Erased From Memory: A Daughter's Sacrifice and a Shadowed Past

The office went completely silent. My heart felt like it had stopped beating as I stared at Mr. Vance's troubled face. "My parents?" My voice came out as barely more than a whisper. "What about them?"

Mr. Vance stood up from behind his massive desk and walked around to perch on the edge, closer to us. It was an uncharacteristically casual pose for him, which only heightened my anxiety.

"It's about your mother, Hazel." His tone was gentler than I'd ever heard from him before. "I've been monitoring her condition closely, as we discussed."

My throat tightened. "Is she okay? Did something happen?"

He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "Her mental health has been deteriorating rapidly. The doctors are concerned."

The room seemed to tilt around me. Silas's and Rhys's hands tightened on mine, anchoring me.

"How bad?" I managed to ask.

"She's experiencing increasingly severe episodes of psychosis. The hallucinations have become more frequent, more intense." He paused, clearly choosing his next words carefully. "And they primarily center around you."

I flinched as if he'd struck me. "Me?"

"Your disappearance has triggered a significant decline. She believes you're being held captive, tortured. She sees visions of you in pain, calling for her help." He leaned forward slightly. "The medical team has tried everything conventional medicine has to offer."

I felt Ronan's steady presence behind me, his hand coming to rest on my shoulder. Even Jaxon had moved closer, his usual hostile stance softened by concern.

"What are you saying?" I asked, though I feared I already knew.

"There's a solution, but it's... extreme." Mr. Vance met my gaze directly. "We can completely remove you from her memories. Every trace, every moment you shared—gone. It would give her mind a chance to heal, to rebuild without the trauma of your absence."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I doubled over, struggling to breathe. Erase me? As if I'd never existed?

"That's fucking insane," Jaxon growled from somewhere behind me.

"There has to be another way," Rhys insisted, his arm sliding around my waist.

Mr. Vance shook his head. "We've explored every option. This is a Grey matter now—human medicine has reached its limits." His voice softened. "I wouldn't suggest this if there were any alternative, Hazel."

I straightened slowly, fighting back tears. "Will she... will she be happy? Without me?"

"She'll have peace," he said. "The doctors believe she'll be able to build a normal life, free from the delusions that are currently tormenting her."

A normal life. Something my mother hadn't had since I was born. Maybe even before that.

"I want to see her first," I said, my voice stronger than I felt. "To say goodbye, even if she won't remember it."

Mr. Vance nodded. "That can be arranged." He hesitated before adding, "There's something else you should know. Something I discovered while investigating your family history."

My stomach dropped further. "What is it?"

"The man who raised you, the man you believed was your father—" He paused, seeming to steel himself. "He wasn't your biological father, Hazel."

The room spun around me. "What?" I whispered.

"Your mother's medical records indicate she was already pregnant when she met him. There are... notes from therapists over the years. She spoke of a 'blue-eyed demon' who'd enchanted her, made her do things against her will."

"A Grey," Silas said softly. "Using compulsion."

I felt sick. "My real father was a Grey? Who used compulsion on my mother?"

Mr. Vance nodded grimly. "It appears so. I'm still trying to identify him, but given the timeline and your inherent abilities, he was likely powerful."

My entire life—my entire identity—was unraveling. The man I'd mourned as my father wasn't my father at all. And my real father was some predatory Grey who'd manipulated my mother's mind.

"Is that why she's always been... unwell?" I asked, voice breaking. "Because of what he did to her?"

"It's possible the compulsion damaged her mind," Mr. Vance confirmed. "Extended use can have lasting effects on humans."

I stood abruptly, shaking off everyone's touch. I needed space, needed air. I walked to the window, pressing my forehead against the cool glass.

"There's one more thing," Mr. Vance said after giving me a moment. "Once her memories are altered, she'll need a fresh start. I've arranged for her to be relocated with a new identity. There's a property I own in the human realm, several hours from where you lived. It's peaceful, secluded. She'll be well cared for."

I turned back, eyeing him suspiciously. "Why would you do that? Go to all this trouble for her? For me?"

His expression was unreadable. "You're part of this academy now. We take care of our own."

"That's... very generous," Rhys said, his tone carefully neutral. Too neutral.

"When?" I asked, cutting through the building tension. "When would all this happen?"

"As soon as you're ready," Mr. Vance replied. "The team is standing by."

I looked at my bonds, these men who had become my family in such a short time. Silas's worried frown, Rhys's supportive smile, Ronan's steady presence, even Jaxon's grudging concern. Then back to Mr. Vance, whose blue eyes—so like mine—revealed nothing of his true thoughts.

My mother would forget me entirely. The child she'd carried, birthed, raised, loved—erased completely. But she would be free from the torment that my existence now caused her.

"Okay," I whispered, feeling something break inside me. "I'll do it." I swallowed hard. "I'll let her forget me."

"Hazel," Silas began, but I shook my head.

"It's my decision," I said firmly. "And I'm choosing her peace over my... my selfishness."

Mr. Vance nodded once. "I'll make the arrangements. You'll see her tomorrow, say your goodbye, and then the procedure will take place."

I nodded numbly. "Thank you for arranging this. For helping her."

"Of course." He returned to his seat behind the desk, a clear dismissal. "Take the rest of the day to process this. You're excused from classes."

We filed out of the office, me feeling like I was moving through water, every step heavy and slow. None of us spoke until we were well away from the administrative building, walking back toward our apartment.

"Are you sure about this?" Rhys asked finally, his hand finding mine.

"What choice do I have?" I whispered. "Let her suffer? Continue to think I'm being tortured somewhere? That's cruel."

"It just seems... convenient," he said carefully. "Vance swooping in to solve everything, offering properties and new identities."

I stopped walking. "What are you saying?"

Rhys glanced around before lowering his voice. "I'm saying nothing comes free, especially from someone like Vance. There's always a catch."

"Rhys," Ronan warned quietly.

"No, he's right to be suspicious," I said, suddenly exhausted. "But right now, I can't... I just can't think about ulterior motives or hidden agendas. My mother is suffering, and this will help her. That's all that matters."

We continued walking in silence until we reached our apartment. Once inside, I headed straight for the bathroom. "I need a shower," I murmured, needing some privacy to process everything.

As I closed the bathroom door, I heard Rhys's voice, quiet but insistent: "Okay spill, Ro, because I know you know something we don't. What's the deal with Mr. Vance?"

I paused, hand on the doorknob, suddenly desperate to hear Ronan's answer. But the rushing water of the shower I'd turned on drowned out his response, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the crushing weight of the sacrifice I was about to make.