Chapter 2

For days, I couldn’t bring myself to go find Joshua.

Maybe I was too scared to face the truth—that he might actually be falling for Ivy.

But deep down, I kept telling myself that couldn’t be true.

He lost his memory because of me. This wasn’t his fault. He just forgot… that’s all…

I kept repeating these thoughts to myself like a mantra, trying to convince myself I still had hope.

Eventually, I decided to bring him lunch. I spent hours preparing a homemade meal and delivered it to his office.

Most of his coworkers knew me, so they let me into his office without any trouble. But I waited for over an hour, and he never showed up.

Finally, his secretary came in with an apologetic expression. “Ms. Harper, I’m so sorry, but it seems Mr. Carter stepped out for a meeting.”

I nodded, forcing a smile. “That’s okay. I’ll just leave this here for him.”

I placed the lunchbox on his desk and instructed the secretary, “He’s probably too busy to remember to eat, so make sure he does, okay? Otherwise, his stomach will act up again.”

The secretary couldn’t help but sigh. “You’re so thoughtful, Ms. Harper. Mr. Carter is lucky to have someone like you.”

I smiled faintly. “Well, I’ll get going now.”

As I left his office building, I hailed a cab to head home. But just as I reached my front door, I realized I’d left my bag behind.

I had no choice but to turn back.

When I walked through the glass doors of his office again, I froze.

There was Ivy, sitting in Joshua’s office, eating the lunch I had made.

Joshua was at his desk, glancing at her every so often with a soft, indulgent smile.

It was the same look he used to give me before he lost his memory.

A sharp pain shot through my chest, a mix of heartbreak and nausea.

Without thinking, I stormed into the room, grabbed the lunchbox from Ivy’s hands, and threw it to the ground.

Ivy’s head snapped up, her glare piercing. That look—it was too familiar. So familiar that my body went weak, and I instinctively took a step back.

Joshua was on his feet in an instant, grabbing my wrist. His voice was filled with rage.

“Harper, have you lost your mind again?! Haven’t you caused enough trouble? What did Ivy ever do to you?”

I could barely keep my voice steady as I looked him in the eye, tears streaming down my face.

“You knew I made that for you. If you didn’t want it, you could’ve thrown it away—but why did you give it to her?”

For a moment, Joshua hesitated, my words seeming to strike a nerve. But before he could respond, Ivy chimed in with a soft voice.

“Mr. Carter… Harper didn’t mean it. She just likes you so much that she doesn’t want someone like me eating something she made for you.”

Whatever flicker of doubt Joshua might have felt disappeared instantly. He turned to her, his voice gentle.

“Don’t say that. You’re not ‘someone like that.’”

Then, he let go of my wrist, shoving me backward. I stumbled and fell to the floor.

Looking down at me, his voice was cold and cutting.

“If it’s something you made for me, then it’s mine to decide who gets to eat it. If you don’t want me giving it to someone else, then stop being pathetic and stop bringing me food!”

His words shattered me.

I don’t even remember how I managed to stand up, or how I forced myself to pick up the broken pieces of the lunchbox and leave his office.

I straightened my back, determined not to look as defeated as I felt.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.