Never thought I’d see the day where she’d look at me like that.

Like I was just… no one.

She’d been out cold for two days after the accident. Two days of machines beeping, doctors coming in and out, Niall sitting beside me trying to keep me from losing my mind. I didn’t eat. Didn’t sleep. Just held her hand, feeling how small it felt in mine, whispering to her to wake up. “Come on, baby. I’m right here. Wake up for me.”

When her eyes finally opened, I thought I could breathe again. But then she looked at me. Right at me. And there was nothing there. No spark of recognition. No relief. Just confusion, fear. Like I was some random bloke who’d wandered into her hospital room.

She looked over at Niall too, then back at me, her eyes filling with tears. “Where… where am I? Who are you?” Her voice cracked, breaking something inside me along with it.

I felt my throat tighten so hard it hurt to swallow. I could feel Niall glance at me, waiting for me to speak. I took a step closer to her bed, gripping the metal rail so hard my knuckles went white.

“I’m Harry,” I croaked out, my voice sounding like it wasn’t even mine. “I’m… I’m your boyfriend. We’ve been together four years.”

She just stared at me, silent tears spilling down her temples onto the pillow. Four years. Four years of loving her, protecting her, laughing with her, holding her while she cried, and now… she didn’t even know my name.

Niall moved closer to her, his voice gentle as he added, “And I’m Niall. We’re your friends, love. You’re safe.”

Safe. God, I wanted to keep her safe from everything, but I couldn’t protect her from this. Couldn’t protect her from forgetting me. And as I looked at her, eyes wide and lost, I realised I didn’t even know how to protect myself from it either.