I lost two years of my memory in a car acc!dent. Then I fell in love with the nurse who helped me recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two years later, I married him. But on our wedding night, one drunken sentence made me question everything I thought I knew about my husband\u2014and about myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The string lights above the wedding terrace had softened into blurry golden circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My dress felt heavier than it had during the ceremony, and my left leg\u2014the one that had spent months in a cast\u2014was beginning to ache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across the dance floor, Richard was laughing with one of the caterers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I still couldn\u2019t quite believe he was my husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inside my clutch was the little leather notebook I had carried everywhere since waking up in a hospital two years earlier with stitches across my forehead, a broken leg, and a large piece of my life missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Retrograde amnesia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was what Dr. Whitaker had called it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe temporary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe permanent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWrite things down,\u201d she had told me. \u201cDon\u2019t depend on other people to tell you who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coffee: oat milk, one sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Allergic to penicillin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best friend: Megan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That last entry had a line drawn through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard had been there almost every day after I woke up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was a nurse, which explained why he always seemed to know what I needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once, before I had told him how I took my coffee, he brought me oat milk and one sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou remembered?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLucky guess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another time, he carried a vase of lilies out of my hospital room before I could complain about the smell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey give a lot of people headaches,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I accepted that too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I was finally discharged, Richard offered me his spare room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My parents had died when I was nineteen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had no close family waiting for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And nowhere felt like home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Somewhere between physical therapy, sleepless nights, and learning how to live around the enormous hole in my memory, I fell in love with Richard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two years later, I married him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But that morning, while we were getting dressed for the wedding, I had asked a question that should have occurred to me much earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhere are all your friends from before my accident?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard adjusted his cuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost of us drifted apart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe few I still speak to know about your memory loss. I didn\u2019t want today turning into people asking you questions you can\u2019t answer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the time, it sounded thoughtful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, hours later, I stood at the terrace doorway watching his hand tremble around a champagne glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This wasn\u2019t normal wedding-day nerves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Richard noticed me watching him, he turned toward the dark garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He leaned over the railing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Champagne spilled over his fingers without him noticing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was much drunker than I had realized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRichard?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He turned toward me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His expression made my stomach tighten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you knew what I really did,\u201d he whispered, \u201cyou wouldn\u2019t be wearing that ring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The night suddenly felt cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI should have told you before we got married.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His voice cracked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was selfish. I kept thinking if I waited long enough, maybe it wouldn\u2019t matter anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat wouldn\u2019t matter?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He looked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before he could answer, his knees gave out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard slid down against the terrace wall, too drunk to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A hotel employee helped me take him upstairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I laid him on his side in the bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then I opened my notebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wrote only one sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you knew what I really did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By sunrise, I still hadn\u2019t slept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard hadn\u2019t moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started gathering the clothes and glasses scattered around the suite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His tuxedo jacket was hanging over a chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I picked it up, something shifted inside the inner pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Something heavier than fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I reached inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And pulled out a thin gold chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I knew what it was before I even looked at the pendant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My mother\u2019s necklace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The small oval pendant I had been wearing the night of my accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hospital told me it had disappeared at the crash site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stared at the necklace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then at the man I had married nine hours earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard had never told me he was there that night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My fist closed around the chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For two years, I had trusted my notebook because it contained the pieces of myself I could no longer remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But suddenly, one question terrified me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How much had I discovered about myself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And how much had Richard taught me to believe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He stirred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then his eyes landed on the necklace in my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His face changed immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He sat up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet me explain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard rubbed his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was nearby the night of the accident. I heard the crash and reached your car before the ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re a nurse. You helped me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI pulled you out of the car. Your necklace caught on my sleeve and broke. I kept it because I wanted to repair it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was planning to give it back to you after the wedding. I thought it could symbolize the night we met.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The explanation sounded too smooth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Too complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Too rehearsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou always told me you first saw me at the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He blinked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want you remembering the accident. The doctors said you were fragile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I forced myself to smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then I kissed his cheek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGet some rest. You have a shift at noon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His entire body relaxed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He thought I believed him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few hours later, the hospital called and asked Richard to come in early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second his car disappeared, I opened my memory notebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behind several medical documents, I found two utility bills from before my accident. Both showed an address I didn\u2019t recognize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I had actually lived there before the crash, someone there might know something about the life I could no longer remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forty minutes later, I stood outside an old brick apartment building on Halsted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The manager stared at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then he smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClaire? Haven\u2019t seen you in forever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I glanced at his name tag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMr. Alvarez?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSame as always. How\u2019s the new place treating you two?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou two?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His smile vanished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou and the guy you lived with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A cold feeling crept through my stomach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat guy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He stared at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClaire, are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had an accident. I don\u2019t remember living here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His expression softened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow long did I live here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlmost three years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith someone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah. I mostly dealt with you, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you remember his name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He frowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRick. Ryan. Something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My pulse raced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho lives there now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNobody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then he added,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut the rent is still being paid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSomeone sends it every month.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo idea. As long as the payment cleared, I never checked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Someone had been paying for two years to keep my old apartment exactly as I had left it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you still have a spare key?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minutes later, the door to apartment 3B opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The place looked as though someone had rushed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dust covered the furniture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But several boxes remained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I began searching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first thing I discovered was a stack of photographs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One showed me standing on a beach in a white sundress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My hair was longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My leg was uninjured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stared at myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nothing came back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then I found another photograph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until finally, I flipped over the third one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My breath stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard was kneeling in front of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had both hands covering my mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And an engagement ring was gleaming on my left hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same ring Richard had supposedly chosen eighteen months ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the back was a date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two years before my accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my own handwriting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard hadn\u2019t met me after the crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Discover more<\/p>\n\n\n\n
