Their Forgotten Faces

It had been a long time since I had eaten food Mom prepared. Even though I could not eat much in my condition, I still could not stop myself from eating two extra bowls of stew.

After dinner, Dad said he had to go out for a while. Mom cleaned up in the kitchen, and my brother and I sat on the couch watching TV. It felt just like old times, as if we had never been apart.

"I didn't think you'd ever get sick." Zack suddenly let out a mocking laugh. "When did you get the stomach flu? Does medicine even do anything?"

My face turned dark. "My brother wouldn't start a conversation with me."

His expression stiffened. He pouted and awkwardly looked away. "It's not like I wanted to talk to you first."

I kept my eyes on the screen and ignored him.

After a while, he asked again, "Then, did you take any medicine?"

I frowned. I was just about to tell him to shut up when Dad's voice came from the doorway. "Rena, come here and see which medicine works."

My brother and I turned around at the same time and saw Dad holding a plastic bag filled with a dozen kinds of medicine for the stomach.

I froze for a moment, suddenly not knowing what to do. It had been too long since my family had taken care of me. So long that I had already forgotten how I was supposed to respond.

My brother's face darkened, and he went back to his room.

The mood in the house immediately changed, and Dad stood there awkwardly, not sure whether he should still hand me the medicine.

In the end, Mom took the bag from him and passed it to me. "Rena, your dad went out just to buy this for you. Let's give it a look together and see which one you usually take?"

"You have terrific acting skills," I said.

The smile on Mom's face froze, and guilt filled her eyes. "Rena, didn't we agree not to bring up the contract this month? Just treat us like your real parents and stop talking about acting..."

Maybe it was all in my head, but the moment I saw the medicine, my stomach really did start hurting. I nodded, avoided her gaze, and went to the kitchen to get some water to take the medicine.

That night, Mom slept beside me.

I fell asleep quickly, but I had a nightmare.

In my dream, I kept going back to the day I was hypnotized. The hypnotist had held me down and kept telling me to forget what my family looked like. I had tried to force myself awake, but no matter what I did, I could not wake up.

In the end, I really did forget Mom, Dad, and Zack.

I jolted awake from the dream, drenched in cold sweat. Mom woke up too and instinctively patted my shoulder. "What is it, Rena? Did you have a nightmare?"

The moment I heard her voice, I started crying. "Is it wrong to be healthy? Why did you abandon me?"

I couldn't control myself as I flew into her arms, greedily taking in her scent. "Mom, if I die, will you love me a little bit more?"

Her body stiffened, and panic crept into her voice. "Rena, did you remember something?"

As soon as I heard that, I instantly came to my senses as chills overwhelmed me.

"Mom, Dad, why did you leave me? I miss you so much..." I cried as I spoke, my body shaking. "I want to die too. I want to go see you."

"So, you were talking in your sleep." Mom let out a sigh and pulled me tightly into her arms.

When she spoke again, her voice was thick with tears. "Rena, just wait for us for two more years. Just two years, alright? Once your brother gets better, we'll be a family again. You won't remember any of this. Then, no one will get hurt."

I squeezed my eyes shut. The pain in my heart was so bad that I could barely breathe.

Mom, I didn't have two years...