The Knight Who Broke Off Our Engagement and Told Me to Never Show My Face Again Still Clings to Me Today, Even Though I Was Possessed and Turned Into a Villainess for Ten Years - 74 - The End of First Love 2

“Gerald…”

I almost felt like forgiving him.
But if Rufus hadn’t come to save me, I would have spent the rest of my life trapped—my body taken from me.

Even if it was Mabel who caused it all, it was Gerald’s betrayal that nearly killed both Norman and me.

I couldn’t forgive Gerald for turning against us.

Even so, I understood the reason and cause behind how twisted he had become.

“…I’m sorry.”

Gerald never tried to hurt or kill anyone.
He just wanted me.

He made the wrong choice, yes—but even so, I wanted to give him a new chance at happiness.

I wanted him to forget everything painful, live in a faraway place, and start over from the beginning.

“I’ll carry everyone’s part too, so just wait for me.”

“It’ll be okay. I’ll stay with you.”

I, and everyone else too, knew all of Gerald’s good sides. We knew he wasn’t pretending or fake. And I truly believed he would be okay.

I gave a signal toward the door, and soon a man entered the room.

Gerald must’ve realized this man was a magician who could erase memories.

“No, I don’t want this, Sadie, please…!”

He backed away from the magician. The chains on his legs clinked with each step.

It felt like my chest would break, but I still looked at the man and said, “Please.”

“…Then, I will begin.”

A bright light shone from the tip of the magician’s staff.

Gerald kept shouting “No!” and “I’m sorry!” again and again, struggling—but as the pale golden light surrounded him, his strength slowly faded. He dropped to the floor.

Maybe he realized there was no point in fighting anymore.
Eventually, he looked straight at me.

His shaking hand reached out toward me, as if to hold onto me.

Without thinking, I almost reached back. But I caught myself and clenched both hands tightly to my chest.

Seeing that, Gerald lowered his eyebrows and gave a troubled smile.

“…I’m sorry, Sadie. I really did love you.”

Those were his last words before his eyes quietly closed. He looked as if he had fallen into a peaceful sleep. The magician looked at me and said, “It’s done.”

“…!”

Before I realized it, tears were pouring from both my eyes. I cried out like a child, unable to hold it in.

After laying Gerald down on the bed, the magician must’ve told someone about my condition.

Right after, Rufus and Eliza came into the room. They didn’t say anything—they just hugged me tightly. Tears filled Eliza’s eyes too. I wrapped my arms around her thin back.

“Ugh… hhic…”

I wasn’t a god, yet I had made such a heavy decision. I felt guilt and doubt, but even so… I was ready to carry that responsibility for the rest of my life.

—I realized again how much I had truly loved “Gerald,” as a friend and as family.

Now that he was really gone, I felt a hollow space in my heart that wouldn’t go away.

Two days later, I heard that he had woken up. I went straight to the hospital where he was staying.

They told me his body was fine and that he had completely lost his memory. Nervous, I knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

It was a voice I should know well, but somehow it felt different.

When I walked in, I saw him sitting on the bed. He looked exactly the same as I remembered, but just from his expressions and small movements, he felt like a different person.

It was as if someone else had taken his place.

I slowly approached the bed, and he gave me a soft smile.

“Hello. Who are you?”

“I’m your friend.”

“Oh, really? Were we close?”

His deep green eyes looked at me, but there was no intense emotion like before. I could tell—his memory was truly gone.

After a moment, I nodded and said, “Yes.”

He nodded too, without any doubt. “Okay.”

From now on, he would be living in a country far away. Of course, we had all worked together to make sure everything was prepared for him. Now, everything was up to him.

This would truly be the last time I ever saw him.

“I don’t remember anything. Not even who I am or how I’ve lived until now.”

“You were caught in an accident… A very, very tragic accident.”

“I see… Then maybe it’s a good thing I forgot.”

There was no deep meaning behind those words. I knew this wasn’t the “Gerald” I had known. But still, I felt strangely saved.

“Hey, do you know my name? No one’s told me anything yet, since I just woke up.”

Actually, I had looked into that already, just for today. I even visited the orphanage where he had once lived as a child.

I wanted him to live as himself—not as someone else, not as a replacement.

And I hoped he would one day meet someone who would love him just as he is, and that he would find true happiness.

“Your name is…”