Bryan's POV
The boardroom remained quiet, as I briefed the table. I was halfway through explaining the
company funding trajectory when my mind suddenly went blank.
Not now.
I looked at the man, then at the table, trying to force the name of our lead investors name out.
The name. His name.
Why the hell can't I remember his name?
I could see him, his name on the tip of my tongue, three years of backing thus company and still
I couldn't get his name out.
My mouth opened, multiple times, but nothing came out.
"Mr. Whitaker," Julia. My secretary, standing just behind me said with a calm smile. "Mr. Bryan
was just about to highlight Mr. Whitaker's early belief in this project's potential."
I exhaled. She had saved me.
"Yes," I repeated, nodding like I hadn't just forgotten an important nameout in a room full of
powerful people. "Mr. Whitaker's support has been instrumental from the beginning and would
be, looking at our future."
There were a few polite nods. Chuckles.
I had avoided crisis.
I didn't have to look back at Julia to thank her for saving my ass. Again.
And she did it without hesitation. Because she knew.
She was one of the few who knew what I was dealing with. She always had my back.
I gave the last handshake and with that, the room was cleared. I fell back into my chair and let
out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. I loosened my tie, giving me space to breathe.
Julia walked back in and shut the door behind her.
"You were lucky today, sir," she said, arms crossed, her tone calm. "That could've gone a lot
worse." she added, choosing he words carefully.
I didn't argue. I knew she was right.
She walked closer to me, her eyes steady. "sir, you need to resume therapy. If the gaps keep
getting worse…."
"I know," I cut in, running my hand through my hair. "But what if it doesn't help?"
"All of you have to do, is try first," she said, and although she didn't lie, I had my own doubts.
"Sir, it's becoming more frequent and you know what that means."
Surgery. The word settled down between us.
I shook my head slowly. "I can't risk anything now, Jane. Not now. My business is stable, but not
completely"
I didn't want to lose anything. My business is stable, my connection with Alicia is now growing
better than I imagined. And I'll be pained to lose all of this through risk.
No. It can't happen.
As I spoke, flashes of my past return. The trauma that began with family disputes and how it
spiraled out of control. Out of everyones hands. All of it that lead me down the path that shaped
my current reality.
The trauma's still hunt me till today.
I ran my hand through my hair, exhaling loudly. "I'm not doing surgery, Julia."
"Then atleast do the therapy," she said almost immediately. "Do something. You can't keep
pretending this isn't happening, it's getting worse."
I took my gaze off her to the folders in front of me. "It's not that simple."
"It is," she replied calmly. "You either do nothing or it gets worse. Just try, Mr. Bryan. Even if it's
just therapy…for now." she added.
It was like she was pleading for me to help myself. Her voice carried weight, the kind of weight
that comes from watching someones like fall apart slowly.
I paused, my jaw clenched.
Finally, I nodded. "Fine. I'll call the doctor."
Later that week, I found myself in the familiar therapist office, surrounded by white walls and the
quiet tick of her old clock.
Dr. Hale looked at me over the top of her glasses, her old notebook in hand. "It's been a while,
Mr, Bryan."
"Yeah," I muttered, sinking into the leather chair. "I've been….busy." I added, almost like a
whisper She gave me a deep look. "And how's that working out for you?"
I let out a laugh, rubbing the back of my neck, remembering the incident at the office. "I forgot
my lead investor's name in a room full of important people. So…. not great."
"Still having the gaps?" she asked softly, arranging her glasses.
"Worse, maybe. And its more frequent."
She nodded and began wrote something down on her old book. "Then let's start where we left
off. And this time, don't hold back."
I took a breath and leaned back.
After a while, Dr. Hale looked up from her notes, she had a more serious expression than usual.
"Bryan," she said slowly, locking eyes with me, "the recent patterns you've described…..the
increased frequency, the disorientation, the lapses, thses are signs of a cognitive decline and it's
becoming worse."
I straightened myself on the chair. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you're running out of time," she replied. "If it keeps up, it won't just be names or your
recent conversations. If this continues, you may begin losing years of memory, entire chunks of
your past."
I stared at her, my expression a mix of shock and confusion. "Years? You never said anything
about this before."
"Because it wasn't this…. advanced," she replied me almost immediately. "We had more time
then. But now…..we're looking at a more aggressive progression. This therapy session will help
you…temporarily. It might buy you some time. But if you want to stop it from progressing…." she
pauses.
"Surgery may become inevitable." she said with a low voice.
I rubbed my face, then looked away toward the window. "And if I don't do surgery?"
"You'll keep losing pieces of your memory." she said. "And one day, you may not even
remember why you came here in the first place."
Silence stretched between us.
Then I said with a lower voice, "I finally feel like I've found something real. With Alicia. With my
life. What if I lose all that in the process?"
Dr. Hale exhaled softly. "And what if you lose her because you didn't do anything about it?"
I closed my eyes and looked towards the ceiling. She maybe right.
"I just want to live a normal life," I murmured to no one in particular.
She nodded. "Then fight for your normal life."