Chapter 7
911
“Beatrice”
The man’s voice carried urgency, almost desperation.
I turned, but no memory of him surfaced.
He looked like he had been searching for me for a long time. Though his expression was flustered, his eyes shone with relief as he had finally recovered something lost.
“I found you! I have so much to say. What happened before was my fault. Do you have time? Can we talk, please?”
He reached for my hand, but I stepped back, effortlessly dodging his touch.
Behind him, a girl stood, her expression dark with displeasure.
“Sorry, I don’t know you well. I don’t think we have anything to discuss.”
Only then did he notice something was wrong.
“What happened to you? Beatrice, it’s me, Arthur!”
When I remained silent, he hesitated before softening his tone.
“Are you still mad at me? What happened that night was my fault, but I stopped it later. Just give me a chance to explain, okay?”
Isla finally snapped, her voice filled with contempt.
“Beatrice, quit pretending! Can’t handle what you dished out? Weren’t you always acting high and mighty? Didn’t you love forcing people to apologize? Now that my brother is groveling, are you satisfied? Enough with the act! This is ridiculous!”
I frowned, spared her a glance and chose to ignore her.
Arthur’s expression darkened. His voice snapped like a whip.
“Shut up! If you didn’t come here to sincerely apologize, then leave!”
Isla bit her lip, swallowing whatever else she had to say.
Arthur turned back to me, his gaze pleading.
“Beatrice, talk to me. Please?”
I met his eyes for a long moment before shaking my head.
“There’s nothing left to say between us. Besides, I’m afraid you’ll take me somewhere to drink again.”
I deliberately stressed the last word, watching as Arthur’s expression shifted and even Edison, standing beside me, stiffened.
On the way home, Edison hesitated more than once as if something was weighing on him.
I gave him a curious look.
“If you want to ask something, just ask.”
1/2 13:35.
07:50 Sun, 30 Mar 다
LUI.
I gave him a curious look.
“If you want to ask something, just ask.”
Edison sighed, his shoulders sinking slightly as if conceding to his own thoughts
“When did you remember? Or did you never forget at all?”
A small smile tugged at my lips.
“You don’t need to question your expertise in psychology. I did lose that memory, but I regained it, piece by piece, through my parents‘ probing.”
“I just didn’t bring it up because I didn’t want to worry you all. So, you’ll have to help me keep it a secret.”
Edison studied me for a moment before a faint smile crossed his face.
“Got it.”
I treated Arthur’s sudden reappearance as nothing more than a passing nuisance, something easily brushed aside, left to gather dust in a forgotten corner of my mind.
But I never expected him to cling to me like this. It wasn’t like him.
Wherever Edison and I went, he lurked in the background.
When we walked into the lab, he trailed behind at a distance.
When we dined at a restaurant, he sat outside.
When we strolled through the park, he lingered at the entrance.
More than once, I found myself wondering, was this really the same Arthur? He had never been this way before.
The next time we crossed paths, his patience finally snapped.
“Beatrice, are you treating me like this because of him?”
He jabbed a finger in Edison’s direction, his eyes burning with accusation as if I had betrayed some unspoken promise.
I almost laughed.
“Arthur, haven’t you had enough?” My voice was calm, but my patience was wearing thin. “Even if he weren’t here, I still wouldn’t treat you any differently. Or do you really not know what you’ve done to me?”
Frustration twisted Arthur’s features.
“What did I do? If you hadn’t embarrassed Isla, I wouldn’t have taken you to that party! And I told them not to go too far, I even stepped in at the end!”
“So what?”
1 cut him off, my voice sharp as a blade
