Silas Sterling had a car accident and lost his memory. He forgot everything—including the fact that he had once systematically hunted me down and forced me to be his. When his family found out, they didn't waste a heartbeat. They helped him divorce me before he could even form a sentence. Less than twelve hours later, I stood in a strange city, a divorce decree in one hand and a massive settlement check in the other, feeling utterly lost. After being the object of Silas’s "forced affection" for so long, this sudden freedom felt like a phantom limb. I settled down in this new city, starting a quiet, ordinary life. Then, one day while grocery shopping, someone covered my mouth and nose from behind. When I opened my eyes, I was in a dark, terrifyingly familiar basement. A cold, crisp male voice whispered in my ear: "Be my woman, and I can give you everything you’ve ever wanted." ...Great. Exactly like the first time. 1 By the time I learned about Silas Sterling’s amnesia, it had been a full week since the crash. The surgeons had spent hours in the OR just to keep his heart beating. His mother told me about it with tears of grief in one eye and sparks of fury in the other. "If it weren't for his obsession with finding you, Silas would never have ended up like this!" she spat. She said Silas was supposedly in a therapy session that day. When he discovered I had escaped, he jumped into his car and sped off to hunt me down. In a moment of distraction, he slammed head-on into a speeding semi-truck. Luckily, his car was expensive enough that the safety features saved his life, and the truck driver swerved just enough to avoid a total kill. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have just lost his memory; he would have been signing up for reincarnation. I had a sudden realization. Oh... so that was it. No wonder he hadn't come for me all those days. I actually thought my GPS tracker had finally malfunctioned. Meanwhile, I’d been shivering in the wind on a remote island for a week for no reason. 2 I was the wife Silas Sterling took by force. To be honest, I never saw what attracted him to me. I was just a regular corporate workhorse, and he was the CEO’s boss. The only "spark" between us, if you can call it that, happened at a corporate gala. I had used a wine bottle to crack open the skull of his cousin, who was busy harassing a junior staffer. At the time, I was certain I was getting fired. The next day, instead of a pink slip, I got a transfer order. I was moved from that crumbling branch office to the high-rise headquarters everyone was dying to get into. My salary tripled. I became a dedicated corporate drone immediately, working like my life depended on it. Silas seemed to appreciate my hustle. He always greeted me with a smile, gave me raises and promotions like they were candy, fired the managers who tried to sabotage me, and helped me get rid of a persistent, toxic ex-boyfriend. He validated my work and covered for all my mistakes. He wore the cheap cufflinks I bought him every single day for years. I felt like the luckiest girl alive. Every day after work, I’d practically thank the stars for such an incredible boss. I was prepared to work for him for the rest of my life. Then came the night I had too much to drink at a firm event. In a blur, Silas helped me into his car. He let me lean against his shoulder and whispered, "Sleep. I’ll get you home." I don't have a high tolerance, and that night was enough to put me out until morning. But for some reason, I woke up halfway through the drive. I opened my eyes and saw Silas Sterling. He was leaning in, secretly kissing my lips. 3 Silas tore the veil right off. He stopped pretending. He told me he loved me. A billionaire’s pursuit is always blunt and overwhelming. Private jets, yachts, diamond gowns, rare art—if I could dream it, he could buy it. And he wasn't exactly hard to look at, either. Sharp features, broad shoulders, a narrow waist. He looked sophisticated when he smiled and dangerously innocent when he didn't. Every time I walked down the street with him, people looked at me like I’d won the lottery. But I’m an honest person. I just didn't love him. I thought, If this were a scam, I’d take him for every cent he’s worth. But it wasn't. I hated to admit that the mountain of gold and silver he piled up for me was actually built on genuine affection. And according to the universe, deceiving a sincere heart is a cardinal sin. So, after I rejected him for the hundredth time, he snapped. He owned a waterfront estate with a soundproofed "panic room." Every time I tried to run, he’d drag me back there to "show me how much he cared." Afterward, with his face still flushed, he’d force me to talk about marriage. "Be my woman. I’ll give you the world," he’d say. He threatened me. He told me if I didn't agree, he’d lock me up forever so I’d never see the sun again. Of course, he said those things a thousand times and never actually did them. Every time he caught me, he’d get so frustrated by my indifference that his eyes would turn red, looking like he was the one being bullied. I usually stayed quiet for a while after that—mostly because I thought he looked incredibly sexy when he was on the verge of tears. At first, the whole "cat and mouse" game was almost fresh. But after a while, even I got bored. I couldn't get away, and he couldn't bring himself to actually hurt me. Besides, the estate was massive with plenty of unexplored corners; spending all my time in a cramped basement room wasn't practical. So, on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, I married Silas Sterling. 