Natasha's high heels came crashing down on my lab documentation. She jabbed a finger in my face, hurling insults like I was the one who wrecked their marriage.

"You shameless woman, Rhea! Gavin is my husband! What gives you the right to even talk to him?"

And Gavin? He just stood there, silent and stone-faced. He didn't say a word for my sake. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Natasha's shoulders, standing tall as her strongest support.

I pursed my lips. "Fine. I'll burn them, then."

I yanked the remaining lab documentation from my briefcase and reached for the lighter on my desk, fully ready to set it on fire.

That was when Gavin realized I wasn't bluffing. Panicked, he reached out to stop me.

"Forget it. Just take it. Call it a parting gift for your years at the company."

The whole office let out a breath of relief, but Natasha wasn't about to let me off that easily.

She clung to Gavin and whined, "Babe, you said I was the vice president, so how come I don't even have the authority to make a basic decision like this?"

Gavin, who normally indulged her without hesitation, gave her a firm nudge this time and warned her not to stir up trouble.

Then, he stepped toward me, his voice cool and distant. "Go to finance and pick up your final paycheck. Don't worry. You'll get every cent you're owed. The rest of your severance will be in your account within seven days."

I rolled my eyes on the inside.

Without a doubt, he thought that in seven days, he'd blow me off with some excuse about his memory loss, throw in a few sweet nothings, and everything would go back to normal like none of this ever happened.

But Gavin, who knew absolutely nothing about pharmaceutical research, had no idea that the batch of drugs he was about to submit was still missing one final and most critical experimental step.

If anything went wrong and those drugs hit the market, the consequences would be disastrous. And he'd be held legally accountable for distributing counterfeit drugs.

Back then, I would've swallowed my anger for him, for the sake of my research findings, and for all those sleepless nights I'd poured into those experiments. But now? I was just done. I no longer wanted the company or him.

As I packed up my things, Gavin instinctively reached for my bag, then froze, remembering he was still playing the amnesia card. His hand hovered in the air for a second before he let it drop, pretending he didn't care.

I pulled out my phone and deleted every last trace of him. Then, I took a deep breath and looked at him flatly. "Let's get a divorce, Gavin."

He froze, then blurted out, "Are you out of your mind, Rhea? You actually want a divorce?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his slip. He quickly cleared his throat and backtracked. "Don't be ridiculous. Who do you think you are? My wife is Natasha. How could I have ever married you?"

His awkward act was almost laughable, but I didn't bother calling him out. Instead, I went along with it. "Back then, you were drunk and out of it. I tricked you into marrying me. So now, I'll just undo it."

Natasha's eyes lit up as she grabbed Gavin's sleeve, her voice bubbling with excitement. "Yes! Yes, babe. Divorce her! Then you can finally marry me!"

Gavin's brows knitted tightly. It was obvious that he didn't actually want a divorce. Caught between our demands, all he could do was stall.

"Let's not rush into anything. Divorce is a big deal. We should think it through before making any final decisions."

I was baffled. If Gavin truly loved Natasha, why wouldn't he leap at the chance to end things with me? With me out of the picture, he could flaunt their affair without the need for those pathetic, exhausting excuses to keep me at a distance.

But I didn't have the energy to untangle his motives anymore. I just wanted out.

I shot him a sideways glance, my voice light but needling. "What's the hesitation? Don't tell me you've caught feelings for me? Need I remind you? You're already married."

The moment Natasha heard that, her expression snapped into a wounded pout as she latched onto Gavin. "Babe, you have me. I'm your real wife! How could you even think of marrying someone else?"

I seized the moment and pressed harder. "If our marriage was a mistake from the start, then don't make the woman you actually love pay the price for it."

Backed into a corner, Gavin had no choice but to grit his teeth and give in.

Gavin, Natasha, and I headed to the courthouse to finalize the divorce.

We had barely reached the steps when Gavin suddenly froze. Then, right on cue, he grabbed his head like he'd been hit with some dramatic wave of memory. He staggered a little, then lurched toward me.

"This place… It feels so familiar. I think it's coming back to me. We got married here, right after college. You wore a white dress. You held my hand and said we'd be together forever. God, you were beautiful back then."

He knew exactly what he was doing. That day had been the happiest of my life.

He thought a few sentimental lines would stir up my best memories, make me go soft, and maybe even back out of the divorce. That move had always worked on me before.

But this time, he didn't know I had heard everything the night he and Natasha were tangled up in that room.

"Rhea was a genius researcher back in college. The only reason I married her right after graduation was to lock her down. That way, every discovery she made would be community property. I married her for what she could give me. I couldn't risk someone else scooping her up. And I made sacrifices for it, too—no more screwing around in the open. Now, I have to sneak out just to see you.

"But you're better anyway—younger, sexier, and way more creative in bed."

Their cuddling and cooing in the room made me sick.

I used to think he married me for love. Apparently, I was just a means to an end.

He once swore he'd build me a cutting-edge lab. But the moment his company took off, built on the back of my pharmaceutical research, he started chipping away at me, blocking me at every turn. All along, he'd been guarding against me, treating me like a threat.

