My dog’s unique reaction to my fiancé made me question everything after my memory loss.
After a life-changing accident, I woke up with no memory and a stranger by my side, claiming to be my fiancé. I couldn’t remember him, but I trusted him, until my dog’s strange behavior made me question everything. Was this man really who he said he was, or someone else entirely?
You never think something terrible will happen to you. It was just an ordinary evening. I was driving home after hanging out with a friend, listening to music, singing along, feeling happy.
But in just one moment, everything changed. A car came speeding around a corner and crashed into me. The collision was the last thing I remembered.
I woke up in the hospital and was told by the doctors that I’d been in a coma for a week and a half. They said I was lucky that I didn’t end up disabled after such an accident. But I didn’t feel lucky.
I had partial amnesia. I remembered my family, my closest friends, my dog.
Some memories were still there, but I didn’t remember where I worked. I couldn’t recall the address where I lived, though I remembered what the house looked like.
But the most important thing was, I didn’t remember him. The man who, according to the doctors, had stayed by my side every day I was in a coma.
The man I saw when I woke up. The man who said he was my fiancé. Derek, that was his name. I looked at him and saw nothing but a stranger.
“Why doesn’t she remember me? She remembers her family, her friends, why not me?” Derek asked the doctor.
“With partial amnesia, this happens sometimes. The patient loses only part of their memories,” the doctor explained.
“We’ve been together for almost a year and a half. We’re engaged. We were planning the wedding. What am I supposed to do now?” Derek asked.
“You can talk to her about your relationship, show her pictures, maybe it’ll help bring back her memory,” the doctor suggested.
“Maybe? What if it doesn’t work?” Derek asked.
“She’s already fallen in love with you once, maybe she’ll do it again,” the doctor said before leaving the room.
After that conversation, Derek never came empty-handed. He’d bring me our photos, gifts he’d given me, and tell me stories of how we met, our dates, how we moved in together. But…
“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember any of this,” I told him.
“It’s okay, we’ll get through this together,” Derek reassured me, taking my hand.
My mom never stopped questioning me, even while I was in the hospital.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me anything about Derek!” she said.
“Mom, please, I don’t remember anything. What do you want me to say?” I asked.
“Derek said you were going to tell me after he proposed, but the accident happened before you could. I don’t know if I believe that. You’ve always been so secretive,” my mom said.
This went on for several days. I’d hear stories from Derek, complaints from my mom, until the doctor finally gave the okay for me to go home.
Derek picked me up from the hospital, and we headed to my, or rather, our house.
I couldn’t wait to see Otis, my dog. I’d missed that little ball of energy so much that I couldn’t even explain it.
When we got to the house, I could already hear Otis barking loudly, probably as eager to see me as I was to see him.
But as soon as Derek opened the door, Otis ran out and attacked him, barking loudly and trying to bite.
Otis was a Jack Russell, a small dog, and he’d never reacted like this to someone he knew.
“Get him away from me! Calm him down!” Derek yelled, trying to keep Otis away from him.
“Otis! Come here!” I shouted, but the dog didn’t respond. “Come here!” I said more firmly.
Otis ran to me, wagging his tail, but still barking at Derek. “Quiet, stop,” I said, picking Otis up.
He stopped barking, but only for a moment. As soon as I came closer to Derek, he started again, trying to break free from my arms.
“Lock him in the backyard,” Derek said.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because he’s trying to eat me!” Derek said, as if it were obvious.
“I don’t understand. You said we live together. Why is he reacting to you like this?” I asked.
“I don’t know, he’s never liked me. While you were in the hospital, I stayed with you, and your mom took care of him. Maybe he forgot about me,” Derek explained.
I frowned but didn’t say anything. I took Otis to the backyard and played with him for about an hour.
I’d missed him so much, and it was clear he missed me too. Derek’s reasoning didn’t make sense.
I’d been in the hospital, yet Otis hadn’t forgotten me. I went inside, and as soon as I did, Otis started barking again. He barked nonstop. My head even started to hurt.
“This is really strange,” I said.
“What?” Derek asked.
“Otis’s behavior, he’s never acted like this,” I said.
“I don’t know, he’s a dog. It’s hard to make sense of his behavior,” Derek replied.
“Where’s my phone?” I asked. I hadn’t thought about it during my time in the hospital, but now I needed it.
