. He would believe me.

But then, his hand shot out, not to comfort, but to push. He shoved me hard, sending me sprawling backwards. The impact sent a fresh, searing agony through my abdomen. I cried out, doubling over, my hands clutching my wounded side.

"Apologize!" he roared, his face contorted in a mask of fury. "Apologize to Barbie right now, or you'll regret it!"

I crumpled to the floor, gasping for breath, the pain a blinding white hot fire. Through the haze, I heard Barbie' s triumphant little giggle.

"I... I can't," I whispered, the words barely escaping my lips. My vision tunneled. The room spun. All I could feel was the burning in my stomach, the empty ache in my womb, and the crushing weight of Erik' s betrayal.

"You will, Allison," he snarled, bending down, his face a terrifying mask. "You will apologize for upsetting Princess, and upsetting Barbie, and making this entire evening about yourself."

He had forgotten. He had forgotten the baby. He had forgotten me. He had forgotten everything except his precious Barbie and her pampered dog.

The realization hit me with the force of a physical blow. This wasn't a misunderstanding. This wasn't a bad day. This wasn't the man I loved, lost to stress or ambition. This was Erik. And he had always been this cruel, this selfish. I had just been too blind, too desperate to see it. He had never truly loved me. He had only loved what I could do for him.

A cold, terrifying calm settled over me. The tears stopped. The pain, though still raging, seemed distant. A switch flipped inside me. I had given him everything. My life, my talents, my very self. And he had crushed it all, piece by piece, under the heel of his indifference.

"I am sorry," I rasped, the words tasting like poison. "I am sorry, Barbie. For upsetting Princess. And for everything." Each word was a tiny chip of my soul, breaking off and falling into the abyss.

Barbie beamed, a victorious smirk on her face. Erik straightened up, a look of grim satisfaction on his features. He didn't offer a hand to help me up. He didn't even look at me again. He just turned back to Barbie, stroking her hair, whispering reassurances.

I lay there for a long moment, the marble floor cold against my cheek. The glittering chandelier above seemed to mock me, its brilliance highlighting the stark reality of my humiliation. My perception of reality blurred around the edges. This couldn' t be my life. This couldn't be the man I had given everything to.

A thought, a desperate, terrifying thought, bloomed in the wasteland of my mind. What if I could just... erase it all? Erase him? Erase the pain? The memories, the love, the betrayal. All of it.

I had heard whispers about radical neurological therapy. A last resort for those haunted by unspeakable trauma. A chance to wipe the slate clean.

I needed to forget Erik. Every single memory.