Lydia was my mother-in-law's name. Hearing that she had a heart attack, I couldn't even hold the steering wheel steady.

My father-in-law, Daniel, who was always calm and steady, now had a hint of a sob in his voice.

"I don't know if Lydia will make it through this time. I'm afraid she won't even get to see her son before she leaves."

My heart sank, and I quickly turned the steering wheel around.

"Daniel, don't worry. I will go find him right now."

The moment he opened the door and saw it was me, Jeff’s face turned cold.

I shoved the phone into his hand, not caring about anything else.

"Your mother's had a heart attack, and she just wants to see you one last time. Are you still going to pretend, even at a time like this?"

Hearing that his own mother was in trouble, Jeff’s expression changed drastically.

He gripped the phone tightly, but just as he connected a video call, a finger with acrylics hung up the call.

Nora looked at me with an attitude and slammed the phone right into my face.

"Are you sick? Didn't you say yesterday that you wouldn't come to harass us anymore?"

Anxiety flashed through Jeff’s eyes as he reached back for the phone.

"She said my—"

Under my gaze, he changed his words mid-sentence.

"Her mother-in-law is in trouble and wants me to pose as her husband to comfort her."

Nora snorted.

"What do you mean, 'pose as her husband'? She must be lying, trying to force you to admit you are her husband!

"I've seen plenty of these jealousy tactics. You are not allowed to call! If you dare do it, don't touch me tonight!"

Seeing her angry, Jeff quickly tried to please her.

"Alright, alright, I won't call."

Looking at his submissive behavior, I said in disbelief, "Jeff, this is your mother.

"You've been missing for three years. She missed you so much that her eyes went nearly blind from crying. You can't even bear to make a single phone call to her?

"This might be the last time you two ever see each other!"

Jeff’s body stiffened. Just as his lips moved, Nora tightly grabbed his arm.

She looked entirely pure and innocent.

"As I said, my boyfriend is not your husband. How can you make him tell a lie to deceive people?

"Besides, he's not a doctor. Can making a phone call bring someone back to life? Can you please stop disturbing us?"

She rolled her eyes at me and signaled Jeff to close the door.

Jeff was still hesitating, but Nora’s hand had already restlessly slipped under his clothes.

With that, he couldn't care about me anymore, hurriedly leaving behind a single sentence.

"I can't manage that much. You guys find a good doctor."

The absolute heartlessness and coldness in his words left me in a daze.

The door wasn't closed tightly, and the hurried gasps pierced into my ears like needles.

His mother's life and death were uncertain, yet he could enjoy intimate moments of pleasure with another woman.

For the first time in all these years, I truly saw the person in front of me clearly.

After three years of searching for my husband, I finally had the answer.

...

When I arrived at the airport, I was notified that my plane ticket had been canceled.

While I was feeling confused, Jeff's friend, Randall, dragged me into a car.

"Didn't you come to find Jeff? Why are you going back alone?"

Looking at the anxiety hidden in his eyes, I said calmly, "Didn't he say it himself? He isn't Jeff."

Randall froze for a moment, quickly trying to fix it.

"You know he has amnesia, which is why he can't remember who he is.

"You can't be this cruel and just abandon him and leave!"

I sneered.

Who abandoned whom?

Who was the one who faked his death the moment I found out I was pregnant?

Who abandoned his family and ignored them for three years?

Before I even had a chance to question him, I happened to run into Jeff and Nora out shopping.

Looking at the large and small gift boxes in their hands, I froze.

Nora grabbed a handful of cheap wedding candies and shoved them into my hands, the smugness in her eyes completely impossible to hide.

"Jeff and I are getting married this Saturday. You should come.

"It'll be official then, and someone will finally give up."

Jeff looked at her tenderly, his tone full of doting.

"We are having a shotgun wedding. In another seven months, our baby will come into this world."

…

Hearing his tone full of anticipation, my heart ached.

Once, Jeff and I were also expecting a baby.

A week before our honeymoon, I found out I was pregnant, and the entire family was overjoyed.

However, while I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the fruit of our love, he was busy plotting how to fake his death and fly away with his mistress.

Even though I was carrying his own flesh and blood in my belly, it didn't cause him to waver even half a bit!

If he truly didn't love me, he could have just refused this marriage.

Why did he have to pretend to love me, only to deceive me until I was broken?

The hard shells of the wedding candies dug into my palm, and the smug smile on Nora's face was the greatest mockery toward me.

I knew clear as day that Jeff was doing this to solidify his relationship with Nora before returning to the Wingers.

That way, he would have a completely justifiable reason to bring Nora back to the Wingers in the future.

Meeting my gaze, Jeff did not look guilty at all.

"If you have time, come."

I stayed silent for two seconds, then nodded.

"Alright, I'll come."

Perhaps some things had to be seen with your own eyes before you could truly give up.

This wedding was far less grand than the one Jeff and I had back then, but it still cost a considerable amount of money.

I heard from others that Jeff even borrowed quite a lot.

In the past, he was the sole heir of the Wingers. He never worried about food or clothing, never lacked money in his hands, and never worked a proper job.

After faking his death and living in seclusion here with Nora, he basically relied on borrowing money to survive.

No wonder he was in such a rush to return to the Wingers.

After all, to the Wingers, the money he borrowed was nothing but a drop in the bucket.

However, Jeff didn't know that he could never go back to the Wingers.

I took a light sip of wine and watched as Jeff excitedly slipped the wedding ring onto Nora's finger.

That wedding ring officially put a complete end to the past twenty years of my youth.

Looking at the two of them beaming with joy, I spoke calmly.

"I have already attended the wedding. You'll let me go home now, right?"

