When my wife, also the president of a company, learned that I had voluntarily donated part of my brainstem tissue to awaken her long-cherished love, who had been lying in a coma, she finally left the abbey where she had been praying for his recovery for the first time in seven years. She came to the company and asked what compensation I wanted.

Everyone assumed I would seize the chance to ask her for a child to secure our marriage.

Instead, I handed her a divorce agreement.

For a moment, the entire office thought I was simply playing hard to get.

My wife’s expression turned icy. She stripped me of every position I held, then immediately promoted her beloved man and raised his salary, telling me to reflect on my mistakes.

Little did she know…

The surgery had cost me my memory.

The man standing before her now was no longer the husband who had swallowed every grievance.

He was now the spirited young man from seven years ago.

And this time, he would never sacrifice himself again.

Claudia Yates had just finished ordering my suspension when Isaac Spencer stepped forward to defend me.

“Claudia, the doctor said Jayden temporarily lost the last seven years of his memory because of the surgery. What he did just now was just a moment of impulse. Please don’t be angry.”

Isaac and I, Jayden Clement, had been friends since childhood. I once saved his life when we were kids. Ours was the kind of friendship forged through life and death.

After I woke up and realized I had lost my memory, he was also the one who helped me leave the hospital and brought me straight to the company.

But what he didn’t know was that my decision to divorce wasn’t impulsive at all.

When I first woke up, I noticed I looked older than I remembered, and the timeline didn’t add up.

I consulted the doctor and learned that, as a side effect of having my brainstem tissue removed, I’d lost about seven years of memories, and my mind was stuck in the year I had graduated from university.

The doctor contacted my family on my behalf.

I had to admit, when I saw that my wife was Claudia, the legendary campus belle everyone knew back in school, I felt quite lucky to have married the woman everyone admired.

However, in less than a single morning it took to process my discharge, that illusion was shattered as I could already tell Claudia didn’t love me.

She didn’t know I was allergic to peaches, and the clothes and shoes she brought me were all the wrong sizes. Even when filling out my discharge papers, she didn’t know my birthdate.

Before the doctor could tell her about my amnesia, she hurriedly signed the forms, tossed me the company address, and then ran off to another ward to take care of another man.

I had no idea who that man was, but the difference in the way Claudia treated him compared to me was impossible to miss.

It wasn’t until just now that my friend told me his name, Gerald Lowe.

He was Claudia’s ex-boyfriend and her former assistant.

Whatever happened during those missing seven years must have been unpleasant. If I had forgotten them, then so be it.

Either way, this marriage was falling apart.

Before I could speak, Claudia’s voice cut through the room, cold as ice.

“Do you take me for a fool?

“You thought you’d play hard to get, and now that I’ve caught one, you’re trying to feign amnesia to win my sympathy, is that it?”

Behind her, Gerald was clearly struggling to suppress a smug grin, yet he forced his expression into one of surprise and concern.

“Coco, Jayden seems off today. It doesn’t look like he’s faking it.

“What if he really did lose his memory? Should we take him to the hospital for another check?

“After all, you’ve spent all these years praying for me in the abbey, while Jayden stayed home alone every day. That must have been hard on him.

“Besides, the brainstem tissue was donated to me by Jayden. If something were to happen to him, I’d be too ashamed to face anyone.”

Watching Gerald’s over-the-top performance, I nearly threw up my breakfast.

I had assumed he must have something extraordinary about him to make my wife obsess over him for so long.

It turned out that he was just a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a pretentious, manipulative guy.

Honestly, Claudia’s taste was truly terrible. She couldn’t even see through such a shoddy performance. I had no idea how she ever became the president of a company.

Sensing my gaze, Claudia shot me a disdainful look before turning to comfort Gerald.

“There’s no need to go to the hospital.

“Gerald, you’re too kind for your own good. That’s why you keep getting deceived by him.

“Besides, if it weren’t for what Jayden did seven years ago, you wouldn’t have fallen into a coma. Even if he transplanted brainstem cells to you, it can’t make up for the seven years of youth that you’ve lost!”

I frowned.

“Seven years ago? What did I do?”

Seeing the confusion on my face, Claudia gave a cold sneer.

“I only spared you some dignity before because you’re my husband in name. That’s the only reason I didn’t punish you publicly.

“Did you really think no one knew your true colors?

“Seven years ago, Gerald was helping out on your project and accidentally entered the wrong data. It only caused one project to fall through.

“To vent your anger, it wasn’t enough for you to pin the blame on Gerald during the meeting. You lured him out after work and deliberately pushed him off a building at a place without surveillance cameras.

“At the end of the day, Jayden, if anyone should be leaving the company, it’s you!”

Before I could respond, Isaac spoke up, frowning.

“Claudia, that project was Jayden’s two years of hard work. Losing something worth tens of millions, are you really brushing it off as losing a mere project?

“And the investigation back then already concluded that there was no evidence Jayden pushed him. It was only Gerald’s statement before he went into a coma.

“Over the past years, it’s been Jayden managing the company for you. Otherwise, it would have already—”

“Enough.”

Claudia cut him off sharply. “This is my company’s business. It’s not your place, as an outsider, to interfere.

“One more thing. Address me by my title at work. Please call me President Yates.”

Watching her so fiercely defend Gerald, I couldn’t help clicking my tongue.

It seemed she wasn’t just a terrible wife, but also an incompetent boss.

Anyone who allowed personal emotions to dictate decisions involving tens of millions in business clearly had no business running a company with hundreds of employees.

