The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 421

At the mention of the name "Garrison Foster," Josh's fingers instantly curled inward. But before he could process his reaction, his brow furrowed in deep confusion. "Ten years? It's only been five years since you came back from Antarctica."

Sloane's hand froze halfway through pouring the tea.

She looked up, staring directly into Josh's eyes, absolute, unfiltered bewilderment crossing her face.

"Antarctica? When have I ever been to Antarctica?"

A microscopic shift crossed Josh's face—his pupils dilated for a fraction of a second, the corner of his mouth twitched, and he immediately dropped his gaze, burying his reaction into his teacup.

It happened so fast that Piper didn't even notice, and Sloane almost thought she had imagined it.

"...I mean," Josh took a slow sip, letting the steam from the tea blur his expression, "Sloane, do you really not remember anything from the past ten years?"

Piper, who had been bursting with questions for the last five minutes, finally slammed her chopsticks down.

"Professor Jace, she just said she was in a coma for ten years! Why do you keep interrogating her?!" She turned to Sloane, her brow wrinkled. "Wait... is your name Sloane Taylor or Sloane Sutton? Why does he keep calling you Sloane?"

Sloane set her cup down, letting the silence stretch for two seconds.

She looked at Piper, then at Josh, taking a deep breath as if she had finally made a decision.

"Josh, Piper. You have to promise me you won't tell anyone about this."

"Of course! I promise!" Piper immediately held up three fingers in a solemn vow. "I swear on my life I won't tell a soul!"

Josh nodded slowly. "You have my word, Sloane."

Sloane sighed. "...My real name is Sloane Taylor. Ten years ago, I was a junior at Riverdale University, but I had to drop out because I got sick."

Piper, who had a piece of shrimp halfway to her mouth, froze like a statue.

Josh's finger stopped tapping the edge of his cup. He looked up at her, his lips parting slightly. There was something wild flashing in his eyes—shock, disbelief, and a tiny, desperate spark of hope that he was trying incredibly hard to suppress.

"What did you just say?"

His voice was a whisper, as if speaking too loudly would shatter the reality of what he just heard. "Sloane... you really have no interest in him?"

"Yeah, wait! Didn't you just say Dr. Foster helped you get back into school?" Piper chimed in, equally confused.

"I know he's a good person, and I'm incredibly grateful he helped me get my life back."

"But I seriously... do not like him."