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Noel, who’d fallen asleep in a chair next toout to comfort me "It’s okay"

"Wha?" I slowly lowered my arms and looked down atfor days, butwas I out?"

Breathing out a long sigh as if he orn to the bone, Noel sent me a tired smile He hadn’t shaved in days, and his eyes were lined eariness But he slid up to the side ofwhatsoever was afflicting him

"You passed out after--"

I waved hiht about the horror that had lit through me when I realized Oren had no idea who I was, and the pain that came when I heard him scream for his dead sister

"Yeah, I reulped "The staff brought you in here and looked you over You’re suffering from some severe exhaustion and dehydration, kiddo" He took es "Why didn’t you tell otten infected"

I shrugged and glanced away "I don’t know I didn’t really notice, I guess" Or care

He blew out a breath "We’ve both been so worried about hioing ho Aspen fill us with a waruments"

"But Oren--"

"Still doesn’t remember either of us" I choked out a sound of denial, and Noel’s face flooded with grief "We’re not doing hi ourselves sick, Caroline The doctors said he could get his full memory back in a matter of minutes, hours, days, or--"

"Never," I said, the word echoing throughTatum and Rachel McAdaotten her memory back

What if Oren never remembered eda relationship with him had defined me in ways I’d stay for the rest of my life To think all that could be completely erased from him devastated me