Joyce was the woman Jarvis became determined to marry after his memory loss, all because she had called for emergency help that day. Like a fairytale prince and princess, they had fallen hopelessly in love.
By the time I arrived at the hospital, I was a mess, my makeup smudged with sweat, everything about me disheveled.
But Joyce was different. She always wore a white dress, her long black hair straight and sleek. Her round eyes, like those of a lost fawn in the forest, gazed at me, stirring a fierce protective instinct in any man who saw her.
She seemed a little afraid of the crazy woman before her — and I did look both unkempt and insane at that moment. Instinctively, she moved closer to Jarvis.
Jarvis, even in a blue hospital gown, looked irresistibly handsome and charming.
Sunlight bathed him, each strand of his hair glowing, his amber eyes wary as he stared at me.
Seeing that he was alright, I didn't have time to ask who the woman next to him was; I just ran toward him.
"Jarvis — you're okay...?"
Before I could finish, Jarvis frowned, his expression guarded and irritated. "Who are you? Do we know each other?"
My whole body froze at his words, drained of all strength.
I forced myself to stay upright, my nails digging into deeply into my flesh, yet I felt no pain at all, consumed only by my desperate questioning:“Jarvis, you’re joking, right?”
But I knew, from the coldness in his eyes, that my Jarvis truly didn’t recognize me anymore.
He replied coldly, “‘Joking’? What’s funny?”
“If you don’t shut up, I’ll have you thrown out. You’re scaring my girlfriend.”
“I’m your girlfriend!”
As soon as I said it, Jarvis wrapped an arm around Joyce and rolled his eyes at me, mocking, “You’ve got to be kidding!”
His gaze raked over me with unhidden disdain. “Guess I must’ve been blind.”
Joyce looked at me apologetically, tried to push him away, but his hold tightened.
She glanced my way.
Her voice was gentle, “Miss, the doctor said he has amnesia. He might have forgotten you and mistaken me for his girlfriend.”
“I’m not mistaken. You are my girlfriend.”
Jarvis sounded a bit defensive, holding onto her with all his strength, even though he had just come out of surgery, as if afraid she would slip away if he let go.
His words made her blush, too embarrassed to push him away again.
Jarvis, satisfied, leaned further into her arms.
Watching their intimate posture, for the first time, I felt like an outsider.
I forced a smile, reassuring myself that as long as Jarvis’s alright, that was all that mattered.
And with technology being so advanced, and the doctor saying it was a brief amnesia caused by trauma, he might remember me at any moment.
Jarvis had only temporarily stopped loving me.
I reassured myself.
I tried to release all my kindness and approached Jarvis slowly, taking each step with care.
“The doctor said you need to rest. Let me take care of you.”
“After all, you used to take care of me.”
Fearing he might refuse, I added this extra bit.
He buried himself in Joyce’s embrace, barely sparing me a glance, completely ignoring my presence.
As if I didn’t exist.
“Jarvis—”
It wasn’t until I was close enough to lay a hand on his shoulder that he suddenly became agitated.
“Don’t touch me!”
He shoved me violently, and I fell to the ground before I could react.
My head hit the corner of the wall.
Everything before me turned red. Jarvis glanced at me indifferently before grabbing Joyce, who had come over to help.
Joyce frowned. “She’s injured. It looks quite serious.”
Jarvis, unfazed, pointed at the bandage on his head with a look of disbelief. “Baby, I’m injured too.”
He sounded aggrieved. “Why pity her, an outsider? Feel sorry for me instead!”
He pouted, clearly annoyed.
“Anyway, I told her not to come.”
He paused, then added, “She got what she deserve.”
Joyce gave me a helpless smile, and I managed a weak smile in return.
But my head ached terribly, and my heart felt like it was being torn apart.
In Joyce, I saw a reflection of my former self, how Jarvis used to treat me.
I gritted my teeth, struggled to my feet, and walked out.
I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer. They streamed down, soaking my eyes.
My Jarvis had simply forgotten me. He had just forgotten me.