When the Memory Fades

Jasper added, "Just because we’re giving her gifts, it doesn’t mean you won’t get any.”

I put on a half-smile and replied calmly, "Got it."

I walked into the villa without glancing back at their faces.

Yvonne stood in the hallway with a challenging smirk on her face. "Summer, can’t you see that I'm taking your things away little by little? Does that make you happy?"

I pulled a face and ignored Yvonne's taunts. With an eye roll, I hurried into my bedroom and locked the door tight.

Yvonne did not cause any more trouble and slowly made her way downstairs. The walls were thin, and I could hear Yvonne's excited voice.

"Wow, Ethan, these clothes are so pretty! Did you really design and make them just for me?" Yvonne's voice was full of delight.

The three brothers felt a pang in their hearts, thinking of Yvonne's tough past. They buzzed around her, promising to double their kindness to make her future bright.

My heart ached as I listened.

The brothers once made those same promises to me. I knew they still cared about me, but they had chosen someone else over me time and time again.

I wondered how they would react if I lost my memory after the surgery.

…

When I stepped out of my room later, the big villa was quiet. I felt a wave of relief once I realized I was alone. I felt so much more comfortable with everyone gone.

I took my time packing up my things and moving them back to the villa my grandparents had left me.

These days, I felt weak and had to take breaks often. I did not have a lot of things, but it took me all night to move everything.

The Sullivan brothers and Yvonne had not come back yet, and I had a doctor's appointment tomorrow. I wrapped myself in my blanket and zonked out.

The next morning, a bunch of notifications woke me up.

I rubbed my eyes, fighting off sleep, and saw a bunch of pictures of the brothers in swim trunks on my phone.

I was wide awake in a flash.

Then came Yvonne’s text.

[The brothers are so sweet. I told them I'd never seen the ocean before, so they took me to see it.]

[Summer, you live with these rich guys, yet you still see them as your brothers. How do you do it? Maybe I should teach you how to win them over.]

Her mean words made me see red.

The brothers were so nice to her, yet she did not care at all.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. I knew she was just trying to make me mad. If I snapped back, the brothers would never let it go.

I quietly blocked Yvonne.

I got up, stretched, and figured I could get ready for the hospital since I could not go back to sleep.

The doctor who usually saw me was in the operating theater, so a trainee took me for my brain scan.

She gave me weird looks, but when I asked what was up, she just shook her head.

I completed the scan feeling confused. After waiting for the results, I headed home.

Right as I stepped out of the car, my head started throbbing, and I almost fell down.

A hand caught me, while another hand grabbed the special medication the doctor had given me.

I looked up to see Yvonne eyeing my medicine with a smirk. She said, "Summer, a friend from the hospital told me you've got a huge tumor in your head. If you don't get surgery soon, you're going to die, aren't you?"