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.

If Wilmer had only been venting for Brionne before, now, he was actually pissed.

He grabbed Serena’s wrist hard, teeth clenched.

“You woman… you’ve got some nerve!”

Serena’s expression didn’t change. “It’s just a pendant. Why are you so worked up?”

She looked straight at him.

“Or what, is your memory back already?”

A flicker passed through Wilmer’s eyes in less than half a second. So fast it was almost impossible to catch.

“No,” he said coldly. “But you told me about it before. When you were trying to prove I loved you.”

His tone sounded accusatory. “So, this is how you treat someone’s feelings?”

Serena’s face turned even colder.

She never told him.

But she didn’t bother exposing the lie.

She shook off his hand and walked away without a second thought.

She didn’t even want him anymore. Why would she care about anything else?

Wilmer’s expression stiffened slightly.

One of his men spoke up carefully, “Sir… you think she’s actually serious this time?”

“She’s not,” Wilmer said instinctively.

He knew Serena. She kept her promises.

As long as he hadn’t “regained his memory,” no matter how far he crossed the line, no matter how badly he treated her, she would never leave him.

Still… something about tonight felt off.

Wilmer frowned, a faint unease creeping in.

After a moment, he pulled out his phone and called a friend, someone who worked as a psychologist, and asked him to analyze Serena’s behavior.

“I can’t say for sure unless I talk to her,” his friend said, “but… sometimes, when gentle methods don’t work to help someone recover their memory, doctors suggest more extreme approaches. To stimulate them. Trigger something.”

Wilmer understood immediately.

The darkness in his eyes cleared.

So that’s it. Serena had just changed her approach, trying to force his memories back.

For a brief moment, he actually felt a little bad for her.

There was even a second where he almost told her the truth.

But then he saw Brionne running toward him from a distance.

And just like that, the thought disappeared.

After leaving, Serena checked into a luxury hotel.

The divorce papers were already signed. Now it was just a matter of waiting a few days for the process to go through.

Once it was done, she could finally leave everything behind.

That night, it started raining.

She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, wide awake. After a while, she got up and went to the biggest shooting range in the city.

After firing a hundred rounds, she rubbed her sore, numb hand. The pressure in her chest finally eased just a little.

“Well, well.” An annoying voice came from behind her.

Serena turned and saw Brionne, raising a brow as she looked her up and down.

“Oh, I was wondering who it was. Turns out it’s Mrs. Marchetti.”

She emphasized “Mrs. Marchetti” with heavy sarcasm.

Serena ignored her, lowering her head to reload her gun.

But Brionne didn’t leave. Instead, she lazily showed off the faint hickeys on her body and said, “You know, after Wilmer burned down your house, he took me to an auction and spent hundreds of millions on me.”

“Bitch, being a wife like you? Honestly, I almost feel sorry for you.”

Serena finally looked at her. “What are you trying to say?”

Brionne’s expression turned serious. “Leave Wilmer. He doesn’t love you. Stop clinging to him!”

Serena wasn’t exactly known for having a good temper. She shot back, “Are you blind? I already signed the divorce papers.”

But just like Wilmer, Brionne didn’t believe her. “If you really can let him go,” she said, “then when Wilmer and I get married, I’ll make sure you get a seat at the main table.”

Serena let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

Brionne really knew how to disgust people.

She stopped responding, turned back to her target, and raised her gun.

But suddenly, a slap resounded.

Brionne hit herself. Then let out a cry and collapsed to the floor. “Ouch!”

The next second, Wilmer appeared at the entrance.

Seeing the scene, he quickly walked over and helped her up. “You okay?”

Brionne covered her face, tears in her eyes. “Wilmer…your wife hit me!”

Wilmer’s gaze shot toward Serena like a blade.

His voice dropped. “Who gave you the guts to lay a hand on Brionne?”

Serena didn’t speak.

She hadn’t expected that after ten years together, he wouldn’t even give her basic trust.

But then she quickly understood. Maybe it wasn’t that he didn’t trust her.

Maybe he was just keeping up his “amnesia” act.

After all, when he really had lost his memory, he’d always blindly sided with Brionne.

If that was the case, there was nothing left to argue. She just turned her eyes to Brionne.

That lunatic had hit herself pretty hard. Her face was already red and swollen, her lip split, a bit of blood showing.

But…

Serena raised her gun. Without hesitation, she aimed at Bionne, and then pulled the trigger.

Gasps erupted around them. And Serena met Wilmer’s suddenly shrinking pupils.

“This,” she said coldly, “is what it actually looks like when I hit someone.”

