The Amnesia Charade Rewriting Our Ten-Year Vow

During a trip, I got seriously injured saving my husband and ended up in the hospital. The doctor mixed up the charts. Without even bothering to verify it, my husband assumed I had completely lost my memory—and began fabricating our entire past. We were childhood sweethearts. Yet he told me our marriage was merely a contract of convenience, that our ten-year agreement had expired, and that it was time to part ways. When I walked through the front door of our home, he was baking a cake with Chloe, a low-income student we had sponsored. Their faces were covered in flour, smiling and flirting. The moment he saw me, my husband, Christian, panicked. Shoving Chloe aside, he rushed toward me. But the second he reached me, he seemed to remember I had "amnesia." The panic in his eyes instantly morphed into cool detachment. "Don't make a scene. There's no love between us. We've lived separate lives for the past ten years. "Chloe is my actual girlfriend, the woman I truly love. You knew all of this before you lost your memory." Dazed, I looked at Chloe. She was one of the underprivileged students Christian and I had supported through college. After graduation, she joined his company. Turns out, behind my back, they had gotten together. Fighting back the suffocating agony in my chest, I asked quietly, "Is that so? "How long have you two been together?" Christian was still hesitating, but Chloe blurted it out: "We've been together for three years." She raised her left hand, gently wiping the flour and frosting from a diamond ring with a sweet smile. "Today happens to be our three-year anniversary. Christian just proposed to me. Nora, if you're free, you're welcome to come to our wedding." My chest seized, the air crushed out of my lungs. Three years. And three years ago today was the exact day I had my miscarriage. Back when we were teenagers, a rival family had tried to kidnap Christian off the street. I was severely injured saving him, leaving me with chronic health issues and a fragile body. Getting pregnant was a life-threatening risk for me. Yet Christian desperately wanted a child. Both of us were only children, and our family businesses needed an heir, so I took the gamble and got pregnant for him. He treated me like glass throughout the pregnancy. Just when it looked like the baby would arrive safely, tragedy struck. Something went wrong with the fetus. I collapsed on the floor in a pool of blood, dialing Christian's number over and over again. Before that night, no matter where he was or what he was doing, he always answered on the first ring. But that night, he vanished off the face of the earth. By the time the ambulance rushed me to the hospital, the doctor said that if I had arrived just ten minutes earlier, my baby could have been saved. When Christian finally rushed into the hospital room, he dropped to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. He claimed he had been entertaining clients, had drank too much, and genuinely didn't hear his phone. He swore he would never neglect me again, that he would never let me get hurt... And now, that man who had supposedly loved me with his whole soul was standing before me, cold, distant, and completely unrecognizable. A brutal realization pierced through my haze. The real reason I lost my baby that night was because he was with Chloe. That was why he ignored my calls. It felt as if I had suddenly plummeted from a sweet, colorful dream into a pitch-black abyss. I didn't know how to handle it. Devastated, my only instinct was to run. But as I turned to leave, Christian grabbed my wrist. "You just got discharged, and you're still pale as a ghost. Where do you think you're going instead of resting at home?" I violently jerked my arm free. "You said our marriage was just business. You said we were putting on a show and that there was zero love between us. How can this place be my home?" Christian looked away, averting his gaze. "Why wouldn't it be? "Even without romantic love, we've lived together for ten years. There's at least friendship between us." Friendship? Every time we met, we hugged and kissed passionately. Every time he traveled for business, we spent hours on FaceTime every single day. He was my whole world, and the way he pampered me was the envy of everyone we knew. Childhood sweethearts, ten years of marriage—and he reduced it all to a casual brush-off called "friendship"? "Nora, you just recovered from your injuries and you've got amnesia. Don't rush to move out," Chloe chimed in, putting on an innocent, caring act as she took my hand. "I know your ten-year term with Christian is up, but our wedding still needs time to plan. It's totally fine if you stay a little longer." The diamond ring on her finger caught the light, glinting so harshly it burned my eyes. I laughed, though hot tears spilled down my cheeks. "Even if there were a ten-year term, is it really up yet? "Christian, besides being your anniversary with Chloe, today is also our tenth wedding anniversary, isn't it?" Christian had started lying to me back in the hospital. The moment he thought I had amnesia, he had excitedly called Chloe. I accidentally overheard words like "marriage" and "surprise." Right then, I knew something was wrong. Yet I refused to believe it. Christian loved me so much—how could he possibly betray me? I told myself he was hiding something to give me a surprise, to give me an unforgettable anniversary. So I waited and waited. But as the anniversary slipped away, he never called. Unable to bear it, I checked out of the hospital early and came home. Only to find out that his lies had started three years ago. "Nora, you... didn't you lose your memory?" Christian froze, his entire body stiffening as his voice trembled with sheer panic. "How do you still remember our anniversary?"Because I never had amnesia in the first place! But the words caught in my throat. Whenever I closed my eyes, every single memory was filled with Christian. He had occupied more than half my life. I didn't know how to face the brutal, naked truth once everything was out in the open. It felt as if hiding behind the excuse of "amnesia" was the only thing keeping me standing, keeping me from fleeing like a wounded dog. