My boyfriend bought me at an underground human auction in a Southeast Asian black-market district.

From that moment on, he became my only salvation, the last person I had left in this world.

And he was good to me. So good it felt like he would have plucked the stars from the sky and laid them at my feet, just to see me smile.

Until the day I got hurt and ended up in the hospital.

When I woke up, I had the sudden urge to play a little prank on the man I'd been with for five years.

"Who are you? Where am I? What happened to me?"

My boyfriend froze. But before he could speak, his secretary stepped forward and curled her arm around his.

"This is my boyfriend. You're his housekeeper."

"You got hurt yesterday. We're the ones who brought you to the hospital."

This time, I was the one who froze.

My boyfriend recovered fast. He picked up right where his secretary left off.

"Lena's right. You're my housekeeper."

……

I didn't know what to say. I just sat there on the hospital bed, motionless, silent.

A flicker of guilt crossed Barnaby Heath's eyes.

"Caroline Manning, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Lena Floyd immediately patted the back of his hand, her touch soothing, possessive.

"Oh, Barnaby, she just woke up. She probably hasn't gotten her bearings yet."

"Come on, let's step out and let Caroline rest."

The moment the words left her mouth, Lena grabbed Barnaby and pulled him out of the room without sparing me a single glance.

Under the blanket, my hands clenched into fists so tight my nails bit into my palms. A bone-deep chill seeped through me, flooding every limb.

I threw back the covers and got out of bed. Through the door, I could hear Barnaby talking to the doctor in the hallway.

"What's her condition? Why doesn't she recognize anyone? How long will this last?"

The doctor held my brain CT scan, his words careful, measured.

"Based on the test results, there's no medical reason for memory loss."

"That said, nothing in medicine is one hundred percent certain. There's a very small probability something like this could occur."

"As for how long it might last, I can't give you a definitive answer. It could be a day, a week, a month."

A calculating look settled over Barnaby's face. Then he took Lena by the arm and walked straight down the corridor without looking back.

I cracked the door open and followed them.

In the stairwell at the end of the hall, Lena wrapped her arms around Barnaby's waist, leaning into him with practiced dependence.

"Barnaby, what if Caroline gets her memory back?"

"Will she blame me? After all, she's your girlfriend. What does that make me?"

Barnaby's gaze softened when he looked at Lena, his eyes full of tenderness. But the instant my name came up, a flash of irritation cut through.

"So what if she gets her memory back? She's been with me for five years. There's no way she'd have the guts to break up with me."

"Can't you see? She's completely devoted to me. She can't survive without me. Besides, she's an orphan with no family. If it weren't for me, she'd have died in that hellhole overseas."

"And she's so easy to handle. When the time comes, I'll just tell her I was joking. She won't say a word."

Lena's face bloomed into a satisfied smile.

"Barnaby, thank you."

Barnaby's hand slid under the hem of Lena's blouse.

"As long as you're happy, I'll do anything."

I couldn't watch another second. I turned and ran back to the hospital room like I was fleeing a fire.

Five years ago, when we first met, Barnaby Heath was the CEO leading his company's team-building trip to that Southeast Asian black-market district.

And me? I was nothing more than a lot about to be auctioned off in an underground club.

An iron shackle chained to my ankle, I stood on that stage, staring out at the crowd in terror, not knowing whose plaything I was about to become.

The moment my eyes met Barnaby's, a flicker of amusement passed through his gaze. Then he raised his hand, lazy and unhurried, one finger pointed straight at me.

"That one. I want her."

That day, he took me away and became the only light in my dark world.

He wasn't just my boyfriend. He was my salvation. I'd poured every ounce of love I had into him, and I truly couldn't bear to let go.

While I was lost in those memories, a familiar voice pulled me back.

"Caroline, why are you sitting on the floor? It's cold down there. Come on, get up."

Only then did I realize that the moment I'd walked into the hospital room, my knees had buckled. I was crumpled on the ground.

I stared at Barnaby's lips, still swollen and red from kissing her, and spoke slowly, one word at a time.

"Barnaby, are you hiding something from me?"

"Am I really just your housekeeper?"

He froze. The flash of panic in his eyes made him look, for just a moment, utterly exposed.

"Hiding something? What do you mean?"

"Caroline, did you remember something?"

I wanted to scream yes. I wanted to demand an explanation for everything he'd done to me.

But for some reason, when he asked that question, I shook my head as if something else had taken control of my body.

"No. I just feel like something's off. All of it."

The relief that washed over Barnaby's face was impossible to miss.

"You just went through a serious injury. Feeling disoriented right now is completely normal. It'll pass."

"Come on, let's go home. We can talk on the way."

On the drive back, Barnaby was behind the wheel. Lena sat in the passenger seat.

I sat in the back, staring at their intertwined fingers, a vicious ache spreading through my chest.

Barnaby talked and talked. He said we were about the same age. He said after my parents died and I had nowhere to go, he'd taken me in.

