One Day My Boyfriend Said He Didn’t Know Me Chapter 02
I drew a deep breath and looked the doctor straight in the eye.
“You’re right. I do have delusional disorder.”
I paused.
“But I’m lucid now.”
I stood up, left the two of them behind, and walked straight out of the office.
I found an empty corner, sat down, and pulled out my phone to search for upcoming photography competitions.
It didn’t take long to find the national contest Sophie had entered.
Her submission was called “Truth.”
The cover image was my face.
I stared at that photo for a long time—so long my fingertips went cold.
“Emma.”
Ryan had appeared behind me at some point.
“Why’d you run off here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
I looked up at him with a smile that wasn’t really a smile.
“You’re Sophie’s boyfriend. Why are you looking for me?”
Ryan’s expression froze, and something that looked almost like guilt flickered through his eyes.
“Emma, are you upset?”
“Showing the doctor your messages—that was for your own treatment.”
I nodded.
“Got it.”
I held out my hand, my tone as natural as it used to be when we were still in love.
“By the way, my phone’s dead. Let me borrow yours for a sec.”
Ryan visibly relaxed and handed over his phone.
I unlocked it—I knew the passcode by heart—and opened every social media app.
Deleted my accounts. Blocked myself. Cleared every chat history.
One clean sequence. Quick and thorough.
Then I handed the phone back.
“Today’s treatment was very effective. I won’t bother you and Sophie anymore. I wish you both the best.”
Ryan’s gaze dropped to the screen. His face went slack with shock.
“Emma!”
“What are you two doing?”
Sophie came running over. The moment she saw me hand Ryan’s phone back, her expression changed.
“Emma, why are you touching my boyfriend’s phone?”
“Can you have a little self-respect? Don’t use your delusions as an excuse to cross boundaries.”
I let out a cold laugh.
Right.
When exactly had the boundaries started disappearing?
In the second year Ryan and I were together, Sophie got sick. I asked Ryan to take her to the hospital for me.
That day, they exchanged contact information.
Later, Sophie insisted on treating him to dinner as a thank-you. Just the two of them.
After that, they only grew closer.
Sophie’s shadow began appearing in every one of my dates with Ryan.
Ryan started remembering Sophie’s preferences—her birthday, the foods she didn’t like, how she took her coffee.
I tested them a few times.
Their answers were always perfectly aligned.
Ryan said he was only nice to Sophie because of me.
Sophie said if I weren’t her best friend, she wouldn’t have given Ryan a second glance.
I believed them. Every time.
But now, watching Sophie come undone with panic, I finally understood. That line at the welcome-home party—”They’ve been together for years”—maybe that was never a joke at all.
In the corners I couldn’t see, my fiancé and my best friend had been together all along.
The irony was staggering.
I choked down the bitterness in my throat and tried to explain. “You’ve got it wrong. I was just—”
“Wrong about what!”
Ryan’s composure shattered. He snatched the phone from my hand.
“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not your fiancé. I’m Sophie’s boyfriend.”
“Stop using your friendship with Sophie as an excuse to play dumb.”
“From now on, stay away from me. Stop interfering with our lives.”
He used every ounce of force he had.
I stumbled from the yank, my knee slamming hard against the floor. I sucked in a sharp breath through the pain.
Even though I’d already guessed they were pulling the same old trick—humiliating me in public, then filming the moment I crumbled—a wave of cold still washed through me.
The crowd around us kept growing.
People started pointing and whispering.
Fighting through the pain in my knee, I raised my voice. “He’s the one with no boundaries—”
I got halfway through the sentence before Sophie visibly tensed.
Ryan caught her eye and gave her a reassuring look.
The next second, he let out a little “oh.”
A dog tag slipped from his pocket.
The copper tag rolled across the floor and stopped at my feet.
Two letters were engraved on it.
Buddy.
I snatched up the tag and shot to my feet.
“Where did you get this?”
Buddy was my dog. I’d brought him with me from the countryside.
When I was little, my parents moved to the city for work and left me with my grandparents.
My grandparents were old and openly favored my cousin. They left me to fend for myself—never watched over me, never spent time with me.
Only Buddy circled around me every day, keeping me company.
When I got lost, he led me home.
When my cousin bullied me and took my toys, Buddy would sneak into my cousin’s room and carry them back to me, one by one.
Later, when my parents came to bring me to the city, I refused to let go of Buddy. No matter how much they coaxed or scolded, I clung to him and wouldn’t budge.
In the end, they had no choice but to bring him along.
The copper tag—I’d put it on him myself after we moved to the city, imitating what the city kids did with their dogs.
Seeing the color drain from my face, Ryan shot Sophie a satisfied glance.
“Don’t overthink it. Your parents didn’t really have a choice.”
I grabbed him by the collar, my voice shooting up.
“Tell me exactly what happened to Buddy.”
Ryan pressed his lips together, as if the words were too painful.
A long silence passed before he finally spoke.
“Let’s go home first. Your parents should have the soup ready by now.”