Chapter 1

Seaside Hospital, outside the surgical corridor.

Clara Tang kept her head down, flipping through medical charts as she hurried toward her office.

As she rounded a corner, she collided head-on with someone.

Stumbling back a few steps to regain her balance, she hurriedly apologized, "I'm so sorry..."

Her voice trailed off the moment she looked up and saw the man’s sharp, handsome face.

"Ethan..."

Upon hearing her, Ethan Shaw’s brows knit together instantly. "We aren't close. Please watch how you address me."

Clara’s heart tightened painfully.

What did it feel like to be forgotten by the person you loved most? Clara knew the answer all too well.

She and Ethan had been lovers for four years.

They were in the same rescue team—he was a search and rescue officer, and she was the team doctor. Their relationship had been the envy of everyone who knew them.

But two years ago, a freak accident during a mission shattered everything.

Ethan had been buried under a landslide while trying to save Clara.

When he finally woke up, he had lost all his memories... including her.

"Sorry," Clara whispered, pursing her lips as a wave of desolation washed over her eyes.

Still, she didn’t want to miss a chance to talk to him, so she asked tentatively, "What brings you to the hospital? Is someone in your family ill?"

However, Ethan clearly had no desire to linger. He merely dropped a cold sentence: "It’s none of your business."

Then, he brushed past her and walked away.

Clara stood frozen, staring at his retreating back. It took a long moment before she turned and walked back to her office with a heavy heart.

She had just sat down when Summer Sheng from the nursing department pushed the door open and walked in.

Summer naturally took Clara’s arm, her voice bright and cheerful. "Cece, are you free this weekend? Come with me to try on wedding dresses!"

Clara was slightly stunned. "You're getting married?"

"Yes, we've already set the date."

Summer spoke with a smile in her voice; she sounded incredibly happy.

Clara couldn't help but look down at the plain silver ring on her own left middle finger.

If that accident hadn't happened, she and Ethan would be...

Her train of thought was interrupted when Summer spoke again. "So, can you make it? You know I’m not originally from D.C., so I don’t have many friends here."

Faced with her earnest plea, Clara couldn't find the heart to refuse and agreed.

The weekend arrived quickly.

When Clara walked into the bridal shop, Summer was already trying on a gown.

Seeing that she was alone, Clara asked curiously, "Summer, isn't your fiancé coming?"

A flush of red crept onto Summer's face as she explained softly, "He’s on a mission. He’ll be late."

"On a mission?"

Hearing the phrase that she and Ethan used to say most often, Clara froze for a second.

Summer nodded. "He works for a rescue team. He’s amazing."

Every woman becomes talkative when discussing her lover, and Summer was no exception.

She sat down next to Clara and naturally began to tell the story of how they met.

"We met at a rehabilitation center. He was severely injured at the time, and I was responsible for taking care of him. Later... I fell for him and confessed. We've been dating for nearly a year now."

It was an enviable story.

But the more Clara heard, the tighter her chest felt.

An unbelievable thought began to surface in her mind.

Her throat felt dry as she whispered, "What... what is his name?"

Summer didn't notice anything wrong and curled her lips into a smile. "His name is Eth—"

Before she could finish, the crisp sound of a wind chime echoed from the entrance.

Clara instinctively looked over to see a tall, upright figure pushing the door open.

Bathed in the sunlight, the man’s face gradually became clear in her eyes.

At the same time, Summer finished her sentence—

"His name is Ethan Shaw."

Chapter 2

Clara stared at the face she knew better than anyone else, her mind going completely blank.

How was this possible...

How could Summer’s fiancé be Ethan Shaw?!

Clara was paralyzed on the sofa as memories from two years ago, the day before their final mission, suddenly rushed back—

Ethan had smiled as he took her hand, his eyes overflowing with love.

"Cece, when we get back this time, let’s get married, okay?"

But in the blink of an eye, the memory shattered into jagged pieces.

Summer’s voice pulled Clara back to reality.

"Ethan, you’re here."

She rose to take Ethan’s arm, excitedly introducing them. "Cece, this is my boyfriend, Ethan Shaw. Ethan, Cece was my high school classmate and is now my colleague."

Clara’s gaze met Ethan’s in mid-air. She clearly saw his eyes turn cold for a split second.

But in the next moment, Ethan’s expression returned to normal as he extended a hand. "Hello."

That indifferent tone... it was as if they had never met!

Suppressing the heavy grief surging in her heart, Clara slowly reached out and shook his hand under Summer's watchful eye.

After only two seconds, Ethan withdrew his hand.

He then looked at Summer with a gentle gaze. "I think that one suits you perfectly. Why don't you go try it on?"

Summer happily agreed and headed toward the fitting room.

Clara looked down at her hand, which had been practically cast aside, and lost herself in thought for a moment.

In the silence, the man’s cold voice suddenly rang in her ear—

"Why are you approaching Summer? Trying to dig for information about me through her?"

Clara was stunned, her face turning pale.

Was that the kind of person she was in his eyes?

She took a deep breath and looked away, answering with a question of her own: "Are you and Summer... really getting married?"

"Yes. So, I hope you will stop interfering with my life."

Ethan lowered his voice, his dark eyes filled with warning. "Clara Tang, the past is in the past. Please remember that there is absolutely no connection between us now."

His words were like a sharp blade stabbing directly into Clara’s heart.

She opened her mouth to speak, but in the end, nothing came out.

Unable to stay a moment longer, Clara grabbed her bag to leave.

Just as she pushed the door open, Ethan’s voice followed the sound of the wind chimes once more: "Don't mention those things to Summer. I don't want her to be unhappy."

An overwhelming sense of grievance spread through Clara’s body. It took all her strength to squeeze out three words.

"I won't."

Walking out of the bridal shop, the sunlight was as bright as ever.

But Clara’s body temperature had dropped to the freezing point.

Memories of the beautiful times she had spent with Ethan kept flashing through her mind, overlapping with the cold indifference he had just shown her.

While she was dazed, her phone suddenly rang.

Her mother’s stern voice came through the speaker: "Cece, I've set up a blind date for you at Moon Pavilion. Six o'clock tonight. You must go."

Clara was taken aback, her brow furrowing slightly. "Mom, I told you I—"

"You what? How old are you now? Do you really plan on staying single forever for that ungrateful boy?"

Her mother interrupted her, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Anyway, you have to go, or don't bother coming home."

With that, the line went dead.

As the screen went dark, Clara looked at her reflection, her hands slowly tightening into fists.

She knew perfectly well that Ethan had completely forgotten her, yet she always thought she should wait a little longer.

But...

Clara let out a long breath and hailed a taxi.

"Driver, Moon Pavilion, please."

Half an hour later.

Just as Clara stepped out of the car, she received a text from her mother.

"He's wearing a black shirt and black pants. Don't keep him waiting."

She replied with a quick "Okay" and began scanning the entrance of the Moon Pavilion restaurant.

Finally, she spotted the back of a man in a black shirt sitting in a shaded corner.

Clara walked over. "Hello, I’m here for the blind date. Are you—"

Before she could finish, the man turned around at the sound of her voice.

Clara froze in her tracks, completely stunned.

"Ethan?"

Chapter 3

As their eyes met, Clara’s mind went blank for a moment.

Ethan... was her blind date?

Before she could speak to confirm, the man knit his brows first. "I am not your date."

At the same time, Summer’s cheerful voice rang out from behind them.

"Ethan! Oh, Cece, you're here for dinner too? What a coincidence!"

Clara snapped back to reality instantly, the tiny, ethereal spark of hope in her heart vanishing completely.

Of course. Ethan was already getting married; how could he possibly be here on a blind date with her?