He said I wasn't really a housekeeper in the traditional sense. That in his heart, I was like a sister to him, just not by blood.

He said so much.

But he never once mentioned the five years we'd spent in love.

I spoke quietly.

"So I live in your house, but I'm not a housekeeper, not a sister, and definitely not a girlfriend. Is that right?"

"Then why did you let me stay? Because you felt sorry for me?"

Barnaby choked on his words. Lena jumped in immediately from the passenger seat.

"You two have known each other for years. After your parents passed and you had nowhere to go, Barnaby let you stay as a housekeeper. That's all."

"We're all friends here. Looking out for each other is what friends do."

I lifted my gaze to Lena.

"Is that so? Then what exactly are you doing here, Miss Floyd? Are you coming home with us?"

"Are you two already living together?"

My tone was anything but polite. It dripped with open hostility.

In the rearview mirror, Barnaby's brows drew together.

"Lena is my girlfriend. What's the problem with her coming home with me?"

The protectiveness in his voice was unmistakable. It felt like ten thousand needles driving into the left side of my chest all at once.

The pain hit so fast and so hard it flooded through every limb, every nerve, until I couldn't force out another word.

I closed my eyes and stopped looking at the two of them in the front seat.

The moment I stepped through the front door, I almost laughed.

Five years together. Every corner of this home had been arranged by my own hands. The walls, the shelves, every surface was covered with photos of me and Barnaby.

I looked up at the two people standing in front of me, suddenly curious to see how they'd explain this.

"We're really just friends? These photos don't exactly scream 'platonic.'"

My tone in the car had already put Lena on edge. Now, hearing this question, she didn't bother hiding her irritation.

"What exactly are you implying? You don't actually think you're Barnaby's girlfriend, do you?"

"I wanted to say something back in the car. What's with the attitude you've been giving me?"

"Before you lost your memory, you were constantly trying to sabotage our relationship, always clinging to Barnaby and making him take pictures with you. Now you're using those photos to stir up trouble. I've been more than patient with you!"

Listening to Lena twist reality like she was the victim here, all I felt was a bitter sort of amusement.

I was about to fire back when Barnaby cut me off.

"Caroline, you were out of line today. I've always treated you like a sister, but that doesn't give you the right to disrespect my girlfriend."

"Enough. Apologize to Lena. Now."

I stared at Barnaby in disbelief.

It was like I didn't recognize him anymore.

Over the past five years, even though he'd bought me at that underground auction, he had treated me like I was everything.

When I came down with a fever, he stayed up all night by my bedside without closing his eyes.

When I couldn't eat, he printed out recipes and taught himself to cook, just so I'd take one more bite.

When I told him I loved the blind-box toys that came with kids' meals, he sat through countless rounds of greasy fast food with me, just to pull the one I wanted.

But now, standing next to Lena, Barnaby looked like a complete stranger.

Lena was clearly savoring his protection. She shot me a smug glance, then put on a magnanimous front.

"Let it go, Barnaby. Caroline just got out of the hospital. She's probably not feeling well. It's my fault too. I shouldn't have lost my temper."

"Fine, fine. It's late. Let Caroline get some rest."

Barnaby neither agreed nor disagreed with Lena's little performance. He gave me one cold look, wrapped his arm around her waist, and walked away.

I watched the two of them disappear into the master bedroom.

The moment the door clicked shut, my heart sank with it, dropping into some endless void where no sound could reach.

In the middle of the night, I lay alone in the guest room. Then a sound crept through the silence and into my ears.

I got out of bed and followed it to the hallway. It was coming from the master bedroom.

The woman's voice was syrupy, dripping with a sweetness designed to dissolve bone.

"Stop, you're too worked up. Caroline's right next door. What if she hears us?"

The man's voice was raw, thick with desire.

"Relax. The soundproofing in this place is top-notch. I already shut the door. She can't hear a thing."

"Lena... my Lena. What am I going to do with you..."

He kept murmuring her name, but his movements never slowed.

I had never seen Barnaby like this. Unraveled. Out of control.

In five years together, even in bed, he had always been gentle. Restrained. I'd assumed that was simply who he was, that passion ran cool in his veins.

Now I understood. It wasn't that he lacked fire. The person who could light it just was never me.

And then Lena's gaze drifted, her eyes heavy-lidded, and locked directly onto mine through the gap in the door.

In that instant, everything became perfectly clear.

Barnaby said he'd shut the door. But it was open. The gap was exactly wide enough for me to see everything inside.

Lena had left it open on purpose.

I met her taunting stare, felt a hollow laugh rise in my chest, and pulled the door shut myself.

I booked a flight for the next morning, then fell into a thick, dreamless sleep.

When I woke, the house was silent. Whether they were still in bed or had gone out, I had no idea.

I didn't care enough to find out. I walked straight to the courtyard and stood there, staring blankly at the osmanthus tree.

Barnaby had planted it before we moved in.