Chapter 2

What was going on?

My mind went blank, and I had a bad feeling about all of this.

Just then, Lena knocked on the door and came in with a glass of milk. "Ethan, I warmed a glass of milk for you."

She walked to my side, and her gaze landed on the computer screen. There was a brief hint of panic on her face. "Why are you suddenly looking this up?"

I took in every detail of her expression, and my heart went cold. "I was just... Checking how much I have left to pay back."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. You've already sold all the assets you have under your name to pay it back. We don't blame you at all."

That was true.

I had saved some money over the years, too.

My older memories had recovered long ago, and I knew the house and car under my name were worth a lot. So, I had sold them without a second thought back then and poured the money into that bottomless pit that was the loans.

Lena handed me the glass of milk. "Drink."

The milk had no color or smell, but I knew something had been added to it. So, I took the glass and set it aside. "I'll drink it later."

To my surprise, Lena stayed beside me. She would not leave until she watched me drink the milk. I clenched my fists and asked softly, "Lena, if I lose my memory one more time, is it going to become something permanent? Will I go mad?"

Lena was stunned. She did not dare to look at me and only urged me to drink the milk. "No, you won't. No matter what happens to you, we'll still love you. Drink it."

I sniffed and suddenly found it all to be so… Funny.

Of course.

How could they not know that I would be permanently ruined if I lost my memory one more time?

I picked up the glass and drank the milk in a few gulps.

Lena let out a relieved breath.

After she left, I rushed into the bathroom, shoved my fingers down my throat, and threw everything up. Only after I had thrown up until nothing but bile remained did I finally feel a little better.

But the pain in my stomach soon returned. I climbed into bed, my face growing paler by the minute, and kept telling myself that everything would be fine once I fell asleep.

The night was unbearable.

As I drifted into a half-sleep, I was pulled into a nightmare.

In it, Victor held my mouth open and poured the drugs down my throat, his eyes full of reluctance. "It's alright. Once you drink this, everything will be alright, and you won't remember anything."

Meanwhile, Nora ordered Lena and Mia to hold me down. "Break his legs. That way, Zach's pain can be transferred to him!"

I was easily pinned down, and I did not even struggle. I merely looked at my mother in despair. "Mom, if you want my life, just say so."

Nora froze, but she still watched as Lena and Mia broke both my legs.

Lena even patted my head as she drove a thick needle into my left ear. My ear went completely deaf as I writhed on the floor in pain, blood from my ear smearing across my face.

I broke down and looked at them. "Why? Why are you doing this to me?! Am I not your son?!"

But they gave me the same response every time. They would pour the drugs down my throat and say, "It's alright. Just drink it, and you'll forget everything. Just do as you're told, Ethan..."

"No!"

I jolted awake and sat up in bed.

Only after a long while did I realize none of it was just a nightmare.

It had all really happened!

This time, I had not lost my memory.

I looked at the empty glass and laughed bitterly. As I laughed, I began to sob.

The people closest to me…

The people I loved most…

All of them truly wanted me dead…

Just then, Victor knocked on my door. "Ethan? What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"

I racked my brain, trying to remember how I had acted after I lost my memory.