Gaslit by Reality: My True Husband's Gone

There were 48 of us in the cohort, yet only 47 students were in the photo. The missing one had to be Jake. This meant he existed, but his existence had been erased.

Suddenly, the door behind me creaked open. I looked up in a panic and met the eyes of the person who walked in. It was the academic dean, Ms. Greta Rosewood. "Erica, why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"

Seeing that she wasn't angry about me trespassing, I quickly asked, "Ms. Rosewood, do you remember a student in our cohort named Jake Watson?"

She pushed up her reading glasses, her expression full of confusion. "Jake Watson? Was there a student by that name in your cohort? I may be getting old, but I don't forget my students."

I hurriedly pulled out the group photo and pointed at the number 48. "We had 48 students in our cohort, yet one is missing from the photo. It was Jake, right?"

Ms. Rosewood studied the photo for a long time, only to chuckle out loud. "Oh, that. It'd be Alex Cooper. He ate something bad that day and had diarrhea, so he ran off during the photo."

The faint hope I had just started clinging to evaporated, plunging me back into the pit of helplessness. There was still no trace of Jake and certainly no shared memories of him.

When I left the administrative office, I walked away empty-handed. Whether it was the present or the past, it was as if he had vanished from the face of the earth.

Yet, the ten years I had spent loving him were carved so deeply into my bones that I refused to deny them.

On my way across the campus, a couple walked past me, chatting casually, "So, when am I meeting your parents? What about the holidays?"

That simple question jolted something in me.

I had been searching from the wrong angle all along. I had only been investigating the people around me, but what if I started from the people around Jake instead? For example, his parents.

Following my old memories, I found my way to the Watsons' home. When I saw the familiar street and gate, I finally felt a tiny sense of relief.

I knocked, and the door opened, revealing Jake's mother. She looked exactly as I remembered. Perhaps I could finally find an inkling about where he was.

"Hello, Mrs. Watson. Do you remember Jake Watson? Your… son."

She frowned at me in confusion. "What are you talking about, miss? I don't have a son, just a daughter."

Behind her, a young woman about Jake's age peeked out. "What's going on, Mom?"

Honestly, I was taken aback when I saw her. She looked convincingly like Jake's sibling. But he was an only child. He never had any siblings.

I pulled out my phone and showed them a photo of Jake. "Does this ring a bell? At all?"

The young woman answered first, "He does look kind of familiar…"

A spark of hope surged in my chest. "Have you seen him before? He's very important to me. Please, just tell me what you know."

Yet, her answer sent me straight back into hopelessness. "Mom, I think he looks a lot like Dad. Could this be Dad's secret child or something?"

Mrs. Watson tapped her on the forehead, chiding, "Yeah, right. If your father hears this, you're going to be in a lot of trouble."

She then turned back to me. "Miss, we don't know who this is. I don't know how you found our address either, but please leave. We don't want any trouble."

Without waiting for my response, she shut the door.

Not only did they fail to recognize Jake, but they didn't remember me either. My investigation had hit yet another dead end.

Just as I turned to leave, an elderly neighbor opened her door. "Young lady, I heard you're looking for Jake Watson. I know where he is."