Ethan Vance had amnesia. He forgot everything about me. His memory was stuck in the year he loved his ex-wife the most. No matter how hard everyone around us tried to convince him otherwise, he remained convinced that I was the "other woman" who had broken them up. The doctors said there was a chance his memory could return, so I clung to that hope, refusing to let go. For three years, we caught in a vicious cycle of divorcing and remarrying. We became a notorious joke within our entire elite social circle. People actually placed bets on us. They bet on when I would finally give up, and they bet on when Ethan would finally remember. That was until the news of our eighth divorce hit the trending topics. Chapter 1 Reporters carrying heavy cameras stormed into my law firm. They thrust microphones into my face, their words laced with provocation. "Ms. Sterling, as a divorce attorney yourself, how does it feel to have been divorced eight times?" My professional reputation was shattered instantly. I watched as framed certificates of achievement from my wall were thrown down and trampled underfoot. Before I could formulate a response, the senior partner fired me on the spot, citing "damage to the firm's reputation." "Ava, take a piece of advice," he said, looking at me with disdain. "Have some self-respect. Stop harassing Mr. Vance." I gripped my trembling hands together. Suddenly, I just felt profoundly tired. They were right. This time, I really needed to let go. … It was pouring rain when I left the firm. I held the cardboard box containing the belongings from my desk, driving home in a daze. The front door wasn't fully closed. I could hear giggles drifting out from inside—Ethan and his ex-wife, Mia. I surveyed the room. It was a total mess. Clothes scattered everywhere, dirty tracks on the carpet... The television news in the living room was still playing a loop of the drama at my firm earlier today. Seeing me return, the smile on Ethan’s face faded significantly. "You actually have the nerve to come back here." The sarcastic words reached my ears with crystal clarity. Mia giggled and kissed the corner of Ethan’s mouth. "Alright, Ethan. After all, you two were together for seven years. Leave her some dignity." Then she raised her head, arched an eyebrow at me, her smile heavy with implication. "Ethan missed me terribly, so I came over. You don't mind, do you?" Rainwater dripped from my hair, pooling on the floor. A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I didn't look at the intimate scene on the sofa again. I turned and walked towards the master bedroom. But when I pushed the door open, I froze mid-step, paralyzed. "Oh, I forgot to tell you." Ethan was leaning against the wall, watching me with a smirk. "I decided to redecorate. I threw all your stuff out." "They should still be in the dumpster by the curb." He seemed truly happy whenever he saw me miserable. A sharp pain shot through my chest. My soaked shirt made my body feel incredibly cold. "You bought the top trending spot for the news today, didn't you?" "We're already divorced. Why did you have to make me lose my job, too?" Faced with my interrogation, Ethan stepped forward and slapped the box out of my hands. Files and documents scattered across the floor. That represented nearly seven years of my hard work and life. "Wasn't it enough that you harassed me for three years? Even if I really had something with you in the past, I have amnesia now." "I forgot you. That means you are worthless to me!" These words undoubtedly stabbed right into my old wounds once again. Three years ago, a sudden bout of amnesia made him forget everything about me. Just the day before the accident, he had held me, excitedly decorating the nursery, fantasizing about whether we would have a boy or a girl. But later, he forgot. He only remembered Mia. "You just forgot! You have no idea what Mia did back then..." Unwillingness and rage nearly drove me mad. Ethan's face turned ashen. He grabbed my arm violently. He shoved me out the front door. The heavy rain soaked me instantly once more. "I don't care what Mia did. I only remember that I love her. That’s enough." I opened my mouth, but all the interrogation and unwillingness suddenly seemed meaningless. Ethan irritably avoided my gaze. He reached down and aggressively pulled the wedding band off his finger. The edge of the diamond ring cut his hand. He threw the ring at my feet. As he slammed the door shut with force, he left me with one final line. "Don't be so pathetic, begging me to remarry you again." I stood there for a very long time. Finally, I crouched down and picked up that wedding ring. Ethan had designed this himself before we got married. He had worn it for seven years, never taking it off once. By the dumpster on the street, I found our wedding photos smashed to pieces, a scarf he had personally hand-knitted for me. And all the photo albums detailing our memories together. My phone suddenly rang. I looked at the caller ID and answered. Ethan’s mother’s excited voice came through the line. "Ava! I just got Ethan’s check-up report. The doctor said there are signs of his memory shifting!" "If he continues the treatment, there’s an eighty percent chance he can be cured!" My knuckles turned white as I gripped the phone tighter. The word "okay" that was on the tip of my tongue never came out. Finally, I whispered softly. "Mom, let's not treat it. If he forgot, let him forget." Chapter 2 The next day, I went to the old Vance family estate. I laid those eight divorce certificates out in front of Ethan’s mother. "Mom, Ethan and I are divorced again." Eleanor Vance looked at me with pity in her eyes and sighed deeply. "Ethan has wronged you. You two were so happy once." "But this time is really different. I’ve contacted several doctors, and they all say the probability of a cure is high." She pushed a business card toward me, her eyes filled with anticipation. "I'm getting old. I just want you two to live a good life together." "He’s actually been remembering quite a