Seeing that I remained silent, Claudia assumed I felt guilty, and her eyes brimmed with smugness.

“Forget it. I didn’t come here today to argue with you.

“Jayden, considering you tried to make amends by donating your brainstem tissue to Gerald, if you apologize to him for what happened seven years ago, I might consider giving you another chance and reducing your punishment.”

I shook my head and walked directly toward her and Gerald.

“President Yates, there’s no need to consider it.”

Seeing what she thought was obedience, she smiled with satisfaction.

“That’s more like it.

“As long as you’re as obedient as you used to be, I promise the company will always have a place for you.”

Even now, Claudia believed I was the Jayden from her memories.

She had no idea that I had truly lost my memory due to the surgery.

The man standing before her now was no longer the husband who endured humiliation and compromised every single time.

Instead, he was the young man from seven years ago, fresh out of university, filled with ambition and pride.

And this time, I would never let myself be wronged again.

Before Claudia could finish speaking, I interrupted her and handed her a document.

“You’ve got it wrong.

“I’ve already written my resignation letter; you just need to approve it.

“As for the divorce agreement, it doesn’t matter if you don’t sign it. I’ve already contacted a lawyer to file a lawsuit.

“When the time comes, don’t forget to show up in court!”

…

Seeing the resignation letter in my hand, Claudia immediately lost control of her emotions and crumpled it into a ball.

It wasn’t until Gerald reminded her that she realized she’d lost her composure. Her face turned cold again.

“Are you threatening me?

“You think that because my family owed you a favor back then, I’d be afraid of people laughing at us if the story got out. So you’re certain I wouldn’t dare break up with you?”

“A favor?”

Seeing my confusion, Isaac whispered from the side, “Seven years ago, when Claudia’s family fell on hard times, you used your family’s connections to help her, and that’s why she married you.”

Before I could fully process that information, Gerald seized the opportunity to play the victim.

“Jayden, I know you must resent me, but Coco and I are really just friends, and nothing more than a superior and a subordinate.

“Even if she prays for me day and night and sends people to look after me every day, that’s only out of friendship. The person she truly loves has always been you.”

Seeing Gerald’s smug expression, however, I almost threw up.

Just as I was about to respond, Isaac pressed his hand on my shoulder and urged, “Jayden, don’t act on impulse. Just bear with it a little longer.

“Three years ago, your parents died suddenly in a car accident. The group was thrown into chaos. After Claudia went into retreat, she issued a statement saying she would no longer involve herself in worldly affairs. She didn’t step in to help you, and you were gradually sidelined by the group.

“If you fall out with her now, it’ll be even harder to reclaim your inheritance.”

Listening to Isaac only worsened my impression of Claudia.

Even an outsider like him knew these inside details. There was no way Claudia wasn’t aware of them.

Yet she still chose to stand by and watch.

Still, even without her help, I believed my talent and ability would be enough for me to carve out a future of my own.

I cut Isaac off and looked straight at Claudia.

“I don’t care what your relationship is.

“And remember this. Today, I’m the one firing you.”

With that, I didn’t bother waiting for her reaction and simply walked out with Isaac.

As soon as we stepped out of the company, Isaac grabbed my arm and pressed me.

“Have you lost your mind?

“Never mind. You’ve got amnesia. Talking to you is pointless. I’ll go talk to Claudia again. For the sake of your seven-year marriage, she’ll surely cut you some slack.”

I frowned.

It seemed that over the past seven years, I’d lived a life even more pathetic than I imagined.

I reached out and grabbed him.

“Stop lecturing me. Come drink with me!”

The moment I mentioned drinking, Isaac froze in his tracks and stared at me in disbelief.

“Didn’t you quit drinking seven years ago because Claudia couldn’t stand the smell of cigarettes and alcohol?

“You even got into a fight with us to prove you’d quit, saying you’d cut ties with anyone who ever mentioned alcohol in front of you.”

The more I listened, the more absurd it sounded.

As far as I could remember, I’d loved alcohol more than anything. Before I was even seven years old, I was already mixing orange powder with beer at home to make my own “cocktails.”

I never thought I’d quit drinking for a woman who didn’t love me, or even fell out with a friend I’d known since childhood. That was beyond stupid.

Coming to my senses, I gave Isaac a playful punch to the chest and chuckled.

“After all those excuses, you’re not getting old and worried you can’t keep up with me, are you?”

Isaac instantly flushed red and fired off a message in our circle of friends’ group chat.

“Just you wait. Tonight I’m bringing all the guys over, and I’m going to drink you under the table!”

…

Soon enough, several close friends gathered, and everyone started talking at once, asking how I’d been lately.

Eventually, the conversation circled back to Claudia.

“I heard from Isaac that you’re getting a divorce?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you use to say Claudia was the love of your life, and that you’d rather die than live without her?”

Not wanting to worry my friends, I didn’t mention my memory loss. I simply smiled.

“I just figured some things out.

“Come, cheers!”

After a few rounds, the mood grew lively and everyone started teasing me.

From what they said, right after the wedding, Claudia had laid down a whole list of rules for me.

No smoking. No drinking. Must be home before midnight. No questioning where she was. Not allowed to touch her phone.

After Gerald’s accident, things got even worse.

Claudia moved out to go to her retreat and completely stopped managing the company.

Apparently, because I was worried about her health, I personally brewed healing broth every day and delivered it to her, rain or shine.

It had been seven years, and I hadn’t even seen her once.

I was even more speechless. In my memory, I had once been full of ambition and talent, determined to make a name for myself after graduation.