“It broke during the accident. I’ll get you a new one tomorrow,” Derek said.
“Okay, because I want to meet with Sally,” I said.
“Uh… I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Derek replied.
“Why?” I asked.
“The doctor said you need rest,” Derek said.
“He didn’t say anything like that. What, I can’t even meet with my friend now?” I asked.
“I’d wait a bit,” Derek said.
This situation was starting to bother me more and more. I didn’t remember Derek, Otis was acting like he was a stranger, and now I couldn’t even see my friends.
“I’m going to sleep in another room, with Otis, if that’s okay with you,” I said. Suddenly, I was scared to sleep in the same bed with Derek.
“Why can’t he sleep outside?” Derek asked.
“Because he’s a house dog. He doesn’t live outside,” I said.
“We always left him outside,” Derek said.
These words made me frown again. I would never have left Otis outside to sleep. That wasn’t like me at all.
I slept in the guest room with Otis, and Derek slept in the master bedroom. It felt safer that way.
Derek bought me a new phone, but he changed the number, and I couldn’t contact Sally.
I also didn’t remember the password to my social media accounts. I felt helpless, like I was locked in a cage, because I only went out with Derek.
I kept looking at our shared photos, still unable to remember him. I didn’t remember anything about him, like he’d never been in my life.
But Derek kept saying that my memory would come back soon, though I had my doubts.
He also insisted we get married soon. He said he loved me so much he couldn’t wait. But how could I marry a stranger?
One day, I heard Derek talking to someone by the front door. I couldn’t see who it was, but he didn’t look happy.
“I told you, it’s not time yet!” he yelled before slamming the door shut.
“Who was that?” I asked him.
“They mixed up the address,” Derek said.
An hour later, Derek went to work, and I stayed home, filled with anxiety. I needed to figure out what was going on.
Why couldn’t I remember him? Why was Otis reacting so strangely to him? Why was he forbidding me to see my friends?
I rummaged through his things, but I didn’t find anything that pointed to something suspicious.
Then I heard a knock at the door. When I opened it, I saw Sally. I immediately ran to hug her.
“I’m scared,” I said.
“He wouldn’t let me see you,” Sally said.
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” I said.
“Kait, listen carefully. Derek doesn’t exist,” Sally said.
“What?” I was stunned.
“I tried to find him, but there’s no such person,” Sally said.
“But how? I don’t understand…” I said.
“I don’t know, but you’ve never met him, and he never proposed. There are two possibilities: either you didn’t tell anyone, or Derek’s lying,” Sally said.
“So what should I do? I don’t think Derek and I were ever together, Otis is barking at him like a mad dog,” I asked.
“We can—”
But Sally didn’t finish, as a courier arrived with a large envelope. I signed for it, and we went inside to see what it was.
When I opened the envelope, I found a marriage contract. After reading it, everything became clear.
The contract stated that if we divorced, Derek would get half of my assets.
And that wasn’t a small amount—my grandmother had been wealthy, and everything she owned had been passed down to me.
“Bastard!” Sally yelled.
“I don’t get it. 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 one of the rooms while I waited for Derek. I knew he was coming because Otis started barking again.
“Hey, how’s your day? Got the contract?” Derek asked as he walked in.
“Yes, but… you get half of my assets if we divorce?” I asked.
“Yes, but there are conditions. Did you read it?” Derek asked.
“I don’t want to agree to this,” I said.
“Stop, it’s only in case of a divorce. I’m hoping we’ll be together forever,” Derek said, reaching to kiss me. But just then, we heard a knock at the door. Sally had also reacted quickly to Otis’s barking.
“Who could it be?” Derek asked. I just shrugged, knowing full well who it was.
The police arrested Derek as soon as he opened the door. It looked like something out of a movie.
He screamed, struggled, calling me and Sally names, saying we ruined everything for him.
“I still don’t understand how he knew I had money,” I told the police officer.
“We’ve identified him. His name is Harry. He worked as a nurse and spent a long time working at a nursing home,” the officer said.
[Story concludes with the resolution: Harry had likely learned about Kait’s inheritance while working at the nursing home where her grandmother had stayed. He orchestrated the entire scheme, using the accident as an opportunity to insert himself into her life and gain access to her wealth. Kait recovers safely with the support of her real friends and family, and Otis is celebrated as the hero who helped expose the fraud.]
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