Chapter 1

Wilson Fowler lost his memories on the eve of his wedding day. He remembered everyone else but his fiancée, Samantha Warner.

One day, Samantha got her hands on a drug that could restore lost memories. Excited, she rushed over to find Wilson.

As soon as her hand touched the door handle, she heard several familiar voices coming from the private room.

Someone said, "How did you even come up with the idea of pretending to lose your memories, Will? That's truly a genius move—Samantha would never have expected it! How long are you planning to fool around before telling her the truth?"

Samantha froze upon hearing the cheerful waves of laughter, her expression stiffening.

She couldn't believe that Wilson was actually feigning amnesia. All the nights spent crying over his condition were all for nothing.

A chill crept up her entire being as dread filled her.

Samantha gritted her teeth as she heard Wilson speak in a nonchalant tone. "I'll drag it out for another month. After that, I'll return to being Sam's loyal and loving boyfriend."

His friends looked at him in shock upon hearing his words.

Someone asked, "Are you sure one month is enough for you? How many women have you had during this time? Why not just break up? You've been with the same girlfriend for seven years. You're the only one who's this loyal in our circle!"

Another said, "You had to sneak around just to have fun with other women, and you even had to pretend to lose your memories to ensure that Samantha isn't mad at you. Aren't you tired of living like that?"

The smile on Wilson's face gradually faded as the teasing continued.

He said, "I'll never break up with Sam. She's the only one I love. It's just that staying together for such a long time gets boring. She finds it hard to open up when it comes to intimacy, and I can't bring myself to push her.

"I'll treat this as a short break and allow myself to indulge for a while. After a month, I'll return to being the only one for her."

"You say that, but with Samantha's prideful nature, there's no way she'd just let it slide when she finds out about the truth. Aren't you worried that she might break up with you?" someone asked.

Another continued, "That's right! Just look at how Miles Gallagher messed up. His girlfriend ended up running abroad, and he's now chasing after her like a madman."

Although everyone spoke like they knew the whole story, Wilson did not take them seriously at all. He swirled the wine in his glass and let out a chuckle.

"She'll always be mine. As long as she's Samantha Warner, no matter if she runs abroad or remarries, I'll bring her back and keep her by my side for the rest of her life," he said.

Upon hearing the confidence in his voice, everyone in the private room started cheering for Wilson and popped the champagne open.

…

Samantha numbly dragged her steps and staggered out of the bar.

It was pouring heavily outside, yet she walked into it as if she didn't notice the rain.

The cold raindrops fell onto Samantha, and her shaking hands could no longer hold onto the bottle of drugs. It fell onto the ground, and the hard-earned pills to treat memory loss washed away in the rain.

She felt as if her long-dormant memories came rushing back as she stared at the disappearing pills.

Samantha and Wilson first met each other at the New Year's Eve party when they were in ninth grade.

She made a grand entrance with her stunning performance of "Dream of Love", and he fell in love with her at first sight.

He then showed up backstage with a huge bouquet of roses, declaring that he would pursue her.

Samantha had heard all about Wilson, the campus heartthrob with a reputation for having over 20 girlfriends in just a month. His reputation as a playboy had spread across the school.

She wasn't a fan of someone like him, especially since her parents' broken marriage—caused by mutual cheating—had made her extremely wary of relationships.

Samantha ignored Wilson's pursuit and kept her distance from him. However, he refused to give up no matter how much she rejected him.

He went so far as to pull the entire campus' main power supply just to make sure she could rest when she was on her period. He had boldly proclaimed his feelings for her in front of the entire school on the field and turned down each girl who confessed their feelings to him.

Wilson kept up his relentless pursuit for three years, yet Samantha refused to accept him.

Things didn't change until that summer after their college entrance exam when a few thugs in the alley cornered her. He took on a fight with the five of them, sustaining several stabs to his body and almost losing his life—all just for her.

Samantha cried uncontrollably in front of his hospital bed. She couldn't understand just how someone could risk their life for another person.

At that moment, she decided that she would accept Wilson.

They were together for seven years. From their days on campus to their first steps in society, he had treated her the same.

Everyone, including Samantha, had thought that she found her true love, who had turned over a new leaf.

