“If you want me to sign the divorce paper, meet me at the rooftop.”

Sending the text message to my husband, I took a deep sigh before I slid my phone back into the pocket of my jeans. I stared off into the vast emptiness, the darkness stretching out before me as the wind swept away my hair. The trees below danced with the wind, their branches swaying like they, too, felt the weight of the moment.

I was on the rooftop of the building where Daniel worked, and I chose this place for a very specific reason—because I knew he was terrified of heights.

I knew that the higher we were, the less likely he’d be able to bring himself to look down at me once I made my move.

Once I jumped.

I was determined to fake my own death tonight and make him believe I was gone. And in doing so, I would ensure he carried the blame for the rest of his life. He had wronged me—betrayed me in ways too painful to describe—and this was the only way I could think to make him truly understand the depths of his actions.

Nathan’s men were already in position. The cameras were ready to capture the evidence we needed. The net, stretched taut below, was prepared to catch me once I made my fall. Everything had been meticulously planned, and now all I had to do was wait. I didn’t have to wait long. Soon, I saw his silhouette emerging from the stairwell, slowly making his way toward me.

As Daniel came closer, he didn’t bother to hide the irritation in his expression. “Why do you need to see me? Just sign the goddamn divorce paper,” he demanded, his voice sharp and cold.

“You want me out of your life that badly?” I asked, my voice laced with a bitter chuckle, though the ache in my chest threatened to crush me whole.

“Yes,” Daniel replied without the slightest hesitation. His gaze was cold, detached—void of the love that once existed between us. “So sign the papers, Emma. You no longer matter in my life. I want to spend my years with Carla, so if you may, please be gone.”

His words were sharper than any blade, cutting through me with brutal precision. I felt the last remnants of my sanity and morality begin to crack under the weight of his cruelty, but I refused to let him see my pain. Instead, I lifted my chin and met his gaze with unwavering determination.

“You will regret all of this, Daniel,” I whispered, my voice a promise wrapped in steel. “I swear, you will live the rest of your life drowning in regret—until it consumes you, until it breaks you, until you lose your mind.”

Daniel scoffed, amusement flickering in his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re always so dramatic, Emma. Always spewing nonsense, threatening me as if you actually have the courage to follow through—”

He never got to finish his insult because without a moment’s hesitation, I stepped backward—leaning into the empty space behind me.

“Emma!” Daniel’s taunt twisted into a horrified shout as my body plummeted into the abyss.

The wind howled around me, whipping through my hair, stinging my skin as I fell. The world blurred into a chaotic mess of color and motion, my breath stolen from my lungs as gravity pulled me mercilessly downward. But despite it all, I kept my eyes open, searching and hoping in desperation to see even the slightest flicker of concern on his face.

But he didn’t look.

He never even leaned over the edge.

His voice faded into nothing, lost in the roaring wind as I continued to descend. The last thing I felt was the brutal impact of my body hitting the ground, landing with a sickening thud that

snatched away the light in me.

I was swallowed by pitch darkness, then when I opened my eyes, I found myself in an unfamiliar cottage in the middle of a small town with no memory of who I was and what happened before that darkness. I was a new person, not remembering a single thing, not even my name and my age.

My head was throbbing as I sat up on the bed, and despite my blurry vision, I looked around my surroundings to figure out where I was.

I was inside a wooden cottage, a lamp standing on the bedside table illuminating the entire room as the gush of the waves in the ocean outside tandem with the chirps of the crickets.

I had never been here before—I was certain of that. Yet, as I searched my mind for any trace of familiarity, all I found was emptiness.

It was as if I had been wiped clean, stripped of every piece of identity that had once made me me.

Then, a voice cut through the silence.

“You’re awake…”

I turned sharply, my heart pounding as I searched for the source of the voice.

A tall, well-built man stood by the wooden door, his face illuminated by the warm glow of the lamp he held in one hand. His dark eyes were unreadable, yet there was something in them—relief, perhaps, or something deeper.

Before I could utter a word, he quickly placed the lamp down and strode toward me with purpose.

“Emily, I was very worried. I thought you would never wake up,” he said as he pulled me into a tight embrace.

“E-Emily?” I asked, barely whispering.

The name was unfamiliar to me, giving me this weird feeling that I couldn’t quite point out.

He pulled back just enough to cup my face in his large, roughened hands, his fingers brushing against my cheek with delicate gentleness.

"Yes," he said softly. "Your name is Emily."

I swallowed hard, staring at him, searching his face for any flicker of recognition. But there was nothing. Just a stranger looking at me as if I was the center of his world.

"And… you?" My voice was barely above a whisper. "Who are you?"

A faint smile played on his lips. "I am Nathan," he said. "I am your husband."

Husband.

His words echoed inside my head over and over, making it throb in pain again as voices suddenly mingled with it. I could hear my own voice saying the word Nathan used to introduce his relation to me, but it seemed like I was calling out someone’s name.

My breathing grew unsteady, my fingers clutching at the sheets beneath me. "I… I don’t understand," I admitted.

Nathan's expression softened as he took my hands in his, his thumb stroking the back of mine as if to comfort me. "You need to rest, Emily," he murmured. "Don’t force yourself to remember."

I shook my head. "Remember?" My voice wavered. "How can I remember when there’s nothing there? What happened to me, Nathan? Why don’t I know who I am?"

A deep sigh escaped him, his gaze flickering with something unreadable. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally spoke.

"You were in an accident," he explained gently. "A storm hit while we were at sea. The boat capsized, and you hit your head in the water. When we found you, you were unconscious."

A gasp escaped my lips upon hearing the information, but before I could open my mouth again to ask another question, Nathan pulled me into a hug and softly laid our intertwined bodies on the bed.

"We must rest now, wife," he whispered, his breath warm against my hair. "I will explain everything tomorrow. And I’ll take you for a walk around the village. It might help you feel more at home."

His voice was steady, comforting. His body radiated warmth, making it difficult to resist his hold. So, in the end, I let out a soft sigh and nestled closer to him.

But I did not sleep. I lay awake the entire night, staring at the window, watching as the darkness slowly faded and the golden hues of dawn spilled across the sky.

“You promised to take me for a walk around the village,” I reminded Nathan as I watched him buttoning his tunic to prepare for fishing in the ocean.

“Yes,” he replied. “Let’s go.”

He took my hand and we walked out of our mini cottage together, immediately greeted by a swarm of village people who were just minding their own business before I showed up.

Their heads turned in my direction in unison, whispering to each other as Nathan and I walked past them.

Their eyes gave me chills all over my body, making me conscious and to bow down my head.

“Do not mind them. They are just surprised that you are finally awake,” Nathan told me.

“How long have I been unconscious?” I asked.

“Almost a year.” His answer made me gasp, clutching my own mouth to suppress it. “And we have been married for almost two years, Emily.”

“D-Do we… do we have children?”

“How I wish.” Nathan chuckled. “But you are enough for me. All I want is you.”

My heart warmed from his words, tugging my lips into a genuine smile as I watched him gently kiss the back of my hand.

I couldn’t believe that I have a husband like him. I must be the luckiest wife in the whole wide world. But at the same time, I felt like it was odd— like I haven't been treated this way before, like I endured something… pain? betrayal? I couldn’t exactly place what.

“I must go to work now,” Nathan said. “I’ll see you later.”

He kissed the top of my head before turning his back to walk toward the ocean, then when he was already out of sight, I overheard a conversation between the villagers.

“A millionaire from the City is looking for his only daughter heiress. They said she vanished almost a year ago and was suspected to be kidnapped by syndicates.”