As the car started, I watched the garage lights fade, mirroring the dimming of my heart.

For an instant, tears streamed down my face and suddenly felt like a mix of emotions. And then, my stomach ached.

I took a deep breath to compose myself, but I heard footsteps behind me.

The footsteps were steady and rhythmic. I assumed a resident was coming to retrieve their car and prepared to step aside.

The voice-controlled light turned on for an instant. On the side, a man appeared not far from me. I caught sight of the fruit knife in his hand and continued to walk in my direction.

For an instant, my heart almost skipped a beat and in one blink, I immediately ran without waiting for the man to reach near me.

As I continued to run and was determined to escape, I saw the garage exit, bringing a light on the situation.

I was just steps away from the garage exit when I noticed the man had spotted me and started chasing me.

The villa area was nearly deserted at night and I regretted living here for the first time. Desperate, I called for help, hoping the security department would hear me. I still didn't want to die at all.

My mouth tasted of blood from exertion as I ran, but I couldn't seem to escape him.

As the man approached with the knife, the fear of death overwhelmed me. Thoughts of Jayden's heartless face and many what-ifs raced through my mind.

Life was full of surprises and I had no idea what would await me in the end.

If I hadn't stopped the car to tell him about the pregnancy, if we hadn't been together, hadn't gotten married, hadn't liked him from the beginning, would things have ended differently?

The bright lights blinded me and I was knocked to the ground before I could do anything.

As soon as I opened my eyes and scanned my eyes, it turned out it was my very own best friend, Wendy Logan, who held my hand as if she could burst into sobs later on. Otherwise, she wouldn't. Her expression was unpredictable. I continued observing her face, trying to read her mind, but I felt strange.

I patted her nose gently, feeling a bit helpless. "No, I just had a fever and was in the hospital. Your expression makes it seem like I'm dead."

Wendy's stare at me darkened. She then reached out and pinched my cheek.

"Quickly tell me, are you okay?" After a long silence, she asked and embraced me as tightly as possible, as if there were no tomorrow.

"Gosh, Riley! You scared me to death!" She said, continuing to shake her head. "Why did you dare to go out and find him in the middle of the night? Are you out of your mind? Looking at the security footage, I was scared of what you were doing! Aren't you aware of how dangerous what you are doing is?!"

She continued, "It's another creep chasing and getting hit by a car."

That made me pause and realize they were indeed wrong. I only grabbed Wendy's hand and interrupted her before she could continue to say something else.

"Wait, wait. What did you just say about being chased? Our school's security is always on top. Who would dare challenge it?" I asked.

However, I seemed to feel something was wrong, which confused me. She panicked and went outside, calling for help.

"Doctor, doctor!" She yelled.

As soon as the doctor came, he checked me and confirmed that I had lost my memory. The doctor had discussed with me that my memories weren't from the present but back to when I was still in my senior year at university.

The doctor told me that for me to recover the memories that were gone from me, it was best for me to visit any familiar places and try to recall the messages I had with them. I would love to try it. It was scary to forget important details.

"Preferably someone who has had a strong emotional experience," I shared.

My best friend nodded and after seeing me off, the doctor changed his attitude and said, "Forget it. It's good to be so carefree."

It made me mute momentarily and I was quite confused with what he said.

"Well, you said it's good, so it must be that good to try," I added.

Since Wendy needed to work, she only had to be accompanied inside the hospital until the afternoon.

When she left, I had nothing else to do; I just got my cell phone and played with it.

As soon as the door on the side cracked open, I was on cloud nine, thinking it was Wendy, but soon after I brought my gaze there, I realized it was him. Jayden Cooper.

It was indeed him. Jayden was with his woman. He dared not ask me how I was but started complaining, "You haven't had enough trouble? Is it interesting to look for my mother every few days? You also make things difficult for Alice. Are you disgusting?"

I glanced at the woman he was protecting and my throat felt uncomfortable as if it had swallowed a thorn. I retorted, "When have I ever looked for Auntie?"

The girl looked delicate and fragile. When I glanced at her, she seemed scared, hiding behind Jayden, only peeking half her face to look at me.

I felt a surge of frustration hearing her words. Jayden's eyes showed pain as he held the girl protectively. His gaze towards me turned colder and he said, "I've told you Mrs. Cooper's place will always be yours, but if you continue like this, we'll have to divorce. I have no other choice."

His familiar yet grown-up face filled me with mixed emotions as he approached. I took a deep breath and in an instant, I slapped him in the face.

The slap echoed in the ward, freezing Jayden's expression with disbelief and disgust, his cheeks flustered.

When he glanced at me, his eyes seemed like he didn't like it. He said, "Riley, you shouldn't hit people even if you're furious. Please keep that in mind."

I threw the pillow aside and retorted, "What's the matter? Are you scared because the slap wasn't aimed at you?"

Jayden tightened his fists, ready to move closer. Quickly, I pressed the call bell.

The ward doctor intervened, saving me from the confrontation.

As they left, visibly upset, I suddenly felt relief.

It seemed like the slap I delivered had left a psychological impact on him.

During the few days in the hospital, I didn't catch sight of him again.

This morning, Wendy accompanied me for a check-up and the doctor congratulated me on the results.

With a smile, the doctor said, "Congratulations, you can now be discharged from the hospital. What you need to do now is to rest well, supplement nutrition, don't drink or smoke and engage in other activities appropriately. It won't have any impact on your body."

The doctor looked at his eyes and added, "You can't drink alcohol. Please remember that. Don't dare to forget."

That alone made me feel that being discharged or not was still considered meaningless.

"But I want to drink," I replied, glancing at Wendy.

However, Wendy shook her head and said, "There's no way!"

"Fine! All right!" I had no other choice but to tell her.

That afternoon, Wendy handled the discharge procedures for me.

At that time, I could probably speculate that my parents had gone on their honeymoon again. That was fine for me. Besides, I didn't want them to be worried about me.

Later, I called Aunt Cora, who knew about it and reminded her not to tell anyone.

On the other line, Aunt Cora seemed to be concerned. She said, "Riley, where do you live? I'll have Jayden pick you up."

Listening to her words, I felt a bit strange and politely declined.

"No need, Aunt Cora. He has someone he likes. If he comes to pick me up, his girlfriend will be angry," I reasoned out and didn't want it.

"I'm staying at my friend's house. Please keep it a secret, Auntie. Don't tell my parents. They'll worry," I explained.

Aunt Cora sounded apologetic, saying, "Riley, listen to your mother. Jayden's child is just confused. He's always had feelings for you. I'll talk to him."

Why does she still call herself mom?

I glanced at Wendy and muted the speaker.

Aunt Cora kept lecturing, "They argue all the time."

I couldn't bear her mindset. I reminded myself she's my aunt who's loved me since childhood. I couldn't be rude.

After that, I said, "Aunt Cora, you're worrying too much. It doesn't matter to me who Jayden chooses. People can marry and divorce nowadays. Don't always defend my mom. It's not fair to Jayden.”

After that, I hung up the call and went into total silence.

As I looked back at Wendy, she had a relieved expression, which gave me goosebumps.

I reached out and touched her forehead, then mine. I nodded and said, "You don't have a fever either."

"Riley!"

I let go and tried to slip away, but due to physical reasons, I couldn't walk fast and she rubbed my head heavily.