4 Most of the time, Silas was dominant. Like every possessive man in power, he wanted me glued to his side, tracking my every move 24/7. But he was also deeply insecure. He knew our marriage was something he’d obtained through less-than-noble means, so he never actually dared to keep me locked in the house like a bird in a cage. He was neurotic. If he didn't see me, he’d lose his mind. Eventually, torn between his insecurity and his need for control, he couldn't help himself. While I was sleeping, he had GPS trackers embedded in my phone and my jewelry. If he noticed I’d been out for more than twenty-four hours, he’d show up within an hour to "retrieve" me. Once I figured out the pattern, I just started treating him like a personal Uber. If I got tired of wandering around, I’d just find a place to take a nap. I knew that when I woke up, I’d be in my pajamas in our oversized bed at home. It was as convenient as a teleportation spell. Of course, the price was waking up to "souvenirs" he’d leave on my skin. 5 This time, I miscalculated. I had only intended to take a day trip to the private island he’d gifted me. But three days passed, and not a single phone call came. I sat by the ocean, checking if the GPS in my phone was broken. I even wondered if a satellite had fallen out of orbit before I ever considered that something had happened to Silas. It turned out for the best. He had amnesia now. He’d forgotten me completely. When people told him he was married, he just waved them off with indifference. "Divorce her. I don't even remember the woman," he said. With a few strokes of fate’s pen, everyone won. Silas went back to being the cold, untouchable, workaholic billionaire he used to be. His mother could finally find him the "perfect" socialite debutante she’d always wanted for him. And me? I was free. Plus, I had eighty million dollars—USD. 6 Before I left, Silas’s mother warned me never to show my face to her son again. "Silas’s obsession with you was a psychological glitch. Now that he’s 'cured,' don't even dream that he’ll ever look at you that way again." I’d heard about Silas’s condition—a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder triggered by childhood trauma. Maybe that was why he was so stuck on me. It made sense. No sane person would ignore a woman’s lack of consent and go full "stolen bride" on her. The three-year marriage felt like a fever dream. When I woke up, the estate, the yachts, the diamonds, the basement... all gone. All I had was eighty million dollars in the bank. His mother told me to get lost, and I’m a woman of my word. I measured the furthest point from Silas on a map, booked the earliest flight, and flew away without looking back. 7 I settled in a city I didn't know, bought a modest house, and filled it with simple furniture. Then, I found a part-time job at a local artisanal sweet shop. It felt like my life had reset to the time before I met Silas. Caleb Brooks, the grandson of the shop owner, was a senior in college who helped out during breaks. He loved following financial gossip. The shop’s projector was constantly playing news reels about CEOs and their scandals. That was how I saw Silas again. He was being discharged from the hospital. The media scrambled to photograph his still-pale face, but he didn't give them a single glance. Cold, detached, untouchable. A reporter asked about the rumors of his secret marriage, even holding up a blurry, long-distance photo of me they’d found somewhere. "Mr. Sterling, is this lady your wife?" Silas glanced at it, his expression flat. "I’m sorry, I have no recollection of her." Caleb sighed from the side. "Mr. Sterling is in his thirties, right? How is he still single?" "He’s a professor?" I asked, catching a detail. "Yeah, he used to be a guest lecturer at our university. Half the campus was in love with him." "Why?" I leaned my head on my hand. "Because he didn't take attendance?" "Because he’s hot, obviously!" Caleb told me stories about Silas—how he was the "Ice King" who rejected every girl and guy who threw themselves at him. The descriptions painted a picture of a man who perfectly matched the cold image on the screen. I remembered what Silas’s mother told me when we got married: "It’s all your fault. Silas wasn't like this before he met you!" At the time, I thought she was delusional. How was I supposed to know what he was like before? From the day I met him, he’d been a relentless bastard who’d do anything to get what he wanted. The kind of guy who’d lick my hand after I slapped him. Now, I finally had a "Eureka" moment. Oh... so that was the real Silas Sterling. Psychological trauma really is a terrifying thing. It could make a refined, untouchable man go completely off the rails for me—making him act crazy, making him cry, making him do the most desperate things. Luckily, he’d forgotten. 