It wasn't until three months before their wedding day that Wilson was met with a car accident when he was out on a business trip. The doctor diagnosed him with memory loss. He remembered everyone but her.

Samantha was devastated by this news, yet managed to pull through.

She did all she could—from running around looking for doctors to staying up to read various medical journals—all just to help him recover his lost memories.

She wasn't expecting the memory lost this time to be entirely a scam.

Samantha felt all the courage and determination that kept her going gradually wash away with the pouring rain.

…

Samantha stumbled back home and dug out all her documentation. She then went to the state court.

Upon seeing the staff's questioning gaze, she softly said, "Hello, I'd like to change my name."

The staff handed her a pen after reviewing her documentation.

With a trembling hand, Samantha signed her new and old names on the form. She then smiled bitterly as she looked at her unfamiliar new name.

No matter where she went and what she did, Wilson would never be able to find her from now on.

Chapter 2

The sky had darkened by the time Samantha was done with the application. She then hailed a car and pulled out her phone to check on the flight tickets.

Although she had submitted her application to change her name, the review process would take another month to be completed.

As such, she directly booked a flight to Montblan for the first of the following month. She then informed the International Education Institution that she accepted their offer.

Samantha had been preparing to study abroad ever since she graduated.

However, her plans were delayed for three years as Wilson said that he couldn't live without her and didn't want a long-distance relationship.

Now that Samantha decided to call off the wedding and end this relationship, it was time to let go of the past.

It was time for her to think about herself and start a new chapter in her life.

Upon returning home, Samantha changed out of her wet clothes, washed up, and headed to bed. That night, she slept more peacefully than she ever had in the past month.

…

Samantha woke up and had breakfast early the next morning. She then cleared out everything related to Wilson.

The gifts he gave her, the couple outfits they bought together, and the love letters she received during her years as a student—all came up to five full boxes.

Samantha hauled everything out from the villa in several trips, throwing them all into the trash. A limited-edition sports car suddenly pulled up by the road while she was busy.

She turned around and saw Wilson swaggering out of the car with another woman in his arms. He didn't look away from Samantha, even when she noticed him.

Samantha knew he was being so blatant because he was certain she would distance herself after everything he had done during his memory loss.

Wilson had never acknowledged her as his girlfriend from the start. He even ordered for her things to be thrown out of the villa.

Samantha thought she would end up on the streets, but their neighbor suddenly contacted her, informing her that they were moving abroad. They even offered to lease her the place at a ridiculously low price.

Back then, she thought she was lucky. But now, she realized that it was all but a part of Wilson's plan. He was worried that she might end up leaving for good, so he staged the whole thing to keep her around.

Samantha couldn't help but feel amused thinking back on how she had spent the past month being deceived.

She was uninterested in knowing what kind of performance he would put up that day. Turning around, she picked up the last box and threw it into the trash.

Wilson, who happened to walk past, glanced over and saw the things Samantha was throwing away. His expression turned cold as he asked, "Why are you throwing those things away?"

She glanced at him and replied indifferently, "Didn't you lose your memories? How do you remember what these items are?"

Only then did Wilson realize his slip-up. He quickly schooled his expression back into one of indifference. "I was just asking. How could I possibly remember?

"The past is the past, and the present is here and now. I only like Nat now. After all, she was the only one who came to look after me when I got into a car accident in Norya."

Samantha found it ironic. After all, how would a car accident occur when Wilson was even faking his memory loss?

She smiled slightly as she gave the woman in his arms a sidelong glance. The woman wore heavy makeup, had an alluring figure, and was dressed in revealing clothes. She looked at Samantha with a smug expression in her fox-like eyes.

The woman was someone Samantha didn't recognize. She figured that it was likely someone Wilson had found to be his most satisfying companion lately. That was why he had made such a big deal about bringing her back.

Refusing to engage in pointless conversations with him, she merely hummed in response before turning around and walking into the villa.

Wilson was stunned as he watched Samantha leave without even turning back. Upon seeing him bring another woman back, he had expected her to make a fuss. He was surprised to see her so calm instead.

Wilson realized something was off, yet he did not run after Samantha to explain. Instead, he stared at her until she entered the villa.

