Chapter 1 Oblivion

After a week in a coma caused by a car accident, Grace Miller's boyfriend, Leonard Stone, suddenly regained his memory.

During those seven endless days and nights, Grace had stayed by Leonard's bedside, barely eating or drinking.

Yet the first words Leonard spoke upon waking were not of gratitude, but a cold question.

"Why are you here? Where's Sylvia?"

He stared at Grace, whose face was pale and bruised from exhaustion, and said, "Everything that happened while I lost my memory wasn't what I truly wanted. From this moment on, you and I are done. Whatever we had-it doesn't count."

Grace trembled as though struck by lightning.

At that moment, friends who had heard about Leonard's recovery rushed into the ward, arms full of flowers that quickly crowded the room.

"Leonard, you're finally awake! Man, I thought you were a goner this time."

The one speaking was his childhood buddy, Julian Blake.

"Oh, stop it, you're such a pain." Sylvia Moore scolded in a sweet, coquettish tone, "Leonard finally woke up, and you're still making stupid jokes? Don't jinx it, seriously!"

She hurried over, dropping into a half squat before him.

Leonard reached out and gently touched her forehead. "I must have scared you. Sylvia, these past two years, I've made you angry so many times."

Sylvia's lips quivered, and her eyes brimmed with tears.

"Forget it, forget it. You've already been through a crash and ended up in the hospital-how could I still be mad? Just promise me you'll stay healthy, no more speeding, no more crazy stunts, and I'll thank my lucky stars."

Leonard gave her a faint, weary smile.

The atmosphere in the ward shifted instantly, like a glacier finally thawing-warm, light, and full of relief.

"Leonard, you don't even know-this hospital stay nearly scared Sylvia to death."

"Judging by the way you look, your memory's back, isn't it?"

"And Grace-"

The voice cut off abruptly.

By the time her name was spoken, Grace had already slipped quietly out of the ward.

During Leonard's coma, Grace had imagined countless possibilities. The only thing she had never considered was that the moment he opened his eyes, he would cast aside the two years they had shared-completely, as if they had never existed.

Just then, Grace heard someone speaking inside the ward.

"These past few days, Grace has worked herself to the bone-barely eating, barely sleeping, caring for you. She wiped your body, massaged your muscles. Without her, you wouldn't have recovered this fast. You owe her that much."

Grace's heart skipped a beat.

"Before the accident, you had even prepared for Grace-"

"That's enough. Don't say another word."

The voices in the ward were cut short.

Leonard's tone carried a trace of impatience. "I know I owe my recovery to Grace. From now on, I'll treat her well. As if she were my sister."

Grace felt as though her heart had been yanked high into the air, only to come crashing down.

Just a week ago, he had introduced her proudly, "This is Grace Miller, my fiancée."

And now, she had been reduced to nothing more than a "sister."

Grace forced a crooked, foolish smile.

She laughed at her own sorrow, and at her own naivety.

All this time, she had believed that two years of devotion could win his heart, only to realize that deep down, he still carried the woman who had once abandoned him.

Leonard and Sylvia had been childhood sweethearts, growing up side by side. Their marriage had seemed like a certainty, a future already written.

But then Sylvia fell for another man, insisted on breaking things off, and left the country to chase the one she loved.

On the day Sylvia left, Leonard sped recklessly toward the airport and crashed his car. When he opened his eyes again, Sylvia had been wiped clean from his memory.

And just like that, Grace finally had the chance to be alone with him.

At that time, Leonard was unbearably frail, his legs too damaged from the crash to support him.

After leaving the hospital, he unleashed his fury on Grace, even threatening to end his life.

Grace absorbed every wave of his darkness, carefully massaging him, helping him through the grueling rounds of rehabilitation.

Six months later, Leonard could stand. A few months after that, he could walk again.

The very first thing he did was scoop Grace into his arms and spin her round and round.

"Grace, thank you for always being by my side. You're the most important person in my life. I love you."

Tears of joy streamed down her face.

Even now, those sweet words still echoed in her ears.

Grace once believed Leonard would marry her, would make her his wife.

He had even promised her the grandest, most beautiful wedding she could ever dream of.

Laughter suddenly burst from the ward, dragging Grace out of her memories and back into reality.

Through the glass, she saw Leonard struggling to sit up, Sylvia's head pressed against his chest.

"That's enough. From now on, nobody's allowed to bring up Grace again, got it? Leonard really had it rough these past two years-lost his memory, and any woman could just squeeze her way into his life."

Grace then heard someone agree, "Sylvia's right. Now that Leonard's memory is back, he's the CEO of a public company. His wife can't be some nobody with no background, someone who offers nothing to his career."

"Besides, her scholarship back then was sponsored by the Stone Corporation. And she did take care of Leonard for two years. He doesn't owe her anything."

Voices overlapped in casual chatter, as if no one even noticed there was one less person in the room.

Grace felt as though an invisible hand had gripped her heart, squeezing so tight she could hardly breathe.

Just a few months ago, Sylvia had been abandoned by her fiancé abroad, and she rushed back to Leonard's side.

But Leonard, who had erased her entirely from his memory, gave her only one cold word, "Fuck off."

Then he turned his head away, refusing to look at her, while gripping Grace's hand tightly in his own.

Sylvia's eyes burned red.

"Grace, do you even know what this is? You took advantage of his weakness and destroyed my happiness! To win Leonard, you stooped to such despicable tricks-you'll pay for it one day!"

Grace didn't know if she had truly taken advantage of his weakness.

But what she did know now was that Leonard had regained his memory-and that he truly regretted it.

Sylvia had come back.

And as for her, the so-called "sister," it was time to step aside.

Walking out of the hospital, Grace picked up her phone and called the lab.

"Professor, are there still slots left for the trial? I want in."

Silence lingered on the other end.

After a long pause, Professor Henry Collins, Grace's mentor replied.

"Grace, have you really thought this through? Once you take this drug, there may be no turning back. These memories of yours will be erased completely, and then-"

"Professor, don't try to talk me out of it. My mind's made up."