Before our wedding, on the day he was supposed to pick up my dress, Anson Forrester was kidnapped. He survived, but he forgot me. The doctors said any mention of our wedding would trigger a seizure, a symptom of a dissociative fugue—a second personality born from the trauma. Just as I found out I was pregnant, the doctor offered a sliver of hope. “The arrival of a child might be the very thing to awaken the man who loves you so deeply!” I clutched the ultrasound printout, my heart filled with a fragile hope, and went to find him. But as I approached his study, I overheard him laughing with his friends. “Anson, you’re a genius. Faking a second personality to get out of a wedding? What’s next, a third? A fourth?” “No,” Anson’s voice was cold, decisive. “I love Sienna. This is the only time I’ll ever lie to her. I’ll stop after I’ve bagged another ten.” “Only ten? That’s barely enough to try out all the positions. I say you keep this up for a year or two. Sienna Blake isn’t going to marry anyone else.” His voice dropped, sharp and commanding. “I can’t stand to see her sad for that long. Now, are you going to find me some girls or not? I want them wild, but fresh. A new one every three days. This can’t delay my wedding to Sienna.” My hands shook as I tore the ultrasound printout to shreds. Then I turned and called the clinic to schedule an abortion. 1 When the doctor saw me return, she assumed I was feeling unwell. When I told her I wanted to terminate the pregnancy, her eyes widened in disbelief. “But this baby was a miracle for you two. If you go through with this, the shock could make your fiancé’s condition even worse!” I shook my head, a bitter smile on my lips. “If he knew, he’s the one who’d never recover.” After all, he was too busy enjoying his newfound freedom, playing the field without a care in the world. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. The same man who had begged me to marry him was faking an illness to deceive me. The doctor couldn’t change my mind. As she prepared the consent forms, she insisted on calling Anson. “Miss Blake, this child isn’t just yours. Even if his illness makes him not want a child right now, he should be here to sign the forms, to be with you. And if there’s been some misunderstanding, you can clear it up face-to-face…” I gently touched my stomach and didn’t stop her. I have PCOS; getting pregnant was a battle. Anson had never cared. He’d fought with his own parents just to marry me. Now, as I was about to let our child go, he deserved to be here for the farewell. But the moment the doctor began to speak, Anson’s laugh, cold and sharp, cut through the phone. “How much did Sienna Blake pay you for this little performance? I’ve told you, I don’t know her, let alone plan on marrying her.” “And please, tell her to stop with these pathetic tricks. For all I know, the kid isn’t even mine.” The dial tone echoed his cruel dismissal in the quiet room. I signed the forms myself and closed my eyes. When I woke up, my phone was filled with messages. All from Anson. 【Whatever we were before, it’s over. I’m me, you’re you. Instead of wasting your energy hiring actors to trick me, you should be moving your things out of my house.】 He had thoughtfully rented a fully furnished apartment for me in the same complex. He’d even paid the first month’s rent and signed a year-long lease so I wouldn’t be suspicious. 【Consider it a parting gift. You don’t owe me anything for it.】 I glanced at the bloody, formless tissue in the medical tray beside my bed and typed a calm reply. 【Okay. Thank you.】 The rent could be his final contribution to the child he never wanted. He didn’t contact me for the three days I was in the hospital. But his social media was a constant stream of parties and nightlife, as if he were desperately trying to reclaim the wild youth he’d sacrificed for me. I knew he was posting it for me to see. On my burner account, which he didn't know about, his profile was silent. So I gave him what he wanted. I liked every single video. On the day I was discharged, I saw him and a doctor rushing a gurney down the hall. He glanced at me, then quickly looked away, pretending he hadn’t seen me. But I heard the paramedic’s urgent voice. “Prep OR 1 and get me Rh-negative blood, stat! The patient has a ruptured corpus luteum with major internal bleeding. We need to operate now!” “What? There’s none in stock?” The paramedic hung up and gave Anson the news. The man who had just ignored me suddenly stopped, spun around, and ran towards me. “Sienna, if you donate blood for Raina, I’ll overlook the fact that you’re stalking me.” I was stunned. “I’m not stalking you…” “Enough! Just save it! We don’t have time for this!” He grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the doctor. “She’s Rh-negative. Take whatever you need.” I tried to pull away, but his grip was iron. A cold laugh escaped my lips. “You don’t even know me, remember? How would you know I have a rare blood type?” I stared at him, waiting for his answer. 2 Anson ran a hand through his hair, his voice sharp with impatience. “Is this really the time for that? You’re the one who keeps saying we were in love for six years. Is it so strange that my subconscious would remember something that important in a crisis?” But I had just had an abortion. I was still bleeding. How could I possibly donate blood? And even if I could, why should I clean up his mess? “I just had a miscarriage. I can’t donate. Find someone else.” Anson’s face twisted in anger. “Sienna, you go on and on about how much you love me, but when I ask for one favor, you make up a lie like that? A miscarriage? Seriously?” “I can’t believe you’re the kind of person who would let someone die. No wonder I can’t remember ever loving you.” He was right. If he had ever truly loved me, he wouldn’t have faked an illness to cheat on me. He wouldn’t be blind to the deathly pallor of my face. And