After getting into an accident, I pretend to be an amnesiac to pull a prank on my husband and son.

"Who are you guys?" I ask.

A hint of delight flickers in my son's eyes. He pulls a woman waiting outside the hospital ward inside and says, "My parents and I came to visit you, ma'am."

My husband watches all of this happen without saying a word. He doesn't correct our son.

"My parents and I came to visit you, ma'am," a sweet, childlike voice said.

I had a bandage wrapped around my forehead. I then looked down at my five-year-old son, Julian Palmer. He was smiling mischievously with both his hands held by two adults.

Yohan Palmer, well-dressed and standing by the side, seemed to have no intention of correcting Julian's way of addressing me. Instead, he was looking at me with a hint of curiosity.

The woman, whose hand Julian held, was dressed in a long, white dress. She had an elegant and gentle air, yet she was nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear under my scrutiny.

Yohan noticed the way I was staring at Emily Walker. He then stood protectively in front of her.

If I truly had lost my memories, I might actually believe that these people before me were a loving family of three.

Julian tugged at Yohan's hand and whispered, "Since Mommy lost her memories, does that mean you guys can get a divorce now, Daddy?"

Although he was whispering, he was loud enough for me to hear him.

I knew this was one of Julian's tricks. He was punishing me for scolding and embarrassing him in front of the household staff yesterday. He was upset about it.

This was just another of his usual pranks—he took pleasure in punishing me. But I no longer wanted to play along with his pranks.

Since I claimed to have lost my memories, I would just keep up my act and pretend that I didn't have a son and a husband.

"Excuse me, but who are you people?" I asked.

Julian looked surprised. He sounded somewhat anxious when he said, "Do you really not remember me? That's impossible! I'm your child—the one you loved the most!"

Yohan frowned. His gaze was cold and his voice was laced with clear impatience. "Stop pretending, Naomi. The doctor said you only had a mild concussion—it's nothing serious. Don't think losing your memories would get you out of our divorce."

"That's right—stop pretending! How could you forget us when you love us so much?" Julian looked just like a carbon copy of Yohan with his brows furrowed.

I only felt a headache creeping up.

The nurse knocked on the door before I could reply. She said, "The patient needs to rest. Everyone else, please step outside."

Yohan and Julian immediately left with Emily.

The nurse walked over and said, "Your husband just came earlier. He's now out to buy you some oatmeal."

"My husband?" I was confused. Didn't she just kick him out earlier?

The nurse gave me a wink. "That's right. I was actually in obstetrics and gynecology four years ago, so I've seen both of you several times. It's really hard to forget a couple so good-looking like you two."

I did have my prenatal checkups done at this hospital four years ago, but not even once did Yohan come with me.

The nurse continued, "Besides, your husband was one of the few who wasn't on his phone at all. He had been waiting anxiously by the door for you to finish your checkup. He's tall, handsome, caring, and attentive—we nurses couldn't help but swoon over him back then!

"By the way, who's the man and child from earlier? Although they were handsome, they had such dark expressions. I almost thought they were here to ask for a fight!"

I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Yohan never attended any of the 14 prenatal checkups. Instead, the one who accompanied me was Samuel Spencer—my brother who was five years younger than me. He was only 18 years old back then.

I did not bother explaining the relationship between me, Yohan, and Julian. After all, we would no longer be related soon enough.

Before long, Samuel came in panting and holding a lunchbox. I was already starving—I hadn't eaten all day, and my stomach was starting to hurt.

Samuel hurriedly opened up the oatmeal and set it down on the tray table. He then arranged the spoon, napkin, and cup neatly.

"This water is warm, and this is your favorite blueberry oatmeal. Have some first while I peel the eggs for you," he said.

I accepted Samuel's care without hesitation. I first met him when Grandpa brought him back home when I was 15. He became my most loyal companion since then.

The pain in my stomach only subsided after I had a few mouthfuls of oatmeal. When I looked up, I noticed that Samuel's eyes were red.

"You don't know how worried I was when I heard the news of your car accident." His lips were trembling as he spoke in a choked manner.

I immediately felt a lump in my throat. Anyone would have felt afraid when met with a car accident. I was only lucky not to have gotten seriously hurt.

I did not want Yohan and Julian to worry, so I thought I'd pretend to lose my memories just to mess with them. But how would they possibly worry about me when they were both heartless?

…

I was discharged in a few days. I told the doctor that I could remember everything and everyone except for Yohan and Julian.

After my discharge, the doctor told Yohan that it was a temporary memory loss from the concussion. I would eventually remember things as I recovered.

I returned to our house. The sound of melodious piano music filled the living room. Emily and Julian were playing a duet.

When the song ended, Emily gave a thumbs up and praised him, saying, "Our little pianist is so amazing!"

Julian chuckled bashfully and replied, "You're the one who taught me well."

It was a picture-perfect moment of a loving mother and son.

I walked upstairs with an unchanging expression. The smile on Julian's face fell when he saw me.

Emily hurriedly stood up and greeted me, saying, "How are you feeling now, Mrs. Palmer?"

I stood at the staircase and nodded at her. "I'm recovering well. Please continue with what you're doing."