8 Over the next few days, news about Silas was everywhere. Losing three years of memory didn't seem to affect his business sense. One day he was acquiring a tech firm, the next he was closing a deal with a foreign tycoon. His business was more successful than ever. His media interviews were perfectly normal. The host asked if he was considering marriage soon. He said bluntly that he had no expectations for "romance" and would likely pursue a strategic business alliance in the future. "And if you meet a girl you actually like?" He gave a thin smile. "Even if I did, I wouldn't do anything drastic. I respect a woman’s boundaries." I stared at the screen in silence. Talk about a complete personality transplant. Caleb came out of the kitchen with a bowl of sweet rice pudding loaded with toppings. "Wow, generous today." He grinned. "Gotta celebrate. I just got an offer." "Congrats. Which firm?" "Sterling Group." I choked on a rice ball and started coughing. "I thought... Sterling Group was based on the East Coast?" "They’re opening a massive West Coast branch. Haven't you seen the news?" He rewound the interview by half an hour. There was Silas, talking about corporate expansion. And the first stop on his map? This exact city. I remembered my time as a corporate workhorse and gave Caleb a warning: "Headquarters is great, but branch offices are usually a grind." "The pay is insane, though." "You're young. Why are you in such a rush for money?" Caleb caught my eye for a split second before looking away. "Maybe I want to feel more confident when I finally ask out the girl I like." 9 I wasn't imagining it. Caleb liked me. A twenty-year-old boy is too easy to read. The way his face flushed when we locked eyes, the way he fumbled with his sleeves, the way he’d "accidentally" show off his basketball moves—it was all there. Inevitably, he confessed. And I rejected him, quickly and cleanly. He wasn't like Silas. When Silas was rejected, he’d just show up the next day acting like nothing happened, saying things like, "Persistence is a virtue." Caleb was different. His eyes turned red the second I said no. He muttered a quick "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have," and bolted out the door. At 11:00 PM, he still wasn't back. His grandmother was pacing the floor in a panic. I was just about to call him when a text popped up: [Maya, I’m at the police station. Can you come bail me out?] 10 To my surprise, Caleb hadn't done anything illegal out of heartbreak. In fact, he’d been a model employee all day. He’d been at a business dinner with a client. After the drinks started flowing, the client offered to take him to a "club" for some fun. Caleb, a bit tipsy, had followed along. He only realized the situation when someone tried to unbuckle his belt in a private VIP room. "I didn't know the client was into guys or that the club was... that kind of place. I panicked and called the cops." The result? He got caught up in the raid. "The client is threatening me," Caleb said, looking like he was about to cry. "And my boss is on his way..." "Your boss?" I had a sinking feeling. "Which... boss?" "The big one..." Before he could finish, he stood up, his eyes welling with relief as he looked behind me. "Mr. Sterling. You came." 11 Six months, and Silas hadn't changed a bit. He still moved like a ghost, appearing out of thin air. I didn't want to face him, so I pulled my baseball cap low and tried to disappear into the corner. He handled the police matter with surgical precision and didn't show the client a shred of mercy, ensuring the man was charged. Through the glass, I heard him comforting Caleb. "Don't worry about this in the future. The company always prioritizes employee safety." "And don't drink so much at business dinners." Caleb sniffled. "I’m so sorry, Mr. Sterling. I was just... having a bad day. I got rejected by someone, so I wasn't thinking straight." "Love is inherently random. The odds of the person you like liking you back are statistically low," Silas said, sounding like a wise, patient mentor. "There are many women in the world. You’ll find the right one. "Some things shouldn't be forced." I listened from the sidelines, feeling a weird sense of relief. This was the first time I’d ever heard Silas Sterling talk like a functioning human being. It was surreal. "By the way," Silas asked, "Where is your family?" Caleb snapped out of it and gestured toward me. "Oh, she’s right there." Silas followed his hand and looked my way. And in that exact moment, I happened to look up.
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