On my first trip with my fiancé, Ethan Parker, after we had confessed our feelings for each other, I was in a car accident.

When I woke up and saw him sitting anxiously by my hospital bed, a mischievous idea popped into my head. I deliberately put on a puzzled expression and asked,

"Who are you?"

Ethan froze in place.

I secretly smirked, remembering how flustered he had been when he confessed to me. Now that I was “amnesiac,” I wondered—would he call himself my boyfriend, or… go straight to calling himself my husband?

I almost couldn’t hold back my laughter.

But what I heard next wiped the smile right off my face.

“I’m your fiancé. But… there’s no real feeling between us.”

As he spoke, he pulled out his phone. On the screen was a timid, delicate-looking girl—someone he had been sponsoring through school.

“This is the woman I love. You know how it is with arranged marriages in families like ours—each of us lives our own life.”

Live our own lives?

If that’s the case, there’s no need for this wedding.

Without hesitation, I decided to call off the engagement.

But later… who was it that couldn’t let go and wouldn’t walk away?

After the doctor confirmed that my accident could indeed cause memory loss, Ethan continued,

“This trip, just the two of us, was so I could tell you the truth.”

His eyes flickered.

“But don’t worry—I’ll still marry you.”

I almost couldn’t contain my anger.

“If you already have someone in your heart, why marry me at all?”

I picked up my phone.

“Tell me which number is my father’s. I’ll call him right now and tell him I’m not marrying you.”

“Wait!”

Ethan grabbed my wrist sharply.

Our eyes met, and I caught a flash of panic in his gaze.

For a split second, hope flickered in my chest—was he just joking with me too?

But before that tiny spark could grow, I heard him say,

“Can you not be so willful? If our two families end this engagement, do you know how much damage it will cause?”

“You’re the precious daughter of the Grant family—no one will blame you. But what about my love? She’s just a poor girl I’ve been helping financially. If they find out about us, what will happen to her?”

A bitter ache rose in my chest. I wanted to ask him—

And me? What about me?

Am I supposed to be the sacrificial lamb for a business alliance?

He suddenly seemed to remember I was still a patient. His gaze dropped to my wrist, reddened where he had gripped it, and a trace of regret flashed in his eyes.

“I know you can’t stand even a grain of sand in your eye. Don’t worry—I’ll send her overseas soon, and you’ll never see her again.”

Even after he left the room, I couldn’t say a word.

All these years, I thought Ethan and I, childhood sweethearts, had always shared mutual feelings.

Turns out, it had only ever been one-sided. His heart had belonged to someone else all along.

“What’s going on with you two?”

Late at night, I heard muffled voices outside my door.

“Didn’t you just confess to Miss Grant? Why are you telling us now that Emily Ross is your girlfriend?”

“I’ve been engaged to Sophia Grant since we were kids. She’s never been able to hide her feelings for me—I should have confessed long ago…” Ethan’s cold voice drifted in.

“But yesterday Emily told me she wanted to die.”

Ethan’s tone suddenly grew urgent.

“I didn’t realize she depended on me so much.”

“She’s so insecure… I should give her a love that’s hers alone.”

My toes had just touched the cold floor, and the chill shot straight to my heart.

“And what about Miss Grant?”

The voice on the other end of the line asked,

“I’m not two-timing her. I just want to stay with Emily Ross for a little while longer—teach her to be independent, give her enough money to live comfortably, send her far away, and never see her again.”

“As for Sophia Grant, our engagement is already set in stone. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her.”

My heart went completely cold.

I tilted my head back, refusing to shed a single tear for someone so unworthy.

Ethan Parker, if you know I can’t stand even a grain of sand in my eye, why insist on testing my patience?

I unlocked my phone and sent a message to my father:

[Cancel my engagement with Ethan Parker.]

I sat there until morning, when my father’s anxious voice came through the phone.

“Sweetheart, weren’t you and Ethan on vacation? I thought you two were about to settle down—why do you suddenly want to call it off?”

I was silent for a moment.

The truth was, I had figured it out overnight.

So what if ten-plus years of one-sided affection had come to nothing? A forced fruit is never sweet—and I won’t take a bite.

Casually, I said,

“Because I don’t like the voice he uses on his GPS. We’re not compatible.”

My father adored me. Upon hearing this, he only chuckled softly and said,

“Perfect timing—I’ve been thinking about expanding overseas anyway. Since you’re not marrying him, I’ll have the estate in Switzerland prepared for you tomorrow.”

I didn’t mention Emily’s name. She’d struggled to make it out of a poor rural area; maybe she wasn’t all bad at heart.

The next second, my phone buzzed—a friend request had arrived.

It was from Emily.

Once I accepted, she didn’t say much—just sent a few photos.

The first was of her and Ethan squeezed into her tiny rental apartment, eating together.

