Chapter 1

When the fake heiress Vivian Ashford and I were trapped in the fire, my husband Nathan Carter pulled her out first.

As the flames roared higher, he just hastily said.

"Wait for me."

The heat made every breath burn.

Ten minutes later, the firefighters finally arrived. By then, half my back had suffered deep burns, and the pain was searing.

Late that night, needle-sharp pain kept me from sleeping.

A woman's panicked voice rang out from the room next door.

"Where am I? Who am I?"

Then she screamed.

"My face is ruined!"

I remembered that when Vivian was rescued, she'd had only a pea-sized blister near the corner of her eye.

A second later, my husband answered in a soft, soothing voice.

"You lost your memory?

"Don't worry. I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

I picked up my phone and calmly called my friend and lawyer, Derek Hale.

"I need you to draft divorce papers for me.

"And look into something else while you're at it."

Chapter 1

The second I hung up, Nathan walked in.

He wore a T-shirt printed with a cartoon bunny.

He never used to wear anything like that. I'd once bought him one on a whim.

He hadn't even glanced at it before tossing it, packaging and all, straight into the trash.

"Serena! Can you stop being so childish!"

But lately, he'd been wearing shirts just like it.

Because Vivian liked cartoon bunnies.

"Does it still hurt? Who were you calling this late?"

Even as he showed concern, his eyes instinctively avoided the raw, bleeding wounds on my back.

"My lawyer," I said flatly.

He gave a casual "oh," then seemed to remember something.

"Don't press charges. Vivian was just trying to set up a birthday party for you.

"She didn't know the old wiring would catch fire."

For once, I didn't argue.

I picked up my phone and started looking up train tickets out of town.

Nathan got no response from me.

He reached over and toyed with a strand of my hair.

"The doctor said your burns aren't serious. The wounds should close in three or four months. They'll leave scars, though."

I scrolled through tickets, swallowing the searing pain. "Mm."

The doctor had also warned that the risk of infection was extremely high.

Even after the wounds healed, the scars would be permanent and itch for the rest of my life.

But by then, Nathan had already gone to coax Vivian into eating her oatmeal.

"At least the baby's fine."

When I showed no reaction, Nathan bent toward me, ready to placate me.

"Looking at tickets? Where do you want to go?"

Just then, a soft, raspy voice called from the doorway.

"Nathan, where are you?"

He straightened at once, helped Vivian out, and left without a backward glance.

As she left, Vivian shot me a smug look.

I pressed a pillow over my ears, but I could still hear the murmuring next door.

Nathan's voice tightened with anxiety.

"Your brother, Jason Ashford, was my brother-in-arms. He died saving me, and I promised I'd always take care of you.

"I won't break that promise!"

Vivian gave a coy little huff. "How do I know you're not just saying that?"

Nathan swore, "If I'm lying, may I never have a son."

In my belly, the baby seemed to stir.

The doctor had said it was most likely a boy.

Vivian giggled.

I gripped my phone and booked a train ticket south for next Monday.

The next morning, Nathan took Vivian on the earliest flight to New Orleans for brunch.

During their video call, Nathan spooned shrimp and grits onto Vivian's plate.

"Vivian loves shrimp and grits, so I brought her here. I was hoping it might jog her memory.

"I know you like it too, so I ordered some for you."

I froze for a beat, then asked the obvious question.

"The doctor said I can't eat seafood. It could make my wounds swell or become infected."

Nathan's expression shifted, his tone impatient.

"Then don't eat it."

The call ended with a sharp beep.

I opened my message thread with Nathan and forwarded the video Derek had sent me.

In the footage, Vivian crept up to the main electrical cable with a utility knife and sliced into the insulation.

Nathan called back at once. Shock flashed across his face, but he defended her without hesitation.

"This has to be a misunderstanding.

"Her brother Jason died saving my life. She would never do this."

"Sure."

I was so calm that Nathan could tell I had no intention of arguing.

He agreed to take me to see his parents at their home after I was discharged the following week.

In three years of marriage, Nathan's parents, Robert and Elaine Carter, had never acknowledged me because I was an orphan.

Yet on Vivian's first day with the family, Elaine gave her the heirloom bracelet.

Chapter 2

A bolt of pain bored through me. My fingers shook, and the phone slipped from my hand.

By the time a nurse helped me pick it up, the call had long since disconnected.

In our message thread, there was only one message from Nathan.

"I have a scheduling conflict around your discharge. I'll take you to meet my parents some other time."

That afternoon, a nurse finished changing my bandages.

Believing I was asleep, a few nurses began whispering among themselves.

"Do you think that woman next door is sleeping with him?"

"Definitely. Did you see that tiny blister? If she'd arrived a day later, it would've healed on its own."

"He's falling all over himself worrying about her. I just heard them planning a ski trip to Aspen for next week."

"That poor wife."

My phone slipped from my hand again.

The lock-screen photo of Nathan kissing my forehead was spiderwebbed with cracks.

The room fell dead silent.

