Forget Me Once, Farewell Forever

Theodore shifted slightly in my arms, sensing the tension but too young to understand the weight of what his father had just said.

My grip on Theodore tightened as I demanded, my voice trembling with a mixture of anger and disbelief, “What are you talking about?

“How could Theodore be a mistake we made back when we were dating? He is our legitimate son after we married for three years.” My sarcasm was cutting, but I did not care.

Turning to Evelyn, I demanded, “When exactly did you ‘explain’ this to him, Evelyn? What did you tell him when he woke up? Tell me!”

Evelyn’s confident mask faltered, her eyes darting nervously between me and Liam. But before she could respond, Liam wrapped an arm protectively around her.

Liam’s eyes narrowed, his voice turning sharp as a blade. “Of course, he is. I told you to abort it back then. Why were you so stubborn?”

The last thread of restraint within me snapped, and I felt a surge of anger fill every inch of my body.

Back then, I had given him everything. When he suffered from a gunshot wound, I stayed by his side, tending to his injuries with trembling hands.

When he got into that terrible car accident and had to stay in the hospital, I barely left his room.

But none of that mattered to him.

Instead of gratitude, he easily forgot the memories we built together. My sacrifices meant nothing to him.

Evelyn smirked, holding Lucas closer as though shielding him. “It’s time you let go, Amelia,” she said smoothly. “Liam has moved on. You should too.”

The bitter laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. I was done holding back. My grip on Theodore tightened as I approached them, my footsteps echoing in the room.

Without hesitation, I raised my hand and slapped Evelyn across the face. The sharp sound reverberated through the air, startling Lucas into a loud cry and causing Theodore to whimper in my arms.

Evelyn swayed to the side, clutching Lucas protectively as though she were the victim. Her wide eyes darted between me and Liam, her face marked by the red string of my hand.

“How dare you, Amelia!” Liam roared, his voice booming with anger.

The tension exploded into chaos as we argued, our voices overlapping in a cacophony of accusations and denials. Liam’s fury fueled mine, and Evelyn’s faux innocence only made me angrier.

It did not take long for the commotion to draw attention. Nurses and security guards burst into the room, their faces alarmed as they tried to break us apart.

"Dr. Amelia, please step back!" one of the nurses pleaded, her voice firm yet nervous.

I exhaled sharply, realizing I was on the verge of losing control. Theodore’s cries and the guards’ warnings finally brought me back to reality. “Please get out of here before we forcefully pull you out.”

Taking a deep breath, I turned on my heel and walked toward the door, ignoring Liam’s cold glare and Evelyn’s smug silence.

There was no point in wasting more energy on a man who did not recognize me or a woman who thrived on turning my world upside down. Instead, I headed back home with Theodore, back to the one sanctuary we had left.

The next day, however, the true storm began.

The hospital, usually a hub of professionalism, had turned into a web of gossip. Everywhere I walked, I could hear snippets of conversations.

“They said Dr. Amelia was angry in a patient’s room. Is she having an affair?”

“According to the nurse near the room, it’s actually Dr. Amelia who’s in the wrong—she was caught causing a scene!”

“Eh, did you see? Dr. Amelia brought a child yesterday. Does she already have a kid?”

“She said it was her nephew, but what if the child’s hers from some secret affair?”

“Oh my God, and I thought Dr. Amelia was so innocent.”

I gritted my teeth as I walked through the halls, their words cutting like shards of glass. Though their hushed tones feigned secrecy, the weight of their judgment was palpable.

Even in the ER, where everyone prided themselves on professionalism, I could feel their questioning eyes on me.

I did not care. Let them talk. No one truly knew my life. I was the only one who understood what I was fighting for, and I was not about to let their whispers break me.

During my lunch break, I clutched the wedding photo album I had brought from home.

I planned to take it to Liam, to confront his fractured memory with undeniable proof of the life we had shared.

If Evelyn’s lies were taking root in Liam’s mind, I would fight to uproot them.

However, as I walked through the hallway toward Liam’s room, a hand grabbed my arm roughly, pulling me to the side.

Before I could react, I found myself dragged into the women’s restroom.

The door slammed shut, and I turned to see Evelyn, her smug expression even more venomous up close. She crossed her arms, blocking the exit, her demeanor sharp and aggressive.

“You still dare to visit Liam again after the whole hospital is gossiping about you?” she hissed, her voice low but laced with venom. “Come on, Amelia, you should just accept reality and understand his condition.”

Her words stung, but I would not let her see the cracks she was trying to make in my armor. Instead, I straightened my back and met her gaze with a steely glare.

“Are you afraid Liam will remember me if I keep seeing him?” I sneered, clutching the photo album tightly against my chest.

I stepped closer, my voice low but unwavering. “You can manipulate him all you want, Evelyn, but you can’t erase the truth. The life Liam and I shared isn’t something you can overwrite with your lies.”