The Day They Looked For Me, I Had Already Forgotten Them Chapter 07

The Day They Looked For Me, I Had Already Forgotten Them Chapter 07

Icy rainwater poured down Julian’s collar.

Even through his panic, the same thoughts kept circling in his mind.

After being out in the rain for so long, was I freezing?

Would someone who could barely remember her own identity be terrified after being abandoned out there

alone?

The more Julian thought about it, the more frantic he became. He quickened his pace, stumbling through the

thick brush.

“Maya! Where are you?”

He needed to see me.

He needed to tell me-to tell me himself-that he was sorry.

The storm had arrived quickly, and it passed just as fast.

A little over an hour later, the rain finally began to ease.

But they still found no trace of me.

Mom and Dad called the police.

Officers began reviewing footage from every available traffic and security camera in the area, searching for any sign of me.

Julian also mobilized everyone the Sterling family could spare.

They combed through the nearby fields, ravines, and riverbanks, searching nearly every inch of ground.

But there was still no sign of me.

Eventually, they returned to the Bennett estate, sick with worry.

They hoped something in my room might tell them where I would have gone on instinct.

When they opened the door, the room was still in ruins.

The closet stood wide open. Clothes littered the floor, and the bedding had been tossed into a heap in the

corner.

Julian stopped in the doorway when he noticed my journal on the desk.

The wind stirred its pages with a soft rustle.

With trembling hands, Julian went through the journal with Mom and Dad.

[Day Four of Memory Loss. Sunny.]

[Today, I passed a store at the mall and saw a dress in the window. I loved it, but it was so expensive. I stood

there looking at it for a long time. Then Olivia arrived, and Mom bought it for her without a second

thought.]

[My memory is getting worse. I can’t even remember what it felt like when Mom used to love me.]

[Day Five of Memory Loss. Overcast.]

[Julian came to the house today. He sat on the couch peeling grapes for Olivia. I brought them a tray of iced

tea, but he didn’t even look at me. He told me to get lost. It hurt, but I could still bear it.]

[Day Six of Memory Loss. Overcast.]

[Today, I tried to picture Julian’s face, but I couldn’t see it clearly no matter how hard I tried.]

[Good. I’m finally going to forget him.]

[It was day seven of my memory loss, and I seemed to be forgetting more and more.]

[1. I am never going to love Julian again.]

[2. Mom and Dad won’t pay for college. Remember to go to the coffee shop at ten for my summer job so I can

earn money for college tuition. Address: xxxx.]

[3. Call off my engagement to Julian tomorrow.]

Then they reached the most recent page.

[Maybe no one loves me.]

There was nothing after that.

Only large tearstains blurred the paper.

I must have stopped halfway through writing and finally broken down, dropping my pen and sobbing.

When Mom saw it, she wailed as if her heart were breaking.

“Maya, I was wrong. I was so wrong…”

Dad’s eyes reddened as he covered his face and cried.

They brought Olivia home from the hospital.

The atmosphere in the living room was suffocating.

For the first time, Mom and Dad were truly stern with Olivia.

Mom sat on the couch, staring at her with a hard, furious gaze.

“Olivia, I’m going to ask you one more time.”

“Did Maya really push you that day?”

Olivia’s face paled. She forced a smile and edged closer to Mom.

“Mom, Dad, what’s wrong with you? Why are you suddenly being so mean to me?”

“Did Maya say something to you? That little brat is a master liar! She’s trying to hurt me. You can’t believe

her!”

“You still think this is about competing for our attention?”

Dad gave a humorless laugh, disappointment filling his eyes.

“Olivia, are you still refusing to tell us the truth?”

Julian had been standing silently nearby. At last, he spoke in a cold voice.

“The Bennett estate has security cameras. We trusted you before, so we never checked them.”

“But before we questioned you, we reviewed the footage.”

“You’d better tell the truth.”