“Linnea, if you don’t have the surgery soon, your memory will deteriorate quickly and your life could be in danger! Are you really going to risk your life for a man who betrayed you?”

“I agree to the surgery.”

My mother held my hand tightly, tears streaming down her face. “But the doctor said… after the surgery, you might lose all your memories for a month. You need to be mentally prepared.”

“That’s enough. One month is enough time to get a divorce.”

Two weeks ago, I returned early from a business trip abroad.

But I found that my husband, Garren, wasn’t at work. Instead, he was dating a woman who looked almost exactly like me.

Her lower belly was slightly rounded—it was obvious she was pregnant. And… her belly was the same size as mine.

I immediately called Garren, but he showed no guilt at all. “People have to follow their conscience. While you were on your business trip, she was the one by my side. Besides, she’s a pregnant woman with no one to rely on. Where else could she go? If you kick her out now, aren’t you afraid people will talk?”

I froze, as if something had pierced deep into my heart.

So all seven years of our relationship weren’t worth a few months of her company?

I suddenly wanted to know, who would he really choose between a genius designer returning from studying abroad and a secret mistress?

***

The house was completely empty. I instinctively called his assistant.

“Mr. Thayer? Mr. Thayer isn’t at the office today. Didn’t he go shopping with you?”

As soon as I heard this, a thunderclap exploded in my mind. A growing sense of unease gripped me.

At that moment, my phone buzzed urgently. It was a message from my friend, Gissa. [Linnea, look! Could this be your husband?]

I hurriedly opened the video. In it, Garren was holding a woman’s hand, carefully placing a diamond ring on her finger, his eyes filled with unprecedented admiration.

And that woman looked almost exactly like me. Not only that, her lower belly was slightly rounded—the curve was exactly like my pregnant belly.

In an instant, I understood everything.

The video kept playing on loop…

“No, this is too expensive.”

The woman saw the diamond ring and waved her hands to refuse, looking like a frightened rabbit.

Garren brushed her hair aside and gently tucked it behind her ear, his gaze soft. “You deserve the best things in the world.”

I froze. He had once said the same to me long ago.

I forced back my tears and called Garren.

“Why are you calling me all of a sudden? Are you missing me?” His voice was lazy, casual, just like always.

I didn’t want to pretend anymore. I asked directly, “Who is she?”

He was silent for a moment, then admitted without hesitation. “Her name is Fenella. She’s… my subordinate.”

My fingertips began to tremble slightly, but my voice remained calm. “Let her go and I can pretend this never happened.”

But Garren just sighed softly. “Linnea, I can’t do that. She’s been by my side for so long and now she’s pregnant. I can’t just abandon her. Besides, if you kick her out now and things get messy, what would people think of you?”

What would they think of me? I was his lawful wife, who would dare speak against me? It was nothing but an excuse for him to protect Fenella.

I took a deep breath, my voice growing firmer. “Garren, you once said that you would never love anyone else besides me.”

“That was in the past. Fenella’s arrival completely changed my mind. I’m sorry, Linnea. You are still my wife, but she has to stay.”

Then he hung up.

Garren’s firm voice kept echoing in my ears. I stood there stunned for a moment, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

Suddenly, an invisible pressure spread from my temples, like a hammer striking my fragile nervous system.

The world before my eyes began to blur. I forced myself to leave the house and walked to the hospital entrance—but the moment I arrived, my strength gave out and I fainted.

When I woke up, my mother was holding my hand tightly, her words dripping with tears. “Linnea, if you don’t have the surgery soon, your memory will deteriorate quickly and your life could be in danger! Are you really going to risk your life for a man who betrayed you?”

“I’m willing to have the surgery, as soon as possible.” Without thinking, the words slipped out of my mouth.

My mother’s eyes brightened and a smile finally appeared on her face. “Good… but… the doctor said the surgery has serious side effects. After the operation, you may lose all your memories for one month.”

The air fell into silence for a moment.

“One month is enough. Have the doctor arrange the surgery as soon as possible.” My gaze grew even more determined.

Since Garren’s feelings had already changed, it was better for me to end it with my own hands.

And then… forget him.

The brain surgery was very successful. The doctor said that as long as I rested well, my body would recover quickly.

After being discharged from the hospital, I went straight home.

“Linnea, you’re back.”

When he saw me, Garren immediately walked over, as if he had been waiting for me for a long time.

He gently took my hand, his voice softening instinctively. “I know you’ve been sulking and hiding outside these past few days. About Fenella… that was indeed my fault. Consider these gifts my apology.”

I glanced at them quickly—they were all brand-new items from top luxury brands.

Sulking? So this was his explanation for ignoring my disappearance for an entire week?

I pressed my lips together, a flicker of disappointment passing through my eyes.

I hadn’t deliberately hidden the surgery from him. With Garren’s connections, he could have easily found out I was in the hospital with just a little inquiry. Yet, he didn’t.

“And… this is the necklace you said you liked before. I specifically flew abroad to buy it from a private seller.”

As he spoke, Garren tried to suppress the fatigue on his face. His eyes were gentle as water, just like when we first met.

I was momentarily stunned, feeling dazed. Back then, when we had just started dating, everyone said his love for me was almost overwhelming.

He would come to the office to see me every two hours, not allowing any other men within two meters of me.

Talking to a man for more than five minutes was forbidden. If I did, he would pester me with kisses over and over until I promised never to do it again.

Garren himself cut off all connections with other women, spending every day revolving around me alone.