…

The doorbell suddenly rang at 8:00 pm.

Samantha placed the takeout bag down and got up to open the door. It was the woman Wilson had just brought back.

The woman waved at Samantha. The smile on her face didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hello, I'm Natalie Tanner. I'll be staying at my boyfriend's place for a while. Since we're neighbors, do you mind exchanging contacts?"

"No need," Samantha rejected promptly before turning to leave.

Natalie grabbed Samantha's phone and swiftly added her number on WhatsApp. She only returned Samantha's phone with a grin when she saw the latter's darkening expression.

"Let's be friends. We'll probably be seeing each other more often in the future," Natalie said playfully. "By the way, do you have any condoms at your house? We've finished the box we bought earlier. Do you mind if we get some from you?"

Samantha's face paled. Her hand trembled as she took her phone back. "No."

However, Natalie refused to back down. The mockery was evident in her gaze. "I guess I asked the wrong person. I suppose it's impossible for you to have any since Wilson no longer wants you."

Chapter 3

Samantha knew that Natalie was deliberately provoking her. So, she ignored Natalie and moved to close the door.

However, Natalie grabbed the door handle and conveniently collapsed onto the ground. Tears streamed down her face as she said, "I know you don't want to see me, Sam, but I'm only here to borrow some seasoning to cook for Wilson. It's fine if you don't want to give me some, but why must you push me?"

Samantha's heart skipped a beat upon seeing Natalie's sudden display. Before she could react, Wilson rushed up the stairs and pulled Natalie into his arms.

He looked up and glared coldly at Samantha. Anger laced his tone when he said, "Why are you being unreasonable when Nat has never done anything wrong to you? She's now my girlfriend, so please be mindful of your words and actions!"

After that, Wilson took Natalie away in his arms without even turning to look at Samantha.

Samantha couldn't help but clench her fists when she heard his words. She calmly looked at their retreating backs before reaching a hand out expressionlessly to slam the door shut.

…

The phone on the bedside table started vibrating in the middle of the night. The sound of it woke Samantha up. She rubbed her eyes before instinctively accepting the call.

The screen quickly showed a vast expanse of skin covered in bite marks. Soft, ambiguous moans accompanied by heavy, labored breathing could be heard.

Samantha completely snapped awake after watching the explicit scenes captured by the shaky camera. She froze in place when she realized what was happening on the other side of the call.

Wilson's lust-laden voice was heard from the speaker shortly after. "From now on, you're not allowed to go next door and mess with Sam."

"Since you've already seen through my schemes, why are you still taking my side? Do you really like my body so much that you refuse to be frank with her? You still want to enjoy this, don't you?" Natalie asked.

Wilson huffed upon hearing her flirtatious tone. He patted her butt and said, "Why are you asking me the obvious? Come on up and get moving."

The camera was pointed at his face after some hushed whisperings.

Samantha's heart turned cold as she watched the satisfied look on Wilson's face. She bit down hard on her lips, drawing blood.

The heavy breathing grew increasingly frantic. She ultimately couldn't take it any longer and ended the call.

Samantha's sleepy gaze was now filled with tears. She tilted her head up, refusing to let tears fall as she recalled countless memories.

In the past, Wilson had always been mindful of her feelings during their tender moments in case she got uncomfortable. Perhaps he had never truly enjoyed himself with all his worrying.

From that moment on, he no longer had to worry, nor did he need to go through so much effort just to enjoy a fleeting moment of pleasure.

Samantha would release Wilson from her hold moving forward.

…

Samantha stayed in her house for the next few days. It wasn't until the day of her best friend, Madison Green's wedding, that she finally got herself together and headed out.

Upon her arrival at the hotel, she gave Madison her carefully prepared gift before the wedding started.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Madison smiled and took Samantha's hand. She said, "Sam, I've sent an invitation to Wilson, and he promised to come.

"You should go pick him up and talk to him later. Who knows, he might recall the scene where he proposed to you and regain his memories."

After a moment of silence, Samantha shook her head.

Worry crossed Madison's face when she saw the smile disappear from Samantha's face. "What's wrong? Are you planning to give up now?"

Just as Samantha was about to reply, Wilson showed up at the entrance with Natalie by his side.