bit about the past lately..." Before she could finish her persuasion, I interrupted her. "But he has never remembered anything about me." I lowered my head, avoiding Eleanor's pitying gaze. The atmosphere grew silent, until she suddenly spoke. "If you leave, and Ethan remembers you but can't find you, he will go crazy." For the past three years, every time we divorced, Eleanor would say this. And because of this sentence, I had softened my heart time and time again. Remarried him time and time again. Before I could respond, there was noise from the entryway. Ethan walked in. The moment he saw me, his brows knit tightly together. "Ava Sterling, did you come here to complain to my mother again?" "I already kicked you out, yet you’re still this haunting. Can you really not survive without me!" Eleanor was so angry her chest heaved violently. She stood up abruptly. She raised her hand, and a resounding slap landed heavily on Ethan’s face. "Haven't you had enough? How much more do you want to push Ava?" "Without her, you would have lost your life long ago." Sitting on the sofa, I clenched my hands into fists. I couldn't help but think back to seven years ago. His marriage to Mia had been miserable. Mia enjoyed the entirety of his love, yet she already had another man on the side. His wife was cheating; overnight, he became the laughingstock among the young elite. When he went to confront them. Mia had also embezzled ten million dollars and vanished without a trace. After that, Ethan fell into depression. Just as he was preparing to jump into the river to commit suicide. I was the one who saved him. "So what? She just wants money, doesn't she?" Ethan still looked at Eleanor stubbornly. "I don't care what Mia did in the past. I just love her. It’s impossible for me to love anyone else." "And I won't regret it." In an instant, Eleanor looked as if all the strength had been drained from her. She turned back and looked at me apologetically. Ethan rubbed his temples, finally raising his head in a gesture of compromise. "Ava, if you want to remarry, fine. We’ll just end up divorced again anyway. The person losing face will be you, not me." "Since you can’t bear to leave me, let's go to City Hall right now." "This is your eighth divorce already, isn't it?" The corners of my mouth twitched. I couldn't reconcile the person in front of me with the Ethan Vance in my memory. "I came here today to make things clear with Mom." "You are free, Ethan." Ethan froze. The hand hanging by his side trembled unconsciously. He looked at me in surprise, then quickly returned to normal. "Playing hard to get, are we? Too bad that doesn't work on me." "Fine, you said it. Just don't come begging me again later." Ethan spoke almost through gritted teeth. Ignoring Eleanor's attempts to stop him, he threw the things in his hand onto the ground. He turned and stormed out. Eleanor was so angry her vision blurred. She turned toward Ethan’s retreating back and shouted. "You will definitely regret this!" Chapter 3 Whether Ethan would regret it or not, I didn't care anymore. After completely giving up on his treatment, my tightly wound nerves relaxed significantly. Upon leaving the Vance estate, I was preparing to ask Ethan to return my passport and ID. All my important documents had been with him for the past few years. Just as I reached the street corner. A burst of intense pain erupted from my forehead. Hot blood gushed from the wound. My head spun, and before I understood what was happening. I was violently pulled and dragged by a group of people, who began kicking and beating me. "It's her! She's the other woman!" "Mr. Vance and Mia are the real couple, she just insists on being the homewrecker." "Bah, a disgrace to the legal profession. Specializing in other people’s divorces when she can't even sort out her own domestic mess." The commotion instantly attracted the attention of passersby. Instead of acting heroically, they held up their phones, filming me continuously. Because of excessive blood loss, I had no strength to fight back. The surrounding crowd, seeing that I lacked even an ounce of strength to resist, eventually left with disappointment. They spat on me before leaving. "We’ll beat you every time we see you from now on!" As my vision blurred, I saw Ethan in the distance. He and Mia were holding hands, smiling sweetly. They looked truly happy. When our eyes met, Ethan’s expression stiffened. Instinctively, he started running toward me. "You... what happened to you?" The blood wouldn't stop flowing, dying my clothes red. Ethan’s mind went blank. He seemed panicked, his hand trembling as he pulled out his phone to call 911. But Mia stopped him. "Don't bother. Maybe she directed and acted this scenario herself, just to maliciously get your sympathy?" "It just looks scary, it's fine." "Didn't you say you were taking me to pick out a birthday gift?" Mia dragged him away. Ethan hesitated for a moment, then turned off his phone. He didn't look back at me. I leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, the blood still not stopping. In the end, I dialed 911 myself. But before the ambulance could arrive, I completely lost consciousness. When I woke up again, it was already a week later. The doctor said that if I had been just a little later, I might have lost my life due to excessive blood loss. Eleanor Vance, knowing about this, came to the hospital specifically to see me. She covered all the medical expenses. "Ava, this was all due to the excessive behavior of those people. Mom has already handled it for you." "Ethan, he..." "He just forgot that you have a blood clotting disorder." Eleanor tried to persuade me again, but looking at my pale face. The words died on her lips. I smiled faintly. "Mrs. Vance, I’m divorced from him. I won't be staying in the city, either." "I'm never coming back." Hearing the change in address, Eleanor's eyes suddenly turned red. Ultimately, she just nodded. "Ava, whatever you want to do, Mom will help you."
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