Part 2
The doctor spoke calmly, professionally, as if it were a simple medical file.
« A head injury, » he said. « But that’s not the main concern. »
I waited.
« She has early frontotemporal dementia, » he continued. « According to previous examinations in his medical file, the disease is not recent. The symptoms probably started several years ago. »
The corridor suddenly seemed too narrow.
« What kind of symptoms? » I asked, even though part of me already knew.
He glanced at the painting. « Loss of impulse control. Emotional detachment. Memory lapses. Difficulty making decisions. Sudden personality changes. »
I swallowed with difficulty.
« Could it lead someone to… disappear? I asked softly. « To break off relations without explanation? »
The doctor hesitated, then nodded. « Yes. It’s very common. Patients often feel overwhelmed, ashamed, or unable to explain what is happening to them. Many withdraw completely into themselves. »
These words have reorganized my past in real time.
The distance.
Confusion.
The way Claire looked… different in the last few months before the wedding. Distracted. Irritable. Distracted, in a way that I had attributed to stress.
See more on the next page
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