I didn’t like kids?
I thought I liked Gregory plenty.
Kids are the best! They’re all a bunch of chubby little things that are just bursting with innocence. Just looking at them makes me feel better.
Did my feelings towards children really change after I almost died?
I looked at the photo of “Scarlett” and her kids. I replied absent-mindedly, “I guess so.”
I thought that might be one of the reasons Marcus and I were separated for such a long time in the past.
I felt a rush of guilt. If I had thought things through, I never would have allowed myself to reach this age without having any kids.
I felt unsettled as if every fiber of my being was fighting against some unwelcome virus in my body. Despite all this, I felt sorry for Marcus as well.
I didn’t want to live in this void any longer. I turned to face Marcus. “I want to see a psychiatrist.”
Marcus was taken aback at my request. He set down the silverware in his hand before looking at me. He explained seriously, “I did look into psychotherapy, and I talked to some doctors. Psychotherapy is more suited to patients who have difficulty overcoming emotional hurdles. Since your memory loss was caused by an accident, it might not be too effective for you.”
Just then, the waiter arrived to serve our orders. After he left, Marcus continued, “Why did you suddenly think of seeing a psychiatrist? Did something happen? You shouldn’t stress yourself out over this.”
I thought for a moment before lowering my head in despair. “I just want to recover my old memories. I don’t want to live in the shadows of a stranger.”
At my words, Marcus fell into a contemplative silence. He said, “Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll support your decision. We can contact a psychiatrist when we get home later. I’m still going to give you the same advice. Don’t hold out too much hope for this. There’s plenty of time for you to recover.”
“Ok.” I looked at him hopefully. No matter how small the opportunity, I had to try to regain every inch of my past.
“Let’s eat,” Marcus coaxed, a smile on his face.
It was already dark by the time we finished dinner. There was a drizzle outside.
The start of autumn brought plenty of rain to K City, which was somewhat frustrating.
My hair was wet as we walked to the car. Marcus focused on driving slowly in this weather. From time to time, he’d bring up a random topic.
We drove past an intersection as we left the city. Marcus stepped on the brakes, but the car continued moving no matter how hard he pressed on them. In fact, the car seemed to be speeding up.
Marcus tried to pull the handbrake, but we were moving at such a high speed that the brake wouldn’t catch. The car shot past a red light like an arrow released from a tightly-strung bow.
Marcus’ expression darkened. He kept honking to signal the nearby vehicles and pedestrians as he shouted, “Letty, the brakes are shot. I’ll try to control the car, but you need to get off now! Or it’ll be too late!”
I had already realized that something was wrong. More than ten vehicles were caught in a mess in the intersection we had zoomed past. The cars coming from the opposite direction were swerving away from us once they discovered how fast we were traveling.
I held on tightly to my seatbelt despite my nerves. “No, I can’t leave you alone!”
Marcus seemed infuriated instead of touched at my words. “I’m ordering you to save yourself! I used my life to save you once, and I can’t put you in danger again!”
I didn’t have time to unpackage the meaning behind his words. I gritted my teeth before unlocking the passenger door. I leaped towards a grassy patch on the side of the road.
The soft patch cushioned my fall. I only sustained minor injuries.
I quickly ran after Marcus’ car. Suddenly, I heard a loud crash. His car had rammed into a rail guard and was now flipped on its side.
I sped toward the vehicle and located the driver’s door. On all fours, I peered through the window to assess Marcus’ injuries. “Marcus, are you ok?”
