Chapter 160 Recovering Memories
"Let's get started." Jason pulled out his notebook and flipped to the previous notes. "Last time you said you remembered some bits from when you were a kid. Let's follow that today. No rush, take your time."
Olivia nodded, closed her eyes, and tried hard to recall those broken images.
The wind by the lake, the damp smell of water weeds, and the little boy's cold hand gripping her wrist so tight it almost crushed her bones—the feeling was so clear, like it happened yesterday.
"I see... by the lake, a little boy fell in." Her voice shook a bit, and the image in her mind got clearer. "I ran over and tried to pull him out with a branch. He was heavy, I couldn't do it, and finally I fell in too..."
Jason stayed quiet, just scribbling fast in his notebook. He watched her closely, giving her plenty of space.
"I fell on the bank, my head hurt bad, and there was lots of blood." Olivia's hand unconsciously touched the back of her head, where there was a faint scar hidden by her hair that hardly anyone noticed. "When I woke up, I forgot all about it. Only recently did it start coming back bit by bit."
"Who was that little boy?" Jason asked softly.
Olivia's eyes snapped open, full of shock and disbelief. "It was Luca."
Saying those words felt like dropping a heavy load off her shoulders, but also like opening Pandora's box, stirring up all kinds of feelings inside her.
"I remember now—the person who saved Luca back then was me, not Windy." Her voice trembled a little. "Windy... she took credit for what I did."
Jason froze, clearly not expecting this. He frowned. "Are you sure? Could your memory be off?"
"No mistake." Olivia shook her head, her tone firm. "I remember clearly—his face, the way he grabbed my wrist. It was Luca. And the scar on the back of my head is from that fall."
She paused, then added, "Earlier, when I hit my head and went to the hospital, the doctor said there was an old scar back there. I just couldn't remember where it came from. Now I know."
Jason was quiet for a moment, feeling mixed up inside.
He'd noticed long ago that Luca treated Olivia differently. He worried she'd get tangled up with Luca again. But hearing this truth now, he felt sorry for her, too.
"Are you going to tell Luca?" he asked.
"I... I don't know." Olivia looked down, hesitating. "I have no real proof. Back then at the lake, there was no one else—just me, Luca, and Windy. She won't admit it. Luca believed in her all these years. He might think I'm making it up out of jealousy."
Her worry made sense. Windy had convinced Luca for years with just a blurry photo. Now, with nothing to show, he might not believe her.
Something clicked in Jason's mind. He said quickly, "You're right. Without proof, telling Luca suddenly would just make him think you're causing trouble. It could even mess up things between you two now."
Deep down, he didn't want Olivia getting close to Luca. He hoped they'd cut ties completely.
"Plus, Windy's in the hospital now, threatening suicide to get sympathy. If you bring this up, Luca might think you're kicking her when she's down."
Olivia frowned, thinking Jason had a point.
She really had no proof. Telling Luca would just make things messier, and he might even get annoyed with her.
"So what should I do?" She felt lost. "Just let Windy keep pretending she's the one who saved his life and keep fooling Luca?"
"No." Jason said, "You can wait. Look for proof slowly, like old photos from back then, or maybe a witness. Once you have solid evidence, tell Luca. He'll believe you then."
Olivia nodded, deciding for now not to tell Luca.
She agreed with Jason—it wasn't the right time. She needed proof first, then she'd face Luca with it.
They talked a bit more, with Jason guiding her to recall additional details, hoping to find useful clues.
After saying goodbye to Jason, Olivia sat in her car for a long time without starting it.
She stared out the window at the people coming and going, her mind a total mess.
So she was the one who saved Luca back then. Windy had been lying to Luca—and everyone—for years.
All those years of Luca spoiling Windy and taking her side—it was because of this fake life-saving debt.
If she hadn't lost her memory, if she'd remembered sooner, would things be different?
Would she not have suffered alone all this time? Would Leo not have grown up without a dad?
These thoughts swirled in her head, making her feel sour and bitter.
After a while, Olivia finally started the car and drove slowly home.
She just wanted to get home, calm down, and sort out her feelings.
When she got home and opened the door, she saw Luca sitting on the living room sofa, holding some papers, like he was waiting for her.
Olivia froze. She hadn't expected him there. "What are you doing here?"
"To see you and Leo." Luca set down the papers and stood up, walking toward her. His eyes showed worry. "You went to see Jason today? Why so long? You look pale."
He'd called her earlier, but no answer, so he got worried and came over.
Olivia avoided his eyes, walked to the sofa, sat down, and took a sip from the water glass on the table. "Nothing. We just talked a long time."
She hadn't figured out how to face him yet. Thinking that she was the one who saved him, but he'd been tricked by Windy all these years, stirred up all kinds of feelings.
Luca saw her distracted look and grew more worried. "Did Jason say something to you? Or is the therapy not going well?"
"No." Olivia shook her head. She still didn't want to say.
Luca walked over, knelt down in front of her, and held her hand. "Olivia, if something's wrong, you can tell me. Don't keep it bottled up."
His hand was warm, wrapping hers, making her feel a bit of warmth inside.
Olivia looked up into his sincere eyes, and her defenses crumbled.
She really wanted to tell him the truth, wanted him to know Windy had fooled him all these years, wanted him to know she was the one who tried so hard to save him.
"Luca, there's something I need to tell you." She took a deep breath and gathered her courage.
Luca nodded, watching her closely, waiting for her to go on.
"The person who saved you back then wasn't Windy. It was me." Olivia's voice shook a little. "I remember everything now."