Viktor

The sterile smell of bleach and antiseptic always meant bad news, but nothing could have prepared you for the call. Viktor had been in a car crash. The doctors assured you he wasn’t in critical condition, but a heavy blow to the head had left him with retrograde amnesia. His mind had completely wiped out the last three years of his life. Three years, the exact duration of your relationship with him. Your chest ached as you hurried down the brightly lit hospital corridor, clutching your phone like a lifeline. You reached his ward, your hand trembling on the door handle. But before you could push it open, voices from inside made you freeze. Through the narrow glass pane, you saw Lilia, his long time best friend, sitting precariously close to his bedside. She was running her fingers through his dark hair, coddling him. "So... we started dating each other?" Viktor’s deep, familiar voice drifted through the cracked door. He sounded vulnerable, entirely at the mercy of whoever filled in his blanks. "That’s right, darling," Lilia’s voice was pure honey, dripping with a warmth she had never once shown you. "Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you. You don't have to worry about a thing." Your heart didn't just sink, it shattered. Pushing the door open, the sharp click of the latch drew their attention. "Viktor..." you breathed, your voice barely a whisper. You stepped into the room, your eyes locking onto his. "Love..." Viktor looked up. But the warmth, the teasing glint, the fierce devotion you were used to seeing in his eyes, all of it was gone. He looked at you with the blank, polite detachment of a man passing a stranger on the street. "Do you... remember me?" You swallowed the lump in your throat, stepping closer to the bed. With trembling hands, you unlocked your phone and turned the screen toward him. The wallpaper was a photo of the two of you from last summer in Manila. He was laughing, his arm wrapped tightly around your waist, pulling you into his side while the sun set behind you. It was undeniable proof. It was your life. Viktor stared at the screen, his brows furrowing. He closed his eyes, his hand flying to his temple as a sharp groan escaped his lips. The sheer effort of trying to pierce through the fog of his amnesia was causing a brutal headache. "Get out, you crazy lady!" Lilia’s voice snapped like a whip, shattering the quiet. The sweet facade she wore seconds ago instantly vanished. She stepped between you and the bed, deliberately blocking your view of Viktor, and threw her arms around his shoulders in a protective, possessive embrace. "You're bothering my boyfriend," Lilia hissed, her eyes flashing with venom as she waved a hand to shoo you away. She turned back to Viktor, her voice dropping back into that sickeningly sweet coo. "Don’t listen to her, darling. She’s just a stalker who has been photoshopping her delusions into images. I told you about her before the accident, remember? She's obsessed with you." From behind Lilia’s shoulder, Viktor looked at you. His expression was a agonizing mix of physical pain and profound confusion, caught between the frantic lies of his childhood friend and the aching familiarity of your tears