AYAH'S POV

"You paid the bills? You didn't need to do that," I told Bryan. I had just found out that he was the one who saved me-and he even paid the hospital bills.

Wait... how did he even know I was there?

Just as I was about to ask him, a familiar figure caught my eye.

It was Ethan and Mia.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect our baby from Ayah," Mia said as if she truly felt guilty.

Protect the baby from me?

I clearly remember how she deliberately acted like I pushed her when, in fact, she threw herself down the stairs.

And what? Our baby?

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you and the baby from Ayah's immaturity," Ethan said. "I swear, I'll make her pay for this."

He spoke as if I wasn't his wife.

Now everything was clear.

He didn't love me anymore. The moment his first love returned, I became nothing more than a wife on paper.

This time, I needed to step back.

There wasn't even a competition between Mia and me. I already knew how it would end.

Suddenly, a tall figure stepped in front of me, blocking my view of them.

It was Bryan.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, confused.

"What? Is my handsome face not enough for you to stare at?" he said casually. "Why are you looking at garbage?"

He really hadn't changed. I thought he would be different after all these years, but it seemed like he was still the same.

I laughed.

"What? Aren't you done showing off your face to everyone and saying it looks good?" I said sarcastically, making a face at him. "Thanks for the information. We definitely didn't know that."

He clutched his chest dramatically as if my words had wounded him.

Maybe he was trying to compete with Mia's acting skills.

"You pretend not to know even though you can clearly see it? That's insane," he replied sarcastically.

Then he casually placed his arm around my shoulders and offered to take me home.

"This boastful b*stard," I muttered. "Am I blind? Because I really can't see what you're talking about."

"That's because you have terrible taste. You prefer someone who looks basic," he shot back.

We kept arguing like that all the way home. It was obviously a fake argument, but somehow it made me laugh.

I didn't even realize Ethan had arrived before us and was already waiting outside the house until he suddenly spoke.

"Is this what a married woman does?"

His voice made me stop.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were there," I said innocently, trying to suppress my sarcasm.

"Thank you for bringing her home," Ethan said coldly to Bryan. "But you don't need to do that again. I don't want this happening in the future."

Bryan didn't even bother responding.

"I'm leaving. Take care of yourself," he told me before walking away.

I watched as he got into his car and drove off.

Once he was gone, I entered the house without saying a word.

"Are you cheating on me with him?" Ethan asked as he followed me inside. "You know I hate that man, right?"

I was too exhausted to deal with his nonsense, so I ignored him.

My silence only irritated him more.

"What? Why won't you answer me?" he demanded. "Did you two go on a date? Did you sleep with him to get back at me? For heaven's sake, Ayah, Mia and I are just friends."

His voice alone was enough to make my head ache.

Furious, I turned to face him.

"Seriously? You're accusing me of cheating on you?" I snapped. "Have you forgotten what I witnessed?"

"Ayah, I'm not accusing you," he replied. "What you saw at Mia's place isn't what you think. I was just letting my frustrations out because you've been so annoying these past few days. I'm sorry you had to see that, but let's just forget about it."

Then he added coldly,

"Actually, you're the one who did something wrong. Mia had a miscarriage because of your immaturity and unreasonable jealousy. You have no right to be angry at her."

There he goes again.

Ignoring the fact that they cheated and blaming everything on me.

"I didn't push her down the stairs," I said firmly. "She did it herself to gain your sympathy. And look-she succeeded."

Why was I even explaining myself?

"You know what? This is pointless," I said before turning away.

I went upstairs to my room-not our room.

He kept calling my name and telling me to come back, but I ignored him.

I was done listening to his nonsense.

The moment I entered my room, I walked straight to the safe where I had hidden everything about my pregnancy.

Then I suddenly remembered something.

Bryan knew about it.

No way.

I quickly grabbed my phone and sent him a message.

"Don't you dare tell anyone that I was pregnant and had a miscarriage!"

Sent.

A few seconds later, he replied.

"You were? I don't remember."

I smiled.

That meant he would take that secret to his grave.

After some time, I left my room and walked to Ethan's office.

Everything was still neat-just the way I used to keep it.

Then something on his desk caught my attention.

A photo frame.

Our wedding picture.

I walked closer and picked it up.

Back then... we were happy.

As I was about to put it back, I noticed another photo hidden behind the frame.

Curious, I pulled it out.

The moment I saw it, my heart froze.

It was a picture of Ethan and Mia when they were still together.

Did he secretly love her all this time?

I quietly placed the photo back where I found it.

Then my eyes drifted to the papers lying on his desk.

My heart dropped the moment I read them.

Divorce papers.

With my husband's signature.

