Chapter 5

My nose burned with a sudden ache.

More than anyone, I didn’t want him to forget me.

But I also knew, more than anyone, that for him to continue living, he had to forget all the painful past.

In the faint night, I kissed the corner of his lips and said:

“I promise you, it’s just therapy. You can forget anything, but you’ll never forget me.”

He believed me.

We had known each other since birth.

Acquaintance, understanding, love, commitment.

For over twenty years, I had never once lied to him.

There was no one else in this world he trusted so completely.

So, he obediently followed me into my therapy room.

When I asked him to sign a thick stack of papers, he didn't even glance at them.

He didn't notice the divorce papers tucked inside.

I asked him to lie down on the couch in the therapy room, and he said it still carried my scent.

He obediently cooperated as I hypnotized him, and then, with my deceit, he forgot everything.