he certainly wouldn’t be forcing me to donate blood to his lover. A monitor beside us started beeping erratically. The paramedic, not wanting to waste another second, rushed the patient into the emergency room. Anson tried to drag me with them, but I held my ground. In a fit of rage, he slung me over his shoulder. “Sienna, whether you like it or not, you’re doing this. I’ll owe you one. Hell, I’ll marry you on our original wedding day if I have to!” All the fight went out of me. He had saved my life once, long ago. I would consider this my final repayment of that debt. As I watched my blood flow into the bag, my heart turned to ice. The moment the donation was finished, Anson grabbed the bag and sprinted with the nurse toward the operating room. I whispered to his retreating back, “Anson, we’re even now.” A wave of dizziness washed over me as I stepped out of the room. The world went black. When I woke up, the doctor looked like she wanted to scold me, but her anger melted into a sigh. “You need to take care of yourself. After this, you can’t donate blood again for at least six months.” I smiled and said I would. As the doctor left, a young nurse whispered to her, “Why didn’t you tell her we couldn’t reach her emergency contact? What if she thinks…” “She won’t. That girl sees everything with perfect clarity. It’s a shame her heart fell on the wrong man.” I picked up my phone. The doctor had tried calling Anson over a dozen times. He hadn't answered a single one. Instead, he’d sent a text. 【Sienna, can you stop with the drama? Know your place.】 In that moment, I was grateful he hadn’t picked up. I couldn’t imagine the vile words he would have used to humiliate me. I didn’t reply. I stayed in that hospital bed for a full day before I had the strength to walk. The sun was bright outside, so I went to the hospital’s rooftop garden. There, I ran into Anson’s friends. They were all holding flowers and fruit baskets. For a second, I thought they were for me, and I instinctively turned to leave. But they surrounded me, their eyes raking over my hospital gown with amusement. “Well, well. Heard Anson was at the hospital with his new girlfriend, so you decided to check in and play the victim?” “You donated a little blood. Do you really have to be so dramatic?” “I’ll give you this, though, the makeup is pretty convincing. You look genuinely sick. I always said you were a manipulative bitch, but Anson never believed us…” Anson’s friends had never thought I was good enough for him. If he hadn’t forced them to call me their “sister-in-law,” they never would have accepted me. Now, with his approval, they could finally say what they really thought. Anson himself came up to join them. He saw me and froze, his brow furrowing. “Sienna, are you serious?” “I already agreed to marry you. Did you really have to bribe a doctor to admit you just so you could spy on me? Do you have any idea how suffocating you are?” “Let me be honest. If you act like this after we’re married, we’ll be divorced in a year.” 3 “Don’t trouble yourself. I don’t need you to marry me.” For six years, I had given him his freedom. When he wanted to drink with his friends, I waited patiently, never rushing him. If it was an occasion where I wasn’t welcome, I’d leave the moment he asked and be there to pick him up later, no matter the hour. I took care of him when he was drunk, without complaint. When he wanted to take a trip with his buddies, I booked their tickets and planned their itinerary. He even offered me his phone to check, but I never did. I loved him. And I didn't want to repeat the tragedy of my own parents' divorce, caused by my mother's suffocating need for control. I thought I had managed our relationship perfectly. Before his accident, we were as passionate as newlyweds. But now, I was learning that my love had suffocated him. So was that it? Was that the real reason he faked an illness—for a thrill, for an escape? Our eyes met, and I saw not a flicker of affection for me. The questions I wanted to scream at him died in my throat. He saw the look on my face and his frown deepened. He snatched a bouquet of lilies from his friend and shoved it into my arms. “Alright, stop playing hard to get. You won. Take the flowers and go.” He thought I was the same girl who could be placated with a small gift. He didn’t believe for a second that the woman who had sworn she’d marry no one else would actually walk away. I handed the flowers back to his friend. “These are for his girlfriend. It wouldn’t be right for me to take them.” “I donated the blood willingly. You really don’t have to force yourself to marry me.” A strange panic flickered in Anson’s eyes. Shouldn’t Sienna be overjoyed? Why did she keep insisting he didn’t have to marry her? Was she actually angry? “Sienna, I…” he started, a hint of desperation in his voice. His friends started coughing pointedly, and he quickly changed his tune. “Sienna, I’m a man of my word.” I just smiled. “You should get back to your girlfriend.” “I’m going to go get discharged now.” My calm acceptance seemed to unnerve him even more. He felt that something about me was different today, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. His friends, seeing his hesitation, threw their arms around his shoulders and dragged him away. “Come on, man, stop staring. You’ll make your precious Raina jealous. It’s an act. First the victim, now this. It’s what women do. You’re just too naive.” “Seriously. Look at what you did, getting her into that state. Raina is so understanding, not like some people who use a little blood donation to force a wedding…” Their words, meant for me to hear, didn’t sting as I expected. I just felt a profound coldness, a chill that the bright sun couldn’t touch. I watched them leave and checked myself out of the hospital. While Anson was out, I hired a cleaning service and went back to our home. The housekeeper stared at the