Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English
Synopsis
After I lost my memory, my husband, Julian Hayes, treated me like the most cherished woman in the world.
That was until our fourth anniversary, when I saw him slide my wedding ring onto another woman's finger.
The woman caressed her four-month baby bump and gave me a smug smile:
"Summer, Julian said this ring looks much better on me."
Everyone in the room held their breath, waiting for me to break down in tears.
I simply smiled.
"Keep it. Consider it a gift."
No one knew that yesterday, every piece of my past came flooding back.
I finally remembered who I was.
The man I truly loved wasn't Julian. He was a ruthless mafia kingpin.
Four years ago, after a car accident stripped my memories, Julian took advantage of my blank slate and lied, claiming he was my fiancé.
And I was foolish enough to believe him.
Now, his betrayal didn't hurt at all.
I didn't care about his affair. All I wanted was to return to my real lover.
And if Julian tried to stop me, he would pay with everything he had.
The pregnant mistress was Chloe Bailey, Julian's executive secretary whom he hired last year.
Seeing that I wasn't throwing a tantrum, she was momentarily stunned before sneering:
"At least you know your place. Stepping aside before you get humiliated."
Julian quickly pulled Chloe behind his back and stammered an apology:
"Summer, let me explain when we get home. Don't listen to her."
Chloe hooked her arm around his anyway:
"Why are you hiding it? She had to find out sooner or later."
The guests at the private cocktail party stayed dead silent, terrified to meet my gaze.
I curled my lips into a cool smile and addressed Chloe:
"That diamond happens to be the cheapest among my collection of twenty."
"I was planning to give it to my housekeeper. If you like cheap leftovers, take it."
"As for my husband... even if I threw him to you, I doubt he'd let go of me so easily."
With that, I picked up my clutch and stood to leave.
Like he had done for the past four years, Julian immediately trailed behind me, terrified of losing me in the crowd.
Chloe blocked his path:
"Julian, you promised you'd take me for my ultrasound this afternoon!"
Julian froze for a second, then caught up and grabbed my wrist:
"Summer, I did make a promise to Chloe."
"I'll have the chauffeur drive you home first. Please, I swear I'll give you a proper explanation tonight."
I wrenched my hand away from his grip.
"Explain what?"
"Explain that she was a drunken mistake? A one-night stand?"
"Or that you're just using her as an incubator for an heir?"
"If you have something to say, say it right here. What needs to be hidden behind closed doors?"
Julian shot an uneasy glance at Chloe, completely tongue-tied.
Chloe chimed in proudly:
"Julian and I have been together for a year. We're in love."
I let out a soft laugh.
"Then I wish you two a lifetime of misery together. I'll have my attorney draft the divorce papers."
Hearing the word 'divorce,' Julian went pale.
"Summer! I swore on our wedding day that I would never divorce you."
I picked up a silver fruit knife from the nearby table and held it out to him:
"Fine. No divorce. Have her abort the bastard right now, and I'll stay."
Julian was horrified.
"Summer, stop joking. The unborn child is innocent."
"Once she delivers the baby, I'll cut all ties with her."
"Right now, I have a moral obligation to protect my bloodline."
I sneered.
"Then we have nothing left to discuss."
Just as I turned away, Julian rolled up his tailored sleeve, grabbed the blade, and slashed his own forearm.
Blood dripped down his pale skin. He shoved the bloody arm toward me:
"Summer, this was my fault. Let this wound be my penance."
"End this right here. Never mention divorce again."
Seeing the blood, Chloe shrieked in horror and kicked Julian's assistant:
"What are you standing there for?! Call 911!"
She turned to Julian, sobbing dramatically:
"Julian, look at how heartless this woman is! She doesn't give a damn about you!"
I didn't bother watching their soap opera.
I walked out into the chilly night and dialed my lawyer.Streetlights cast passing shadows across my face through the town car's tinted window.
Looking back on my four-year marriage with Julian Hayes, it felt like an absurd joke.
Once, Julian and I were bitter corporate rivals.
We used every cutthroat tactic in the book to outbid each other on multi-million-dollar acquisitions.
I never imagined he harbored a twisted obsession with me.
Four years ago, I already had a fiancé.
During a business trip to France, I suffered a catastrophic car wreck.
When I woke up in a secluded private hospital in Nice, Julian was the only one at my bedside.
He told me he was my devoted fiancé, presenting dozens of photographs of us together.
Most were cropped from business galas we had both attended.
Back then, my brain was an empty slate. I didn't suspect a thing because he showered me with suffocating tenderness.
He knew every detail of my habits, my favorite meals, my allergies.
If he wasn't my fiancé, how could he know me so intimately?
As soon as I was discharged, we signed marriage papers.
Claiming his company was overwhelmed, we skipped a grand wedding and merely spent a month cruising around the Mediterranean.
