The Choice to Forget

"It's a gift I redeemed with points," Courtney responded.

Jesse heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, you scared me. I thought you were leaving me."

Courtney took the envelope from him and said, "Why would I leave you? You didn't betray me."

Jesse grinned. "Exactly. My heart belongs to you alone."

Once, his words would've melted her. Now, it left her cold.

"What did you redeem?" Jesse asked, curious.

"Just a little souvenir."

"Voyage Airlines makes souvenirs now?"

"Apparently."

Courtney returned to her room and opened the envelope. Inside was a plane ticket for a flight to Alorian scheduled for a week later. She had purchased it under the name Nessa.

Her phone also displayed tracking information for an international package—a memory-erasing potion sent by Melvin Clark, expected to arrive within the same timeframe.

Seven days from now would mark the end of Courtney's relationship with Jesse.

From downstairs, Jesse's voice called out, "Babe, are you feeling unwell?"

"I didn't sleep well last night," she replied. "I'm a bit tired and want to take a nap."

"Alright, get some rest. Mia has class this afternoon, so I'll give her a ride on my way to the office."

"Okay."

Courtney didn't sleep. Instead, she moved to the window and looked outside.

Mia clung to Jesse's arm like an overjoyed bunny as he opened the car's passenger door for her.

When she sneaked a quick peck on the cheek, he cupped the back of her head and deepened the kiss. It started on her cheek, moved to her lips, and continued downward…

Courtney didn't see the rest.

The two of them got into the car, but she could see it shaking and rocking.

When it finally ended, Courtney glanced at the timer on her phone.

One hour and 40 minutes.

It seemed the two were perfectly in sync. After indulging themselves the entire night, they still weren't satisfied. She had barely stepped away, and they couldn't wait to go at it again in the car.

When the car finally drove off, Courtney let out a breath of relief and began packing her clothes.

Melvin had told her that drinking the memory-erasing potion would wipe away all her memories. Thus, she labeled her belongings neatly with notes, including her daily items and habits.

Finally, she went to a jewelry workshop. She removed her wedding ring and handed it to the clerk.

The clerk nervously took the ring and asked, "Ma'am, are you looking to exchange this for another design? This looks like a wedding ring. Does your husband's ring need to be exchanged as well?"

"No," Courtney replied. "Melt it."

"What?"

"I said, melt it."

"Understood..."

Half an hour later, Courtney left the shop with a small red velvet box in hand.

When she returned home, she ran into Jesse rushing out in a panic. The house was crowded with people, ranging from police officers to bodyguards, and maids.

Jesse's eyes were red-rimmed, and the moment he saw her, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Babe, where were you? You scared me to death!"

His grip was so tight that Courtney could barely breathe.

One of the officers chuckled. "Mr. Hawthorn can finally relax now that Mrs. Hawthorn is back."

The maid chimed in, "Mrs. Hawthorn, Mr. Hawthorn was frantic when he couldn't find you at home. He noticed you had packed your clothes and thought you'd left for good. He was so frightened."

"That's right, Mrs. Hawthorn," another added. "Mr. Hawthorn even called for the best private investigator and said we'd all be fired if we couldn't find you."

Jesse clung to Courtney and rambled in distress, "Babe, where did you go? Were you hurt? Are you hungry or cold?"

Courtney pulled away from him indifferently. "I only went out for a walk."

"But I couldn't get through your phone."

Courtney showed him her phone and shrugged. "The battery died, that's all."

"Then what about the packed clothes?"

"I was sorting out old clothes to donate."

Only then did Jesse exhale deeply. He said, "Okay. I'm glad I was just overthinking it. Babe, promise me you'll never leave me. I'd go insane."