The day of my wedding, Finnick crashed it by blowing up the hotel. He dug me out of the rubble with his bare hands. Seeing the amnesia in my eyes, he hid his wild joy and told me, with a tremor in his voice, that he was the love of my life. For five years, Finnick loved me like his own soul. And then, he got bored. He slipped off his wedding ring with practiced ease, his hand gently resting on his young assistant's pregnant belly. "Give me this child," he murmured, "and I'll give you my life." "But, as always, not a word of this to Gwen." What he didn't know was that his "little girl" secretly recorded the whole thing. She sent it to me with a triumphant message: Time for the old hag to step aside. What he knew even less was that my memory had returned. And before him, my one true love was a man named Adrian. Handsome, brilliant, and terrifyingly vengeful. He never let a slight go unpunished. And in that, we were exactly alike. Finnick was finished. … Finnick was exceptionally good at hiding his little bird. Unfortunately for him, the little bird had ambitions as big as her nerve. Her name was Lily, and she showed up on my doorstep, pregnant belly and all, ready for a fight. "Gwen, honey," she said, her voice sickly sweet, "I'm having twins. The doctor said they're both boys." She leaned in conspiratorially. "Their daddy feels so bad for me, having to go through this. He massages my feet every single night, stays until I fall asleep before he goes home to his boring wife. He says he just can't wait to meet his sons!" I met her gaze with a smile, a chill creeping into my eyes. "Did your 'daddy' ever tell you what kind of person I am?" If Finnick was so eager to meet his children, who was I to stand in his way? Thirty minutes later, an express courier was dispatched to Finnick's corporate headquarters. I sipped my afternoon tea and watched the live feed from his office security camera. When the package arrived, his severe, handsome face softened into a tender smile. But the moment he opened it, his expression turned to stone. Inside was a termination of pregnancy report. And a photograph of what was left of his children with Lily. An hour later, he was home. Lily was lying on a portable medical bed we’d set up, and the second she saw him, she burst into wracking sobs. "Finnick, darling! She murdered our babies! The babies you were so excited to meet! Kill her! You have to kill that bitch for me!" A flicker of pain crossed Finnick's eyes. He grabbed my wrist, his grip like iron. His voice was low and hard, barely containing a torrent of rage. "Gwen, she's just a kid who graduated a few months ago. Did you have to be so cruel?" In five years of marriage, it was the first time he had ever raised his voice to me. And it was for another woman. I tossed my phone at him. The screen was filled with intimate videos of him and Lily, interspersed with her messages, insulting me and demanding I step aside. "Your 'kid' sent those to me to gloat. As your wife, I found them upsetting. Am I not allowed to retaliate?" Finnick froze. He shot a cold glare at Lily. Then, his expression softened as he turned back to me. He knelt, taking my hands in his. "Gwen, you've misunderstood," he said, his voice gentle again. "I only did this because I couldn't bear the thought of you going through the pain of childbirth. The plan was always to have her carry them, and then we would raise them together." He looked me in the eyes. "I swear on my life, you are the only person I have ever truly loved." I believed him. When we'd first discussed having children, he'd signed himself up for a labor pain simulator. It was the first time I'd ever seen Finnick cry. He'd held me tight, his body shaking. "Gwen, how can it hurt that much? Let's not have kids, okay? I can't let you go through that." And so, because he couldn't bear to see me suffer... he let another woman carry his twins for me? I glanced over at Lily with a mocking smile. Her eyes were wide with disbelief, red with fury. I laughed softly. "Finnick, you really are the cruelest of all. One sentence, and you stab both of us in the back. So, what now?" I leaned closer. "The last time someone made me this angry, you ruined their family, destroyed their business, and ran them out of the city without a second thought." His gaze slid over to Lily, cold and detached. But the slight tremor in his hand gave him away. After a long moment, he spoke. "Gwen. I will apologize on her behalf. What will it take for you to forgive me and let me take her away from here?" A wave of pure rage