He had even fabricated a charred corpse in France to fake my death, making my true fiancé, Vincent Sterling, believe I had perished in that flaming crash.
Back in the penthouse, I searched for any trace of Vincent Sterling online.
As expected, almost nothing about the underground kingpin showed up in public records.
Yet, when an old, blurred snapshot of his sharp jawline flashed across the encrypted database, an unbearable agony tore through my chest.
Fragmented memories slammed into my skull like shattered glass.
Just as I lowered the phone and pressed my throbbing temples, an unknown number buzzed with a message.
It was Chloe.
She sent a barrage of photos:
Julian sleeping peacefully in her silk sheets.
Julian making French toast for her in his silk robe.
Julian gently rubbing stretch mark oil across her swollen belly.
...
A wave of bile rose in my throat.
The thought of his mouth kissing me after pressing against hers made me sick to my stomach.
We had been married for four years. The entire high society knew how obsessed he was with me.
Why cheat?
Can a man really covet two women at the same time?
I didn't care about the answer anymore.
All I wanted was to sever this fake marriage and return to the life Julian stole from me.
My attorney worked fast. The digital divorce agreement arrived in my inbox.
I knew Julian would never sign it willingly.
Even with his side chick knocked up, he refused to set me free.
So, I forwarded the contract file directly to Chloe with a single line:
"Get Julian to sign this, and he's all yours."
Chloe replied within seconds:
"Deal."
An hour later, Chloe called, her voice dripping with triumphant malice:
"He signed it. You better pack your bags and don't regret this."
With everything set in motion, I collapsed onto the bed.
Soon, darkness pulled me under.
My dreams were filled with the fiery passion between Vincent and me before the darkness took over.
Not a single trace of Julian Hayes.The next morning, furious pounding on the mahogany door jarred me awake.
Julian had rushed home. Fresh blood soaked through the white gauze wrapped around his forearm, irritated by the violence with which he shook the door handle.
He stood breathless on the threshold, clutching crumpled paper in his trembling fingers:
"You sent this divorce petition to Chloe?"
I took the papers, flipped straight to the final signature page, and saw his bold scrawl across the line.
I met his bloodshot eyes calmly:
"You already signed it. Why are you screaming?"
Julian snatched the papers back, his voice shaking with panic:
"She shoved only the last page in front of me, claiming it was an authorization form for her hospital fees! I didn't even read it!"
With a roar, he tore the contract to shreds and scattered the pieces into the air.
"You want a divorce? Over my dead body, Summer!"
He lunged forward and locked me in a suffocating embrace.
I fought against his chest, digging my teeth deep into the open wound on his injured arm.
The metallic taste of his blood filled my mouth before he cried out in pain and stumbled back.
I spat onto the floor, wiping my lip with utter disgust:
"So what do you expect from me, Julian?"
"Accept your side piece? Watch you two raise a baby and play house while you crawl into my bed at night?"
"How can you be so utterly shameless?!"
Julian went rigid, then began babbling desperately:
"I swear on my life, I won't touch her again! I'm cutting her off today!"
I crossed my arms.
"And the child? I refuse to play stepmother to your infidelity."
Julian pleaded without hesitation:
"Once it's born, I'll take full custody and hand the baby over to you! You will be its only mother!"
I let out a harsh, mocking laugh.
"I have no interest in raising a bastard. If you want to keep this marriage, drag your mistress to an abortion clinic and fire her on the spot."
Julian didn't hesitate for a second:
"Done! Anything you want! Just stop talking about leaving me, please, Summer!"
I tapped my screen, turning the phone toward him:
"Every single word you just uttered was recorded."
"And forwarded to Chloe Bailey."
Julian's face drained of all color. He bellowed in fury:
"Summer! How could you do that?! Don't you trust me at all?!"
I scoffed:
"Trusting a cheater's oath is like trusting a shark to turn vegan."
Right on cue, Julian's phone rang like a siren. It was Chloe, screaming hysterically over the speaker:
"Julian Hayes! If you don't want my baby, I'll take our child and jump off the bridge right now!"
The call abruptly cut off.
Julian looked shattered, torn between guilt toward me and terror for the child.
Finally, he shoved me aside and sprinted toward his sports car.
By the time I followed his GPS tracker to the suspension bridge spanning the icy river, Julian was locked in a desperate embrace with Chloe, kissing her tears away.
Seeing me approach, Julian tensed up instantly, shielding the sobbing woman behind his back.
He tried to keep his temper in check:
"Summer, what else do you want? Chloe is pregnant and emotionally fragile. I'm warning you, don't provoke her!"
"If she dies with my baby, you'll be charged with manslaughter!"
Chloe had tear tracks on her cheeks, but her eyes glittered with toxic malice.
Suddenly, she bolted toward me, grabbing my coat and hissing in my ear:
"A man's promises are worthless."
"Never listen to what they say. Watch what they do."
