Chapter 18
1238words
"Ember, can we meet?
"I know I went too far before. I shouldn't have treated you that way…
"But I understand now. I know I was wrong. Please, give me another chance, will you?"
As Ember read the series of messages, her emotions were a mix of confusion and unease.
Although she had no memory of Atlas, a peculiar feeling tugged at her heart. Deep down, she sensed that she might have known this man in the past.
The blank space in her memory only intensified this nagging intuition.
No matter what, she felt she needed to uncover the truth, and that meant meeting Atlas in person.
With that thought in mind, she replied to him, "Let's meet."
"What's wrong?" Forrest asked, noticing that she seemed to be preparing to leave. "Where are you going? Do you need me to take you?"
"No need. I'm just… going to meet someone."
She looked at Forrest's warm and gentle gaze, and an uneasiness crept into her heart.
What if Forrest got upset about this?
Yet when Forrest saw her hesitation and the way she avoided his gaze, he already had a guess about who she was meeting.
"It's that man from the other day, isn't it?" Forrest sighed softly.
After their encounter, he had looked into Atlas and learned about his family and background.
He was from the capital's Ferguson family… Forrest raised an eyebrow at this. Clearly, Atlas came from a powerful family.
But this was Oceanus, and Forrest had confidence in his position here.
Atlas wanted to try to take Ember from him? That was not going to happen.
"Yes," Ember admitted with a nod. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to share her thoughts. "I keep feeling like I might've really known him before.
"To be honest, there's a gap in my memory. I think he might be connected to it."
She let out a bitter smile. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."
But Forrest shook his head, opening his arms to pull her into a gentle hug. "It's okay. It must've been a painful memory if you forgot about it, right?
"Whenever you're ready to talk about it, you can tell me everything, alright?
"I have plenty of patience. I don't mind waiting. It's my duty as your boyfriend."
Ember's eyes turned misty. Since losing her parents, she hadn't felt this kind of attentive care from anyone.
"Thank you." She hugged Forrest tightly in return.
"I promise, once I figure out what's going on, I'll tell you everything."
Atlas sat by the window inside a cozy café. His eyes were fixed anxiously on the entrance.
His heart wavered between nervous anticipation and hopeful excitement as he waited for Ember to meet him.
He imagined the moment she would see their old photos and recall the beautiful memories they had shared. Surely, she would fall in love with him all over again.
But then doubt crept in—what if Ember still hadn't forgiven him? What would he do then?
Atlas immediately dismissed the thought.
No, Ember would forgive him. She had loved him deeply once, after all.
The café door swung open, and Ember stepped inside.
"Ember, over here!" The moment she entered, Atlas' eager voice called out to her.
His face lit up with uncontainable joy upon seeing her. He quickly stood, approached her, and pulled out a chair for her before returning to his seat.
"Hello." Out of politeness, Ember greeted him first. "You must be Mr. Ferguson?"
Her polite yet distant demeanor struck a chord, and Atlas' expression faltered slightly.
"Ember, are you still upset with me?" he asked while reaching out to hold the hand she had rested on the table.
"I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have been so biased toward Kaylee or so impatient with you…"
Uncomfortable with this, Ember withdrew her hand. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ferguson, but…
"I've lost a part of my memory. To be honest, I don't remember who you are at all."
Atlas stared at her, stunned, as if her words were incomprehensible.
She continued calmly, "I assume you know me. Could you tell me how we met and what happened between us?"
Atlas was stunned, and his thoughts were scattered. He hadn't anticipated that Ember would completely forget him.
He let out a bitter smile, unsure whether to feel sad or relieved.
He was sad that she no longer remembered the years they had spent together. Yet, he was relieved that she had also forgotten his mistakes and the pain he had caused her.
He carefully laid out the printed photos in front of Ember, one by one. "Ember, look here.
"We're engaged. We were supposed to be married by now.
"Your parents… They died saving my parents. My family took you in after that, and then we were engaged.
"If things had gone according to plan, we should already be married."
Was that it? Ember then studied the photos thoughtfully.
So, he was the son of the couple her parents had saved.
But something felt off.
"Why didn't your parents come?" Ember asked.
"I mean, I'm their benefactor's daughter. Why haven't they shown any concern for me or my whereabouts?"
Atlas' face stiffened visibly at her question.
When the Fergusons learned of Ember's disappearance, their first reaction wasn't worry—it was relief.
"We're finally rid of that burden!" Those were Alana's exact words.
People like them would never care about Ember's well-being. If anything, they were likely hoping she would never return.
Ember observed the change in Atlas' expression and gleaned the truth.
"I see. It seems my relationship with your parents wasn't very good…"
Atlas turned his head away. His discomfort was evident. "I'm sorry… They're just a bunch of profit-driven people."
With that question resolved, Ember lowered her gaze and continued examining the photos.
"And who is this?" she asked, pointing to a face partially visible in one of the pictures.
"She seems very close to you."
Looking at the proximity between the two in the photo, Ember couldn't help frowning.
"She doesn't seem to be your sister. If I really was your fiancée, why would there be another woman like this in your life?"
Her frown deepened as she studied the image further. "And besides, I don't look very happy in this photo."
Atlas was at a loss for words. He had almost forgotten how perceptive Ember had always been.
"She… She's Kaylee. She's your cousin," Atlas stammered, struggling to explain.
His tone grew more flustered as he added, "There's really nothing between us. I was just tricked by her before, which is why I cared so much about her!
"Ember, we really loved each other," Atlas insisted while pointing at the photos again in desperation.
"Look, this was the time we went to the amusement park. You said you wanted to visit the haunted house, so I went with you to every single one. You were so scared you clung to me the whole time…"
He rambled on about their shared past, as if trying to find some flicker of recognition—or even emotion—in her eyes.
But there was none.
"I'm sorry," Ember said, shaking her head. "I know this may sound hurtful, but I can't lie.
"Mr. Ferguson, nothing you've said stirs any feelings in me…"
She gave him an apologetic look. "It's like I'm listening to someone else's story."