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the first-anniversary gift Christian had given me. It was a jade pendant carved for protection. Christian had personally had it blessed for me, inscribed with the date and the initials of our names. For nine straight years, I had never taken it off. "I just guessed," I whispered. "This date must be our anniversary, right? Our initials are on it, so I assumed you gave it to me." I clutched the pendant, my eyes brimming with desperate hope and silent pleading. I desperately wanted this pendant to trigger his memories, to prove he still loved me, to make him stop this charade and confess everything. He didn't. There was no love in his face, no tenderness, not even a flicker of guilt. Only a palpable wave of relief washed over him. Then, he checked his watch. "Nora, it's eleven-thirty at night. Thirty minutes doesn't make a difference. Our marriage ends here. "If you're feeling okay physically, let's file for divorce tomorrow. Our family assets have always been kept separate, but since you've been sick, and your family isn't doing as well as before, I can give you a larger share of the assets as compensation..." Whatever else he said blurred into white noise. Every cherished memory of him shattered alongside my heart, choking the air from my throat in pure, unbearable agony. That night, he acted as if I didn't exist and went right back to baking the cake with Chloe. Chloe didn't leave. She spent the night in Christian's bedroom. I stayed awake deep into the night. In the pitch dark, Christian stepped out to make a phone call, completely oblivious to me sitting motionlessly on the living room sofa. In a dead serious tone, he instructed his assistant: "Listen carefully. I don't care how much it costs, make sure everyone around Nora plays along. She must believe that our marriage was strictly a business arrangement and that there was never any love between us..." Why? What was the point? If you didn't love me anymore, why couldn't you just say it to my face? Why play this sick game of deception to humiliate and torment me? I had already agreed to divorce him. During the mandatory thirty-day waiting period, I still had to live under the same roof with Christian, forced day and night to watch him flirt and sleep with Chloe. Unable to take it, I packed my bags to leave, but he refused to let me go. Pressing down firmly on my suitcase, he said sternly, "You have amnesia. You don't remember anything besides basic common sense. If you move out, where will you live? Who will you turn to? What will you do? "Stay here for now. Leave once you've fully adjusted." He wasn't my husband anymore. Ignoring my unhealed injuries, I frantically pushed him away, but his grip only tightened. It felt absurd and sickening. He had meticulously calculated every step to divorce me, so why was he suddenly acting like he cared about my safety? Why wouldn't he just let me go? In our struggle, my wound ripped open. Blinding pain surged through me, and my consciousness slipped away. Christian scooped me into his arms, ran to his car, and sped toward the hospital. In a daze, my mind drifted back to when we were sixteen. Rivals of the family had hired thugs to kidnap him. They were dragging him toward a van in broad daylight, and I threw myself into the fray like a madwoman to pull him back. A blade plunged into my abdomen, blood pouring out uncontrollably. Only after the thugs fled in panic did I finally register the agony. Christian had sobbed hysterically, holding me close as he sprinted toward the hospital as if his life depended on it. He was covered in his own wounds, soaked in blood. The doctors later said he had been hovering on the brink of death himself when he arrived; that he managed to carry me into the emergency room was nothing short of a miracle. We clearly loved each other enough to die for one another. So how... How did it come to this? A tickle on my cheek pulled me toward consciousness. I opened my eyes to find my cousin, Summer, gently wiping away my tears. Seeing me awake, she immediately stood up to call the doctor. I reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Summer, why did you help Christian lie to me?" Aside from Christian, Summer—who grew up with me—was the only person I truly trusted, the only one I could pour my heart out to. She had worked at Christian's company for years. I couldn't believe she had known nothing about Chloe. Yet she never told me a word. When I was hospitalized earlier, she came to visit and casually mentioned that Christian and I had a marriage contract that had expired. My entire reality had been turned into one massive, suffocating lie. Breaking down, I couldn't stop the trembling question: "Summer, can I not even trust you anymore?"Guilt and heartache flashed across Summer's face. "Nora, you... you didn't lose your memory?" When I explained that Christian had misread the medical chart and started the amnesia rumor himself, Summer's expression shifted between shock and shame. She squeezed my hand tight, apologizing profusely. She confessed she had no choice. Our family business had fallen on hard times, and everyone depended on Christian's goodwill. It wasn't just her; even my parents had been bought off by him. And yes, Summer had known about Chloe for a long time. The laughable part was, Summer insisted that Christian's deepest love had always been me. "Nora, Christian cared so much about you that he spent three whole years desperately hiding it from you. Yes, he cheated, but hasn't he treated you even better than before? "I yelled at him for you! He swore to me that he would send Chloe away for good. The only reason he's faking a marriage with Chloe is to give her closure and compensation. Afterward, he's shipping her overseas and cutting all ties. "Your parents and I thought there was still hope for him. And since we