On our tenth wedding anniversary, Wilmer Marchetti pretended to have amnesia and brought a new woman home.

He looked me dead in the eye and warned, “I’m in love with Brionne now.”

“You? You’re nothing but my ex. Don’t even dream I’d give a damn about you again.”

I didn’t cry or make a scene. I just burned everything we ever had and walked the hell out.

His buddies tried to persuade him to win me back.

But Wilmer just slung an arm around the new woman’s waist, smirking confidently.

“Serena can’t let me go. Even if I don’t lift a finger, that woman’s gonna come running back to me like a loyal dog.”

“Besides, I haven’t had my fun with this amnesia game yet. Once I’m bored, I’ll go back and settle down with her.”

What that douchey didn’t know? I had already said yes to another man’s proposal.

In fact, I was about to fly off to marry him.

…

By the third year of keeping Wilmer tied to her side, Serena caught him again, this time on a yacht with yet another new woman.

Wilmer was lounging on a leather couch, one arm wrapped around Brionne Babcock’s slim waist. He casually pointed at the stack of gifts in front of them.

“Babe, you like it?”

In that pile were keys to a limited-edition sports car, property deeds worth hundreds of millions, and insanely expensive jewelry he just acquired from auction.

Brionne just pouted. “Nope. If you really wanna make me happy, divorce Serena and marry me. I’m not trying to stay some hidden side chick forever.”

Wilmer raised a brow. “Who dares call you a side chick, babe?”

He glanced lazily around the room, a dangerous smirk tugging at his lips. “Those morons?”

The crowd immediately rushed to respond.

“No way! Ma’am Brionne is the CEO’s woman! That makes her the real wife!”

“Exactly. Serena? She can never compare. She’s just clinging to Mr. Marchetti’s name.”

“Yeah, the unloved one is the third party. The only Mrs. Marchetti we know is Ma’am Brionne.”

Then, in perfect unison, they all declared, “The real wife!”

Wilmer smirked wider. He didn’t stop his men calling Brionne that way.

With that, Brionne’s annoyance melted into playful sweetness. She lightly punched his chest. “You’re such a smooth talker.”

Wilmer caught her hand and pressed a kiss to it.

Outside the crowd, Serena stood quietly, watching everything. Her fingers slowly clenched.

The crystal chandelier’s light was blinding but not nearly as blinding as this scene.

After a moment, she wiped the blood from her palm, then grabbed a candlestick and smashed it straight into the champagne tower beside her.

With a crash, the entire tower collapsed.

The loud noise instantly silenced the room. When everyone saw who it was, the smiles on their faces froze.

“M-Mrs. Marchetti…”

Staring at their boss with a flat expression, she spat, “Don’t call me that. I don’t deserve that.”

In an instant, the air turned painfully awkward.

Wilmer clearly hadn’t expected that. He narrowed his eyes slightly. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

His hand stayed on Brionne’s waist. He didn’t pull away. He didn’t even bother to hide it. Instead, he lit a cigarette and blew smoke in Serena’s direction.

“Chasing me once or twice is cute. But you…”

He looked at her with a half-smile, like she wasn’t his legal wife but some clueless clown.

“What’s your plan this time?”

He pointed toward the deck. “Perfect spot out there to jump into the ocean. You gonna do it?”

The crowd immediately made way for her, clearing a path to the deck.

His men even “helpfully” arranged for people to wait in the water, ready for a rescue.

Serena’s fingers trembled.

It was true.

She’d used this kind of desperate, suicidal stunt so many times to force him back to her side.

At first, he panicked. Then he got used to it. Then he got tired of it. Now, he treated it like entertainment.

But this time, Serena didn’t walk toward the ocean.

She slapped him.

The smack was crisp and loud. Wilmer didn’t even see it coming.

Before he could react, the second slap landed fast and hard.

On the third, he grabbed her right hand. But Serena had expected that. Her left hand came up instantly.

One slap. Two slaps. Three slaps. The entire room fell dead silent.

Wilmer sat there on the couch, bewildered.

A few seconds later, Brionne’s scream shattered the suffocating quiet.

“Serena! How dare you hit Wilmer?! You crazy bitch!”

Wilmer finally snapped out of it. He looked at Serena like he was seeing her for the first time, disbelief in his eyes. Then he licked the blood at the corner of his lips, his smirk slowly fading.

“What now?”

Suddenly, the room felt ten degrees colder under his dark presence.

He yanked Serena forward and gripped her chin. “Finally realized all that suicidal drama won’t win me back, so you’re switching tactics?”

Their eyes met. But this time, there was no pain in hers.

They were eerily calm like still, lifeless water.

She looked at him like that and said flatly, “Three slaps. That settles everything between us. Wilmer, we’re getting divorced.”

But the room erupted in laughter.

The coldness in Wilmer’s eyes shifted into mocking amusement.

“Divorce?” he mocked. “Serena, do you even believe that yourself?”

Hidden beneath her sleeve, Serena’s hand trembled uncontrollably.

Yeah.

