A LOVE FORGOTTEN

Fleeting Reflections

It's been three weeks, two days, eleven hours, and some fleeting minutes since my mother issued her ultimatum: engage Anita or face the consequences. The passage of time felt like a countdown to my own personal execution. Desperation clawed at my mind, a relentless weight that grew heavier with each unanswered question.

I've searched through everything I own — every drawer, every forgotten box, every corner of my memories — hoping for the tiniest clue about who Emily really is. Yet the silence surrounding her was deafening. It was as if her existence had been crafted out of shadows, and no one wanted to shine a light on them.

Even worse, I felt utterly alone in this. No one offered to help me, not my family, not even my so-called best friend. The air was thick with avoidance, like everyone knew a secret they were determined to keep hidden from me.

In a moment of desperation, I found Jessica's number. She had been a classmate in med school — not a close friend, but someone who always seemed to have insight into things others missed. Maybe she could shed some light on this darkness. Maybe she could help me remember.

With a deep breath, I pressed call.

The phone rang three times before she answered, her voice bright with surprise.

"Well, well, if it isn't the amazing Ethan!"

Her cheerfulness felt like a fragile bandage over a gaping wound. We exchanged the usual pleasantries, polite words that scraped against the edge of my frustration. Finally, I couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Jessica, I need to talk to you about something serious," I said, my voice strained.

The warmth in her tone softened into concern. "Of course. What's going on?"

I hesitated, the words lodged in my throat. But there was no turning back now. "Ever since the accident… things haven't been the same. It's like there are pieces of my life missing, and I can't figure out where they went. But there's one thing that's really been haunting me."

"What is it?" she asked gently.

I reached up and touched the chain around my neck, feeling the weight of the ring that hung there. I pulled it out from under my shirt, letting it dangle in front of me. The metal was warm against my skin, familiar in a way I couldn't explain. I turned it slowly, my eyes catching the faint inscription on the inside: Emily.

"I've been wearing this ring around my neck," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "It has the name 'Emily' engraved on it. I don't know who she is, but every time I look at it, I feel like she's… important to me. Like she's someone I can't afford to forget."

A silence stretched between us, filled only with the distant hum of the phone line. I held my breath, hoping she'd give me a thread to follow, something to pull me out of this fog.

Finally, Jessica sighed. "Ethan, I wish I could help you, but I really don't know anything about this."

My heart sank. "Nothing at all?"

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice tinged with regret. "Don't you remember? I transferred to another school before we graduated. I lost touch with a lot of people after that. If there's something you're missing… I'm not the one who can fill in the blanks."

Her words landed like a weight on my chest. My last shred of hope frayed, unraveling into confusion and frustration. I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting off the rising despair.

"It's okay," I managed to say, though it was far from the truth. "Thanks anyway, Jess."

We exchanged a few more hollow words before ending the call. The phone slipped from my fingers and landed on the couch beside me. I leaned back, staring at the ceiling as the emptiness of my living room pressed in on me.

Jessica's words echoed through my mind. I lost touch.

Everyone seemed to have moved on, their memories of my life intact, while I was left wandering in the dark.

My gaze drifted back to the ring. The name Emily felt like a lifeline, a fragile connection to a truth I couldn't grasp. Whoever she was, she mattered. I knew she mattered.

And no matter how many dead ends I hit, I couldn't give up. There was a truth buried beneath the surface, and I would dig until I found it.

But for now, I was trapped in this charade — this cruel game orchestrated by my family.