Chapter 3

According to Eliza, Melody tried to jump off the building, but instead hit her head and ended up with amnesia.

All she remembered was that Samuel was her boyfriend.

Samuel had always been the responsible type, so he instantly decided he couldn't just abandon Melody.

However, he felt he couldn't betray me either.

He'd already given me a grand wedding and the title of his wife, but Melody was left with nothing.

That was why he devised this plan. He wanted me to forget about the heartless bastard he was and to just pretend he was dead.

He wanted to be with the person he truly belonged with.

I let out a bitter laugh.

I still had no clue what Samuel was thinking these days but there was one thing I knew for sure.

The day Melody called Samuel, I posted our wedding photos online.

Melody was the very first to hit like.

After hanging up, I burst into tears.

All these years, I treated Samuel like he was my everything but he seemed to be treating me as a spare.

After learning the truth, I locked myself away at home for a whole week.

Eliza came knocking again and again, but I never answered the door.

I was already skin and bones, and after barely eating for a week, my face looked so hollow and sunken that I barely recognized myself in the mirror.

Seeing my own reflection freaked me out.

I had kept the curtains shut tight. Not a single bit of daylight got in, even though it was day.

Time really was the best medicine for a broken heart.

After more than a week, my mood finally grew calmer.

When I pulled open the curtains, the sunlight was blinding.

After staying in the dark for so long, the sunlight felt like a knife. It was warm, but it hurt.

Just then, my phone lit up with a call from an unknown number.

I had a pretty good idea who it was. I called back, and sure enough, it was Samuel.

He wanted to meet at a café, saying he wanted to clear the air between us.

After learning the truth, I was utterly disappointed with Samuel.

But I still couldn't accept it. Did Samuel never care about me at all despite how much I'd put in all these years?

I pulled myself together. I couldn't let him see how worn out I looked. I couldn't appear as though I'd lost.

*****

I arrived at the café.

Samuel still looked fresh and youthful, just like a university student.

His dark blue baseball cap didn't hide his charm at all. If anything, it made him even more impossible to look away from.

I forced myself to calm down and walked over.

Samuel looked at me like he always did.

He pulled out a chair for me, all gentlemanly, and gave me a soft, reassuring smile.

Before I could say anything, he spoke first, apologizing.

"Anna, I know I've let you down in so many ways. There's 60 thousand dollars on this card. It's a little something to make up to you. I'll send you another 150 thousand dollars soon. Treat it as I owe you," he said.

I stared at the card he handed me, frozen in shock.

"Samuel, why do you have to abandon me?" I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood.

As his wife, I took care of his father for three years.

The money I spent was way more than this, and that was not even counting all the endless love I poured into it.

Samuel looked sorry. "Melody lost her memory because of me. She's struggling with the same issues my mom has. I can't walk away from her."

I shot back, "Samuel, since you faked your death, I haven't had a good night's sleep in three years. I have to go to therapy every week now. If we're talking about who's had it worse, isn't it me? She's got you with her, but what about me? I'm the one was abandoned."

Tears started streaming down my face.

That was when Samuel finally remembered he'd run into me at therapy.

I said softly, "Maybe you don't realize just how much I love you. I was even willing to help you pursue someone else. When we got married, I felt like the luckiest girl alive because it was you who made me feel so blessed."

All the feelings I'd had over the past ten years, came down to just a few words.

Samuel said, "Anna, I know. I really do."

"Can you come back to me? I can let everything go. I'm even willing to cover Melody's medical bills to help her get better. Samuel, please. I love you so much. Don't leave me," I pleaded.

I was trying to win him back.

I never thought I'd stoop so low, begging like this, especially to the man I love most.

I didn't even leave myself a shred of self-respect.

Samuel was caught between a rock and a hard place.

The look in his eyes told me everything. He did care about me, but his heart belonged to Melody.

He was struggling, thinking about what it would mean to give up Melody for me. He didn't want Melody to commit suicide again.

In the end, Samuel still ended up choosing Melody over me.

"Anna, I'm sorry. Melody can't handle any more pain. You've still got your grandma, but she's only got me," he said softly.

I couldn't hold it in anymore and just broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.