"Guess who he chooses when both of us are drowning?"
Before I could react, she yanked my coat and dragged us both over the rail into the freezing river.
The wind whipped past my ears alongside Chloe's theatrical scream:
"Julian! I'm carrying your heir! Watch us die if you have the guts!"
Splash!
The frigid water knocked the air out of my lungs.
Above the surface, Julian dove in without a second thought, thrashing through the currents toward us.
He hesitated for barely two seconds before his arms clamped tightly around Chloe.
"Summer, you're a champion swimmer! You can swim to the bank yourself! Chloe can't swim!"
Chloe rested her chin on his broad shoulder, looking over at me through the churning water with a smirk.
She mouthed silently:
I won.
I smiled right back through the icy mist.
Maybe we both won.
Her smirk froze, paranoia flickering across her face.
I didn't thrash. I didn't scream for help.
Julian was right—I was an excellent diver.
And a brilliant plan flashed in my mind: since a legal divorce was this complicated, why not stage my drowning and disappear forever?
I took a deep lungful of air and let my body sink into the murky depths, preparing to dive along the current and escape.
Yet, within ten seconds, a pair of frantic hands seized my collar and dragged me upward.
It was Julian.The moment Julian saw me sinking like a dead weight, he abandoned Chloe without hesitation.
He swam toward me in madness and hauled me onto the riverbank.
By the time he dived back in to pull Chloe out, she was already unconscious and turning blue.
He sped her to the nearest hospital in a panic.
The baby was lost.
Inside the sterile emergency room, Chloe sobbed until her throat bled, her manicured nails digging deep into Julian's forearms:
"Julian! I hate you!"
"You killed our baby! It was you and that cold-blooded bitch!"
Julian's eyes carried an agonizing remorse I had never seen before.
Yet, when he turned his gaze to me, all that was left was chilling fury.
I cocked my head and mocked him:
"Crying? That's a rare sight. A billionaire shedding tears."
"Why bother dragging me out of the river then? If you let me drown, everyone would have gotten what they wanted."
Julian snapped. For the first time in five years, he raised his palm and slapped me across the face.
His chest heaved violently, his voice laced with venom:
"Summer! Don't you dare push your luck just because I love you!"
The slap sent a stinging fire across my cheek.
For four years, this man had never even raised his voice at me.
Now, he struck me for his mistress.
Without missing a beat, I whipped my hand back and struck him across the jaw with full force:
"You're the pathetic one here, Julian! I told you weeks ago to sign the papers and be with her!"
"Your greed is what killed that baby!"
I turned on my heel and walked out of the hospital, leaving him frozen in shock.
From that day on, Julian never came back to the penthouse.
Not a single text, not a single missed call.
I used that quiet week to hire top-tier private investigators to track down Vincent Sterling.
Finally, the truth came out.
Five years ago, after Julian deceived Vincent with a charred corpse, Vincent never left France. He turned Paris inside out searching for the truth, refusing to believe I was dead.
Seven days later, Julian finally returned.
Without a word, he grabbed my wrist, shoved me into his car, and sped toward a private cemetery on the city outskirts.
He stopped in front of a small, white marble tombstone.
Chloe was standing there in black lace. The moment she spotted me, she lunged like a feral animal:
"You murderess! You killed my child!"
"I will end your life!"
I arched an eyebrow, glancing at Julian.
This time, he didn't shield me.
Instead, his boot struck the back of my knee, forcing me down onto the damp grass before the tombstone.
"You took Chloe's baby. Apologize to the grave!"
I gritted my teeth, refusing to bow my head, and struggled to stand:
"She jumped off that bridge of her own accord! Were you born blind, Julian?!"
Julian snapped back with twisted logic:
"She jumped because you pushed her over the edge! If you hadn't provoked her with that recording, she wouldn't have done something so reckless!"
Emboldened by Julian's cruelty, Chloe swung her hands and delivered two vicious slaps across my face.
The force split my lip, swelling my cheek instantly.
Julian watched with conflicted eyes, murmuring softly:
"Just apologize, Summer. Why must you be so stubborn?"
I wiped the blood from my chin and stared straight into his soul:
"I will remember every single second of this day, Julian Hayes."
Julian shrunk slightly under my gaze. Guilt flickered across his face. He turned to Chloe:
"You've punished her. Can we let her go now?"
Chloe sneered:
"Only because Julian asked. Now get lost."
Julian ordered his driver to take me back, leaning into the car window to whisper:
"Once Chloe recovers, I swear I'll cut all ties with her."
"Summer... I still love you."
I leaned back, sighing faintly:
"Julian, your love makes me want to vomit."
What he didn't know was that two hours ago, my investigator had confirmed Vincent Sterling's private estate address in Paris.
As soon as the car dropped me at the penthouse, I grabbed my passport, packed a single duffel bag, and booked a one-way ticket to France.
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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