Oliver had known about his cancer for a month when the idea first struck him. His love for Marie, his high school sweetheart, was boundless, but so was his fear of burdening her with the weight of his illness. He couldn't stand the thought of watching her suffer, so one day, he pretended to forget her.
Marie was devastated when the doctors confirmed that Oliver had amnesia. The love of her life, the man she had built a future with, no longer recognized her. But she didn’t crumble. Instead, she became more determined, pouring all her energy into helping him remember their life together—the little café where they first kissed, their long summer road trips, the night he proposed under a sea of stars. She lovingly recreated moments from their past, hoping to spark a flicker of recognition in his eyes.
Oliver, who had rehearsed his feigned forgetfulness in private, watched her efforts with a breaking heart. He had hoped she would eventually grow tired, that the pain of seeing him as a stranger would push her away. But Marie’s resilience was stronger than he had anticipated. She never gave up, her devotion unwavering. Each day, she’d smile, laugh, and cry with him, showing him their wedding photos, playing their favorite song. It was the worst kind of torture—seeing her sacrifice everything for him, knowing he could never give her the life she deserved.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Oliver grew weaker from the cancer. Marie noticed his declining health, but she remained at his side, thinking that his condition was a part of his "amnesia." The walls he built around himself were crumbling. He had thought his lie would protect her, but all it did was entangle them both in a slow, agonizing heartbreak.
One night, as Oliver lay in their bed, struggling to breathe, Marie curled up beside him, whispering stories of their youth. The moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle glow on her face, her eyes full of love and sadness.
He couldn't bear it anymore.
“I remember everything,” Oliver croaked, his voice weak but steady. Marie froze, her breath catching in her throat.
“What... what do you mean?” she asked, barely above a whisper.
“I never forgot you,” he confessed, tears streaming down his face. “I pretended to have amnesia because I didn’t want you to stay with me. I wanted you to leave, to find someone better—someone who could give you the life you deserve.”
Marie’s face crumbled as the weight of his words hit her. “Why would you do that?” she whispered, her voice shaking. “You’re the only one I ever wanted, Oliver. You. I love you.”
“I didn’t want you to suffer,” he said, his voice breaking. “I’m dying, Marie. I didn’t want you to spend your life taking care of a dying man.”
Marie held him close, her tears soaking his shirt. “You fool,” she sobbed. “I would’ve spent a thousand lifetimes with you, no matter how short.”
And in that moment, Oliver realized the depth of her love—a love that had endured through lies and heartbreak. But it was too late. His strength was fading, and as the night wore on, he slipped away in her arms, leaving Marie with the truth he had so desperately tried to hide.
The next morning, the sun rose on a world without Oliver, but Marie stayed in their home, surrounded by the memories of the love they shared. A tragic love, but one that had been real to the very end.
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