One nurse quickly picked up my phone, and they all shuffled out, nudging each other along.

Late that night, a cool sensation spread across my back.

Nathan was applying burn ointment for me.

"Asleep? No wonder you didn't answer my texts."

I picked up the cracked phone and looked at his message.

"Which Haagen-Dazs flavor is best?"

Four years ago, when we'd first gotten together, Nathan's startup was strapped for cash.

I was working three jobs to help him save money when I scrolled past a post that read, "Women need to treat themselves once in a while."

On a whim, I'd wanted some ice cream.

He knocked the first bite away so hard that the whole cup hit the floor, spilling ice cream everywhere.

Back then, Nathan had snapped at me.

"Serena, will you stop scrolling through that garbage!"

I crouched there, wiping the floor for half an hour.

But now, Nathan was offering me the first bite of ice cream himself.

I turned my head away.

Nathan's wrist froze mid-air.

"I thought you liked it. The doctor said a little is fine."

I brushed him off. "I'm cutting back on sugar."

His voice went cold. "I'm stepping out."

Ten minutes later, a new nurse came in on rounds. When she saw I was awake, she lowered her voice.

"The guy next door is over the top. He ordered more than forty cups of Haagen-Dazs for his girlfriend, every flavor they had.

"Whatever she couldn't finish, he handed out to the nurses on shift."

She pointed at the trash can.

"She said she hates mint chocolate chip, so that one's yours, I guess."

She added, almost as an afterthought.

"The Ashfords even had their missing daughter's DNA profile circulated to hospitals across the state. That's even more extreme."

I texted Derek.

"I need another favor."

At eight that evening, Nathan stormed in, his face dark.

He slapped a stack of papers onto the nightstand.

It was a share transfer agreement.

"If you need money, I'll give you another ten percent of the company.

"We can't afford to antagonize the Ashfords right now. Tomorrow, the company will cancel the transaction in your name."

I answered without hesitation. "I don't need money."

He frowned. "All this because I forgot one doctor's order? Seriously?"

I wanted to say I'd long stopped caring about that.

All I wanted was to cut every tie with him before I left.

Shares included.

But he scoffed first.

"Selling your shares just to make me chase you? Serena, is this your idea of playing hard to get?"

He slammed the door on his way out, and voices immediately carried through from next door.

Before, whenever we fought, I'd drag myself to him even with a fever and keep coaxing him until he calmed down.

But this time, I couldn't even be bothered to speak.

Nathan spent half the night in Vivian's room, but never once saw me come through the door.

The next morning, out of habit, I ordered two breakfasts.

As I ate oatmeal, Nathan strode in.

His expression was irritable.

"Serena, I'm craving your chicken-and-potato stew."

Chapter 3

The room went quiet for a beat.

His gaze landed on the unhealed blisters across my back.

Only then did he realize how unreasonable his request was.

But I forced myself to sit up anyway.

"Ask Rosa to make it."

Ten years earlier, Nathan had stepped in to save me.

Without him, a gang of thugs would have assaulted me just after I escaped the children's home.

Once I did this, the debt between us would finally be settled.

Seeing me frail but stubborn, Nathan paused.

"Just write down the recipe."

I didn't hesitate. "Will Vivian be eating it?"

Nathan had no answer. I'd known all along that Vivian was the one craving the stew.

Even with all my care, my wounds still seeped a little blood.

While rummaging for gauze, something in the drawer caught my eye.

It was almost funny: the drawer was packed.

Every item inside was a ceramic flower I'd made to mark one anniversary or another.

In four years, Nathan had accepted only two. The rest had ended up here.

And he had never once given me a gift.

When Nathan saw that I'd returned the shares, he gripped the papers until they crumpled.

Before lunch, he pushed the door open.

"Feeling better?"

I didn't feel like humoring him. "What do you want?"

He shook his head, his voice softening.

"You've been through a lot all these years."

"The shares are already in your name. Promise me you'll keep them this time."

Before I could refuse again, barking came from outside the door.

The keypad lock beeped, and Vivian walked in carrying the chicken and potato stew I'd made.

She turned and fed it to the little dog she'd brought.

Vivian's voice was sugary sweet.

"Your cooking is amazing, Serena. Not like me. After I burned myself last time, Nathan won't even let me near the kitchen anymore.

"My poor puppy hasn't eaten for days. I was worried sick."

The moment Vivian invited me along on their ski trip, Nathan was already draping his jacket over her shoulders.

"I heard you lost your memory. The Ashfords are worried about you. Let me take you to see them."

Vivian looked pitiful.

"They've spent years looking for their real daughter. Why would they worry about me?"

Nathan pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"Serena, get some rest.

"After Vivian’s brother died saving me, her parents threw themselves into the search for their missing daughter. She’s afraid they'll abandon her. That's why she’s acting like this.

"I'm sure you understand."

He turned and left with Vivian.

The door closed. The wounds on my back throbbed.

My eyes landed on the ceramic flowers in the drawer.

