Chapter 1
During spring cleaning, I lost the bone bracelet that my wife Annalise always clutched in her hand.
She flew into a rage over this, pushing me down the stairs and breaking my leg.
Only then did I realize that the bracelet was made from the bones of Dean, her deceased first love.
Despite her severe germaphobia, that night she rummaged through every trash can downstairs.
While I was hospitalized, she never showed up, yet her social media was flooded with memories of her and Dean.
[If you didn't have a slight resemblance to him, Liam, I wouldn't have given you a second glance in the first place...]
I closed my eyes and dialed that long-buried number.
"It's me, Julian. I'm back."
If the beginning was a mistake, might as well end it sooner.
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1
"Mr. Julian, are you sure you want to restore your previous identity records and cancel the 'Liam Hayes' identity?"
"I'm sure."
Without hesitation, I answered, causing the clerk to give me a few extra glances.
He didn't know.
The "Liam" identity was always false to me.
Four years ago, I woke up in the hospital with amnesia, and Annalise saved me.
She took me home and gave me the name "Liam."
Now, thanks to her.
After falling down the stairs, my memory has returned.
Naturally, I no longer need "Liam."
"Alright, the cancellation will take effect in seven days. If you change your mind during this period, you can revoke it at any time."
I nodded, maneuvering my wheelchair towards the door.
Regret?
The thing I regret most in this life is probably falling in love with Annalise four years ago.
My phone still shows no messages from her.
The screen saver is our wedding photo, and my heart still aches faintly.
A week ago, I was cleaning the apartment.
I accidentally lost Annalise's bone chain that she never takes off.
I knew how much she treasured it; it had been wrapped around her wrist since we first met.
To smooth things over, I even went to the antique market to find similar chains.
I didn't expect that when she heard the bracelet was lost, she immediately exploded.
"Who gave you permission to touch my things?!"
"Liam, who do you think you are!I saw her lose composure like this for the first time.
Her eyes were like icy daggers, piercing my heart.
I timidly took out the replacement I had bought.
"Anna, don't be angry, I..."
She didn't listen at all, swatting the item out of my hand onto the floor.
Still not satisfied, she started pushing me towards the door.
"Do you know how important that necklace was to me!"
"It was the last thing he left me!"
"Liam, you bastard! How dare you?!"
Annalise's eyes were bloodshot, glistening with tears.
She shoved me hard, and I tumbled down the stairs.
My leg exploded in pain, and I cried out.
The Annalise who used to fret over my slightest paper cut now ignored my agony.
She muttered vacantly, as if she couldn't see me.
"No, I have to find it."
"Dean, he's... he's still waiting for me..."
She walked right past me without a glance.
In that moment, watching her back,
I remembered our wedding day.
Back then she held me, gently rubbing my back.
She said, "It's okay, Liam. It doesn't matter if you can't remember the past."
She would be my family forever.
But "forever" itself is such a fragile word.
Later, during my hospital stay, I scrolled through Annalise's social media and finally understood why she had gone so mad.That bracelet was made from the bones of her first love, Dean.
The truth filled me with rage and disgust.
But what was even more sickening...
Was that Annalise had never truly cared for me.
Her so-called love was nothing more than an attachment to my face, which bore a slight resemblance to Dean's.
My phone's ringtone interrupted my thoughts.
The screen displayed "My Anna".
It was still the contact name she had personally changed years ago.
She said this way, she would always be my top contact.
I silently paused before answering the call.
"It took you so long to pick up. Don't you know my time is precious?!"
"What's up?"
"Today is Dean's death anniversary. You're coming with me to the cemetery."