The seventh day came with the same sunlight, the same soft morning breeze.
Mina opened her eyes, but the heaviness in her chest was different this time. Sharper. Stranger.
The notebook was gone.
Her fingers reached across the nightstand, searching for its familiar weight. Nothing.
A knot twisted in her stomach. Something important—someone important—was missing. But her mind… her mind was blank.
A knock. Gentle. Hesitant. Familiar.
"Mina?"
She froze. The voice… it tugged at her heart in a way she didn't understand.
"…Come in," she said, almost automatically.
The door opened. Liam stood there, carrying the same tired smile, but there was a shadow beneath his eyes today. Something heavier than exhaustion.
"You… again," she said cautiously, uncertain why the words felt right.
"I'm here," he said softly. "Every week."
Mina blinked, confusion twisting her features. "Who… are you?"
Liam's chest tightened. He stepped closer, careful, measured, like he always did. "I'm… someone who loves you."
Her brow furrowed. "I… don't understand."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know. I… I can't explain it fully. You forget me every week. But… your heart… it doesn't."
Mina's chest ached again. The emptiness. The pull. The memory she couldn't grasp. "Why… do you keep doing this? Why don't you… leave?"
"Because I can't," he admitted. His voice cracked slightly, though he tried to hide it. "I can't leave you. Not even if it hurts to see you forget me… again and again."
Mina wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to run—but the pull in her chest held her in place. Something inside her… knew him. Something stubborn, impossible, aching.
"…I'm scared," she whispered. "I don't even remember… and it hurts."
Liam knelt in front of her, taking both her hands in his. "I know. I've felt it too. Every time you forget… it's like losing you all over again. But I… I can't give up on you. I won't."
She studied his face, the faint worry lines, the tired eyes, the way his hands trembled ever so slightly. "You… care so much."
"I've loved you since the first time I met you," he said quietly. "And even when you forget me… I'll keep loving you. Because… you're worth it."
A tear slipped down her cheek. Something in her chest stirred—something like recognition. A tiny spark of familiarity.
She let out a shaky breath. "…I… I don't know you. But… I feel it. I feel it here." She placed her hand over her heart. "This… something… I… I want to try."
Liam's eyes softened. "That's all I need. Just… let your heart lead the way. I'll be here. Every week. Every day. Even when you forget."
Mina nodded slowly. "…Even when I forget."
"Yes," he whispered. "Even then."
For the first time that day, a fragile sense of hope lingered between them.
It wasn't perfect. It wouldn't be easy. And it would hurt.
But maybe—just maybe—they could love each other enough to survive the forgetting.
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