Chapter 157 Past Memories

Edwin didn't say anything, of course. He knew the man was speaking the truth, but that didn’t change how he felt. He couldn't just stand aside while Bell suffered so much.

The man looked forward and sighed faintly. “I don’t have much time to live. I want her to come back more than you do. Don’t forget the promise I gave to my parents. But let me tell you, the time is not ripe yet for action.” 

“As you wish,” said Edwin. He well knew that this was the man’s final word on the subject and he couldn’t do anything about it.

The man gave Edwin a faint smile that somehow managed to comfort him.

“Life and death are decreed by fate and there is nothing we can do to change that. However, I don’t intend to die unless we are reunited with Bell. Only then I will be able to rest in peace.” 

The man looked at Edwin with a trace of caution before he continued.

“What we have to do now is to force those people from Devenport to perform the tests as soon as possible. For the next three months, the results will come out ordinary. Therefore, we can’t waste any time.”

Edwin thought for a while before he continued, “Nick said that Bella’s hippocampus is being kept here. Is that true?”

“Do you believe such a thing?”

Edwin shook his head and denied. “No, I don't. Because you want her memory restored more than I do.”

The man shook his head. “I don't want her to get her memory back. Remembering me means that she will remember all the things from the past. Her broken family and the tragic fate of her parents are things better forgotten. Don’t you think so?”

Edwin was shocked. “Is Bell's hippocampus really here?”

The man shook his head. “Not at the moment, but it may arrive soon.”

“Do you know who possesses it?”

“I may have some clue.”

“If you get Bell's hippocampus back, what will you do?”

“Without doubt, I shall destroy it!”

Edwin took a step back. “If that happens she won't be able to remember me.”

“I know that you love her. Just because of this, I let you become a member of the Beck family and get close to Bell. But you should always remember that a man's duty to a woman is to guard her and not only posses her. You can't let her fall into endless pain and darkness just because you love her and want her memory restored. Have you forgotten how the Beck family was ruined? What good will it do to her if she gains access to such unpleasant memories?”

“Can’t you find another solution like removing the bad memories and leaving everything else?”

“I’m sorry,” said the man. “This is not an option.”

Edwin bit into his lips and lowered his head. A heavy teardrop rolled down his cheek and landed on the shiny marble floor with a crisp sound.

“How can she ever come back to me if she has no memories of the promises we made to each other?”

“Bell is not a child any longer. Who can say that even if she could access those memories, she would cling to them in the same manner as you? It’s better you let the current Bell fall in love with you again. ”

Edwin could not talk any longer but the puddle of tears on the floor was getting larger. The man offered no words of comfort. Instead, he waited quietly until Edwin looked up again.

“I will need to leave now.”

As if nothing had ever occurred. As if he had never been obsessed with anything, and he had never cried for anyone. Edwin's gaze was gentle and his lips were stretched into a faint smile.

“The mountain road is rugged, drive carefully.”

The man waited until Edwin had left before letting a coughing sound escape his mouth. The servant showed up at the end of the corridor ready to take him back to his room.

In the car, Edwin got rid of the gentle face and the soft smile. His face was now that of someone who had lost in the game of love.

It was obvious that Bell had fallen in love with Charles. Now he had to find a way to get her back.

There was once a time when he was the weakest child in the orphanage, an easy prey to older and stronger kids. Bell had given him his first coat during the course of a charity event. 

It was quite common for higher-class families to show up at the orphanage with gifts for the kids. They would take photos of themselves with the orphans and send them to newspapers. For them it was a sort of self-promotion. For the kids however, it was a matter of life and death.

Because of his weak body, Edwin never had the chance to enjoy any of the gifts. The older kids would take them away from him when the supervisors were not looking. On one specific occasion, they didn’t even wait for the benefactors to leave the premises. Three elder boys beat him up in the most brutal manner and left him lying on the snow unable to move.

He remember himself staring up at the flakes falling upon his face. He knew that if he didn’t move they would cover him and he would freeze to death. He welcomed this prospect with a smile. There was no need any longer to endure that awful environment and those horrible people.

That was when she walked into his life.

She came up to him and covered his trembling body with her blue coat. A few years later, he asked her why she squatted next to him in the snow instead of rushing for help, she replied that she was afraid he would be bitten by rats. Bell was this kind of person. Beautiful as a princess and full of kindness.

At the age of four, Bella was the apple of Richard Beck’s eye, president of the Chamber of Commerce on Vancouver Island.

During the years of decline for the Beck family, he came looking for Bell and took Edwin’s place. He was no longer an outsider and nobody dared to bully him.

She would often say to him, “Steven, you have to grow up quickly and let me be your bride. My brother said that you had better not turn out ugly, for he will not let me marry an ugly man.”

Edwin slammed his foot on the brakes and couldn’t help but cry in the driver’s seat.

“I’ve grown up and I’m not ugly but you can’t even remember my face!”

Even if he had the chance to shout these words aloud into Bell’s face, the chances of her remembering him were next to zero.