Madison looked over and saw how the couple had their arms around each other. Her face flushed with anger as she stomped in her high heels, ready to march over and teach them a lesson.

Samantha quickly stopped her. Her tone was filled with exhaustion when she said, "Forget it. Everything will come to an end soon."

Madison couldn't figure out what her friend meant and was about to ask further when her bridesmaid came over. "The wedding is about to start soon, Maddie."

After some persuasion, Samantha finally convinced Madison to go up on stage.

As the wedding march echoed through the reception area, she took a deep breath before returning to the hall.

The guests were all seated, and the only empty seat was beside Wilson. After some hesitation, Samantha walked over and took the seat.

Throughout the wedding, Natalie continued to pester Wilson, asking him to get her food. He responded to all her requests—be it pouring wine or blowing on hot soup. He was beyond considerate.

He would even finish the half-eaten dessert she fed him without hesitation.

Samantha looked away from their intimate interaction and focused her gaze on the stage.

She couldn't bring herself to eat and left her plate empty. Madison's mother, Nancy Hill, started to serve her food to get her to eat.

Not wanting to disappoint Nancy, Samantha picked up a piece of ravioli.

Wilson noticed this from the side. He reached out and took the ravioli away. "Are you crazy? You can't eat this when you're allergic. This has shrimp fillings!"

Chapter 4

Samantha watched as the piece of ravioli fell to the ground. She then looked up and gave Wilson an unreadable look.

He only came to his senses belatedly and awkwardly tried to explain himself. "Our housekeeper never bought seafood. After telling her off several times, I only heard about this from her."

After that, Wilson dared not look at Samantha and turned away to peel shrimp.

Natalie leaned in to whisper in his ear. He swallowed slightly and placed his utensils down. He then took her hand and left the venue.

Samantha wasn't interested in where they were heading. She only got up to go to the restroom after the bouquet toss.

Just as she neared the restroom entrance, she heard the continuous slapping sounds coming from within. She halted her steps and held her breath.

After a moment of silence, a male voice came from the furthest cubicle. "You're such a flirt. You actually attended a wedding dressed like this."

"Do you not like it?" A soft pant was heard, followed by a chuckle.

"Of course I like it," the male voice replied.

Samantha looked up at the sign above her head, her fingers digging deep into her palms.

The sounds of footsteps echoed through the hallway, and the restroom fell silent once again.

Samantha cast one last glance at the closed door before turning to leave, her eyes red.

…

The wedding festivities ended at 3:00 pm. Samantha went downstairs after bidding her goodbyes to Madison.

As soon as she exited the elevator, she saw the familiar sports car parked by the road.

She pretended not to see it and was about to hail a taxi when Natalie came out of nowhere and grabbed her hand.

"Something came up with Wilson's company, so he left the car with me. Since we're neighbors, how about I send you back?" Natalie suggested.

Samantha declined Natalie's offer without a thought, yet the latter ignored her and pushed her into the passenger seat. She then locked the door and stepped on the accelerator.

With how Natalie was speeding, Samantha could only put on her seatbelt.

Throughout the journey, Natalie subtly boasted under the guise of making small talk. "You knew all along that Wilson was pretending to lose his memories, didn't you? Why didn't you confront him about it?"

Samantha's gaze wavered before she replied impassively, "It's none of your business."

Natalie replied, "Why wouldn't it be? I'd love to stay by his side proudly as his fiancée. He doesn't feel that way now, but with how much he enjoys my body, he'll fall for me sooner or later. Do you believe it?"

Samantha ignored her completely, turning away to look at the view outside the window. When Samantha ignored her comments, Natalie became frustrated and continued to provoke her.

Samantha closed her eyes, completely disregarding her.

Her indifference angered Natalie. The latter glanced at the turning up ahead and decided to jerk the steering wheel to crash the car.

The violent impact sent Samantha lurching forward uncontrollably.

Shards of broken glass came flying toward her as soon as she opened her eyes. She instinctively raised her arms to shield her face, causing blood to drip from her arms.

Samantha was slammed against the door, and a sharp pain shot through her head. Everything went black as she instantly lost consciousness.