washed over me. All his pretty words, all his cold looks, and in the end, he was still protecting her. Without a word, I swept my arm across a nearby table, sending a collection of expensive porcelain crashing to the floor. Finnick didn't hesitate. He kicked off his shoes and, without breaking stride, walked across the razor-sharp shards. He lifted Lily into his arms and carried her out, his bare feet leaving a trail of bloody footprints on the white porcelain. The sight of it, the stark red on white, made my breath catch. Finnick, for all his madness, was the ultimate pragmatist. In all the years I'd known him, he'd only ever been hurt for me, only ever lost to me. My eyes grew cold. Finnick didn't know my memory was back. What he knew even less was that I might have actually been falling for him. There were moments I'd considered just playing the amnesiac forever, spending the rest of my life with him. But now... A rotten man and the woman who stole him. I would make them both pay. After that day, Finnick showered me with gifts, a new one arriving every morning. But he spent every night at Lily's. Tonight's excuse was a "last-minute business dinner." He'd be home in a few hours. The moment he hung up, a message from Lily arrived. LOL. I bet the old hag is regretting her choices now. So what if you killed my babies? He feels even worse for me now. He cooks me gourmet meals every single day. The attached video showed a tall man in an apron, busy in a sleek, modern kitchen. Finnick had never known how to cook. For me, he had taken lessons from master chefs. And now, every dish he was making for Lily was one of my favorites. I stared at the food, so familiar I could almost smell it. A wave of nausea rolled through me. Damn you, Finnick. You've ruined all my favorite foods. Lily's voice message was dripping with malicious glee. He also said he's going to give me another baby tonight. As for you... You're finished, old woman. The message ended just as something slammed into the side of my car. I looked up. A dozen bald, heavily tattooed men were surrounding my vehicle, brandishing baseball bats. "You the one who's been messing with my little sister, Lily?" one of them growled. I raised an eyebrow and calmly dialed Finnick. As usual, he picked up on the first ring. "Finnick," I said, my voice even. "Lily sent her biker gang brothers after me. They have me surrounded." His voice on the other end was weary. "Gwen, can you please not do this? She's just a college grad, she doesn't know any..." I cut him off with a smile. "I'm not going to fight back. Come or don't. Your choice." I hung up. The night air was cool. I watched the traffic light cycle from red to green, counting. It had only changed three times before he appeared. He must have hit traffic and abandoned his car, running the rest of the way. He was panting, his chest heaving, his dress shirt clinging to the muscles beneath. I watched him for a moment, then smiled. I had lied. The men who had tried to corner me were now lying in a heap on the pavement around my car, groaning. Finnick stared at me, his jaw tight with frustration. His gaze fell to a scratch on my leg, and his anger melted into pained concern. He knelt, his touch impossibly gentle as he cleaned the wound and applied a bandage. "You just love torturing me, don't you?" he muttered, the words a mix of adoration and defeat. It was the only way he ever let his frustration show. For a second, my heart stirred. I felt a rare urge to explain. "It wasn't me. Lily really did send them." He didn't even hesitate. "I asked her, Gwen. She swore on her life it wasn't her. She's a simple girl. Not like..." He stopped, but I heard the unspoken words. Not like you. Cruel and calculating. My face hardened. I picked up my phone and dialed my lawyer in front of him. "I need you to draw up divorce papers. I'm on my way to pick them up now." I shoved him out of the passenger seat and threw the car into reverse. He moved with lightning speed, planting himself directly in front of the car. The wind whipped through his hair. His eyes were wild, defiant. He gritted his teeth, his voice a low growl. "Gwen. You want a divorce? You'll have to run me over first." The bright headlights illuminated the madness in his face. I held his gaze and stomped on the accelerator. The screech of tires filled the night. I stopped just inches from his body. He hadn't flinched. His eyes were blazing, a feverish, desperate fire. This time, it was my turn to grit my teeth. "That lunatic." I wrenched the wheel, turning the