Chapter 3

– 6 DAYS AGO –

The air between the couple worsened. During their morning meal, they ate a feast yet it tasted like rock and salt. They were very awkward. They cannot even maintain a stare as they both had their heads dropped down.

Zach did not finish his meal. For him, it was not pleasant but torture. He would rather starve than ate in that choking silence.

“I’ll go now.” He stood up and grabbed his work suit on top of the couch.

Roanne did not respond. She just followed his back and saw him off to his work. Right after he left, Roanne anxiously looked for her phone. She searched the couch yet nothing was found. She already forgot at which spot she exactly threw her phone days ago. She was deeply in rage and was lost to her thoughts at that time. She alarmingly rummaged the whole living room. She searched for minutes and finally found her cracked phone deeply hidden between the wooden desk cabinet beneath their enlarged wedding photo. Acquiring the phone she desperately looked for; noticing that their wedding photo was slightly crooked, she immediately put it back to normal with the sincerest look. She was genuinely smiling as she positioned it.

“How beautiful …” She mumbled right after fixing its crooked position.

She opened her phone and dialed a number only she knows. “Hello, Mr. Ryan? It’s me, Roanne.

“It’s about him, I mean my husband. After that accident, is it possible to regain his previous memories back?

“Then, is there a possibility that he already regained a bit of his memories?

“Thanks, Mr. Ryan. I’ll call you back.

She was fidgety during that phone call with Mr. Ryan who seemed to be a renowned doctor. After the end of that sudden phone call, Roanne let out a heavy sigh as she began becoming one with the cold silence. She was pondering very hard on what she should do. She was racking her brain not until the doorbell rang. She expected it to be her husband. She collected herself as she headed straight towards the door.

She unhesitatingly opened the door and, “Did you forgot som-,” she stopped at mid-sentence.

What welcomed her was not her husband but instead, Samantha.

“Long time no see, Roanne.” Samantha was oddly grinning. “You’re good these days right?

Roanne did not answer. She coldly pierced an unwelcomed stare at her the moment she saw her.

“What’s with that disgusting glare?” Samantha’s expression drooped in an instant. “Move …”

She pushed Roanne aside and forced herself to enter their house. The room was a bit messy because of what Roanne did earlier. Samantha had this smug look in her face as she freely helped herself in their house.

“Get out …” Roanne muttered. Samantha clearly heard her yet she pretended not. “I said get out!” Roanne yelled for the second time she asked her to leave.

Samantha glanced at her. “Pft! Why are you so furious?” She stood still in front of their large wedding photo with an oddly mocking smile. “What a broad smile. People might think you’re really happy here.

“What’s the point of doing this?” Roanne sneered. “When Zach will never, ever be yours.

“You …” Samantha approached her direction. She stood in front of her and glanced at her from head to toe. “You’re becoming too courageous, don’t you think?

“So what?

“But hey, bitch; do you think all of this real?” Samantha raised a corner of her lip. She intensely pushed Roanne’s shoulder with her fingers and took a step forward every time she mentioned a word. “This house, this life, his memories, you and especially your marriage, all of them are fucking fak-.

Samantha did not finish her sentence. Roanne infuriatingly gave her a crunchy slap in the cheek. “Fake?” Roanne mocking laughed. “But, what to do? Do you think he will believe your words? Hey bitch, you should stop coveting a married man and just find yourself a boy toy. It’s perfect for slutty wenches like you.

Samantha briefly laughed. After a while, she also gave a revenge slap back at her. “Slutty wenches? Did you already forget what you did back in college? Would you like me to remind you?

Roanne tried to slap her one more time. However, Samantha quickly blocked it and instead, Roanne took another slap from her. As a result, Roanne flopped onto the floor.

“Hey, aren’t you tired? I might not know how you brainwashed Zach however; do you think your petty lies would last that long? Wake up from your fake world, bitch.” She coldly said along with a scornful glare down at her.

Samantha was already walking herself out of the house. However, she momentarily halted upon hearing Roanne’s hysterically chuckling. “Fake? Pft!” She slowly assisted herself to stand up. “Would you like to hear what’s real then? You … you will never exist in Zach’s world. Why? It’s because I made it that way.

Samantha sneered. “Crazy bitch …” She resumed her way and said her last, “You should visit a ward. You have a serious problem.” She left.

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In his office desk, Zach was preoccupied with just a single thing. He was blankly staring at that piece of paper given to him by Samantha. For the past days, he was deliberately pondering whether to check the account or not. In the end, after days of contemplation, he decided to take a look. He went to that specific account and what he saw confirmed all of his suspicions.

“What’s this?” He wanted to stop but the curiosity and the desire to know what he forgot, made him scroll until the very end. “Why … why am I with her? Then, everything she said back then was true?

The account he saw was filled with couple photos; not with his wife but with that woman, Samantha, whom he met a few days ago. The photos were too intimate for friends thus, it only state one obvious explanation. They were indeed a couple before.

“Why didn’t Roanne say anything about her?” He started to feel immense headache. “What are you hiding from me, Roanne?

The pain worsened and after a while, he lost consciousness, as he cannot longer endure the sipping pain. Luckily, there are many people around that time so he was swiftly brought to the hospital.

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After Samantha left, Roanne stood still in her spot with her head facing down. She almost looked like a gloomy ghost only if it was not broad daylight.

“Fake?” She laughed however; her laugh gradually turned into sob. “No, everything is real.

She anxiously hurried into her secret room. Upon opening the lights, the room’s content was revealed. The room was filled with cassette tapes marked with dates. In the middle of the room was a cassette player. Roanne meticulously searched for the cassette tape she badly wanted to hear. Ever since before, Roanne had a strange hobby of recording people’s voices. It only started after seeing Zach for the first time. She recorded her every day and enjoyed listening to his voice in her spare time.

She finally found the August 14, 2015 and February 25, 2016 voice recording she badly searched for. She played the first voice recording and listened.

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“The process of …” The lecturer was busy in his lecture. Afterwards, a chair dragging sound was heard followed by a swift rummaging inside of a bag.

“Is this seat taken?” Zach voice’s was heard.

“Ah, no …” Roanne answered.

“Hello! I am Zach. What’s yours?

“I’m Roanne. Nice to meet you.

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Roanne smiled after hearing the voices of their past, however; her smile did not last as she heard the following voice.

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“How about the lady beside yours?

“I’m Samantha … You’re Zach right?

“How did you know?

“You’re famous! Don’t you know?

Zach and Samantha’s giggling was heard.

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Roanne immediately stopped it rolling. “What’s this? Why is that bitch there?” She played the other voice recording in quite distress. She acted and looked like she didn’t know what’s happening. While panicking, the second voice recording began rolling.

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The cafe door chimes was heard.

“Is Samantha not here yet?” Zach’s voice was heard.

“Yea, she’s not here yet.

“Uhmm, Roanne? Mind if I ask you something troubling?

“What is it?

“What type of men do you think Samantha like?

“Eh .. I also don’t know … Who knows? Maybe you?

“Then … do you think I can be her gir-”

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The recording stopped. No, she stopped it from playing any further.

“Noo!” She grabbed the cassette player and vigorously slammed it in the wall as she screamed in rage. “We … we are not fake! Right … That’s correct … He truly loves me …”

She became silent. Afterwards, a faint smirk was seen on her face. “That’ll be always … real.” She whispered.