That note was like a bucket of ice water, chilling me to the bone from head to toe.

Amnesia... was it an act?

My mind went "buzz" and then blank.

The events of the past two months flashed before my eyes like a fast-forwarded film.

Her eyes filled with reliance, her clingy affection, her domineering possessiveness, every "I only remember you" she had ever said...

Was it all just acting?

Why?

An indescribable surge of anger and disappointment instantly swept through my heart.

I had been deceived by her.

Again.

I thought I had finally found someone I could completely trust, but as it turned out, this was just another meticulously designed scam.

I gripped the note tightly, my knuckles turning white from the force.

"Aiden? What's wrong?" Chloe’s voice came from the doorway.

She saw my deathly pale face and the empty hospital bed, and she realized something was wrong too.

"Where’s Qin Yue? Where is she?"

I didn't answer, just handed the note in my hand to her.

After reading it, Chloe was stunned, and then an expression of disbelief appeared on her face.

"This girl... is she crazy? Why would she do this?"

Exactly, why?

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to suppress the raging storm in my heart.

No, I couldn't be controlled by my emotions like this.

I had to find her and get a clear explanation.

I took out my phone and dialed Qin Yue’s number.

Powered off.

I called Uncle and Auntie Qin.

They didn't know where Qin Yue had gone either, their voices filled with anxiety and worry.

I hung up the phone, feeling a wave of helplessness.

What exactly did this little demoness want to do?

"Aiden, don't rush." Chloe patted my back, comforting me. "I’ll send people to look for her immediately. The city is only so big; she can't run far."

"Mm."

For the next twenty-four hours, I felt like I was living in purgatory.

Chloe mobilized all her connections and relationships, turning the entire city upside down.

But Qin Yue was like a ghost who had vanished into thin air; there was no news of her whatsoever.

She didn't go home, she didn't look up any friends, and there were no usage records for her credit cards or mobile phone.

She left cleanly, without leaving a trace.

I sat in Qin Yue’s empty hospital room, unable to sleep all night.

I recalled every bit of our time together, over and over, trying to find some clues.

Why would she fake amnesia?

Was it to get revenge for my neglect back then? Or was it for... fun?

No, neither.

Although Qin Yue was willful and temperamental, she was not someone who didn't know the boundaries of appropriateness.

She must have had her reasons for doing this.

But what could those reasons be?

The next afternoon, just when I was about to despair, Chloe’s call finally came through.

"Found her!" Her voice carried a trace of exhaustion and complexity. "She is... in a place you would never expect."

"Where?"

"The 'Qingning' Sanitarium, in the suburbs."

Qingning Sanitarium?

That was a private facility specialized in treating patients with mental illnesses.

What was she doing there?

An ominous premonition surged in my heart, and I drove over immediately.

In the dean's office, I met Qin Yue’s attending physician.

"Mr. Aiden, hello." The doctor was a gentle-looking, middle-aged woman.

"Doctor, Qin Yue, she... what exactly happened to her?" I asked urgently.

The doctor sighed, took a medical record from the drawer, and handed it to me.

"Miss Qin suffers from severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)."

"PTSD?" I was stunned.

"Yes." The doctor nodded, her expression somber. "Even though the physical injuries from being pushed down the stairs weren't fatal, she suffered immense psychological shock and trauma. She has recurring nightmares of falling from great heights or being hunted by Vanessa. Her emotional state is extremely unstable, and she shows significant aggression and self-harming tendencies."

My heart felt as if it were being pricked by needles, aching with intense density.

"Then... the fake amnesia..."

"That wasn't an act." The doctor shook her head. "It was a self-protective mechanism. Under immense fear and pressure, her subconscious transformed her into a carefree 'child' who only relied on you. Because in her cognition, only by your side was she absolutely safe."

"However, when she saw Vanessa sentenced, when she believed the person who hurt her had been punished and the crisis was resolved, her primary personality began to reawaken."

"She recovered all her memories and remembered the 'childish' and 'clingy' behaviors she had shown during that time. She felt she couldn't face you, nor could she face that fragile self. So, she chose to escape."

The doctor's words were like a hammer, slamming fiercely into my heart.

It turned out that I was the most foolish one of all.

I thought she was acting, I thought she was deceiving me again.

But I didn't know that beneath her heartless exterior lay such deep wounds and fear.

She wasn't lying to me.

She was just... sick.

And I, the one who kept saying I wanted to protect her, knew nothing about it.

I even doubted her and misunderstood her when she needed me most.

A massive wave of guilt and heartache instantly engulfed me.

"Can I... see her?" My voice was incredibly hoarse.

"Yes." The doctor nodded. "However, her emotional state is still quite unstable. You had better... be mentally prepared."

In the sanitarium’s back garden, I found Qin Yue.

She was wearing loose hospital pajamas, sitting alone on a bench, hugging a pillow, staring into the distance with hollow eyes.

She had lost so much weight, her chin was sharp, and she looked as fragile as shattered porcelain.

Gone was her former vitality and arrogance.

Step by step, I walked toward her.

My footsteps were light, but they still startled her.

She turned her head, and upon seeing me, a flicker of panic flashed in her eyes before it reverted to that cold, distant indifference that kept people at bay.

She stood up and turned to leave.

"Qin Yue!"

I rushed over and hugged her from behind.

Her body was very stiff.

"Let go of me." Her voice was cold and flat, devoid of any temperature.

"I won't let go." I tightened my arms, pinning her firmly against me, resting my chin on top of her hair. My voice was filled with suppressed pain and remorse.

"I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I didn't know... I knew nothing at all..."

I apologized incoherently, feeling like a fool.

She didn't struggle, nor did she respond; she just stood there quietly like a soulless puppet.

"Qin Yue, look at me." I turned her body around, forcing her to face me.

I looked into her hollow eyes, feeling like I was suffocating from the heartache.

"I know you weren't lying to me. I know you're sick, and I know you're hurting."

"Don't be afraid, I will stay with you. No matter what happens, I will be by your side."

"Let's work together to get you better, okay?"

I coaxed her as if she were a child.

Finally, her eyes flickered.

A tear slid down from her hollow eyes.

Then came the second, the third...

As if she had finally found an outlet for her pent-up emotions, they erupted completely at this moment.

She reached out and pounded on my chest with force, crying her heart out.

"Get lost! I don't need you to care! I don't need your pity!"

"I don't pity you." I let her beat me, pulling her even tighter into my arms. "I love you."

I said those three words with absolute clarity and absolute firmness.

Qin Yue’s crying and pounding stopped.

She looked up at me with tear-stained eyes, filled with disbelief.

"You... what did you say?"

"I said, I love you." I lowered my head, looking into her eyes, repeating every word, "Qin Yue, I love you. Not out of guilt, not out of pity. Just love. It started a long time ago."

"When I was learning to cook the dishes you liked for Vanessa’s sake."

"When I saw you wiping my sweat by my bedside."

"When I received that amulet you gave me."

"I have loved you for a long time. I just didn't realize it myself."

Qin Yue was completely stunned.

She stared blankly at me, tears still clinging to her lashes like a lost child.

Seeing her cute, dazed appearance, I could no longer resist, so I leaned down and kissed her.

Her lips were cool, tasting of salt from her tears.

I kissed her gently and lingeringly, trying to use my passion to melt away all her coldness and anxiety.

At first, she resisted a little.

But slowly, her body relaxed.

She reached out, wrapped her arms around my neck, and began to respond to my kiss with hesitation.

When the kiss ended, we were both somewhat breathless.

I leaned my forehead against hers, looking at her flushed cheeks and dewy eyes, my voice hoarse.