car around, and sped away like a coward fleeing a battle. A few days later, another message from Lily. To my surprise, her tone was pleading. Gwen, I'm so, so sorry. I know I was wrong. I know I made you angry. Please, just give me a chance to make it right. She sent an address, an invitation to a private estate for a walk, so she could apologize in person. I went. A massive rose garden stretched out before me, a sprawling, private manor. Lily stood waiting, dressed in a white sundress against a backdrop of blood-red roses. She looked like the lady of the manor as she unlocked the main gate. My body went rigid as my eyes caught the giant, framed photograph displayed among the flowers. In it, Lily and Finnick were intertwined, kissing passionately in a bed of roses. It was beautiful, intimate. The photo was dated five years ago. Before I lost my memory. Lily's smug laugh echoed beside me. "Oh, Gwen, honey. I've known about you for a long time. I even gave Finnick tips on how to win you over." It turned out, Lily had known Finnick long before I did. He was her sponsor, a benefactor who had pulled her out of poverty. He'd brought her to the city, and with nowhere else to go, she had lived in his home. The long corridors of the manor were lined with photos, each one a snapshot of her life with him. This entire estate, he had built it for her. My hands felt numb as she walked me through their history, one picture at a time. Her eyes flickered to my wedding ring. "Every single gift Finnick ever gave you? I helped him pick it out," she said with a triumphant smile. "Even this ring. He only bought it because I told him I liked the design." I knew she was lying, or at least not telling the whole truth. Finnick had presented me with dozens of designs and let me choose my own. But it didn't matter. The wave of nausea was back. Expressionless, I pulled the ring from my finger and tossed it into the rose bushes. Seeing this, Lily's smile widened. "Finnick was so obsessed with you. It made me so jealous," she sighed dramatically. "But it's okay. People get bored, right? I just played the part of the good, understanding girl. I told him I didn't want anything from him, just a little bit of the love you didn't want, whenever he thought of me." "And you know what?" she giggled, remembering. "He slept with me. Willingly." She looked me dead in the eye. "You were the prize. But once he won you, you became an annoyance. He's tired of you." "So, do yourself a favor and get lost. Finnick will be mine, sooner or later." I stared at her for a long moment, then a slow smile spread across my face. "You're that much of a bitch? Good. That makes this a lot easier." Lily frowned, confused. I arched an eyebrow. "Now I don't have to feel guilty." Before she could process what I meant, I kicked over a rack of vintage wine bottles, shattering them across the floor. Then I pulled out a lighter. The small, flickering flame reflected in her terrified eyes. The next second, the entire manor was engulfed in fire. Finnick arrived quickly. He saw me and Lily, framed by the inferno, and his face was a mask of horror. Lily shrieked, "Finnick, save me! The fire's getting closer! I just lost our babies for you!" I watched him with detached curiosity, mouthing two words at him through the flames. Her or me? The fire roared, casting his tortured expression in a hellish light. He drenched himself with a nearby hose and ran toward Lily. As he did, I heard his desperate shout. "Gwen! I know you can get out on your own! Lily can't!" He swept her into his arms. Over his shoulder, Lily shot me a look of pure triumph. I just smiled back at her. And I didn't move. The flames surged higher. Finnick glanced back and saw me standing perfectly still. He hesitated for half a second, his face a war of indecision. Then, cursing, he set Lily down and charged back into the fire for me, throwing his wet jacket over my head and dragging me out. I felt a pang of disappointment. What a shame. If he'd left me there, I could have had my divorce. As for the other half of that feeling, I refused to examine it. After he got me to safety, he turned to go back for Lily. But in the moments we'd been outside, a massive, ornate trellis had collapsed in the hallway, pinning her by the leg. When Finnick carried her out, she was screaming in agony. I knew he was furious. As he passed me, he deliberately slammed his shoulder into mine. His voice was ice. "Take my wife," he ordered his men. "Bring her to the hospital."
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