AYAH'S POV

I secretly took the divorce papers to my room. So, he was planning to leave me? Don't worry. I'll make it happen. After thinking carefully, I signed them. Tomorrow, I would take them to court. I placed the papers inside the safe and hid the key beneath the carpet. When I opened the door to leave my room, I was startled to see Ethan standing there, waiting.

"It's late. Why aren't you sleeping? Come to bed with me," he commanded. Not wanting to argue, I went to our bed-but sleep wouldn't come.

"Ayah, you should apologize to Mia. She lost her baby because of you. That's serious," he continued. If I had known he would just annoy me, I wouldn't have come. I didn't answer. I pretended to be asleep. If he knew I was carrying his baby when he chose to save her... would anything have been different? I laughed bitterly at the thought.

He didn't apologize. He didn't ask. Why was I still hoping for that? He was the one who caused our baby's death.

"I know you did it out of jealousy," he said calmly. "But I hope you realize your mistake. Mia is out of your league. She's rich, famous, beautiful, talented, gentle, sweet, and knows how to captivate everyone-even in bed. And you... you're just a housewife with no assets of your own. You only have my money. We had a baby in one try, while you struggled all these years. If you had accepted that the baby was mine too, we could have been happy. Even though it wasn't yours, it was still mine. I bet Mia wouldn't mind if we raised the baby together. You want a child, don't you?"

"Did you bring me to bed just to insult me?" I snapped. He was startled, thinking I was asleep.

"No, Ayah. I'm just being honest."

This is the problem with me. I never fight back. I hardly recognize myself anymore. If this had been ten years ago, I would never allow anyone to bully me. I stood up and grabbed my pillow.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'll sleep in my room," I said coldly, leaving without waiting for his response. I went to my bedroom and sat in front of the mirror, feeling numb and defeated.

Maybe I should just escape it all. All my dreams... wasted. I wrote letters to my family, friends, Ethan, Bryan, and even for myself, pouring my heart onto the pages.

I paused. My hands trembled. I wrapped them around my chest, trying to calm the storm inside. I wasn't going to harm myself. I just... needed to vanish, even for a moment.

A minute later, I grabbed my phone and dialed Isaac's number. Surprisingly, he answered on the second ring.

"Can we meet?" I asked.

"What's wrong? It's so late," he said.

"So what? In front of the coffee shop we used to go to," I replied and ended the call.

I grabbed my car keys, locked the bedroom door, and hid the key inside the teddy bear inside our bedroom. Ethan was asleep. I quietly went outside and froze when I saw Ethan's mother, Lady Elodia, talking to someone near the gate.

"What are you doing here, Mom?" I asked. She looked startled. "Why aren't you inside?"

"I planned to visit, but I ran into someone. Where are you going?" she asked.

I made an excuse-that I was buying food because I didn't want to eat at home. Lady Elodia, being the considerate mother-in-law she was, didn't question me and let me go. I didn't even ask why she was visiting so late because I noticed the man she was talking to. I bowed slightly and left.

While driving, I realized my phone wasn't with me. I couldn't contact Isaac. Frustrated, I tried to stop the car, pressing the brakes.

"What the hell?" I muttered.

I pressed the brakes again. Nothing. The car didn't slow down.

"Oh no..." Panic surged. I slammed the brakes again. Still nothing.

Then, bright headlights blinded me. A deafening horn blared. A truck barreled straight toward me.

Without thinking, I swerved sharply. The car spun out of control. My head slammed against the steering wheel, vision blurring.

When I came to, the car had stopped. But my heart sank.

The edge of a cliff.

The car teetered dangerously, the front wheels barely gripping the ground.

No...

I had no energy to scream. Every slight movement made the car shift, gravel tumbling into the darkness below.

Then I saw a figure approaching.

A figure.

Relief rushed through me.

"Help me..." I whispered weakly.

The person stopped behind my car. For a moment, I thought I was saved.

But instead of helping-

The figure placed both hands on the back of the car-and pushed.

Horror exploded as the car rolled forward.

The ground vanished beneath me.

The car plunged down the cliff.

The impact was violent, deafening. Metal twisted, glass shattered. My body slammed against the seat.

Then... everything went black.

AYAH'S POV

"Hold on, Ayah."

"Please, don't leave us."

"CLEAR!"

The voices around me sounded urgent, but distant. Everything felt chaotic, yet my vision remained dark. I tried to move, but my body refused to respond.

Then I saw a hospital monitor beside me.

The line suddenly went straight.

A flatline.

An indication that someone had died.

Wait... was that me?

NO!

"NO!" I gasped as I suddenly woke up, my chest heaving as I struggled to breathe.

I looked around in confusion and realized I was inside a hospital room.

For a moment, I thought it was just a nightmare.

But then a question hit me.

What am I doing here?