The table was full of bland dishes.

But I remembered—Ethan had always loved spicy food.

[He made every dish himself. I can’t eat spicy food, so he compromised, even if it meant his own meals were tasteless. But as long as he saw me smile, he was happy.]

Her message followed right after.

My breath caught.

I didn’t eat spicy food either, but every time my eyes watered from the heat, Ethan would simply rest his chin in his hand and tease me:

“If you can’t even handle this little bit of spice, how will you be the Parker family’s daughter-in-law?”

Back then, I thought it was a sweet kind of trouble. Now I realized—he had been teaching me to adapt to a life where I would never be accommodated.

Hands trembling, I opened the second photo.

It showed a pair of matching couple’s watches. When one moved, the other would turn in sync, no matter the distance.

[This was the gift you always wanted for your eighteenth birthday. But because I said I liked it, he gave it to me instead.]

Suddenly I remembered—when I had once asked Ethan for that exact watch, he’d playfully tapped my nose and said,

“Eager to claim me already? I thought you’d break off the engagement as soon as you turned eighteen.”

I had been certain he would buy it for me, so I’d pretended to sulk and never brought it up again.

But on my eighteenth birthday, he’d given me a necklace made from gemstones collected from around the world.

“That watch is everywhere. This necklace is much more meaningful.”

At the time, I was too touched by the thought of him traveling the globe for me to think twice.

Now I understood—he had gone out of his way to redirect my attention from the watch, just to keep me from finding out and blaming Emily.

Photo after photo scrolled past, and my heart grew colder and colder.

[Miss Grant, what’s the point of holding on to someone who doesn’t love you?]

When I didn’t reply, Emily finally lost patience and sent a direct challenge.

I gave a short, cold laugh and replied calmly:

[Sorry, I lost my memory after the car accident. I don’t know you, and I can’t clearly recall my past with Ethan.]

[But when I woke up, he told me I had to marry him, and that he’d soon send you far away.]

Emily was silent for a while before replying:

[You’re no match for me!]

I frowned in confusion.

Who ever considered her a rival?

The next second, the hospital room door was slammed open and Ethan strode in, his face dark with anger.

“Didn’t I say I would marry you? Why are you still making things difficult for Emily?”

Before I could react, he yanked the IV needle out of my arm.

“Emily tried to kill herself—she’s in shock right now. I remember your blood type matches hers. You have to come with me to give her a transfusion!”

I scowled.

“What does her suicide attempt have to do with me?”

He looked at me, his gaze complicated.

“Sophia, you knew she’s sensitive, yet you told her I was planning to send her away.”

“I already promised that after we’re married I won’t see her again. Why did you have to provoke her now?”

“This started because of you—you need to take responsibility.”

I swallowed my frustration and stared into his eyes, speaking slowly:

“The doctor said I need to rest after the accident.”

A cold smirk curved his lips, his chest rising and falling sharply.

“So, in the end, you just want her to die right now? You can’t even tolerate waiting a little longer?”

His voice was low and frightening.

“What is a human life worth to you?”

I froze.

More than a decade of being childhood sweethearts, and it still wasn’t enough for him to trust me now.

He ignored my struggle and dragged me up to the rooftop, shoving me into a helicopter that was about to take off.

My concussion hadn’t fully healed, and the violent turbulence made my head spin.

As soon as we landed, Ethan pulled me roughly toward the hospital.

He forced me into a chair in the blood collection room. The chill of the alcohol swab brushed my arm, and I finally found my voice:

“Ethan, are you insane?”

The doctor beside us noticed something was off. After drawing a small amount of blood, he immediately stopped.

“Sir, her current condition isn’t suitable for further extraction.”

He pointed to the two full bags already prepared.

“This is enough for Ms. Ross, and new supplies are on the way.”

Ethan’s gaze dropped to my pale face, his brows finally knitting together.

Suddenly, Emily let out a weak whimper from the hospital bed.

His eyes shifted instantly.

After a brief pause, his voice turned cold.

“Continue. She’s the one in greater danger right now.”

“This is your mistake—you should bear the consequences.”

Seeing my lips turning faintly purple, he hesitated, then placed a hand on mine.

“Just hold on—it’ll be over soon.”

His tone softened.

“I just want you to remember this lesson—you shouldn’t bully her.”

I yanked my hand away in disappointment, shutting my eyes so I wouldn’t have to look at him.

He sighed, pulled out his phone, and made a call.

“The rare wild ginseng and the deer antler extract from tonight’s auction—tell the organizer I’ll take them.”

I drifted into unconsciousness.

When I awoke again, the room was empty except for a bowl of steaming ginseng broth by my bedside.

I pushed myself up on shaky legs, didn’t spare it a glance, slipped on my shoes, and headed for the door.