The Mind Wipe - Alastair Finch

In a world of perpetual youth, the most dangerous thing you can keep is a memory.

In the city of Oakhaven, turning thirty isn't a milestone-it's an erasure. Every citizen undergoes "The Sync," a graceful, state-mandated memory wipe that resets the soul to a pristine, "Newborn" state. No trauma. No grudges. Just a beautiful, white-linened life.

Elara has the perfect "Newborn" existence. Her home is a sun-drenched sanctuary of white marble and fresh lilies. Her husband, Julian-the brilliant architect of the Sync-is the man every woman envies: gentle, adoring, and protective.

But the "Pretty" has a crack.

On the eve of her thirtieth birthday, the Sync fails. Elara wakes up with her mind intact, but her world shattered. She remembers the vanilla scent of her home, but she also remembers the taste of copper and the sound of a scream that wasn't hers.

When a scarred stranger from the "Unwiped" shadows whispers a secret that contradicts everything Julian has told her, Elara realizes her "savior" is actually her jailer. Julian didn't find her; he engineered her. And he's been watching her "glitch" with a smile that's becoming increasingly horrid.

With forty-eight hours until her final "Deep Reset," Elara must play the role of the perfect, mindless wife. She must smile at his jokes, bake his bread, and ignore the rotting smell of the lilies. Because in a world where everyone forgets, the only way to survive is to fake the wipe... and plan a murder.

How do you kill a man who knows your every thought?