brand-new decorations filling the apartment. “Miss, all of this is for a wedding. Are you sure you want to throw it all away?” “Yes. The groom died. It’s not needed anymore.” The woman immediately apologized and offered her condolences. To spare my feelings, she started with our wedding photos and the dozens of albums we’d filled over the years. Within half a day, the home I had so lovingly decorated was stripped of all its joy. A cold house, and a cold me. The housekeeper looked at the ten large bags by the door, filled with the evidence of our love, and shook her head with a sigh. “You have to be strong, dear.” I nodded and smiled. After she left, I did one last sweep of the apartment, making sure no trace of me remained. Then I deleted my fingerprint from the lock, grabbed my suitcase, and walked away. 4 I didn’t go to the apartment Anson had rented for me. Instead, I checked into a private recovery center. When I told the receptionist I’d had a miscarriage, she kindly gave me a room on a quiet floor. After a few peaceful days, I got a notification on my phone. A motion alert from a security camera. I’d forgotten to log out of the account for the apartment. I accidentally opened the live feed. The image that filled my screen was of Anson and his girlfriend, kissing passionately as they stumbled through the door. He pulled back when he saw the state of the apartment, pushing Raina away. “What the hell happened here?” He took out his phone to call me, but Raina snatched it from his hand. “Hey! Don’t you dare think about your ex when you’re with me. Pay attention!” She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers expertly sliding under his shirt. Anson groaned and slammed her against the wall, kissing her with a hunger I had never seen, not even in our most intimate moments. Within seconds, their clothes were scattered on the floor. “Anson, darling,” she purred, “I just got out of the hospital. You have to be gentle with me today.” Anson, pushed to his limit, begged her, his eyes glazed with lust, “You little witch. I’ve been holding back for so long. Why don’t you take charge?” Raina’s eyes glittered. She ran a finger along his jaw. “That depends on how you behave.” “Who do you love more? Me, or your ex-fiancée?” Anson, breathing heavily, went cold. “Sienna is my fiancée. Who do you think I love more?” “You and I had a deal. This was supposed to be about mutual satisfaction. If your body wasn’t so damn fragile, you wouldn’t be the one on top right now.” Raina immediately slid off him, her lip trembling as tears welled in her eyes. “I nearly died for you, and you say that? Fine! Go find someone else, then!” Anson hated it when women cried. He pulled her into his arms, smothering her with kisses, his apologies lost in her moans of pleasure. I watched, numb, as they moved from the sofa to the master bedroom, then to the bathroom. It hit me again, with the force of a physical blow: Anson did not love me. After his “accident,” I had cried myself to sleep every night, but he never saw my swollen eyes. He just called me dramatic and told me not to use my tears to manipulate him. He’d paraded other women in front of me, saying that even if he had loved me once, a little fun now wasn’t a betrayal. I was so profoundly grateful that I hadn’t kept the child. Given his obsession with Raina’s body, he would have married me and continued to see her. I could never be what she was to him. As the sounds of their passion started up again, I exited the app and deleted the account. The next morning, I was woken by a call from Anson. It was the first time he had called me since the incident. I saw no reason to speak to him and ignored it. When he couldn’t get through, he texted. 【Sienna, what is this? I already agreed to marry you. Why did you throw away all the wedding decorations?】 I didn’t want to be humiliated again. I decided to lie. 【That apartment has bad feng shui for us. I bought a villa by the sea. We moved.】 A few seconds later, I got a friend request. The profile picture was Raina. I declined. She was persistent, sending another request with the message: I have a video of you and Anson. I accepted. She immediately sent me a video of her and Anson. When the two-minute preview was up, she sent a crying emoji. 【Oops, big sister. I sent the wrong one. And I can’t unsend it now. What do I do?】 【I really thought it was you and Anson, it was so steamy! I was wondering how you got so good. How could he possibly be obsessed with my body if you could do all that? Turns out the star was me!】 【Sister, if I were you, I’d spend a little money on some lessons. You know, how to please a man? Maybe then your husband wouldn’t have run off.】 Then, she sent me a ten-thousand-dollar transfer. 【This is for the blood you donated. I prefer to settle things with money, not my husband. You’re invited to our wedding!】 I declined the transfer. 【Consider it my wedding gift. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness.】 I blocked her. The next two weeks passed in a quiet blur. My body started to heal. It was time to leave. I booked a flight to go stay with my best friend. Only after I’d paid did I realize the flight was on my original wedding day. On my way to the airport, I stopped at a jewelry store to pick up a gift for her. That’s when I remembered the wedding rings Anson and I had custom-made. I had designed them myself. I should get them back and get rid of them. But when the clerk checked the records, she told me Anson had already picked them up. The pity in her eyes told me everything. As I walked out of the store, I ran right into him. He was shopping with Raina, their fingers intertwined. On their hands were the rings I had designed. He saw me looking and started to stammer, “Sienna, these rings…” “They look good on you.” I turned to leave. He started to follow, but Raina pulled him back.
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