After some time, she heard noises from around her. "Both patients need immediate surgery, but there's only one surgeon available in the hospital now. There may be a risk of permanent disability for the patient who can't receive timely treatment. Who do you want to save first, Mr. Fowler?"

Upon hearing that, Samantha forced herself to regain consciousness. She gritted her teeth and said, "I still… need to take photos… Wilson. I can't let anything… happen to my hands."

The warm hand that was initially holding her left hand suddenly loosened upon hearing her voice.

Samantha, who had opened her eyes, caught a glimpse of Wilson's panicked expression.

He placed his hands on Natalie's shoulders and instructed, "Save Nat first."

Chapter 5

After a long time, Samantha finally regained some consciousness.

Perhaps due to the anesthesia, she couldn't open her eyes temporarily. However, she could hear what was happening around her.

It was a conversation between two people who sounded familiar.

One of the voices said, "You've created such a mess, Will. How will you put everything to an end when the time comes? Samantha values her hands more than her life. Yet, you still chose to save Natalie first. Are you trying to kill her?"

"How could I ever want to hurt Sam? She just happened to regain consciousness at that moment. If I agreed to save her first, the whole memory loss act would be exposed! There are still over 20 days left. I only want to play around for now. I won't let anything happen to Sam," another voice said in response.

"Do you think this is still nothing? Didn't you hear what the doctor said? If Samantha delayed surgery any longer, her arms would suffer permanent damage. If she wakes up and learns of the truth, you'll lose any chance of being together with her for good!" the other person said.

The person holding onto Samantha's hand seemed nervous hearing those words. The hand was covered in sweat. After a while, he pressed a kiss onto her forehead.

He then firmly said, "She won't find out. I've already arranged for the doctor to announce the restoration of my memories 23 days later. Everything will go back to how it was before then."

Someone gave a long sigh before leaving the room.

The other person remained waiting by her hospital bed. He muttered, "It'll be our wedding day soon, Sam. I've already ordered our wedding ring. You'll be able to see it once I recover my memories.

"I'll bring you to see the aurora after we get married, okay? Do you still remember the wish you made under the shooting star on our third anniversary? I was so happy when you said you wanted to stay with me forever. I want to be with you forever as well!"

The anesthesia was starting to wear off. Samantha recalled the identity of the person who had been rambling. It was her fiancé, Wilson.

He seemed to care for her a lot, calling the doctor every half an hour to check on her. He would even feed her water meticulously, tuck her blanket in, and stay by her side.

But once Samantha fully regained consciousness, all the tenderness he had shown her seemed to wash away.

A flicker of contempt crossed her gaze as she watched Wilson awkwardly leave the hospital ward. A nurse entered her ward to check on her shortly after.

Samantha watched as the nurse carefully tried to conceal the medical record. Then, she asked hoarsely, "Who has been taking care of me in the hospital recently?"

The nurse avoided her gaze and stammered, "I-I'm not sure either. It might be a caregiver."

Samantha only felt exhausted. She picked up her phone to check the date. It was December 8th.

She had been unconscious for three days, yet her messages inbox only contained ads and notifications about her phone bill.

Samantha closed her eyes, hoping that the application to change her name would be processed soon.

…

Wilson did not show up for a long time after that.

Meanwhile, Natalie continued to send Samantha countless messages every day. Half of them were all sorts of provocative and loving photos, while the other half were videos of her and Wilson's intimate moments.

Samantha did not bother to open any of them. She only set her phone to "Do Not Disturb" mode.

On December 15th, she went to handle her discharge forms. She threw everything away and left the hospital with just her medication.

As soon as she stepped out, she ran into Nicholas Dennings, a senior who once pursued her at university. They exchanged a few pleasantries.

Samantha was enjoying her chat with him when Wilson emerged out of nowhere and pulled her away.

He looked at her with a darkening expression, his voice dripping with jealousy when he asked, "Who gave you permission to get so close to him?"

Samantha eyed Wilson before forcefully pulling her reddening wrist away. She sarcastically remarked, "Didn't you lose your memories and refuse to admit I'm your girlfriend? I should be able to talk to whomever I like. It's none of your business!"

After that, she hailed a taxi and left without waiting for his reaction.

Wilson, who was stunned to silence, could only watch her leave.