1 On the eve of our wedding, my fiancé, Adrian McLynn, fell from a building and died. Everyone expected me, his devoted partner, to follow him in death. But I didn't shed a single tear. Three years later, I saw him again. Not only was he alive, but he claimed to have amnesia. “So, you’re my former fiancée?” he sneered, looking me up and down. “It’s been a few years. You’ve let yourself go. Tell you what, out of respect for our old relationship, I can set aside one day a week for you. An opportunity to serve me.” I didn’t even bother to look at him. What Adrian didn’t know was that on the night he “died,” I received a video. What he knew even less was that during the three years he spent faking amnesia and traveling the world with another woman, I had gotten married. To his older brother. I stood outside the private room, unnoticed. Inside, someone’s voice cut through the boisterous laughter. “Adrian, it’s been three years. What are you going to do about Katherine?” Adrian’s voice was nonchalant. “Three years have passed, what’s the rush? I’ll deal with it after I marry Nina.” A chorus of snickers followed. “I’m telling you, that Katherine has some nerve. Seeing Adrian again after all this time, she’s probably going to stand there like an idiot.” “I heard she’s had a rough few years. See? Without Adrian, her life is just a pile of shit.” The room was thick with their cruel amusement, their mockery undisguised. I was about to turn and leave when someone spotted me. “Katherine!?” Suddenly, all eyes were on me. The one who had been laughing the loudest now scratched his head awkwardly, trying to smooth things over. “Katherine, uh, Adrian’s alive. We didn’t tell you because… he has amnesia. We didn’t want to shock you.” I shot them a look of disgust. Before I could speak, Adrian gave me a thorough, condescending once-over. “So, you’re my fiancée, huh? You look… pathetic. They tell me your life went downhill fast after I was gone.” He was still the same arrogant man. But the tolerance I once had for him had curdled into a deep, weary revulsion. Seeing my silence, Adrian wasn’t annoyed. He lazily pulled Nina into his arms, his finger tracing circles on her lips. Nina giggled, capturing his hand and shooting me a triumphant, challenging glare. “Katherine, it’s been three years. Look at you. No wonder Adrian forgot you. Who would remember someone like this?” My jaw clenched, my hands balling into fists. Their brazen display was nauseating. Adrian, however, misinterpreted my reaction as jealousy. He looked pleased with himself. “Come on, don’t be so possessive,” he said with a smirk. “If you want to be with me, you’ll have to get used to this arrangement. Don’t worry. I’ll make time for you one day a week.” At his words, the others swarmed me, their voices a mix of pity and condescension. “See, Katherine? Adrian still has a soft spot for you! Even with amnesia, he’s making room for you in his schedule!” “Just play your cards right, keep Adrian and Nina happy, and your life will be a lot better than it is now. Look at yourself. You must be tired of being a charity case. This is your chance!” Nina lounged on the sofa, her long legs draped over the coffee table, her body pressed against Adrian’s. She clicked her tongue. “Sorry, Katherine, but you’ll have to be patient. I’m the one he loves most now.” Adrian let out a smug chuckle. He admired Nina’s freshly manicured nails and spared me a dismissive glance. “What’s she got to be patient about? She’s obsessed with me. She should be grateful I’m giving her one day.” His words struck a raw nerve. The man before me was a stranger. Years ago, he had loved me so fiercely. I remembered a time I had a raging fever, 104 degrees, that wouldn’t break for days. He dropped everything to stay by my side, and then he drove to the old monastery on Mount Sterling, climbed all nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine steps on his knees, praying at each one, to bring me back a charm for my health. When he returned, his forehead was bruised and bleeding, his knees raw and bloody. I was speechless with heartache, calling him a fool. But he had cupped my face in his hands, his touch so tender. “As long as you’re safe and healthy,” he’d whispered, “my life is a small price to pay.” The memories were so vivid, but the man was gone. 2 It was terrifying how much a person could change. I suppressed the turmoil in my heart and met Adrian’s gaze. I held up my hand, flashing my wedding ring, and kept my voice as steady as I could. “You have the wrong person.” “And I’m already married.” The room fell silent. Everyone exchanged confused glances, and then the silence erupted into a roar of laughter. Adrian raised an eyebrow, unconcerned. He glanced at my ring. “Married? To who? A pizza delivery guy?” He sneered. “Look at you. You probably bought that ring at a dollar store. What, you thought this would jog my memory?” He shot up from his seat, lunged forward, and ripped the ring from my finger. I was exhausted from a long week on a demanding project and couldn’t react in time. Nina took the ring and examined it, then burst out laughing. “Adrian, this looks just like that pair of ‘Eternity’s Heart’ rings your brother won at that auction in Paris three years ago.” She looked at me sideways, tossing the ring in her hand. “Don’t tell me the person Katherine married is… your brother, Maxwell?” The room buzzed with renewed amusement. The idea was too absurd. Maxwell McLynn was the current heir to the McLynn empire, a ruthless, decisive man feared throughout the business world—an untouchable ice king. Three years ago, he had suddenly married a mysterious woman and, by all accounts, was utterly devoted to her. The media had been trying for three years to uncover any information about his wife and son, but they had found nothing. “Katherine, you’re not going to tell us you’re the mysterious woman no one’s been able to identify for three years, are you?” Nina tossed the ring into the air again. It caught the light, glinting brightly. “You know, I have to admit, it’s a pretty good fake. Where’d you get it made?” The relentless mockery was getting on my nerves. “Don’t touch my ring. It’s real…” Before I could finish, Adrian’s hand cracked across my face. The sting was sharp and immediate. “Katherine, have you lost your mind? Spreading rumors about my brother? Everyone knows how much he loves my sister-in-law. I haven’t even met her, and you have the audacity to impersonate her? Who do you think