: "No longer knowing" vs "without knowing...anymore." I think this is a common problem I have. I always find myself debating whether I should write a sentence as "no longer knowing" or "without

@Smith147

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I think this is a common problem I have. I always find myself debating whether I should write a sentence as "no longer knowing" or "without knowing...anymore."

For example:

I looked at Faye's cat smile, and for a fleeting instant, I forgot
about everything. I forgot about buses, waiting lines, ticket
counters, miniature toilets, sleepless nights on a seat. The feeling of
exhaustion that never left my body. The feeling of anxiety upon
arriving to a city that wasn't my own. And the even stronger feeling
of detachment upon reaching mine without knowing who I was anymore. I
finally understood it at that moment. All this traveling had really
alienated me from myself. To the point I no longer recognized my own
skin, my own feelings, or my own thoughts. But thanks to Faye I could
finally find myself again—that part of me that almost got lost forever on the
highway.

I could have written it like this:

The feeling of anxiety upon
arriving to a city that wasn't my own. And the even stronger feeling
of detachment upon reaching mine, no longer knowing who I was.

Which one should I choose in cases like this? The shorter one? The one that sounds "better"? I think I've read the sentence so many times I no longer/don't know which one is the best choice (anymore).

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