Chapter 2

I turned and headed for the fire escape behind the inpatient wing.

Before I even got close, I heard Clare's voice, low and hushed, coming from inside.

Sh "The doctors said your concussion's cleared up, and your memory's almost back.

"So how much longer are you going to keep up this act?"

I froze in my tracks.

The next second, Arthur's voice came through, calm and distant. "A few more days.

"Callie's waited for me all these years. I can't push her away the moment I wake up."

Clare still sounded uneasy. "And what about Gabriella? And Ella?"

Arthur paused for a couple of seconds, his voice so calm that it was almost cruel. "Gabriella's always been patient.

"Right now, she's scared something might happen to me. She won't make a scene.

"I'll play along with the memory loss and bring Callie back to the Baxter family.

"Once Gabriella hands over the fund authorization, the proxy agreement, and those signed documents, we can discuss divorce."

I stood outside the door, a chill creeping over my hands and feet.

The window in the hallway was left open, and the wind rushed in, making the medical file in my hand rustle noisily.

But no one inside heard a thing.

Clare still sounded uneasy.

"Have you really thought this through? Pretending to have amnesia isn't something you can brush off," she said.

Arthur chuckled. "Faking amnesia looks a lot better than admitting I cheated.

"Besides, Callie's been through so much these years. I should make it up to her somehow."

I clenched my fist so hard that my nails bit into my palm, the pain drilling deep.

But not a single tear escaped me.

I slowly took out my phone, started recording, and saved every word as I heard them.

From that moment, I no longer wanted to be Mrs. Baxter.

I only wanted to be the nightmare Arthur would never outrun.

I turned and headed back to the hospital room.

Clare and Callie were both there.

Arthur was leaning back on the bed, letting Callie dab his lips with a cotton swab.

I stood in front of them.

Everyone instinctively turned to look at me.

Clare frowned. "Gabriella, what are you trying to stir up now?"

I ignored her.

I lowered my head and, bit by bit, took off the wedding ring from my finger.

It was the ring Arthur had put on my finger himself when he proposed.

He said he'd protect me for a lifetime.

Thinking about it now, what a joke that turned out to be.

I took Callie's hand, and as her face turned pale, I slowly slid the wedding ring onto her finger.

The room was so silent that we could hear a pin drop.

Clare froze, speechless.

Callie was left stunned.

Arthur stared at me, his brow furrowed hard. "Gabriella, what do you mean?"

I looked at him and smiled softly. Nothing.

"Since you only remember her, I'll let you have what you want.

"From today, Callie will be Mrs. Baxter instead of me."

As soon as those words left my mouth, it was like the whole room had hit pause.

Clare was the first to react.

The shock in her eyes quickly faded, and she couldn't help but look pleased.

She said, "Gabby, I'm glad you've thought it through.

"With Arthur in this state, it's more convenient for Callie to look after him."

Callie insisted it wasn't appropriate, but she left her hand there with the wedding ring on, not pulling it back.

She kept her head down, her eyes red, looking like she'd been hurt more than anyone else in the world.

She murmured, "Gabby, please don't get the wrong idea. I'm just worried about Arthur."

I looked at her, my smile fading even more. "Don't worry. I know what's going on.

"I won't get the wrong idea here.

"It's crystal clear what you really want."

Arthur's expression turned downright ugly.

He never thought I'd let go this fast.

But he still didn't say a word, because this was exactly how he wanted things to turn out.

On the day Arthur was discharged from the hospital, Ella and I sat in the back seat.

Callie slid into the front passenger seat as if she belonged there, and Clare spent the whole ride doting on her, asking if she was tired or thirsty, as if she were the Baxter family's real daughter-in-law.

I held Ella, who was fast asleep, and caught Callie and Arthur exchanging glances in the rearview mirror from time to time.

Suddenly, it felt like I was watching a cheap drama play out right in front of me.

Everyone was acting in this lousy play.

I was the only one who finally saw things for what they were.

Even as the car rolled into the villa, I still held onto this stupid bit of hope.

But the second I stepped inside, I realized how much of a joke I'd become.

The master bedroom door was wide open, and it already had fresh new bedding.

Callie had parked her suitcase right at the door boldly.

As for Ella and me, our things were neatly stacked by the guest room door.

Clare stood by the stairs, not wasting a word on explanations.

She said bluntly, "Arthur can't handle any stress right now, so Callie needs to stay close.

"You and Ella can move to the guest room for now."

I stood there, not moving an inch.

The master bedroom was where I'd lived for five years.

The curtains, the carpet, the bedside lamp, the wind chime on the balcony, every single thing, I picked out myself, piece by piece.