But… I never expected that even the strongest love could slowly crumble over time, finally falling apart completely.

Thinking of this, a sharp ache rose in my chest.

I immediately lowered my head, staring at the sparkling necklace. It was beautiful, with countless diamonds decorating it, like a galaxy filled with bright stars.

Just like the one Fenella had posted on her social media.

Even some of the luxury items on the table showed signs of being unwrapped—maybe things Fenella had glanced at and discarded.

I took a deep breath, unwilling to continue playing along with his fake act. “Garren… what exactly do you want?”

When I looked up again, a circle of bodyguards had formed around us. Garren’s expression had already shifted to one of pity.

“Linnea, this child cannot stay.”

His voice was very soft, yet every word felt like a sharp blade, stabbing into my heart again and again, piercing it until it was full of holes and soaked in blood.

I clenched my trembling fingers and stared at him in disbelief. So… this was his real purpose.

“Yesterday, I planned to have dinner with Fenella, but I waited for her for two hours and she never showed up. I sent people everywhere to look for her. Later, I found out that after learning you had returned, she was overwhelmed with guilt and tried to kill herself. If I hadn’t arrived in time, she might already be gone.”

As he finished speaking, a flash of pain crossed Garren’s eyes.

Hearing this, my breath caught, as if something heavy was blocking my chest. Fenella was missing for just two hours and he panicked enough to search half the city.

But when I disappeared for an entire week during my surgery, Garren knew nothing at all.

Perhaps, in his heart, my safety no longer mattered to him in the slightest.

Seeing that I didn’t say anything, Garren slowly stepped closer, his voice suddenly rising. “That’s two lives! As long as the child in your womb is still there, she’ll never be able to let go of her guilt…”

As he spoke, he suddenly grabbed my shoulder. The force was so strong that it felt like he was about to crush the bones.

I endured the sharp pain and met his gaze.

But there was no warmth left in his eyes—only my own pale reflection staring back at me.

“Someone, take her to the car,” he ordered coldly. “Go to the hospital immediately!”

Garren released my shoulder, his face stern and signaled to the side. Several bodyguards immediately rushed forward, forcing me toward the car.

“No!” I screamed in terror. “Fenella’s life is a life—does that mean my child’s life isn’t? Garren! If I had known it would be like this, I would rather have died than marry you!”

I struggled with all my strength, tears streaming down my cheeks. But he remained firmly in the passenger seat, not even turning his head.

My desperate screams choked in my throat, an overwhelming sense of helplessness surged through me, leaving only endless hatred.

Twenty minutes later, I lay on the cold operating table, staring blankly at the glaring white lights above.

For a moment, it felt as if my chest was filled with icy spikes, making it almost impossible to breathe. I couldn’t even tell whether the pain in my body or the pain in my heart was worse.

When I woke up, Garren was by my bedside, gently holding my hand and comforting me. “It’s just one child. We’ll still have more.”

I pulled my hand away coldly, a sharp pain shooting from my abdomen. The pain in my heart reached its peak.

Garren had no idea that the doctor had said my condition made it extremely difficult to conceive. Being able to get pregnant this time was already a miracle. If I terminated the pregnancy, I would never be able to conceive again in my life.

“I had my assistant buy the best supplements. I’m sorry, Linnea… this will be the last time I…”

Garren kept rambling in my ear, but I couldn’t hear a single word.

Before, even if I had a small cut on my finger, he would fuss over me for ages. But now, for another woman, he could hurt me without any restraint, ignoring my wishes, ignoring my body.

I stopped looking at him, lowering my eyes, staring blankly like a lifeless puppet.

At that moment, the doctor who performed my surgery sent a message. [Miss Wirm, this abortion procedure has weakened your vitality. The side effects of memory loss may accelerate.]

In other words, the abortion unintentionally sped up the memory loss…

I composed my expression, masking the swirl of emotions in my eyes and cast a quick, careful glance at the unaware Garren. The divorce had to happen.

It was also time to put the divorce on the agenda. It seemed even fate didn’t want me to stay by his side any longer.

After being discharged from the hospital, I couldn’t wait to have the divorce papers prepared and I steeled myself as I stepped into the villa.

I searched through every room, only to find Garren cooking. Since we got married, this was the first time I had ever seen him in the kitchen.

“Fenella hasn’t had much of an appetite these past few days, so I specially prepared some dishes to suit her taste,” he said, focused as he stirred the food in the pan.

Garren had once said he was a clean freak and hated the smell of cooking oil, claiming he would never set foot in a kitchen. To accommodate him, I had always taken care of all the cooking at home.

At first, I worried he wouldn’t like the food made by the servants, so I practiced cooking every day. Day after day, my hands soaked in oil and smoke became rough and calloused—all just to make meals that would satisfy Garren.

Yet now, he could cook by himself… all for Fenella.

He stayed in the kitchen he hated most for two or three hours… maybe even longer. From washing and chopping vegetables to cooking over the stove, every single detail was under his careful control.

After a while, Garren finally looked up and glanced at me. “Looking for me?”

I clutched the divorce papers in my hand, about to speak, but he interrupted me again. “This is my first time cooking and these are all Fenella’s favorite dishes. Why don’t you taste them for her first?”

With that, he brought the food to my mouth.

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly in my heart. Three years of marriage and he had never cooked for me—not once, let alone fed me. Now, he finally broke the habit… only to feed another woman.

I tried to refuse, but the steaming food was forced into my mouth.

In an instant, my expression changed— it contained seafood!