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?"

AYAH'S POV

"We can run a few neurological tests to confirm the memory loss," Alex said.

"Or to confirm she's lying," Ethan muttered.

I glared at him.

"Why are you so obsessed with proving that I'm lying?" I snapped. "Do you think I wanted to wake up in this gddmn hospital after a car accident just to lie and get your attention? Get a life!"

My chest rose and fell with anger.

"I only chased one person in my life," I continued. "Bryan Mitchell. Him or no one."

I crossed my arms, standing firm.

Ethan let out a bitter laugh, but there was clear frustration burning in his eyes.

"You're a jealous freak, Ayah," he said through clenched teeth. "I understand why you're doing this. What I don't understand is how far you're willing to go just to get my attention from Mia."

His voice turned colder.

"You're ridiculous. A complete loser."

My temper flared.

"You know what?" I shot back. "Even if I really am twenty-eight years old, I would never marry someone like you!"

I scoffed.

"With this attitude of yours? The house would turn into a battlefield every day."

I pointed at him.

"And I don't even know who this Mia is that you keep talking about! Maybe she's your wife, not me!"

My voice rose.

"So get the hell out of my sight!"

"Hey, calm down," Kyla said worriedly as she stepped between us.

She turned to Ethan, clearly irritated.

"Ethan, if you really care about our friend, you shouldn't be stressing her out like this."

"That's right," Roxette added with a sharp tone. "Pretending or not, you don't have the right to pressure someone who just woke up from an accident."

Isaac, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke.

His voice was colder than everyone else's.

"I wonder if you actually care about her."

Everyone looked at him.

"If you don't love her," he continued, "then give her back to us."

The room fell silent.

Ethan's jaw tightened.

"I swear I love my wife," he said, his voice low but firm. "It's just that she's been acting strange for the past few months."

He paused.

Then he added something that froze the entire room.

"She even committed a sin. A crime."

My heart skipped.

Everyone stared at him in shock.

"A-what?" I asked, completely confused.

My brows knitted together.

"You're going too far now, Ethan," I said coldly. "Leave the room. I don't want to see you."

My patience had completely run out.

But Ethan didn't move immediately.

"We're not done yet," he said darkly. "I'll make sure your real intentions are exposed."

Then he turned and walked out of the room.

The door closed behind him with a sharp click.

I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever."

Once he was gone, the tension in the room slowly faded.

I turned to my friends.

"Do my parents know about the accident?" I asked.

Kyla hesitated before answering.

"We didn't tell them yet," she admitted. "We thought... you might get angry. So we decided to wait until you woke up first."

I frowned.

"Why would I get angry?" I asked. "Did something happen?"

No one answered.

The silence said enough.

A strange feeling crept into my chest.

Slowly, I reached for Isaac's phone.

"Let me see that."

He handed it to me without hesitation.

I unlocked the screen and immediately looked at the date displayed on the top.

My breath caught.

January 9, 2026.

My fingers froze.

"No..."

My mind raced.

That wasn't right.

It should say 2016.

Not 2026.

My eyes scanned the screen again.

The date didn't change.

The news headlines.

The calendar.

Everything said the same thing.

Ten years.

My stomach twisted.

"This has to be a prank," I muttered, shaking my head. "Did you guys change the date or something?"

No one laughed.

No one denied it either.

The room felt colder.

My grip on the phone tightened.

"So it's true..." I whispered.

I swallowed hard, trying to push away the growing panic.

Maybe the phone was wrong.

Maybe everything was wrong.

Maybe this was still a dream.

I forced myself to stay calm.

"Then tell me something," I said.

I looked up at them.

"Why did I get into an accident?"

Isaac crossed his arms.

"That's what we're trying to investigate," he answered. "What caused the accident-and the motive behind it."

My brows furrowed.

"Motive?"

Isaac hesitated before continuing.

"There's a rumor circulating among the elites."

He looked at me seriously.

"They're saying you tried to end your life."

My eyes widened.

"What?"

I almost laughed in disbelief.

"Killed myself?" I repeated. "Why would I ever do that?"

"That's exactly what we're trying to find out," Isaac said.

He sighed.

"It would really help if you could remember something."

Kyla nodded.

"We didn't have any communication with you for seven years."

Xette agreed quietly.

"You suddenly cut us off."

My chest tightened.

Seven years?

"That's impossible," I whispered.

Isaac continued.

"And recently... you contacted me again."

I looked at him.

"You called me," he said. "You were crying."

My mind went blank.

Rumors about suicide.

Seven years without speaking to my closest friends.

A husband I didn't remember.

A life that didn't feel like mine.

If it was true that I was twenty-eight...

Then what kind of life had I been living all this time?