Brionne let out a scream that didn’t even sound human.

In her mind, Serena had always been someone who just took whatever was thrown at her. No matter how much Brionne provoked her behind the scenes, Serena never fought back.

But now, was she insane?

Even Wilmer hadn’t expected her to actually pull the trigger.

His sharp features tightened instantly. The next second, he snatched the gun from her hand and, without hesitation, fired straight at her. Her thigh. Her abdomen. Her chest.

One bang after the other startled everyone.

Even though the shooting range only used blanks, the force at that distance was no joke, especially with how close he was when he fired.

The impact sent Serena flying to the ground. She coughed up a mouthful of blood.

It felt like her insides had shattered, pain spreading wildly through her body.

She clenched her teeth, forcing down the groan rising in her throat, her reddened eyes locked on Wilmer.

Before, if she so much as bumped into something, he’d panic.

Now? She shot his new girl once, he returned it with three shots!

Serena laughed. But her eyes went dull, piece by piece, like something burning down to ash.

As darkness crept in, she remembered what her dad had said back when she left her family for Wilmer.

“The least reliable thing in this world… is love.”

“If his love for you lasts ten years, I might consider accepting him.”

“Otherwise, get out with him.”

Back then, she’d said she’d prove it. She’d prove that Wilmer was a man worth spending her life with.

And now, they had stopped exactly at year ten.

So this is all a wholehearted love was worth: a ten-year expiration date.

When she woke up, the first thing she smelled was disinfectant in the hospital.

“You’re awake.”

She turned her head and met Wilmer’s eyes.

He spoke without emotion. “This was just a warning. If you ever touch Brionne again, next time, the gun won’t be loaded with blanks.”

The way he stood there, it didn’t feel like he was checking on her. It felt like he’d stayed just to deliver that line.

Serena said nothing.

At this point, she felt like there was nothing left to say between them anyway.

Wilmer didn’t bother staying another second. He turned and walked out.

But at the door, he paused and looked back.

“Stop trying to use cheap tricks to trigger my memory,” he said coldly. “It won’t work on me.”

A faint, mocking smile tugged at Serena’s lips.

So even now, he still thought she was doing all this just to get him back.

He really didn’t believe she was done with him.

For the next week, she stayed in the hospital recovering.

Wilmer never came back.

And she didn’t care.

A week later, after she was discharged, she made a few calls.

After ten years in Harbor City, she had a few close friends here.

Since she might never come back again, she invited them out for dinner that night for a farewell.

They met at a private restaurant.

By the time Serena arrived, everyone else was already there.

The moment they saw her, their eyes turned red.

One of them stepped forward and hugged her. “You’re really leaving?”

Serena smiled and nodded.

“That’s good,” her friend said, patting her shoulder. “You should’ve started over a long time ago.”

Serena let out a soft “mm” and hugged her back.

Halfway through dinner, Serena went to the restroom.

On her way back, she suddenly stopped. Then quietly stepped behind a potted plant, hiding herself.

Not far away, in the small garden, Brionne was talking to a man with a scar across his face.

“Ma’am,” the man said, “the boss wants you to move faster. Once you get your hands on Wilmer’s core business secrets, it’ll be easy to take down his empire.”

Brionne sounded annoyed. “What’s the rush? Yeah, Wilmer loves me, but he’s not stupid enough to let me near his company’s core operations. If I want this to work, I have to take it slow. Besides, Serena’s still in the way.”

The man nodded. “If necessary, we can get rid of her. Wouldn’t be a waste of the effort we put in. Setting Wilmer up back then, then having you ‘save’ him so you could get close.”

Brionne hummed in agreement.

Just two meters away, hidden behind the plant, Serena felt like a storm had exploded in her chest.

All this time, she’d thought Brionne was just a spoiled, brainless pretty girl, good at acting cute, nothing more.

Even Wilmer had once said that himself to his buddies. That Brionne was the complete opposite of Serena, not cunning. That’s why she felt “exciting.” That’s why he couldn’t let her go.

But right now, there wasn’t a trace of that “brainless girl” left. Her eyes were cold and calculating.

Serena knew. She had completely misjudged Brionne.

But she wasn’t the only one.

If Wilmer found out his precious new love had been playing him from the start, what kind of reaction would he have?

Serena saved the recording she’d just secretly taken, then quietly slipped away from the garden.

After saying goodbye to her friends, she got into her car. For a moment, she hesitated. Should she tell Wilmer the truth?

Not because she wanted to help him but because she wanted to see his face when he realized.

Just as she was thinking, a hand suddenly came from behind and clamped over her mouth and nose!