He Pretended to Forget Me, So I Erased Him for Real Chapter 06

He Pretended to Forget Me, So I Erased Him for Real Chapter 06

Gideon had never set foot inside this storage wing.

The sight that greeted him felt like a wrecking ball slamming into his ribs. The room was overflowing,

packed to the ceiling. It was the first time he truly realized the sheer volume of the life he had shared with

Elara Vane.

Countless framed snaps. Matching ceramic mugs they had glazed together. Custom plush toys from arcade

dates. And the gifts she had made by hand-hand-knitted sweaters and scarves that still carried a faint scent

of her.

Elara had always been frugal. Their dates were usually budget-friendly, often costing nothing at all. The things she gave him were always “cheap” in his eyes. The most expensive item was an eight-hundred-dollar

designer belt.

He had deliberately dropped hints about it just to drain her account. To afford it, Elara hadn’t just flipped hot dogs; she had taken on sketchy, high-exposure art commissions, working until her eyes bled. Once, she had

nearly been assaulted by a predatory client.

And that belt-the one, she had sacrificed her safety and dignity for-he hadn’t worn it even once.

Gideon’s chest tightened with a sudden, acute pain. He averted his eyes, desperate to flee the room, but his

feet froze when he saw a dust-covered canvas in the corner.

It was a portrait she had painted: the two of them in wedding attire.

He remembered that day clearly. He knew exactly what she was implying with that painting, yet he had been

cruel enough to mock her.

“Are you that eager to be Mrs. Blackwood, Elara? If you want wedding photos, we’ll take them when we

actually get hitched.”

Elara had smiled then-a look that was both hopeful and hollow. “Okay. I’ll wait.”

But through eight proposals and eight “resets,” that wedding day never came. Thinking of her smile back then

made Gideon feel like he was being crushed under a boulder.

His hands shook as he reached for his lighter. He took a long, desperate drag of his cigarette, but the weight

on his chest remained immovable.

Gideon leaned against the cold stone wall, his strength vanishing as he slid to the floor. Ash fell onto the

carpet. Scalding tears followed.

It was only in this moment that he realized the truth. He loved Elara Vane. He had loved her for a long time.

But what had he done to her? He had gaslit her. He had toyed with her. He had broken her hands-repeatedly.

He had forced her to her knees to beg for forgiveness. He had delayed her mother’s transplant window. He

hadn’t even been there when her mother took that fatal leap.

Each transgression felt like a poisoned arrow piercing his heart. He had to find her.

With trembling fingers, he pulled out his phone, but a notification from his inner circle caught his eye.

“Gid, we’re in trouble. Elara was outside the lounge that night. She heard the whole thing.”

Gideon watched the security footage-saw Elara’s face go pale, saw the exact moment her heart shattered

as she listened to their laughter.

His world ended. She knew. She knew he had been faking the amnesia all along.

That was why she didn’t accept the ring. That was why she vanished without a single parting word.

The cigarette slipped from Gideon’s fingers, burning through his bespoke trousers and searing his skin, but he felt nothing. He covered his face, a gutteral sob breaking from his throat.

“I was wrong…” he choked out, the sound spiraling into hysteria. “Elara… I’m so sorry… I love you…”

But the realization had come far too late.