I was still lost in that thought when Gavin suddenly grabbed my hand and asked if I remembered everything.

He was warning me with his eyes. He had offered me a way out, and I'd be smart to take it before I pushed my luck too far. I turned my face away, pretending not to notice.

"You must be thinking of Natasha. You're confused, but I can't blame you, though. That lab explosion did a number on your brain," I said.

Gavin's fists clenched, slow and tight. He hadn't expected me to brush him off so easily. His little performance had fallen flat, and the rejection hit him right where it hurt.

Just then, the media swarmed in like vultures, having caught wind of the divorce. Flashbulbs popped in my face, relentlessly.

"Mr. Chapman, is it true you're divorcing Ms. Lanner?"

"Are you leaving Ms. Lanner for the woman in your arms right now?"

I instinctively recoiled from the cameras, while Natasha leaned in as if it were her moment on the red carpet. She was proud to play the homewrecker for all the world to see.

And Gavin? His convenient "amnesia" made him bulletproof against the media.

In a week, he'd just claim his memory had come back, and every damning thing he had said would be waved off as the ramblings of someone with amnesia.

He grabbed Natasha's hand and raised it for the flash of the cameras. It was a cheap performance meant to make me squirm.

"That's right. Natasha's the only woman I'll ever call my wife. We're getting married once Rhea and I are divorced."

As Gavin finished speaking, he shot me a sideways glance. But when he saw I wasn't even fazed, a flicker of fury pulsed beneath his skin.

He pulled Natasha in by the waist and kissed her cheek right there in front of the flashing cameras. The reporters gasped.

He thought the stunt would make me mad and jealous, that I'd crumble and beg him to take me back. But I was done. And I wasn't about to lose my dignity over a man who had turned into a walking circus act.

Gavin and I wrapped up the divorce quickly, but the moment I returned home, a cold jolt shot through me.

Where our wedding photo used to sit, proud and centered in the living room, there was now a photo of Gavin and Natasha. In it, they were all over each other like they'd been together forever.

Even the bedroom wasn't mine anymore. Her stuff was everywhere, spilling across every surface, while my clothes and makeup had been tossed into a corner like they didn't matter.

Natasha leaned against the doorframe, her voice thick with venom. "Rhea, you and Gavin are divorced. This isn't your home anymore, so pack your crap and get out."

Gavin backed her up. "She's right. You don't belong here anymore. This is my house now—mine and my wife's."

He was kicking me out so that Natasha could step in and take my place as his lawful wife.

I gave a nod. "Fine. I'll go."

I pulled out my suitcase and started folding my clothes, one piece at a time.

Gavin clearly hadn't expected me to leave. Panic flashed across his face as he pointed to a photo tucked in the corner.

"Wait, is that you in this photo? Why would I have a photo with you?"

I didn't miss a beat. "That was from a college volunteer trip. I was visiting psychiatric patients."

The jab landed hard. Rage twisted his face as he grabbed my suitcase and hurled it out the door with a crash.

"You wanna leave? Then get the hell out!"

The door slammed behind me, hard enough to rattle the walls.

I picked up my clothes in silence, packed them into my suitcase, and walked away without so much as a glance back.

After I'd gone a good distance, Natasha put on a show, forcing out a few crocodile tears as she cooed, "Gav, I never thought Rhea would actually blow up like that. This is all my fault. If I hadn't pulled you away from her, she wouldn't be this jealous. Maybe I should go apologize properly?"

Gavin's brows furrowed, but the moment he heard her speak, he rushed to comfort her. "Don't blame yourself. This is on Rhea. She's being ridiculously petty. I told you you'd be Mrs. Chapman for a whole seven days, and I meant it. Once we chalk it up to my 'memory loss' and I smooth things over with her, she'll come crawling back."

Gavin had it all wrong. This time, when we went our separate ways, there was no going back.

After I left, Chapman Pharmaceuticals's experimental project crumbled just as I had expected. Progress came to a grinding halt.

My old lab colleagues kept calling, one after another, all begging me to return and pick things up where I left off. Then one day, Peter Dunaway called.

"Rhea, you've got to come back. We can't even carry out the final experimental step without you," he said.

I was just about to turn him down when I heard a commotion in the background. Natasha had snatched the phone.

Her voice crackled with anger. "Rhea, have you no shame? The company fired you. Why are you still clinging to my experimental project?"

Peter snapped, "Your project? Rhea built this from scratch, Natasha! We're calling her because we're stuck. If this drug batch fails, do you have any idea what's at stake? This isn't just about money."

Natasha didn't even flinch. "What's the big deal? I'll take over her experimental project and get it finished in no time."

He stared in disbelief. "Are you serious? Only Rhea knows how to run that experiment. If you screw this up, people could die!"

Natasha spat, "Gavin has lost his memory, so I'm in charge now. And if any of you dare question me again, don't be surprised if you're next to get fired."

The line went dead.

The outcome was completely predictable.

Chapman Pharmaceuticals had no further dealings with me. And if giving up one of my experimental projects meant never having to put up with Gavin and Natasha again, then it was a price I'd gladly pay.