The Memory Keeper: The Sin In Our Name

Rain's POV

The soft morning light spilled through the curtains, casting a delicate glow over Khai's face as she slept beside me. Her chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm. I lay still, watching her, memorizing every detail-the way her lashes brushed her cheeks, the soft curve of her lips.

But beneath her peaceful expression, I knew a storm was brewing.

Astrocytoma.

The word echoed in my mind, heavy and unrelenting.

I shifted slightly, careful not to wake her, but my heart was pounding. The fear was suffocating. I had already lost Khai once-emotionally, painfully. Now, I was teetering on the edge of losing her completely.

I'm afraid of losing you. I did lose you once... and now this.

I bit down on my lip to keep from crying.

I couldn't fall apart. Not now.

Khai stirred beside me, her eyelids fluttering open. For a fleeting moment, there was peace in her eyes when they met mine.

"Hey," she whispered, her voice still laced with sleep.

"Hey," I managed to reply, though my voice was thin.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to beg her not to leave, to fight harder. But instead, I leaned in and pressed my forehead against hers.

"Promise me something," I whispered.

Her gaze darkened slightly. "What is it?"

"Promise me you'll come back to me." My voice cracked despite my effort to stay calm. "No matter what happens, you'll come back."

She didn't answer right away.

Her hand slowly came up, cupping my cheek in that soft, familiar way.

"I'll try," she whispered.

Those words shattered me.

Try.

But trying wasn't enough.

The room fell silent, the weight of unspoken fears pressing down on us.

Then Khai sighed and shifted slightly. "My flight's in two days."

Two days.

Time felt like it was slipping through my fingers.

Two days before she left for Germany. Two days before she went into a surgery that could erase everything-me, us, her own memories. Or worse.

Panic clawed at my chest, but I swallowed it down.

If this was all the time I had left, I wouldn't waste it.

I leaned in closer, holding her tighter.

"Then let's make every second count," I whispered.

Because between life and death, love was the only thing keeping us tethered.

We spent the half a day packing Khai's suitcases.

Every time I folded another shirt or tucked away a pair of jeans, the weight in my chest grew heavier. Every zipper closing, every suitcase filling, felt like a countdown.

She might come back to me, but she might not remember me.

Or... she might not come back at all.

I couldn't even bring myself to finish that thought.

I swallowed hard and forced a smile every time she glanced at me. I didn't want her to see the panic slowly creeping up inside me. This wasn't the time to fall apart.