He Pretended to Forget Me, So I Erased Him for Real Chapter 01

He Pretended to Forget Me, So I Erased Him for Real Chapter 01

Every three months, Gideon Blackwood undergoes a “memory reset.”

He returns to the very day he hated me most.

Over and over, he has broken my hands to avenge his ward’s suffering.

And over and over, he has proposed to me under a canopy of fireflies, only to reset his memory the next day.

I kept re-enacting our story, clinging to the hope that one day, his memory would stick.

Until I overheard him the conversation between him and his bros.

“Gid, how much longer are you going to keep up this charade?”

“The ‘memory reset’? Only a fool like Elara Vane would actually buy that. She’s been on her knees begging us to play along with her little wedding fantasy for months.”

“In three days, you’re due for another ‘relapse,’ aren’t you? What is this, the ninth time?”

Gideon’s voice, cold and baritone, drifted through the door with agonizing clarity.

“It was the cheap cart-style hot dogs Elara peddled that gave Vivienne food poisoning and ruined her debutante ball. It was a social suicide for Vivi, and this is simply the debt Elara has to pay.”

He reached out and stroked Vivienne’s head.

“Nobody messes with my girl.”

Hearing his tender yet murderous tone, my heart felt like it had been shredded.

My years of devoted waiting were nothing more than a cruel game of retribution.

I wiped away my tears and summoned the Oracle.

“Cancel the previous negotiations.

In three days, when the mission fails, purge every single memory I have of Gideon Blackwood.”

…

[Are you certain, Host?]

Before I could answer, the conversation inside the VIP lounge continued.

“I heard that if Elara’s hand is broken one more time, she’ll never be able to hold a paintbrush again.” One man looked at Gideon, his tone hesitating. “Gid, hasn’t she… paid enough?”

Gideon’s hand, swirling a glass of vintage red, paused. His lips thinned into a hard line of indifference.

Vivienne looked down, her fingers tracing a custom-made diamond bracelet on her wrist.

“Uncle Gideon, I really love this gift for my eighteenth birthday. The debutante ball was just a formality anyway… it doesn’t matter that it was a total disaster…”

Her voice was soft and fragile. Every word claimed she had no regrets, yet every syllable bled with feigned disappointment.

Gideon’s face darkened instantly. He kicked the man next to him squarely in the shoulder, snarling.

“Are you trying to tell me how to handle my business?”

He took Vivienne’s dainty hand into his own as if it were a priceless treasure.

“Even if Elara’s hands are shattered, it wouldn’t make up for what Vivienne lost. A girl who flips street-side franks for a living actually thought she could become a fine artist? It’s pure delusion.”

The soft scoff that escaped him felt like a thousand blades piercing my heart.

I remembered when I lost that art competition and nearly gave up on my dreams. He was the one who comforted me. He told me I was his “Sun-chasing Marigold”—that no matter how hard it got, I had to keep my head high and look toward the light.

But in the end, those sweet words were just lies crafted for his revenge.

I wasn’t a marigold to him. I was just a “delusional street-peddler.”

The lounge erupted in laughter.

“To be fair, Elara actually has some talent. If Gid hadn’t pulled strings with the judges beforehand, she probably would have taken the top spot.”

A roar of static filled my ears; my fingers wouldn’t stop shaking.

For that competition, I had poured out my entire soul. I had carried a heart full of fire, only to have it extinguished by a single sentence from a man who treated my life like a plaything.

Is the dream of someone from my background so cheap? Something to be destroyed for a elite’s amusement?

I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white. My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a dark, invisible hand.

The Oracle asked again:

[Host, are you certain you want to purge your memories?]

[You previously sacrificed ten years of your life to extend the mission timer. Are you truly giving up now?]

A wave of bitterness washed over me.

A month ago, the Oracle warned me that time was running out. The penalty for failure was the total erasure of every memory involving Gideon.

I hadn’t wanted to forget him. I didn’t want to lose a single moment we shared. So, I traded my very lifespan to beg the Oracle for more time. I begged for so long.

It was only yesterday that the Oracle finally relented.

And now, I realize the love I was dying to protect… was nothing but a masterpiece of deception.

It was so laughable.

I closed my eyes, hot tears escaping from the corners.

“I am certain.”

Just then, the phone in my pocket buzzed violently.

“Elara, something’s happened to your mother!”