He Pretended to Have Amnesia and Chose My Best Friend, I Left Chapter 01
My boyfriend Callum Redford woke up after the car accident with no memory of me.
He thought my best friend, Tessa Bellamy, was his fiancée.
The doctors said any emotional shock could set his recovery back. So Tessa and I switched roles.
We had rules. Play the part, nothing more.
Once he remembered, we’d switch back, and everything would go back to normal.
Six months passed.
Callum still didn’t remember.
Then I found an anonymous post on an advice forum.
[I lost my memory after a car accident and mistook someone else for my girlfriend. Now I’ve fallen for her. How do I tell my real girlfriend?]
The top comment read:
[Just keep faking the amnesia! You get the best of both worlds. If you change your mind, tell her your memory just came back.]
The original poster had upvoted it.
I looked up from my phone. Callum and Tessa were walking through the front door.
He trailed behind her, his arms full of grocery bags.
The way he looked at her, God, he never used to look at anyone like that.
He wasn’t pretending anymore.
…
“Maren, you’re home early!”
“Callum and I just picked up some potatoes. Want me to make that creamy potato and ham soup you love?”
Callum came in after her.
He gave me a polite nod, then disappeared into the kitchen.
I couldn’t leave him. Not after the accident.
So I stayed, a guest in my own apartment.
I was his girlfriend. The real one.
But every day, I had to sit there and watch him dote on someone else, holding her hand, pulling her close, right in front of me.
It gutted me every single time.
But I kept telling myself the same thing. Just hold on. He’d remember.
And when he did, this would all be over.
For six months, I held on.
He never came back to me.
Instead, I found out he’d fallen in love with her.
Tessa followed my gaze to the kitchen, where Callum was busy unpacking groceries.
She leaned in close, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m sorry, Maren.”
“I’ve been trying. He still doesn’t remember anything.”
I looked down, forcing a tight smile.
She didn’t know.
You can’t wake a man who’s only pretending to be asleep.
“But don’t worry.”
“I’m keeping an eye on him for you. I won’t let him do anything stupid.”
I made some small sound of agreement, but it tasted like ash in my mouth.
“I just… I just came back to grab something. I have to head out again.”
Callum called out from the kitchen, asking for her help.
Her face lit up.
“Go do your thing, Maren. Dinner will be ready when you get back.”
I didn’t move.
In the kitchen, Tessa held up her garlic-scented fingers under Callum’s nose.
“Do I smell like garlic?”
Callum kissed her fingertips, grinning.
“Nope. You smell amazing.”
They laughed together, teasing each other, easy and natural, like any couple in love.
This was the life I’d pictured for us. Every detail.
Except I wasn’t the one living it.
He must have thought I was already gone.
His voice drifted out from the kitchen, casual.
“Maren’s been living here for six months. She hasn’t found a place yet?”
Tessa hesitated.
“No.”
“It’s not safe for her to live alone, and rent is insane right now.”
“Besides, she’s close to work here. I’d worry about her otherwise.”
“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?”
Callum didn’t look up from the potato he was peeling.
“Tell her she needs to leave.”
“I’m tired of the three of us under one roof. Every time we want any privacy, she’s right there.”
“And I hate watching you tiptoe around her.”
“You said you were making ribs and roasted potatoes tonight.”
“But the second you saw her, you switched to her favorite soup instead.”
“This is your home. Stop acting like you’re the one who doesn’t belong here.”
Tessa went quiet.
Then she leaned over and kissed his cheek.