My eyes landed on a man whose head was resting on the side of my bed. He looked like he had fallen asleep while watching over me.

I stared at him, trying to remember if I knew him.

But I didn't.

"Uh... excuse me?" I said, gently shaking his shoulder.

Sorry, mister, but you're resting your head on my bed and I don't even know you.

He slowly lifted his head and looked at me.

Then he froze.

His eyes stared at me intensely, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Who is this guy?

What a waste... he's handsome, but weird.

Without saying anything, he quickly called for a doctor.

While the doctor was checking me, I couldn't stop wondering what was happening.

"I'm sorry," I said. "But why am I here?"

The doctor finished examining me before answering.

"People heard a loud crash from where your car was," he explained. "They found that you had been in an accident and immediately brought you here. Luckily, you survived."

Car accident?

I tried to remember what happened.

But nothing came to mind.

The last thing I clearly remembered was sitting in a coffee shop with Isaac. We were chatting like we always did before going home.

That was it.

I didn't remember driving a car at all.

"I really don't understand," I said with a small laugh. "I don't even remember driving."

Then I pointed at the man standing beside the doctor.

"How about him? Do you know him? I saw him earlier resting his head on my bed."

The doctor glanced at the man before speaking quietly to him.

"Excuse us for a moment," the doctor said before guiding him outside.

They left the room before I could ask anything else.

Ugh.

Where are Mom and Dad?

Why aren't they here?

I waited impatiently until the door suddenly opened.

"Wait-Isaac? Roxette? Kyla?"

My eyes widened.

"Ayah!" they shouted at the same time.

Isaac rushed forward and hugged me tightly.

"You remember us?" he asked in disbelief.

I laughed.

"Of course I remember you. Why wouldn't I? You're my treasures."

Isaac exchanged a worried look with the doctor.

"Ayah," the doctor said gently, "we warned them that there was a possibility you might experience memory loss after the accident."

"Well, I'm clearly fine," I said cheerfully. "Maybe I forgot the accident, but I still remember everyone important."

The doctor nodded slowly.

"In that case... do you know him?" he asked, pointing toward the man.

I shrugged.

"I already told you. I just saw him earlier resting his head on my bed."

"Ayah," the doctor said carefully, "that is Ethan Evans."

I thought about the name.

Nothing.

"I'm sorry," I said honestly. "But I really don't know him."

The room suddenly grew tense.

"Leave us," Ethan said coldly.

Everyone hesitated but eventually stepped outside.

"Wait!" I protested. "You're leaving me alone with him?"

Once the door closed, he walked toward me.

"Stop pretending," he said sharply.

My brows furrowed.

"Pretending?"

"This act of yours," he continued. "It's not funny."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied.

His jaw tightened.

"I am your husband."

I burst out laughing.

"You're joking."

His eyes darkened.

"Call my friends back," I said firmly.

When they returned, I pointed straight at him.

"This guy just said he's my husband!"

The doctor sighed.

"Ayah... do you know me?"

"You look familiar," I admitted.

"I'm Alexander Alvarez."

"Alex?!" I stared at him. "Why are you dressed like a doctor? We haven't even graduated yet!"

Everyone exchanged uneasy looks.

"Ayah," Alex asked carefully, "how old are you?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm eighteen."

The room fell silent.

"You've been in a coma for a month," Roxette said quietly.

"That still doesn't explain why everyone looks older," I muttered. "Besides, I'm sure he's not my husband because I love someone else, not him," I added.

Then Ethan grabbed my arm.

"Love?" he snapped. "You said you'd marry the one you love. That's me."

I pulled my arm away.

"You're scaring me."

Kyla spoke softly.

"Then... who do you love?"

I smiled proudly.

"Bryan Mitchell, obviously."

Alex blinked.

"Bryan Mitchell?"

"Exactly," I said. "Tell him I'm in the hospital. Maybe he'll visit me."

No one spoke.

Then Isaac sighed heavily.

"Ayah... you're twenty-eight years old. Not eighteen."

My smile slowly faded.

"What?"

The doctor stepped forward.

"Ayah, you're experiencing retrograde amnesia. Because of the trauma from the accident, your brain lost access to your recent memories."

"What does that mean?"

"It means your mind returned to the last point it remembers clearly."

My hands slowly clenched.

"In your case," he continued carefully, "that point is ten years ago."

The room felt colder.

"You remember your life when you were eighteen... but everything that happened after that is gone."

Ethan let out a bitter laugh.

"Convenient."

Everyone turned to him.

"You expect me to believe she suddenly forgot the last ten years?" he said harshly.

His eyes locked onto mine.

"Our marriage. Our life."

His voice dropped dangerously.

"Or are you just pretending again, Ayah?"