After a life-changing accident, I woke up with no memory and a man claiming to be my fiancé. I didn’t remember him, but I trusted him—until my dog’s strange behavior made me doubt everything. Was he really the man he said he was—or someone else?
You never expect the worst. It was a normal evening. After hanging out with a friend and singing along to music, I drove home happy.
In an instant, everything changed. A fast car hit me at a curve. That crash was the last thing I remembered.
Doctors told me I’d been in a coma for a week and a half when I woke up in the hospital. They said I was lucky not to be paralyzed after the accident. I felt unlucky.
I was somewhat amnesic. I remembered my family, best friends, and my dog.
Some memories stayed, but I forgot where I worked. I recognized my house but not my address.
Most importantly, I forgot him. Doctors said my partner had been with me every day while I was unconscious.
The man I woke up to claimed to be my fiancé. His name was Derek. But to me, he was a stranger.
“Why does she forget me? Why not me?” Derek asked the doctor. “She remembers family and friends.”
“Partial amnesia can cause that,” the doctor explained. “The patient loses only part of their memory.”
“We’ve been together almost a year and a half. Engaged. We planned the wedding. What should I do now?” Derek asked.
“You can talk to her about your relationship, show her pictures—it might help her remember,” the doctor said.
“Maybe? What if it doesn’t work?” Derek asked.
“She fell in love with you once; maybe she will again,” the doctor said before leaving.
After that talk, Derek never returned empty-handed. He showed me photos, gave me gifts, and told me how we met, dated, and moved in together. But…
“I’m sorry, I don’t remember any of this,” I said.
“That’s okay, we’ll get through this together,” Derek said, holding my hand.
Mom kept asking when I was in the hospital.
“I can’t believe you never told me about Derek!” she said.
“Please, Mom, I don’t remember. What do you want me to say?” I asked.
Derek said you’d tell me when he proposed, but the accident happened first. Not sure I believe that. Mom replied, “You’ve always been sneaky.”
This went on for days. Derek told stories, and Mom complained until the doctor discharged me.
Derek picked me up from the hospital and took me home.
I was excited to see my dog Otis. I couldn’t say how much I missed that little ball of energy.
Otis barked loudly when we arrived, just as excited to see me as I was to see him.
But when Derek unlocked the door, Otis ran out barking and even bit him.
The little Jack Russell Otis had never acted that way toward anyone.
“Get him away from me! Calm him down!” Derek shouted, trying to hold Otis back.
“Otis! Come inside!” I called, but the dog ignored me. “Come!” I said more firmly.
Otis came over to me, wagging his tail, but kept barking at Derek.
“Quiet! Stop!” I urged, picking Otis up.
He paused briefly. As I approached Derek, Otis tried to bark at him again.
“Lock him in the backyard,” Derek suggested.
“Why?” I asked.
“He wants to attack me!” Derek said, sounding serious.
I didn’t understand. “We live together. Why is Otis acting like this toward you?”
“He never liked me. I don’t know why. I stayed with you in the hospital while your mom took care of him,” Derek said. “Maybe he forgot me.”
I grimaced quietly. I played with Otis in the backyard for an hour.
Otis clearly missed me as much as I missed him. Derek’s explanation didn’t make sense.
Otis remembered me all through my hospital stay. But inside, Otis barked again. He barked nonstop until my head ached.
“This is really strange,” I said.
“What?” Derek asked.
“Otis’s behavior. He’s never acted like this before.”
“No idea—he’s a dog,” Derek said, confused by Otis’s behavior.
“Where’s my phone?” I asked. I hadn’t thought about it in the hospital, but I needed it now.
“It was broken in the crash. I’ll get you a new one tomorrow,” Derek promised.
“Okay, because I want to meet Sally,” I said.
“Uh… that’s a bad idea,” Derek said.
“Why?” I asked.
“The doctor said you need rest,” Derek said.
“He didn’t say that. I can’t even see my friend?” I asked.
“I’d wait a bit,” Derek replied.
I was getting frustrated. I didn’t remember Derek, Otis acted weird, and I couldn’t see my friends.
“I’m going to sleep in another room with Otis, if that’s okay,” I said. Derek made me afraid to sleep in his bed.
“Why can’t Otis sleep outside?” Derek asked.
“He’s an indoor dog. He lives inside,” I said.
“We always left him outside,” Derek said.
That made me frown. I would never leave Otis outside to sleep. That wasn’t my way.
Derek slept in the master bedroom while Otis and I slept in the guest room. That made me feel safer.
Derek got me a new phone but changed the number, so I couldn’t call Sally.
I also forgot my social media passwords. I felt trapped since I only went out with Derek.
I kept seeing our pictures together but couldn’t remember him. It was like he never existed.
Though I doubted him, Derek kept assuring me my memory would come back soon.
He also insisted we marry quickly. He didn’t want to wait because he loved me. But how could I marry a stranger?
One day, Derek was talking to someone near the front door. He looked upset, but I couldn’t see who.
“I told you, it’s not time yet!” he yelled, closing the door.
“Who was that?” I asked him.
“They mixed up the address,” Derek said.
An hour later, Derek left for work, leaving me anxious at home. I needed answers.
Why did I forget him? Why did Otis act strange around him? Why did he stop me from seeing my friends?
I searched his things but found nothing suspicious.
There was a knock at the door. I opened it and saw Sally. I ran to hug her.
“I’m scared,” I said.
“He wouldn’t let me see you,” Sally said.
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” I said.
“Listen carefully, Kait. Derek doesn’t exist,” Sally said.
“What?” I was shocked.
“I tried to find him, but there’s no such person,” Sally said.
“But how? I don’t get it…” I said.
“You never met him, and he never proposed,” Sally said. “Either you never told anyone or Derek lied.”
“What should I do? I don’t trust Derek. Otis barks at him like he’s crazy.”
“We can—”
Sally stopped as a courier arrived with a big package. After signing for it, we went inside to check it.
The package was a marriage contract. After reading it, everything made sense.
Derek would get half my assets if we divorced, according to the contract.
That was a lot—my grandmother was wealthy and left me everything.
“Bastard!” Sally shouted.
“I don’t understand. How did he find out about my money? How did he know I had money?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but I think we should call the police,” Sally said.
She hid in a room while I waited for Derek. Otis barking again warned me Derek had come back.
“How’s it going? Got the contract?” Derek asked as he entered.
“Yes, but you get half my assets if we divorce?” I asked.
“Yes, but with conditions. Did you read it?” Derek asked.
“I don’t want to agree,” I said.
“Stop, it’s only if we divorce.” Derek kissed me and said, “I hope we’re together forever.”
Then there was a knock at the door. Sally responded to Otis’s barking.
“Who could that be?” Derek asked. I shrugged, knowing who it was.
Derek was arrested as he opened the door. It was like a movie.
Screaming and struggling, he insulted me and Sally, saying we ruined everything for him.
“I still don’t understand how he knew I had money,” I told the police officer.
They identified him. His name was Harry. The officer said he was a nurse and had worked in a nursing home for years.
“My grandmother spent her last months in a nursing home,” I added.
“That’s probably how he found out about you and used your condition to pretend to be your fiancé,” the officer said.
Derek was taken away in the police car. I picked up happy Otis, who ran to me.
Without him, I might never have questioned Derek… or Harry. It could have ended very differently.
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