Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Before I could come to my senses, another line quickly appeared in the diary: [If you really are Anna, tell me, which position was I standing in the graduation photo?]

I replied instantly: [You were standing behind Emily.]

The diary fell silent again.

After waiting for a minute without a response, I finally took up my pen and wrote, each stroke heavy and deliberate:

[Ryan, please walk away from my life.]

[Why? If you really are Anna, don't you know that I love you!?]

The last question mark was written with such force that it tore through the paper.

[Love? Just because of your love, the day after the graduation photo was taken, I was stabbed in the abdomen by someone Emily sent, damaging my womb and making it impossible for me to have children!]

[And now, the thirty-year-old you have let her carry your child.]

With every word I wrote, the painful memories became clearer.

I tried everything to forget about that incident. Still, I woke up from this tormenting memory, unable to sleep for countless nights.

It had become my inescapable nightmare.

Thirteen years ago, Emily begged Ryan to stand behind her, but he refused.

Ryan firmly stood behind me and told her that not only now but also, he would stand by my side when we took our wedding photos in the future.

His pure and sincere confession made my ears burn with warmth.

However, the next day, Emily, who was desperate, found a group of thugs and cornered me in an alley.

Ryan, who rushed over after hearing the news, saw me covered in blood and broke down in terrified, uncontrollable tears.

He frantically picked me up and ran to the hospital with red eyes, begging the doctors to save me.

However, it was too late. My womb had been badly damaged, and I could never have children.

Ryan held me, crying uncontrollably. He swore to love me for the rest of his life and never to let me suffer any harm again.

Which is why, I never expected him to be with Emily, the one who hurt me and had a child with her, now.

[Ryan, promise me, if you love me, walk away from my life.]

[Far away, as far as possible! All right?]

[I'm begging you!]

I waited for a reply that never came and curled up on the floor with the diary, drifting into a blurry sleep.

I saw seventeen-year-old Ryan desperately running in the dark alley in my dream.

His face was filled with panic and urgency.

Suddenly, I was jolted awake. I looked outside. It was already deep into the night.

The thirty-year-old Ryan still had not come home. There was no phone call, not even a text.

Nevertheless, Emily's social media was updated every ten minutes. There were thirty posts in total.

The first post was of Ryan putting the family heirloom around her neck.

The second was of him gently blowing on the hot soup and then feeding it to her.

The third was of him lying on her belly, listening to the baby's movements with a look of pure happiness.

...

Each post had comments from friends congratulating them.

[Congratulations, Mr. Lane, on becoming a father.]

[I told you Lane wouldn't stick with Anna, that eggless chick, but you didn't believe me.]

[How could Anna be worthy of Mr. Lane? He and Emily are a perfect match. They're truly made for each other.]

Ryan liked every post.

Perhaps, deep down, he believed the same.

I closed the social media app, feeling light-headed and drowsy. Lying on the couch, I felt my body grow heavy, my mind clouded with confusion.

In my dream, the seventeen-year-old Ryan had finally escaped the alley.

What he saw was me being beaten on the ground by a group of thugs and the seventeen-year-old Emily pulling out a knife and aiming it at my stomach.

"Anna!"

The next second, Ryan's eyes were filled with bloodshot rage, and he ran toward them like a madman.

His target was the leader of the thugs. He swung a brick, smashing it into the man again and again.

The others rushed at him and stabbed him dozens of times.

Ryan did not care. He held the bloody brick tightly and used his last strength to crush the thug leader's skull. His face twisted with fury as he yelled at the others, "Those who are not scared to die, step up!"

The thugs were paralyzed by his reckless spirit and fled in panic.

When they finally disappeared into the alley, Ryan collapsed in front of me.

Our eyes met. His gaze was firm, and his face was wearing a proud smile. "Anna, I told you I would protect you, and I did."

"Ryan! I don't need you to protect me!”

"Just leave me!"

I screamed his name, and in that instant, I was jolted awake, tears flooding my eyes before I even realized it.

I sat on the couch, gasping for air. My body was shaking. I could not tell whether it was from fear or cold.

I looked down at the diary in my hands and felt my mind spinning, unable to tell whether this was a dream or a memory.

I pulled up my shirt, and my body froze. Quickly, I pressed my hand to my stomach.