Chapter 3

Brayden let out a dismissive scoff, a sound that grated on my nerves. "Don't be silly, Clare. We're intertwined. Forever, remember?" He tried to pull me into an embrace, his arms reaching for me.

I subtly sidestepped, my body recoiling from his touch. The scent of Holly's perfume was still too strong. It clung to him like a shroud.

His brow furrowed slightly. "Something wrong?"

"Just a bit overwhelmed," I lied, forcing a strained smile. "I need some air." I turned towards the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Brayden called out, a hint of his usual controlling tone creeping in. "I need your input on the new menu strategy for the investor meeting. Holly and I were just discussing it."

My mind sharpened. He was testing me. Trying to reassert his dominance, to remind me of my place.

"I can handle it later," I said, my voice firm. "I've got some other business to attend to. Something personal."

"Personal?" he probed, his gaze narrowing. "What could be more important than the restaurant right now?"

"My well-being," I stated simply. "And I assure you, I'm perfectly capable of handling it on my own."

I walked out the door, leaving him and Holly in the kitchen. I got into my car and drove, aimless at first. The city lights blurred into streaks of color. This city, this life, everything I had built - it felt like a cage now. A beautiful, gilded cage.

Eventually, I pulled up to a nondescript building in a forgotten part of town. The sign above the door simply read: 'Legal Services & Identity Management.'

I pushed open the heavy glass door. The interior was dimly lit, smelling of stale coffee and old paper. A woman with tired eyes looked up from a computer screen.

"I need a new identity," I stated, my voice flat.

She raised an eyebrow. "That's a rather direct request. Our services are... extensive. And expensive."

"I don't care about the cost," I replied, pulling out a thick wad of cash from my purse. My emergency fund. The one I'd squirreled away for years, a small rebellion against Brayden's control, a safety net for a past I instinctively knew could unravel.

She picked up the cash, her eyes widening slightly. "Alright then."

Hours later, I walked out with a new driver's license, a social security card, and a birth certificate. Janet Anderson. A name as plain as the paper it was printed on.

Janet Anderson. No past. No expectations. No Brayden. No Holly. No pain.

The next morning, I met Dr. Thorne. He looked at me, his eyes filled with a mix of pity and concern. "You look exhausted, Clare."

"I'm fine," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. "Can we just... begin?"

He nodded, a sigh escaping him. "Tell me everything. No detail too small."

And so I did. I recounted the late-night whispers, the casual cruelty, the calculated plan to strip me bare. I spoke of Holly, my little sister, whom I had nurtured and championed, now stabbing me in the back with a smile. I spoke of Brayden, my partner, the man who had been my everything, now reduced to a greedy, manipulative monster. I recited every painful detail, every word, every stolen moment until the story was laid bare. I told it all with a chilling detachment, as if describing a play I had watched, not a life I had lived.

Thorne listened, his expression shifting from empathy to shock. "This is... truly horrific, Clare."

"So," I began, trying to steer the conversation back to the procedure. "The memory wipe. How soon?"

He held up a hand. "Let me explain the full scope of what we're talking about. The procedure involves a complex neuro-chemical cocktail – we call it the 'Serenity Serum' – combined with targeted neural stimulation. It will selectively suppress the emotional charge and contextual details of specific traumatic memories. The 'special element' you mentioned, however, is far more potent. It's designed to sever the entire neural network associated with your current identity and its emotional attachments. It's like resetting your core identity. Your personality will remain, your skills, your innate intelligence, but the deep-seated emotional connections, the self-narrative that defines 'Clare Harris' – that will be gone. You will experience a profound sense of detachment from your past self, almost as if you are reading about a different person."

He paused, looking directly into my eyes. "The risks are immense. Permanent emotional blunting, cognitive impairment, or even complete amnesia without the new identity taking root."

"I accept them," I said without hesitation. "All of them."

He studied me for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Your resolve is... formidable, Clare. You understand the logistics? The serum needs to be specially compounded. It will be delivered in two days."

"Two days?" I felt a strange sense of something. Fate, perhaps. "That's... perfect."

Two days. Brayden and Holly were planning their grand "unveiling" of the restaurant's "rebranding"-my restaurant-on the evening of the third day. A charity gala, he'd called it. A celebration of their future. My past.

I would be long gone.

I planned my travel arrangements, my exit strategy. A new life. A clean start.

I returned home, steeling myself for the inevitable encounter. Brayden was waiting, his arms crossed, a pout on his face. "Where were you, Clare? I was worried." He pulled me into a tight hug. His embrace, once my comfort, now felt like a cage.

"I needed some time alone," I said, my voice muffled against his shoulder. "To clear my head."

"And what's this?" He pointed to a small, packed duffel bag near the door. My heart pounded. Had he seen the new ID? "Are you leaving me?"

Fear, cold and sharp, pierced through me. Had he already found out?

"It's for the charity drive," I said, forcing a smile. "I'm donating some of my old clothes. You know, to make space for some new additions. I was thinking of redecorating, a fresh start for us."

His face immediately softened, the suspicion replaced by relief. "Oh, Clare, my love. You nearly gave me a heart attack." He pressed a kiss to my hair. "Don't ever leave me, you hear? I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I hear you," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "And soon, you'll find out."