you are?!” I licked my dry lips and slowly turned my head to meet his eyes. My glare must have been unnerving because he flinched. Seeing this, Nina jumped to his defense, jabbing a finger at my face. “How could you be so heartless, Katherine? Adrian offered you one day a week! Not only are you ungrateful, but now you’re impersonating his sister-in-law? Everyone in our circle knows that Maxwell’s wife is his one weakness. Are you trying to get him to take his anger out on Adrian? You’re a venomous bitch!” Her words struck me with a strange sense of clarity. Once, Nina had been my rival, constantly trying to one-up me, to turn Adrian against me. Back then, he had never believed her. He had even punished her for her malicious lies. Now, the man who had once been my greatest defender was standing with her. He took her hand and then threw a wad of cash in my face. “Alright, stop the act. For old times’ sake, I’ll let it go. You look like you need it. This should last you a month.” The sharp corner of a bill cut my cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. I ignored it, my eyes locked on Adrian. A flicker of guilt, of panic, crossed his face. I let out a short, cold laugh and bent down. The guilt on his face vanished, replaced by a familiar sneer. “I thought you had more pride than that…” His words died in his throat. As he stared, stunned, I sifted through the pile of red bills and found my ring. He snapped out of his shock and blocked my way as I tried to leave. “What are you still pretending for? Any one of those bills is worth more than a hundred of your pathetic rings!” His expression was a complex mix of emotions, but underneath it all, I saw a flash of anger. I ignored him and slapped his hand away. His hand froze in mid-air, and he ground his teeth. “Fine. You’ve gotten bold. I guess poverty does give you a temper. In three days, Nina and I are getting married. My brother will be back in the country for it, and he’s bringing my mysterious sister-in-law with him. If you have the guts, show up!” 3 At the mention of the wedding, Nina’s eyes lit up. “She probably won’t come,” she chimed in. “She’ll be too scared of being exposed.” I had no desire to engage with them any longer. I turned and strode out, tossing a final comment over my shoulder. “I’ll be there in three days. I hope you’re just as confident then.” Stepping out of the club and into the fresh air, the nausea that had been churning in my stomach finally began to subside. I took out my phone and watched the video again, the one I had received three years ago. On the screen, a man held Nina close, his smile lazy and wild. “Katherine is just so… boring,” he was saying. “I love her, sure, but she can’t give me the excitement I need. This ‘death’ is just a little break. I’ll go back when I’ve had my fun. She’s the type you settle down with. But with a stunt like this, knowing her, she might actually try to kill herself. You guys better keep an eye on her.” The day I received his death certificate, I had considered ending it all. It was his friends who had stopped me, begging me not to do something so foolish. Looking back now, I realized their twisted, tear-stained faces were just masks, hiding their laughter. I put my phone away and looked up at the dim, yellow streetlights. Whether Adrian McLynn was dead or alive, he had ceased to exist for me three years ago. Three days later, I arrived at the wedding. The moment Adrian saw me walk in, the tension in his shoulders visibly eased. I averted my gaze and calmly made my way to a seat, but someone tripped me. I stumbled, crashing into the nine-tiered wedding cake. Icing, decorations, and layers of cake came tumbling down, covering my expensive gown in a sticky, sweet mess. I was a disaster. A wine glass shattered, and a shard of glass sliced my cheek, blood welling up at my temple. The hall erupted in gasps. All eyes were on me. Icing blurred my vision. I struggled to get up, but before I could find my footing, someone shoved me back down. Nina’s furious voice came from above. “Katherine, what the hell is your problem? We were kind enough to invite you, and you don’t even bring a gift. Now you’re deliberately ruining our wedding? You just can’t stand to see us happy, can you?!” The wedding was packed, mostly with people hoping to get a glimpse of Maxwell and his mysterious wife. They were all eager to curry favor with his younger brother. “The nerve of some people! Messing with Adrian McLynn at his own wedding. She’ll get what’s coming to her.” “Hey, look at the ring on her hand. Doesn’t that look like the ‘Eternity’s Heart’ Maxwell paid a fortune for three years ago? How dare she!” “Everyone knows how protective Maxwell is of his wife. To show up here, flaunting a fake like that… she must have a death wish.” Adrian heard the murmurs, and his chest heaved with rage. His eyes looked like they were about to shoot fire. “Katherine, you’re a curse! I must have been blind to ever fall for you. And you’re still wearing that fake ring? Are you waiting for my brother to deal with you personally?!” He strode toward me and brought his foot down hard on my left hand, grinding his heel into my ring finger. A searing pain shot through my hand. My fingers felt like they were on fire, and a thousand tiny knives stabbed at my heart. When I tried to struggle, Nina shouted for the others to hold me down. I was pinned, unable to move. Icing obscured my vision, and I thrashed helplessly. Finally, I screamed, my voice raw with fury, “Maxwell is my husband!” Adrian roared with laughter, as if I’d told the funniest joke in the world. He twisted his foot, the sharp point of his dress shoe threatening to snap my finger in two. “Still trying to pass yourself off as her? Just wait until my brother gets here. Let’s see what you have to say then! He adores my sister-in-law. You’re dead.” Seeing that he was completely unreachable, I felt a wave of despair. I fought against the hands holding me down, but they were too strong. I grit my teeth. When this was over, I wouldn’t let a single one of them off the hook. Adrian pressed down again. I heard a sickening crack. A pained grunt escaped my lips, and then, suddenly, the weight on me was gone. The crowd had released me. They were all scrambling to their feet, smoothing their clothes, their eyes fixed on the entrance. The ballroom doors swung open. And there, like a king entering his court, was Maxwell, holding our son.
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