Chapter 1

My husband's first love and I were kidnapped at the same time and were poisoned. He had just one dose of the antidote, and he gave it to her.

I ended up in the hospital, in a coma for a whole year.

When I finally woke up, the first thing he said to me was, "Let's get a divorce. Lydia's pregnant."

I stared at him, totally confused. "Sorry… Who are you?"

*****

The fact that I, Hailey Powell, actually woke up from my coma left the doctors completely stunned. Several top experts in the medical field took turns examining me.

It wasn't until they confirmed that my body functions had fully recovered that they finally sighed in amazement, "This is nothing short of a medical miracle."

According to them, I wasn't supposed to wake up at all. I was meant to stay in a vegetative state for the rest of my life until I died.

During my two months of rehab, my parents only visited me once. They didn't even look happy to see me awake. Instead, they just asked the doctors if I could still have children.

When the doctors said yes, their faces turned downright ugly.

After that, they never came to see me again.

I thought I'd feel wounded, but I didn't. Someone who had already lost all hope couldn't be hurt anymore.

On the day I was discharged, my brother, Oscar Powell, came to pick me up.

"Lydia's feeling ill lately," Oscar said. "She's been complaining about chest pains these past few months. Don't blame Mom and Dad for not visiting you much. Lydia's always been frail since she was a kid..."

Halfway through, he noticed my blank face and assumed I was sulking. His tone turned impatient. "Can you stop being jealous of your own sister for once?"

When he suddenly raised his voice, I stared at him, totally lost. "What? I was just looking at that dog outside. See? It looks really stupid when it cries."

There was a husky as big as a person by the curb, bawling its eyes out while a crowd of people stood around laughing at it.

I couldn't care less about what Oscar was saying.

Oscar realized he'd misunderstood, but didn't bother to apologize. He just kept talking. "Lydia hasn't been well this past year while you were in the hospital. When you get home, don't get into it with her..."

"Sure," I replied, cutting him off before he could finish.

His tone was so annoying, I just wished he'd shut up already.

His brow furrowed again. "What are you plotting this time?"

I met his gaze and shot back, "Why would you ask me that?"

He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

"Forget it," he said after a pause. "Don't go home. Lydia moved back this month. The Sullivan Manor would have a spare room—go stay there.

"Have a proper talk with Luke. After all, you two are married. If it really doesn't work out, just get divorced."

I was completely at a loss.

Just then, someone tapped on the car window.

It was Luke Sullivan.

He was sort of my not-quite childhood friend.

Oscar got out and exchanged a few words with him. I had no idea what they talked about, but then Oscar opened my door and motioned for me to get out.

"Looks like Luke's here to pick you up. Go with him. You two can sort out whatever's going on," Oscar said.

Luke didn't even bother with small talk. He just said flatly, "Let's get a divorce. Lydia's pregnant."

I blinked, momentarily stunned. I didn't lose my temper, make a scene, or break down crying like some drama queen. I was so calm, it was like I had heard some random gossip.

My reaction only made Luke even more indifferent.

"I guess I owe you," he said. "Just tell me what you want in the divorce. If I can give it to you, I will."

"Who do you think you are? My husband? What a joke. I have a boyfriend—Ethan Fischer," I shot back.

I was getting a little pissed off.

If this whole thing was a joke, it wasn't funny at all.

I really had a boyfriend. Ethan was my senior at university. He was gentle and kind—totally different from Luke.

Luke's face turned ugly as he glared at me, jaw tight. "Hailey, don't push your luck. Marrying you was a mistake from the very beginning. Lydia's the only one I've ever loved.

"If you had even a shred of self-awareness, you would've agreed to divorce the second she came back. It's all your drama that got you targeted by those criminals in the first place..."

SMACK.

I slapped him right across the face. "Are you out of your damn mind? I told you I have a boyfriend, so quit your crazy talk. If Ethan misunderstood, I won't let you off."

A red handprint appeared on Luke's face as he stared at me in utter shock.

Oscar was just as stunned.

The two of them exchanged a glance, then dragged me back to the hospital.

After running all sorts of tests, the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me. According to them, it was totally normal to forget some stuff after being in a coma for so long.

But ironically, I remembered everything except ever marrying Luke.

As we left the hospital, I stared straight at Luke. "First of all, I don't like you, so don't flatter yourself. Second, the city hall is still open. Let's get that divorce right now. And finally, get the hell out of my life."

Oscar had never seen me look at Luke with such obvious disgust before. I used to blush and smile just hearing Luke's name. Now, I was a whole different person.

He leaned in and quietly reminded me, "Don't be like this. What if you remember everything one day and regret what you did today?"

I lifted my head, shot Oscar a calm look, and said firmly, "I won't regret it."

Oscar opened his mouth to say something else, but I cut him off. "If I divorce him, Lydia will finally get her chance to marry him. But if you keep persuading me, I might remember everything. And Lydia might just lose her shot."

Oscar's face darkened with anger. "Lydia's your sister. How can you talk about her this way?"

"You're the ones who told me I'm married to Luke," I shot back. "Lydia got pregnant with his kid while I was in a coma. It's pretty damn obvious she's the homewrecker here. Or have you lost what's right and wrong?"

"And by the way, I'm your sister too," I continued. "During my rehab, you didn't come to see me once. Mom and Dad showed up exactly once, and all they wanted to know was if I could still have kids.

"I remember wondering why they had asked that. Now it makes sense. They already knew Lydia was pregnant. If I couldn't have kids, they'd have the perfect excuse to have Luke divorce me."

Luke's eyes lost its cold, hostile edge. Instead, suspicion grew in them.

"Are you really telling me you forgot we were married? If this whole amnesia thing is just some act to get my attention..." he said.

I couldn't help but curl my lip, looking at him with pure disdain. "You're not even half as handsome or gentle as Ethan. Why on earth would I ever marry you?

"Honestly, I'm starting to doubt this whole 'we were married' story. Has my taste really hit rock bottom? Did I seriously settle for someone like you?"

Luke's eyes were practically blazing as he gritted his teeth. "You were the one chasing me then, doing everything you could to win over my family. If Lydia hadn't gone abroad, I never would've married you."

I shook my head hard, blurting out, "No way. I'm not that desperate. Compared to Ethan, you're dirt beneath his feet. If I were ever going to chase after a guy, it would be him, not you."