Once upon a time, she wouldn’t have believed it.

After he fell for Brionne, she’d tried to kill herself multiple times just to get him to come home. She’d knelt in the rain begging him dozens of times. She’d caused scenes like a lunatic hundreds of times…

But this time, she was really letting him go.

Right then, her phone rang in her bag.

In front of Wilmer, she picked it up. “Dad,” she said, “I’m coming home for the marriage you set up.”

The moment Serena said that, Wilmer’s big, flirtatious eyes narrowed.

A second later, the look on his face turned even more amused.

“Oh? Now you’re pulling this kind of act on me?”

He smirked. “Baby, you never used tricks like this before. Who taught you this shit, huh?”

His fingers brushed along her chin, his smile almost cruel. “Doesn’t matter where you learned it though. It won’t work on me.”

Serena didn’t respond.

She knew he didn’t believe her, but she didn’t bother explaining. She just turned her head, shook off his grip, and placed a document on the table.

“Sign it.”

The moment the words [Divorce Agreement] came into view, the lazy mockery on Wilmer’s face finally faltered.

Serena stared at him, unblinking.

Just when she thought he might actually panic, he picked up a pen and signed his name without hesitation, then pushed it back to her.

“You think this is gonna scare me?”

Meeting her eyes, he curled his lips and drove the invisible knife in deeper.

“You should know by now: Getting rid of you is something I’ve always wanted.”

Serena’s pupils shrank.

Just like that, the last bit of warmth in her chest was completely extinguished.

She slowly stood up, her gaze fixed on his face.

“Wilmer,” she said quietly, “I hope you remember what you said tonight. Don’t regret it later.”

Her eyes swept across the entire room.

“And one more thing. This yacht you’re throwing your party on? It’s my private property now. So take your folks, and get the hell off my ship.”

That’s when Wilmer remembered, yeah, he had given this yacht to her once.

But he didn’t move. Instead, he casually pulled out a checkbook.

“Then I’ll just buy it back from you. Name your price.”

Serena didn’t answer. She simply raised her hand and made a small gesture.

The next second, flames burst into the sky outside.

The crowd instantly panicked, scattering in all directions.

“Shit! Who started the fire?!” Wilmer snapped his head toward Serena.

“This yacht is going to explode in five minutes,” she said calmly. “If you don’t want to die, leave now.”

With that, she turned and walked off first, heading toward the dock without looking back.

Moments later, a massive explosion tore through the night sky.

Serena’s heart trembled along with it.

She stopped walking and turned around, staring at the towering mushroom cloud in the distance. She wiped the cold tears off her face.

That yacht was where Wilmer proposed to her, where he had promised her forever.

He had named it Moon. When he gave it to her, he’d said, “Serena, baby, you’re my moon. You’re the only light in the darkest part of my life.”

The words still echoed in her ears. But everything had already changed.

She didn’t even know how they ended up like this.

They met when they were young. Back then, Wilmer was just some street punk.

Like every cliché story, he saved her once when she was in danger. And that was how it all started. They fell in love.

For ten years, she stuck by him, watching him climb from a street punk to the guy who ran the whole city’s economy, feared and respected by everyone as Mr. Marchetti, the big CEO.

Over those ten years, she’d shared everything with him—running through storms, tangled up on rickety beds in tiny apartments, fighting through countless hardships, side by side.

Wilmer had done the same for her.

When she got sick, he stayed up all night taking care of her.

When danger came, he willingly risked his life to protect her.

At their most in love, he once held her hand in front of everyone and declared that Serena was his life.

Even if he died, he’d never let anyone hurt her.

Ten years was a long time.

She thought they were already part of each other, like bone and blood. That they would never, ever separate. But life doesn’t warn you before it breaks you.

Back then, Wilmer went overseas to expand business. He got caught in a local armed conflict and disappeared.

When Serena finally found him a year later, he had lost his memory. And there was another woman by his side.

Even then, despite the pain tearing her apart, Serena stayed calm. She told him everything about their past, piece by piece.

She showed him proof. Proof that he had someone he loved.

That she was waiting for him.

Wilmer believed her. But he didn’t want to go back to her.

She would never forget the way he looked at her that day. Cigarette between his lips, gaze careless and distant.

“Sorry. I believe you’re my wife. But I don’t remember you at all.”

“It’s okay,” Serena said, taking his hand. “Come back with me. I’ll help you remember everything.”

But he shook his head.

“I’ve thought about it a lot. I’ve decided to stay with Brionne.”

Serena’s lips parted. “Why?”

“It’s simple. You say I loved you so much. But if you really love someone, how do you just forget them like that?”

He tapped his temple. “There’s nothing here. Not a single memory of you. I look at you, and I feel nothing.”

He studied her, doubtful. “Did I really love you that much?”

Before she could answer, he went on.

“I don’t know if I loved you before. But right now, I love Brionne. I can’t live without her.”

“So… I’m sorry.”

“If you can, I hope you’ll agree to divorce me. Let me be with her openly and officially.”

The cigarette at his lips burned down to the end.

