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.