âSheâs not leaving with youâ¦â
Wearing the hospital gown, Steven stood by the door and spoke in a hoarse voice. His chest heaved, and he stared intently at me. It was as if he was begging me not to leave with Michael.
Michael gazed warningly at Steven.
âSteven Lincoln, Iâll see how long you can keep up with this act!â
I pushed Michael away, then said firmly, âMr. Ford, my wellâbeing has nothing to do with you. It never did, and it will not now.
re wonât be âIâm not Stephanie Carlson, and you donât have to project your guilt onto me. I hope there anything between us in the future.â
My firm attitude had seemingly hurt Michael.
He looked at me with a conflicted gaze, then smiled bitterly.
âIs this how it feels to be not trusted? Stephie, youâre getting back at me, arenât you?â Michael wondered if I was doing this to make him experience everything that Stephanie had experienced before.
âYouâre overthinking.âI frowned. Michael was being annoying.
Perhaps, it was only natural that humans would develop biases.
In the past, Michael refused to trust me regardless of what I had done. Now, no matter what Michael said I would not trust him.
âStephieâ¦â Michael looked anxious. âWhen will you finally see his true colors? Heâs a devil. Heâs been pretending. What must I say for you to believe me?â
Michael gazed at me as if he would do anything if he could prove his sincerity.
âDo you think heâs been homeless all these years? Why would Ewan help him, and why did the Lincolns end up like this? If he was mentally disabled or homeless, the Lincolns wouldnât be what they are today. Heâs behind the deaths of James Lincoln and Ignatius Lincolnâ¦â
Michael pointed at Steven, trying his best to make me believe that everything about Steven was a lie.
I looked at Steven, who seemed to panic a little as he lowered his head.
âMichael, I said you should mind your own business,â I warned Michael so that heâd stop staring at Steven.
ever âWhy do you trust him so much? Have you thought of why youâve forgotten all about him? Have you never questioned that?
âHavenât you questioned why you escaped and why you would fall in love with me⦠if you really loved him?
Michaelâs voice was hoarse. He held my shoulders and tried to make me believe in him.
*Stephie⦠You shouldnât think that Iâm lying just because Iâve hurt you before. I was just feeling confused.
about my feelings.
âI never wanted to hurt you or to take advantage of you. Iâve always been⦠just running away. I was worried that you only fell in love with me because you had amnesia. I was afraid that you would find your memoriesâ¦â
Michael claimed that his past avoidance was a sign of respect for me.
âStephie, I wonât harm you,â he explained.
I stood at the same place and stared at Michael.
I didnât trust him, but I knew him very well.
He wasnât lying, but that did not mean what he said was the truth.
It was as if even though one plus one equaled two, he believed strongly that it equaled three.
He wasnât lying, but his answer was not the truth.
I glanced at Steven, who looked at me in a panic. Because he had run over anxiously, he stood there barefoot, looking like an abandoned doll.
He was afraid that I would abandon him.
But Martin was right about one thingâwhy did I completely forget about Steven?
Forgetting equaled abandonment.
Why did the past me choose to abandon Steven?
With reddened eyes, Steven shook his head at me.
He would not threaten me like how Martin did. He would support my decision, even if it made him sad and heartbroken.
âIf I leave, will you stop me?â I asked Steven.
Steven lowered his head and tightened his fists. After some time, he shook his head.
He wouldnât.
He would respect my decision.
How would somebody like this confine me, just as Michael had said?
I refused to believe that.
âYou wonât stop me no matter what I do, right?â I asked softly.