Chapter 1

After the car crash, I faked amnesia.

I thought it would shake them up.

Instead, my son brought another woman to my hospital room and called her "Mom."

My husband didn't say a word to correct him.

They thought I'd forgotten it all.

They had no idea—I remembered every cruel word, every time he wasn't there, every night I cried myself to sleep.

So I signed the divorce papers, packed my entire life into moving trucks, and walked out without a single look back.

That’s when the panic finally set in for them.

After the accident, I decided to play along with the memory loss to see how my husband and son would react.

"Who are you people?" I asked, keeping my voice flat.

A mischievous glint flashed in my son’s eyes. He led a woman in from the hallway and announced, "Ma'am, my parents and I are just visiting."

With bandages wrapped around my head, I looked down at my five-year-old, Leo Carter, holding two adults' hands, a smug little grin on his face.

My husband, Nathan Carter, stood beside him in his impeccably tailored suit. His gaze was intense, searching my face, but he didn't correct our son's choice of words.

The woman Leo clung to wore a soft, flowy white dress. She looked elegant and kind, but flinched slightly under my stare, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Noticing my focus on Amelia Reed, Leo quickly stepped between us, as if shielding her. If I really had amnesia, I might have bought the picture of this perfect, happy little family.

Leo tugged on Nathan’s hand, whispering just loud enough for me to hear, "Dad, now that Mom can’t remember, can you finally get the divorce?"

I knew his game. This was payback because yesterday I’d scolded him in front of the housekeeper. This was how Leo got his kicks—making me the punchline.

But I was done playing. I’d claimed memory loss; might as well run with it. Pretend there was no son, no husband.

"Excuse me… who are you again?"

Leo’s jaw went slack, his cocky grin fading into shock. "You… you really don’t remember me? You can’t forget me—I’m your favorite kid…"

Nathan’s brow furrowed, his icy stare turning even colder, voice dripping with annoyance. "Evelyn Reed, cut the act. The doctor said it’s a minor concussion. You can’t fake amnesia to get out of this."

Leo, his little face scrunched in a mirror of his father’s impatience, chimed in, "Yeah, stop pretending! You love us too much to ever forget us!"

A headache was starting to pound behind my eyes. Before I could respond, a nurse knocked and entered.

"The patient needs to rest now," she stated firmly. "All non-family members, please step out."

Without another word, Nathan and Leo turned, with Amelia following quietly behind them.

The young nurse came in, glancing back at the door. "Your husband was here earlier—he just went to get you some soup from the cafeteria."

"My… husband?"

My mind stuttered. Didn’t you just escort my husband out?

She blinked. "Yes, he’s very handsome. I remember him from four years ago when I worked in L&D. He was at every single one of your prenatal appointments, always waiting so patiently outside. Never on his phone. He had us all believing in love again."

She paused, then chuckled. "By the way, who were those other two? Good-looking, but they had a real 'here to collect a debt' vibe."

I almost laughed. Nathan hadn’t come to a single one of my fourteen prenatal appointments. The man who’d been by my side was my younger half-brother, Caleb Reed, who was only eighteen back then. I didn’t bother explaining. Soon, none of it would matter.

A moment later, Caleb hurried in with a takeout bag, slightly out of breath. The sight made my empty stomach clench; I hadn’t eaten all day. Caleb carefully unpacked the containers, napkins, a bottle of water, and a spoon. "I brought some warm ginger tea and your favorite—homemade chicken soup. It'll help. Here, I'll get the lid off for you."

Ever since I met Caleb at fifteen, he’d been my rock. A few spoonfuls in, the gnawing emptiness finally began to ease. When I looked up, I saw his eyes were red-rimmed, his lips trembling slightly.

"When I heard about the accident… I was terrified."

A bittersweet warmth spread through me. A car crash is terrifying. I’d been lucky. I’d thought pretending to lose my memory would shake Nathan and Leo up, maybe even give us something to laugh about later. But trying to get concern from a heartless person is like squeezing water from a stone.