Smoke blurred Serena’s vision.

And at that moment, she suddenly didn’t know what the hell she was anymore—the woman who’d kept the company afloat, survived a year of sleepless nights while he was gone, holding everything together as it all fell apart.

Serena didn’t give Wilmer what he wanted.

She didn’t let him be with Brionne.

Using the fact that they were still legally married, Serena forced him back to her side.

Again and again, he tried to shake her off. And every time, she trapped him with one method or another.

A friend once asked her, completely unable to understand, “Why? No matter how much you loved him before, once he fell for someone else, you’d be the first to walk away. But now…”

Her friend looked at her, heartbroken.

“Serena… this isn’t you anymore.”

Why?

Serena’s thoughts drifted back seven years.

Wilmer wasn’t the powerful CEO he was now. Back then, they lived on the edge; danger was part of everyday life.

One day, his closest friend got into trouble. Wilmer rushed to save him, but he was too late. His buddy’s legs were already ruined.

And when the guy’s wife heard the news, she left without hesitation.

Maybe it hit too close to home. That night, Wilmer held Serena tightly, his voice hoarse.

“Serena… if something like that happened to me… would you leave me, too?”

“I won’t,” she said.

But his arms tightened even more.

“Promise me. Promise me that no matter what happens to me in the future, you’ll stay.”

His eyes were red.

“Serena… Without you, I’d die.”

Seeing the fear in his eyes, her heart completely softened.

So she made a promise.

And she kept it.

Because she had given him her word, even after he lost his memory and hurt her over and over again, she never once thought about giving up.

To make him stay, she crossed lines she never would have before. She did things she used to think she never could.

She told herself that it would be okay once he remembered.

There was no way one year could beat ten.

For that, she practically ran across the entire country, visiting every top neurology hospital she could find, doing everything she could to restore his memory.

Until yesterday. She overheard a conversation between Wilmer and one of his buddies outside the door.

“Hey, you already got your memory back a couple days ago. Why are you still hiding it from your wife?”

Wilmer answered casually. “Because the moment she finds out, she’ll make me choose between her and Brionne. And yeah, I won’t give up my wife… but I can’t let go of Brionne either.”

“Dude, that’s—”

“I know, it’s kinda shitty,” he cut in. “But people are greedy. Who doesn’t want both?”

“Then if you remember everything now, why not treat her a little better, dude?”

“Serena’s too sharp. When I didn’t remember her, I treated her like shit. If I suddenly change, she’ll notice. She’ll figure out I’ve been lying. And once she does, she’ll leave me.”

“So until I figure out a solution, I just keep things as they are.”

The room fell into a long, stunned silence.

Outside the door, Serena stood frozen like a statue.

Later, she wandered the streets with no destination.

The autumn rain was cold, but it wasn’t even a fraction of how cold she felt inside.

So it wasn’t that he hadn’t remembered. He just wanted both her and Brionne.

And he was the same man who once held her hand and said that all he wanted in this life was only her for a lifetime.

Her tears came hard but silently.

Only now did Serena realize how ridiculously insane she’d been, clinging to a promise like it was everything.

Ten years really did lose to one.

She slowly pressed her lips together, wiped the tears from her eyes, and turned her back on the fire behind her, walking toward the end of the dock without a single trace of hesitation.

When she got home, she started packing her things.

Green Garden Villa had been their home together. But now that she’d decided to divorce, she didn’t want to stay there anymore.

Halfway through packing, two men suddenly barged in and grabbed her, dragging her outside without a word.

Serena’s face changed. “What are you doing?!”

Right as she asked, she met Wilmer’s cold gaze at the door.

“You burned all of Brionne’s birthday gifts,” he said flatly. “I’m just returning the favor.”

Then he ordered his men to pour gasoline around the villa inside and out.

Without hesitation, he flicked his lighter into it.

With a whoosh, flames exploded instantly.

Serena’s pupils shrank as she stared at the fire raging in front of her.

Aside from the two years they’d been drifting, they had lived in this house for eight full years.

Everything inside held their most precious memories. And now, it was all turning to ash.

Her eyes turned red. But the next second, she laughed.

Wilmer frowned immediately.

He hadn’t expected that reaction.

He’d already been feeling a flicker of regret for setting the fire on impulse. But seeing her laugh now, something sharp and restless rose in his chest.

“What are you laughing at?” he asked coldly. “I remember you saying this place was our home for eight years.”

Isn’t a home supposed to mean everything to someone?

Serena’s laughter didn’t falter.

“Yeah. Exactly because it’s been eight years, there’s too much of us in there. I didn’t even know how to deal with it. “Honestly? You just made it easy for me.”

“Guess I should thank you,” she added casually.

Then she reached up, took off the pendant around her neck, and threw it straight into the flames.

Wilmer froze, shouting, “Hey! You—”

Serena didn’t respond.

She knew exactly why he reacted like that.

The thing she just threw away was a protection charm he had gotten for her after kneeling through three thousand steps, praying for three days straight in front of a temple.

And just like that, she let it burn.