Chapter 1

Finley Frederick's first love, Jennifer Banks, got caught stealing the work of a brilliant scientist.

To save her from trouble, Finley knocked me out and made me take the fall for her.

"Abbie, you come from a good family and have a big name. Miss Hoffman wouldn't dare give you a hard time. But Jennifer doesn't have any influence. She can't handle this kind of mess. I promise, when you come back, I'll make it up to you. We'll live a good life together," he said.

But what Finley never saw coming was that when we met again, I had completely forgotten our past.

Later, Finley showed up at my door with our son Manuel, both of them kneeling for hours, just hoping I'd spare them a glance.

"Honey, please, don't leave us," Finley begged.

After a year of exile overseas, I could finally set foot back in my own country.

Finley was waiting for me at the airport, Manuel by his side, both looking anxious and hopeful.

"Hey babe, Manuel and I came to bring you home," Finley called out.

Finley nudged Manuel gently, hinting at him to speak up.

"Manuel, didn't you always say you missed your mom? Go on, give her a hug," Finley coaxed.

"I don't wanna!" Manuel blurted.

Five-year-old Manuel pushed out his lips in a stubborn pout, clearly refusing.

"I don't want a mom who copies other people's stuff! I want Jennifer to be my mom instead!" Manuel insisted.

Suddenly remembering, Manuel tugged at Finley's hand, looking desperate. "Dad, Jennifer said she's got an art show today. We said we'd go together! Hurry, let's go!"

Finley frowned in annoyance and scolded Manuel sharply.

Then he turned to me, looking nervous. "He's just a kid, he doesn't know any better. He's still mad you left without saying anything. Don't let it get to you."

I dragged my suitcase, fighting the urge to roll my eyes, and shot back coldly, "Why should I care about a little punk who doesn't even want his own mom? Why would I even bother? I'm just some random person to him."

Finley froze, staring at me in utter disbelief.

"Abbie, Manuel is your own son. You used to spoil him rotten. How could you say such things to him?" he blurted out.

Manuel's eyes turned red with anger, tears threatening to spill over.

"You're the jerk, you old witch!" Manuel shouted.

"Dad, I don't want her as my mom anymore! Send her away again! Make sure she never comes back!" Manuel cried.

"Once she's gone, Jennifer gets to be my mom!" Manuel wailed.

He was bawling and making a scene, but kept peeking at me with half-open eyes, trying to see how I'd react.

Back in the day, I would've just picked him up, held him close, and comforted him with soft words.

But now, I didn't move an inch. Manuel just cried even louder, totally confused about why I was suddenly so different.

Finley tried to calm Manuel down, but he just kept bawling. Finley bit his lip and looked over at me.

"Abbie, you nearly died giving birth to him. Back then, you could never stand to see him cry like this," Finley said.

I shot him a glance, then looked down at Manuel lying there on the floor.

Maybe I really did love this kid once.

After all, I carried him for ten months, went through hell and back just to bring him into the world.

But today, this kid's calling me names and begging for someone else to be his mom. Talk about irony.

Not wanting to get dragged into their drama any longer, I fished out the signed divorce papers from my bag and shoved them at Finley.

"Let's get divorced," I said.

Maybe I had lost my memory, but like it or not, he was still legally my husband.

Finley's face instantly darkened.

He snatched the divorce papers from me, didn't even bother to look at them, and just tore them up right in front of me.

"I know you're upset, but don't go throwing around the word 'divorce.' We're in love. We promised once we got married, we'd never split up. The three of us should just live as a family," he said.

"I only knocked you out because I had no other choice. I never thought it would actually wipe your memory," Finley said.

"It's all on me, but don't worry. I'll help you get your memories back, bit by bit," he added.

Finley didn't even let me protest. He just dragged me home and got the maid to help me get settled in.

The maid looked at me, eyes wide with envy, as she explained.

Finley had the whole villa customized to match my taste, just to make me happy.

But honestly, everything in this place felt completely unfamiliar to me.

"Have you been working here long?" I asked, curious.

The maid answered honestly, "I just started. Aleena Larson, the previous housekeeper, retired and went home to enjoy her retirement."

I nodded, lost in thought, and just took a casual look around.

The roses out in the backyard were in full bloom, their petals fresh and dewy. Honestly, they looked absolutely gorgeous.