Jeff froze, a trace of panic flashing across his eyes.

He thought I would cry and make a massive scene like before, but to his surprise, I looked as if I had completely accepted my fate.

As if I believed he was not Jeff.

If I left, though, what would he do about restoring his identity?

"Wait! Have we met somewhere before?"

Jeff hastily called out to stop me, clutching his head and pretending to have a flashback.

Looking at his completely atrocious acting, a trace of mockery flashed across my eyes.

"You must be remembering wrong. We've never met before. You simply look like my husband, that's all."

I returned every single word he had said to me back then.

Jeff's face darkened slightly, but he kept up his amnesia persona and didn't dare to lose his temper.

"Then why are so many images suddenly popping into my head? Did you and I have a wedding?"

He pointed at the venue and spoke with hesitation.

"I remember... lilies of the valley placed here, and you were wearing a mermaid-style wedding dress."

Listening to him recall our original wedding, the hatred in my heart only grew deeper and deeper.

Having been childhood sweethearts for twenty years, I had long decided that I would marry Jeff.

For that wedding back then, I prepared a full year in advance. Every single detail was filled with my beautiful hopes for love.

However, Jeff had delivered me a crushing blow.

He said we were going to Macondo for our honeymoon, but on the second day after going abroad, he vanished without a trace.

Back then, the one who cried until she nearly went blind wasn't just my mother-in-law, but also me.

At the time, I was so consumed by heartbreak that I suffered a miscarriage, all while having to face accusations from his family.

Meanwhile, Jeff was probably holding his little lover and rolling around in the sheets, right?

Looking up, Jeff was staring at me with a face full of guilt.

"I will try hard to remember those things. Why don't you take me home to see my parents first? Maybe I could..."

I smiled and interrupted him.

"I already told you all these things before, but didn't you have zero impression of them at the time?"

Not only did he have zero impression, but he also looked entirely impatient and tried to chase me away.

I smiled and continued.

"Did you drink too much and mistake these things as your own memories?

"I wouldn't fail to recognize my own husband. You really aren't Jeff."

Hearing those words, before Jeff could even panic, Nora did first.

"He obviously is!"

I stared straight at Nora.

"Didn't you insist he wasn't just a moment ago? Why the sudden change of heart? Did you catch amnesia too?"

Nora was instantly at a loss for words.

I knew exactly what she was after. She wanted to climb the social ladder through Jeff.

If Jeff couldn't restore his identity, she'd be even more anxious than he was.

However, they had already talked themselves into a corner.

Nora had cursed me as a mistress in public too many times. Though she must've enjoyed calling me that, she had now dug her own grave.

Amid the whispers from the crowd, Randall stood up abruptly and pointed at me.

"He is Jeff! Hazel, I know you're angry about him being with Nora, but you can't just deny who he is!

"His parents have been searching for three years. Are you really going to let them bury their own son just for your own selfish reasons?"

Every eye in the room fell on me, accompanied by insults that I was a vicious and heartless woman.

Randall shook his head and held up his phone.

"I knew you'd try to stop them from reuniting, so I made a call in advance and brought them here!"

...

Jeff breathed a sigh of relief and looked at me with disappointment.

"Hazel, what happened to you?

"At first, I thought, since I was wronging you by being with Nora, I'd give her some money and break up when I returned to the Wingers.

"But I never expected you to be so unworthy of me giving up Nora!"

Watching his heartfelt performance, I curled my lip in mockery.

"So, you want to divorce me and bring Nora into the family?"

Jeff paused, a trace of hesitation flickering across his face.

I knew exactly what he was hesitating about.

I was his childhood sweetheart. Our families were equals in business and social status. Nora, however, came from poverty and couldn't provide him with any leverage.

He was the type who always wanted it all.

He wouldn't have faked his death for three years only to reveal his tracks if he didn't want to come back.

Sure enough, Jeff spoke in a low voice.

"For the three years I had amnesia, it was Nora who stayed by my side, took care of me, and kept me company. I will not abandon her no matter what.

"As for you, I'm willing to give you a chance to turn over a new leaf out of our past relationship.

"From now on, you handle the external matters, while she handles the home. And you are not allowed to pick on her!"

I froze for a moment, then let out a snort.

He really was dreaming of having the best of both worlds.

Jeff missed the sarcasm on my face. Holding Nora's hand, he said passionately, "Nora is pregnant with my child. This child is Winger flesh and blood.

"I've already decided that he will be the future heir of the Wingers!"

Nora looked at me provocatively, acting coy.

"Isn't that too hard on Hazel?"

Jeff frowned.

"Hard on her? It's hard on you.

"She's narrow-minded. Letting her continue to be Mrs. Winger is already doing her a favor."

Watching their act, I said flatly, "Did I ever agree to share a husband with Nora?"

Nora looked delighted.

"You're willing to get a divorce?"

Jeff’s expression shifted before he finally looked at me.

"If you force me to choose, I have no choice but to side with Nora."

I laughed out loud.

"You don't have to choose. Because both of you are getting out."

As soon as those words fell, the door opened, and my parents-in-law walked in together.

Jeff lit up, and he hurried to greet them.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back!"

Nora stepped forward, cradling her barely visible belly, fawning over them.

"Today is a great day! The baby in my tummy is kicking!"

Jeff looked at me and vented angrily, "If it weren't for Hazel trying to stop us, we would have reunited as a family long ago. Dad, Mom, you see her true colors now, don't you?"

However, faced with their enthusiasm, Daniel shoved his hand away, frowning.

"Who's your dad and mom? Don't just shout blindly. Our son has been dead for a long time!"