I did not despise Emily—I was only envious of her. She wasn't the third wheel who came between my marriage with Yohan. Instead, she was his unforgettable first love.

Although Yohan and I were married, there was a saying that rang true—the one who was unloved was the actual third wheel.

It was my first time seeing him fall head over heels for someone when he was 18—right during the height of his youth.

The Walkers went bankrupt just a month ago, and Emily was forced to return from overseas.

She used up all her savings to cover the Walkers' debt, yet it was hard for her to find a high-paying job with her music background.

Yohan tracked her down and offered her a job as Julian's piano teacher, with a monthly salary of 60 thousand.

"My new mommy is the best! I love my new mommy the most!" Julian exclaimed loudly in the living room.

"I'm not your new mommy, Mr. Julian. Please stop addressing me as such." Emily glanced at him awkwardly.

Julian was annoyed with the way she was addressing him. He hugged her legs affectionately and said, "I'll get mad if you keep calling me Mr. Julian! You have to call me Juli! You're so much more gentle than my mommy, I love you the most!"

He stole a glance toward the bedroom upstairs. When he noticed I wasn't coming out, he continued, "Can you move into my house? I want to see you as soon as I wake up.

"Even my daddy agreed to it, so why won't you move in with us? My house is so luxurious, you can have anything you want!"

Yohan did suggest for Emily to move into here—we had plenty of rooms, and it would save her the trouble of travelling back and forth. Plus, she had no money at the moment.

However, she insisted on renting a place elsewhere and turned his offer down.

"Mr. Julian… Juli, you should get back to practicing today's piano piece now," Emily said.

Julian shook his head, determined to get her to move in. "Are you afraid of my mommy? Don't worry—Daddy and I will protect you! She listens to him well, so she won't do anything to you."

He was my son, and he was intelligent. He knew exactly what to say to hit me where it hurt.

I walked out leisurely only after I was done putting on my pearl earrings.

Emily seemed a little uncomfortable when she saw me coming downstairs. "Mrs. Palmer, I—"

"It's fine, Emily, just move in here. I know it takes you three hours just to commute here by bus daily." I took the shoes from the household staff before continuing, "You don't need to feel guilty. I'm happy that you're back too."

Julian was taken aback. He was aware that I would tear up whenever Yohan drunkenly called for Emily's name in the past.

It wasn't his first time seeing her when she first came to our house last month. He found a photo of her which Yohan had carefully kept in his drawer, and had heard Yohan mumbling her name whenever he was drunk.

It gave him the perfect weapon to punish me. However, he was surprised to find that this weapon had lost its effectiveness.

"I want ice cream! Get me two—no, I want 10 of them!" Julian screamed. Yet, the only reply that came back was the slam of the door.

I had been looking like a mess during my hospitalization period. Now that I was finally discharged, I need to visit the beauty salon for some skincare treatments.

The chauffeur had been waiting outside for some time.

Meanwhile, Julian's expression returned to normal as he stood in the living room.

"Your ice cream is here, Mr. Julian." A household staff had taken some ice cream out of the fridge in a hurry.

"I don't want them!" He threw the ice cream onto the ground, glaring at the door that remained shut.

Julian started to wonder if I truly had forgotten about him.

…

Cynthia Lambert, Yohan's mother, found out that Emily had returned from overseas and was now Julian's piano teacher. She then rushed over with several bags of luxury goods.

She took Emily's hand as they sat on the couch. "You've had it tough, my darling Emily. Yohan would have helped out with Walker Corporation if only you had been together with Yohan from the start. Your family wouldn't have gone bankrupt then."

Emily anxiously replied, "You shouldn't say that, Cynthia. The past is already set in stone, and I'm grateful enough that Mr. Palmer is willing to offer me a job now."

"There's nothing that can't be said. I feel completely at ease having Julian under your care now." Cynthia patted Emily's hand with satisfaction.

She then continued softly, "Do you know that Yohan is getting a divorce now? He wanted it as soon as you're back—isn't that telling enough?

"Don't worry, even Juli is very fond of you. You won't be mistreated in our family, and Yohan will help to turn things around for the Walkers."

Despite knowing that I was at home, Cynthia did not inform me when she came over. I was tactful enough to not go out and interrupt their catch-up.

Not only did Yohan and Julian like Emily, but even Cynthia was very fond of her.

Emily came from a prestigious family, and her background was a good match for the Palmers. When Yohan happened to fall for her at first sight, Cynthia was beyond overjoyed. She immediately started thinking of the arrangement for a wedding between the two families.

Unfortunately, Emily did not like him. She turned him down without hesitation and went abroad to further her music studies.

Although Cynthia found it regretful, she grew even fonder of Emily. She saw Emily as an ambitious woman with her own goals.

Meanwhile, I came from a humble background. I was vain and driven by the desire for wealth and status, and I would stop at nothing just to marry Yohan.

I could tell that Cynthia held disdain and even disgust toward me, but her good manners kept her from showing it too openly.

Sometimes I would wonder if everything would work out the best for everyone if Emily was the one who married Yohan from the start.

…

My phone vibrated, and I opened it to have a look. The message notification indicated that the accident insurance payout had come through.

I thought I would gradually forget about what happened during the car accident out of fear, but it all felt like it happened just yesterday when I closed my eyes.