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.

It was raining heavily on that day. Yohan and I were on the highway. Someone called him, and I could hear the voice on the other end clearly.

"A group of debt collectors are heading to the Walker residence to cause trouble. They're going after Ms. Walker now."

Yohan turned and glanced at me. I knew he wasn't asking for my permission—he was informing me that he would be heading to the Walker residence to look for Emily.

We were currently heading in the opposite direction of the Walker residence.

I softly said, "Just drop me at the service area up ahead. I'll take a taxi back on my own."

Even though I quickly opened my umbrella, I was still soaked through as soon as I got out of the car. The black Bentley sped past, splashing water all over me.

It seemed ironic that our expired relationship was met with a rainy day.

The old taxi I happened to be in started to skid on the highway. The moment the car lost control, a chill ran through me and I quickly buckled my seatbelt.

My heart was racing, and my mind went blank. With a loud crash, my head slammed into the car window from the violent impact.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment. I couldn't help but recall past moments of my life, but all I could think of were memories tied to Yohan.

When I was 10, my parents took out a loan to purchase a villa in the most exclusive neighborhood in Jyndale—and that was when I met Yohan.

My parents told me that he was the heir to the Palmers in Jyndale. They warned me to be extra careful and make sure to get on his good side.

Yohan was very good-looking, and I was happy to spend time with him. I ended up trailing behind him for seven years.

When I was 17, I seemed to fall for him, but he despised me. During the year when my feelings for him were at their peak, I was called a "bootlicker" by his circle of friends, and the people around me started calling me "Ms. Clown".

When I was 18, Yohan fell for Emily. I watched from the sidelines as he doted on her, and then watched him fall into a slump after she turned him down.

When I was 21, he pinned me against the bed and kissed me while he was drunk, yet the name he kept calling for was Emily's. I was supposed to push him away and slap him, but I hesitated.

Dad's company was struggling with cash flow and needed a large sum of money. Plus, getting together with Yohan had been a dream for me and my parents for the past decade.

I quietly endured everything—Yohan had called for Emily for as long as he was messing with me.

Yohan's grandfather soon found out about our affair. As the Palmers had always been a traditional family, he insisted for Yohan to marry me. In the end, I got what I wanted and became his wife.

When I was 22, I got pregnant. The pregnancy was incredibly tough on me—I had severe morning sickness, and my labor had complications.

…

My memories were tinged with pain. I found myself lying in the hospital ward when I opened my eyes again. My whole body ached, and my head was pounding.

When I was 27, I was lying on the hospital bed when my son called Emily "Mommy" right in front of me, and my husband did not deny it.

I pretended not to care, but the countless instances hurt me.

The people I couldn't bear losing were hoping for me to leave quickly. I chose to stay silent—perhaps happiness was never meant for me.

I was tempted to ask Yohan and Julian if they would speak harshly to the people they loved. But I would have gotten my answer when I saw the way they looked at Emily.

Yohan fell for Emily at first sight, and Julian also took a liking to her as soon as they met. It was his first time showing affection to others.

People often clung to the things they chose at first sight.

Julian was starting to resemble Yohan more and more—be it in his looks, personality, or his tastes. They both liked Emily.

I never saw her as the third wheel. That was because I was the one who stole what was hers from that night on.

People suffered because they chase after the wrong things. I figured this was the end of our marriage. It was time to return Yohan and Julian back to Emily.