Chapter 1

I found myself back on the day I was diagnosed as pregnant.

My husband, Alexander Sutton, had just woken from a coma after an explosion, his memory in fragments.

His attending physician was his childhood sweetheart, Jenny Grant.

"Alexander's cerebral trauma has impaired his emotional cognition," she said. "You have a choice: should he remember you're carrying his child, or remember that I am the woman he truly loved?"

In my previous life, I told her to make him remember the baby.

The Alexander who regained that memory acknowledged our child, yet he treated me with nothing but ice. All his warmth and attention went to Jenny, alongside constant claims that he owed her.

I became the laughingstock of our circle, a woman who had banked on motherhood but still failed to keep her husband's heart.

He even transferred his entire stake in the Sutton Group to Jenny, declaring her his one true love.

As for me, consumed by postpartum depression and public ridicule, I jumped from a high-rise, my child in my arms.

Only in death did I learn the truth: he had never lost his memory. The amnesia was a calculated ruse to force me into divorce.

Given this second chance, why would I cling to a man who never loved me?

I rested a hand on my stomach and replied with detached calm, "Let him remember you. And schedule the termination procedure for me."

"Mrs. Sutton, are you absolutely sure? It is, after all, a living being," Jenny said.

"I am sure." I looked directly into her eyes.

"The procedure can be very hard on the body. I strongly advise you to reconsider," Jenny continued, feigning concern.

A faint, sarcastic smile touched the corner of my mouth.

"Dr. Grant, you are Alexander's physician, not mine. My personal affairs are none of your concern," I replied, my tone icy and dismissive.

I stepped around her and walked directly to the nurses' station, raising my voice slightly to ensure it carried down the corridor.

"I would like to schedule an abortion as soon as possible," I said.

The nurse looked up with surprise, her eyes darting from me to Jenny, lingering there with a searching, questioning look.

Ignoring her, I took the appointment slip and walked away.

As I passed Jenny, I halted for a moment.

"One more thing," I added, my voice like ice. "Do not let him remember me. The very thought disgusts me."

I watched as every ounce of her poised calm drained from her face, leaving behind only naked shock.

*****

After completing the paperwork and returning to the hospital room, I found Alexander already awake.

Jenny was seated at his bedside, gently helping him sip water.

When I entered, Alexander's eyes held a calculated blend of unfamiliarity and wariness.

"Who are you?" he asked, his tone guarded.

His act was as convincing as it had been in my previous life.

Jenny quickly rose, placing herself protectively in front of him.

"Alexander, you have just regained consciousness. Don't agitate yourself. This is... Ms. Summers," she told him.

I gave a faint smile, choosing not to expose their charade.

But humoring their act was exhausting.

I set a folder on the nightstand.

"Since you don't remember me, this simplifies everything. Sign the divorce papers," I said, my voice steady and resolute.

The room fell into complete silence.

The expressions on Alexander and Jenny's faces were remarkable.

They had likely imagined countless scenarios: me sobbing, making accusations, clinging desperately. But they had never anticipated I would be so direct.

The feigned vagueness fell away from Alexander's expression. His brow furrowed, and his eyes cut through the pretense with a piercing clarity.

"Divorce?" he repeated softly, as if confirming what he had heard.

"Yes, divorce," I said with a nod. "Since you only remember your precious Jenny, there is no point in my clinging to the title of your wife.

"We will divide the assets according to our prenuptial agreement. I will not ask for a cent more, and do not dare to cheat me out of what is mine."

The prenuptial agreement had been drafted by the best legal team my father could hire, as he feared I might be taken advantage of.

In the event of a divorce, thirty percent of the shares in Alexander's company would be transferred to me as compensation, unconditionally.

Jenny's face drained of color.

She understood the contents of that agreement. If Alexander signed it, everything she had schemed for would be severely diminished.

She took Alexander's hand, her voice soft and sweet. "Alexander, you are still recuperating. This is no time for such discussions."

Then she turned to me. "Ms. Summers, Alexander has only temporarily forgotten you. How can you be so cruel as to bring up divorce when he is at his most vulnerable?"

There she went again, slipping seamlessly into her performance of goodness.

I looked at her, finding the whole display utterly absurd.

"Dr. Grant, he may have forgotten me, but he hasn't lost his faculties. Merely signing a document won't hinder his recovery," I said, my tone cold and dismissive.

I held up the appointment slip. "Besides, the abortion is already scheduled. You needn't worry about a single trace of connection remaining between him and me afterwards."

Alexander's pupils constricted sharply.

Alexander's mother, Eleanor, who had been observing from the doorway, could no longer restrain herself and entered abruptly.

She snatched the appointment slip from my hand, and upon seeing the word "abortion," she trembled with anger.

"Laura! You vicious woman! What do you think you're doing? That is the Sutton family's first grandchild," Eleanor shouted.

I met her gaze, my expression cold and detached.

"This is my child. I will decide whether to keep it or terminate the pregnancy. It is no concern of the Sutton family," I stated.

"You!" Eleanor was so enraged that she raised her hand as if to strike me.

I did not flinch.

I knew she wouldn't dare.

The Summers family still held influence, so she dared not lay a hand on me.

Sure enough, her hand halted midair, and she could only point a finger at my face and hurl a stream of curses.

"Fine, Laura! You think you've grown bold? Let me be clear: as long as I live, you will never set foot in the Sutton estate again." Eleanor's voice trembled with anger.

"Perfect. I couldn't care less," I replied, retrieving the appointment slip and tucking it neatly into my bag.

"Alexander, the divorce papers are here. You have three days to decide. Once you sign, I will take what is mine and leave without any further fuss," I said, my tone icy and resolute.

With that, I turned and walked away without a backward glance.

I knew exactly what they wanted: a Sutton heir. They simply did not want me, the inconvenient mother, in the picture.

But this child was mine, and only I would decide its fate.