"Rosa, these are taking up space. Throw them out."

A while later, Nathan texted.

"Forgot my cufflinks. Bring them down to the parking garage."

Biting back the searing pain, I knocked on the car window. Vivian was curled up in my husband's arms.

When he saw it was me, his eyes filled with displeasure.

"Didn't I tell you to rest?"

I knew the message had been sent by Vivian.

But Nathan never let anyone touch his phone.

I'd come anyway.

Vivian blinked her wide eyes.

"It's my fault. I saw you forgot your cufflinks, so I asked Serena to bring them down.

"Go ahead and be mad at me, Nathan."

Vivian looked so wounded that Nathan couldn't stay angry.

His voice softened indulgently. "Don't do it again."

I remembered the last time I'd accidentally touched his phone. He'd wiped it down three times.

His attention was entirely on Vivian, so I pulled out the divorce papers.

"These are the share-transfer papers you gave me. The last page needs your signature."

Jealousy flickered in Vivian's eyes, and her voice turned even more aggrieved.

"Nathan, this amnesia is making my head hurt so badly."

Without even glancing at the papers, Nathan signed the divorce agreement while soothing her.

Chapter 4

As I pulled the papers away, Nathan suddenly pinned them under his hand.

His expression was hesitant.

"Serena, is there anything else?"

When I shook my head, a shadow crossed his face.

Then he yanked his hand back as if by instinct.

"Go get some rest."

I picked up the papers and caught sight of the clusters of blisters on my own hands from the fire.

It clicked.

My appearance had frightened him.

As I turned to leave, my lawyer called.

"I'll send the papers over soon."

My casual tone drew a puzzled question from behind me.

"Send what over?"

I turned back with a false smile.

"My husband's calling. Let me hang up."

Then I looked Nathan straight in the eye and lied.

"I picked up the wrong package."

Vivian suddenly giggled as if she'd thought of something funny.

"Speaking of packages, Nathan, you're so careless."

"A few times, the lingerie you bought for Serena got delivered to my place instead."

"I'll bring them over next time, Serena."

Nathan had never bought me anything, period. Meanwhile, I was the one who was always picking out clothes for him.

I pretended not to see the guilty look in Nathan's eyes.

My tone was flat.

"I don't wear other women's underwear."

Vivian's composure cracked.

Nathan jumped in first. "Don't get the wrong idea. Vivian's lost her memory and needs someone looking after her."

In the elevator, I closed every shopping account I used.

The driver took me back to the hospital, where the burns on my back were treated again.

Behind me, the door burst open.

Vivian's eyes were brimming with tears.

"Serena, why did you poison my dog?"

Nathan's face was ice-cold.

"Serena Hayes, how could you be so cruel? You can't even spare a dog?"

Triumph flashed in Vivian's eyes.

My voice stayed flat. "I never went near that dog."

"The remaining stew is in the refrigerator. Have it tested."

Nathan stiffened. They had no evidence.

"Vivian, are you certain the stew poisoned the dog?"

Vivian's face twisted in pain, and she pounded her fists against her own head.

"I don't know... my dog means everything to me. I just..."

Nathan pulled her into his arms to soothe her.

Vivian met my gaze, then jolted away from Nathan as if she had been shocked.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Serena. Nathan was just comforting me.

"This is all my fault. I should have checked first.

"You forgive me, don't you?"

Nathan pinched her cheek gently.

"She knows you lost your memory. Serena won't hold it against you. But don't be so reckless next time."

Vivian stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Got it."

Watching the two of them play off each other, I let out a long yawn.

A nurse walked in carrying a tray.

"Ms. Hayes, we need to draw some blood for tests today."

Vivian's voice shot up. "No!"

When she felt everyone's eyes on her, Vivian opened her mouth.

"It's because..."

Just then, the hospital's fire alarm shrieked.

Without a second thought, Nathan shielded Vivian and rushed for the exit.

I was still lying facedown on the bed, unable to move.

The nurse slapped a hand to her forehead.

"Maintenance said they were testing the sensors today and might trigger a false alarm. I forgot to tell you."

The young nurse begged me not to report her, and I nodded.

"Do me a favor instead."

Nathan noticed how calm everything was. None of the other patients or families seemed alarmed.

After asking around, he learned it was only a false alarm.

When he returned, my room was empty.

The bed was neatly made.

A nurse told him I had already been discharged.

In the elevator, I wore a mask, bundled up from head to toe.

Derek pushed my wheelchair behind me.

"I found out who your parents are."

He paused.

"No wonder Vivian's been going after you so relentlessly."

"There's one more thing. I'd suggest you brace yourself."

My phone kept buzzing. The caller ID showed Nathan's name.

I opened our message thread and started to type, "We should get divorced."

The phone rang again, shrill and insistent. I declined it.

Then I looked up at Derek and asked.

"Who are my parents? And what's the other news?"

He considered for a moment, then started with the second piece.

"Legally speaking, you were never actually married."

I gave a quiet "oh" and typed a final message.

"We're done."