family<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Subscribing To Premium Digital Dictionaries<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commissioning Custom Graphic Artwork<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We had already been planning to get married.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hiring A Professional Wedding Planner<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Underneath the photographs, I discovered an old phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I charged it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then I searched through the messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One name stopped me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Megan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same name crossed out in my notebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I called the number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She answered on the fourth ring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMegan? It\u2019s Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClaire? Oh my God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her voice cracked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI never thought you\u2019d call me again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember what happened between us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut I need you to tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her first question frightened me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoes Richard know you\u2019re calling?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Megan took a breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA few days before your accident, Richard and I got drunk at a party.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt happened once.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou slept with him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her voice broke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe were supposed to tell you together. Neither of us did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My hand tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe night of your accident, you found the messages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until that moment, I had always believed the accident was the night my old life ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now I realized it was the night Richard\u2019s lie began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat happened after that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou called me screaming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Megan started crying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou got in your car. I begged you not to drive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For one second, there was nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Water pounding against a windshield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Headlights in my rearview mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A horn blaring behind me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard\u2019s car. My hands tightened around the steering wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Metal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Something pulling violently against my throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My eyes snapped open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My mother\u2019s necklace was still in my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRichard was there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe followed me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know,\u201d Megan whispered. \u201cHe told the police he was trying to get you to pull over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stared at the broken clasp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I still couldn\u2019t remember the entire argument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe I never would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Richard knew exactly what had happened that night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And for two years, he had let me build a new life around not knowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Richard came home that evening, I was waiting at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The photographs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My old phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The necklace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everything was laid out in front of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He stopped in the doorway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then his eyes fell on the engagement picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t meet me in the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His face went still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe were already together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe were engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He looked down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen explain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard slowly placed his bag down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt first, I was waiting for your memory to return. The doctors said not to force anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen weeks passed. You were sleeping again. You were laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His voice began to break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou looked at me without knowing what I had done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo you decided I was better off not knowing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI told myself I was protecting you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I picked up the necklace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou were protecting yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard looked at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI found it beside your car.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou knew it was mine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen why didn\u2019t you return it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His eyes dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause you remembered wearing it that night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He swallowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf I gave it back, you would ask how I had it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd then you would have to admit you were there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo you hid it for two years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He looked toward my wedding ring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI brought it with me yesterday because I planned to tell you everything after the ceremony.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou wanted me legally married to you before telling me the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His silence answered for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Richard stepped closer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut what happened afterward was real.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou fell in love with me again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His eyes filled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t force that. I didn\u2019t make you say yes when I proposed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That hurt because part of me knew it was true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those memories belonged to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coffee in the mornings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard holding me when I woke from nightmares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Laughing together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Falling in love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Accepting his proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those moments had been real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the world surrounding them had been built on a lie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe were happy,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause I didn\u2019t know the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut you were happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat does happiness mean when it depends on somebody keeping you ignorant?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His face crumpled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was terrified I would lose you again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou should have given me that choice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard flinched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBefore my accident, I had the right to decide whether I could forgive you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd after the accident, I still had that right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My voice shook now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou took that choice away from me twice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Discover more<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hiring Private Investigative Services<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tuxedo<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Married<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard stared at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen tell me the last two years meant nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because I had loved him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those memories were still mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey mattered,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hope crossed his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then I finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd that is exactly what makes this worse.\u201d His expression fell apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou let me love you without knowing what I was forgiving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI gave us another chance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou gave yourself another chance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then I pushed my wedding ring across the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSomeday, maybe you\u2019ll understand that loving someone doesn\u2019t give you the right to decide which truths they\u2019re strong enough to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClaire, please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wrapped my fingers around my mother\u2019s svg necklace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m keeping this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I lowered my eyes to the pendant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt belongs to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then I turned and walked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That night, I opened my leather notebook to a fresh page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the first time, I didn\u2019t record something someone else had told me about the person I used to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, I wrote about the woman I wanted to become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I might never recover every memory I had lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe parts of my former life would always remain empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But whatever came next would be mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I shut the notebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then I walked out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the door closed softly behind me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I lost two years of my memory in a car acc!dent. Then I fell in love with the nurse who helped me recover. Two years later, I married him. But … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11773,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-story"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t