I never thought I’d be living a life that wasn’t my own. After the accident, everything changed. I couldn’t remember anything about Derek, the man who claimed to be my fiancé. He told me we had lived together, but Otis, my dog, was behaving strangely around him. It was as if he didn’t know him either.
I tried to make sense of it all. Derek brought me our photos and stories of how we met, but I couldn’t recall anything. My mom was suspicious, too, wondering why I hadn’t told her about our engagement before the accident.
As the days went by, things only got stranger. Otis continued to bark at Derek as if he was a complete stranger. Derek insisted we get married soon, saying he loved me so much he couldn’t wait. But how could I marry someone I didn’t remember?
I started to feel trapped and helpless. My phone had been broken in the accident, and when Derek replaced it, he changed the number. I couldn’t contact my friend Sally or access my social media accounts. It was as if I was locked in a cage.
One day, I overheard Derek talking to someone on the phone. He got upset, saying it wasn’t time yet. An hour later, he left for work, and I felt anxious about what was going on. Why couldn’t I remember him? Why was Otis reacting so strangely?
I decided to take matters into my own hands. When Sally arrived at the door, I knew something was off. She told me that Derek didn’t exist, and that there were only two possibilities – either I had never told anyone about our engagement or Derek was lying.
As we waited for Derek to arrive, a courier brought us an envelope with a marriage contract inside. Everything became clear when I read it. The contract stated that if we divorced, Derek would get half of my assets.
Sally and I were horrified. We knew we had to call the police. When they arrived, they arrested Derek, and everything came crashing down. His real name was Harry, a nurse who had spent time at the same nursing home as my grandmother before her passing.
As the police took him away, Otis ran up to me, tail wagging, and I knew that if it weren’t for him, I might never have started doubting Derek… or Harry. Who knows how this might have ended?
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This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only.