The Barry family was very hospitable and invited me to stay the night.
Unable to refuse their kindness, I stayed.
Probably because I wasn't used to the bed, I didn't sleep well and had a strange dream.
I dreamt that I had returned to the summer after my first year of high school.
I had ranked first in the entire school, and my family was so happy that they took me on a trip out of town.
During the trip, I was kidnapped.
The young Evan was also taken.
They were a group of heartless traffickers with no morals. Their goal in kidnapping Evan and me wasn't to sell us, but to force us to have a child.
Their employer was a middle-aged man who couldn't have children and wanted a perfect heir.
Evan and I, both excelling in character and appearance, became their prey.
Of course, Evan and I resisted, and we were severely punished for it.
Realizing that resistance was futile, I became more obedient.
Evan, however, remained defiant. He endured much suffering but refused to bend.
One day, I overheard a conversation between the thugs.
They said that if Evan continued to resist, they would kill him and had already found a new candidate.
The next time Evan was beaten until he was covered in blood, I pushed the men aside and frantically kissed the young Evan.
His thin lips were cold, with a bitter, metallic taste of blood.
I begged them to spare him, promising that Evan and I would be obedient.
Thunder roared.
I woke up from the dream, my cheeks cold, wet with tears shed in my sleep.
I stared at the dark ceiling, gasping for air like a fish out of water.
I realized with clarity that this wasn't just a nightmare.
It was a painful experience, one so unbearable that I chose to forget it.
But now, seeing the photo of Evan as a teenager had torn open that memory, bringing it back with a vengeance.
The terrifying thunder, the unfamiliar surroundings, and the nightmare that should have been forgotten all felt like a tide, threatening to drown me.
It felt as if I was back in that dim, foul-smelling carriage, my fate drifting like a helpless leaf, completely out of my control.
My soul trembled, and my bones were cold.
Everything made me feel suffocated and terrified.
I hurried to turn on the light.
In my rush, the lamp was knocked over.
It hit the floor with a piercing shatter.
I painfully covered my ears.
Evan's worried voice came from outside the door, "Katie, are you okay?" "Katie, are you okay?"
Without waiting for my response, he kicked open the door and held me tightly.
The warmth of his embrace enveloped me, and the chill in my body gradually receded like a retreating tide.
I rested my head on Evan's shoulder and said hoarsely, "Evan, I remember everything now."
That year, Evan and I were like wounded animals, huddling together for warmth, surviving through a dark period of our lives.
Later, when the kidnappers let their guard down, he and I made our escape.
After narrowly escaping death, both of us were finally rescued.
Evan was severely injured, and his parents took him abroad for treatment that very night.
As a result, my parents never knew that it was Evan who had been kidnapped with me.
At the time, his parents were so focused on his well-being that they didn't bother to find out who else had been kidnapped along with him.
So, Evan's parents never knew that I was the little girl who went through that ordeal with him.
Evan suffered physical injuries, while I bore more psychological wounds. Later, I chose to forget that memory as a way to protect myself.
This is why, when I reunited with Evan, I had no recollection of him.
I also understood why he was so angry when I looked through his photo album earlier.
He didn't want me to remember that painful past; he was trying to protect me.
Evan gently patted my back, his voice filled with guilt. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come into your life again."
I leaned against his shoulder, my voice muffled. "I'm the one who should apologize. I forgot our promise and chose to be with Cody."
Two teenagers, around fifteen or sixteen, huddled together for warmth, enduring those difficult times together, and made a solemn promise to each other.
Once they escaped, they promised to stand in the sunlight and have a proper, open relationship.
They would no longer be the small, frightened creatures huddling together for warmth, but rather a boy and a girl with a beautiful future ahead, creating wonderful memories together.
They would slowly heal the wounds they had suffered, using time to smooth over the pain.
But I lost my memory and forgot the promise we made to each other.
