Chapter 1

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It was late at night, and I had just put my daughter to sleep. I was leaning against the headboard, scrolling through my phone when a news alert popped up.

"On February 17th at 9 PM, Jason Stewart, CEO of Zenith Corp, was involved in a car accident in Los Angeles. He has been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. Sources say Jason suffered severe head trauma and is currently in a coma. Stay tuned for updates..."

The accompanying image showed a nearly totaled Bugatti Chiron. Jason was being lifted onto a stretcher, his head covered in blood, eyes closed, brows furrowed even in unconsciousness.

I felt a sudden wave of disorientation.

It had been three years since I'd last seen him.

Those memories of intimate moments, of heartbreaking pain - things I once thought I'd never forget - now felt like a lifetime ago, blurred by the passage of just a thousand days and nights.

I lowered my gaze, about to put down my phone and go to sleep, when suddenly there was a violent knocking at the door!

Worried the noise would wake Emma, I quickly slipped on my slippers and went to the living room. But when I looked through the peephole, I froze.

Jason stood there, his head still wrapped in bandages that were starting to bleed through. His face was contorted with frustration.

"Jane, open up!" he shouted. "I know you're in there, I asked the doorman!"

I was at a loss, my mind a jumble as I opened the door.

"Weren't you just in a car accident a few days ago? How did you-"

Jason barged in as if he owned the place, barely sparing a glance at the men's slippers by the door.

"It's freezing out there," he complained, tossing his coat at me. "Why the hell are you living in this dump? What happened to that villa I bought you?"

I was stunned by his familiar tone, momentarily at a loss for words.

When we broke up three years ago, it had been ugly. Jason's face had been so dark with anger, I thought he might actually kill me.

He had said: "Jane, you and your new boy toy better stay the hell away from me."

"Or I can't guarantee his safety."

Now he was acting as if nothing had happened, casually dropping onto the sofa and patting his thigh, raising an eyebrow at me:

"Come here."

The dim lamplight cast shadows across his face, his eyes still holding that sharp, slightly cruel glint I remembered. But with his handsome features, that cruelty became a kind of rebellious charm.

I took a step back, frowning. "What are you doing here? We broke up, remember?"

Jason scoffed. "Oh please, I know you too well."

"You've probably been crying at home these past few days, haven't you?"

"Come on," he beckoned impatiently. "So I went to the hospital with Olivia, big deal. Do you have to be so petty about it?"

When I still didn't approach, Jason stood up with a sigh and pulled me close, placing his hand on my stomach with unexpected gentleness.

"I get it, you're pregnant so your emotions are all over the place, right?"

"If you really want this baby so badly, then let's keep it. I've even picked out names - if it's a boy, we'll call him James. If it's a girl-"

I finally realized what was wrong. The Jason in front of me was talking about events from three years ago.

I grabbed his wrist, my voice catching in my throat. "Jason, did you lose your memory?"

He paused, then shrugged it off. "They all keep saying I hit my head and lost my memory. What a load of crap. My mind's a bit fuzzy, but it's no big deal. Nothing important anyway. You can fill me in on the details."

He pulled me close, tilting his head back to look at me with eyes full of love, as if we had never been apart these past three years.

I pushed him away, struggling to keep my voice steady. "Jason, we broke up. I-"

He quickly cut me off, the warmth vanishing from his smile. "Jane, that's enough."

"You really expect me to believe that?" His thin lips curled into an arrogant smirk. "After all these years by my side, if you wanted to leave, you would've done it long ago."

"You can't live without me."

Just then, the sound of a doorknob turning came from the hallway.

I shoved Jason away hard.

My daughter came out rubbing her eyes, clutching her favorite stuffed rabbit.

"Mommy." She frowned at Jason. "Who's that?"

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