thought you had amnesia and wouldn't be hurt mentally, we agreed to play along. "Christian told us he knows you better than anyone. He said he would court you all over again, marry you again, and spend the rest of his life spoiling you to make up for it..." So Summer, my parents, everyone knew the truth. I was the only fool kept in the dark. They genuinely believed Christian had just made "a mistake any man could make." As long as he repented and kept treating me well, keeping me oblivious was supposedly the kindest path. I couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "Summer, are you telling me that watching my own husband flirt and sleep with another woman under my nose is for my own good?" Summer rubbed her reddened eyes. "Nora, if Christian knew you didn't have amnesia, he would never have done that. He only put on that show because he was terrified you'd catch on..." By the time Christian came to visit, Summer had already left. He opened a thermos, instinctively intending to spoon-feed me. But then he seemed to remember the cold, transactional relationship he had fabricated, so he blew on the porridge to cool it and set it down for me to eat myself. The porridge had all my favorite ingredients. But as I chewed, a sudden wave of revulsion hit me. I couldn't swallow a single bite. "Christian—" Hearing Summer's words made me slip and call him by the tender pet name I always used. I knew he had betrayed me. By all logic, I shouldn't be so pathetic as to even contemplate forgiveness. Yet my heart betrayed me. For so long, he had been my entire world. Everything in my life revolved around him. We had once loved each other enough to lay down our lives. If he truly repented, if I really was the most important person in his heart, could I truly just discard all those years? Before I could say another word, his gaze chilled over. "Don't misunderstand. I only came by to check on your condition and make sure this won't delay our divorce in two weeks. "Chloe and I are already preparing for our wedding." Right then, there was a knock at the door, and Chloe walked in. She wore an elegant, tailored wedding dress with delicate blue poppy petals embroidered along the hem. Beaming, she strode up to Christian. "Christian, I couldn't wait for our bridal fitting, so I came straight here in the dress. "Do you like it? Especially these blue poppies you risked your life to pick for me—I'll preserve them perfectly so they'll be part of our wedding." Christian's eyes lit up instantly. Right in front of me, he pulled Chloe into his arms. "I love it. "What other flowers do you want? I'll personally pick them all for you." In that split second, my head felt like it was going to explode. Agony tore through my entire body! Looking at the petals on Chloe's hemline, the horrific truth slammed into me. Christian had taken me on that high-altitude mountain trip solely to pick those wild flowers for Chloe. And while he was picking them, I slipped and fell down the steep slope trying to save him from losing his balance. Back then, all he needed to do was reach out his hand to catch me. But he hadn't moved an inch. I thought he had been frozen in shock. Now I finally understood—he couldn't bear to let go of those damn blue poppies in his hands. How could I possibly be the one he loved most? His heart had long belonged to Chloe!"Can't you be reasonable?" "Nora, I told you, we were purely business partners. It's totally normal for Chloe to visit me in her wedding dress. Why are you tormenting yourself over things that have nothing to do with you?" The moment Chloe walked into that hospital room, I checked myself out against medical advice and went home to pack my things. Christian tried to stop me again and again, his eyes filled with worry and heartache that looked terrifyingly genuine. This time, he couldn't hold me back. With my heart completely dead, his lies no longer mattered. Nothing about him mattered anymore. All I wanted was to leave, to get far away from him, to nurse my wounds in silence until I could finally find peace. Otherwise, I was going to lose my mind. I had loved him so deeply that enduring another second would truly drive me insane. "I only lost my memory. My common sense is intact, and I can take care of myself." Saying that, I grabbed a small wooden carving to pack into my bag, but my hand froze mid-air. It was the very first gift Christian had ever made for me. He had blistered his hands whittling my favorite cartoon character, and it had been one of my most treasured possessions. "What an ugly little figurine," I said flatly. "Christian, the tag says this was a gift from you dated Chapter 2004. Did we know each other back then?" A spark lit up Christian's eyes, the corners of his mouth curving upward as if he, too, was reminiscing about those sweet teenage days. Yet his expression quickly turned ice-cold. "Our families were close, so yes, we met early on. I just picked up that wood carving somewhere. I saw you liked it, so I gave it to you. It's worthless." "Oh," I replied softly, tossing it straight into the trash can. "Then it's just garbage. No point keeping it." Christian stiffened, visibly fighting the urge to fish it out of the bin. I picked up another keepsake and asked where it came from... Over a dozen gifts—some expensive, some sentimental, tracing more than ten years of our shared history. Every single one was stripped of its meaning by Christian's lies, labeled worthless, and discarded into the trash. "I understand now," I said, looking straight into his eyes. "Christian, I'll remember this. So this is our past. I will never forget it." He kept his head lowered, too cowardly to meet my eyes, so he never saw the two streaks of tears that slid down my cheeks before I wiped them dry. I took nothing that belonged to him. The past and all the love tied to him were treated like trash, packed into the bin with those gifts. I didn't even need a suitcase anymore. Clutching just my shoulder bag, I headed toward the door. "Nora, even if there was no love between us, we were married for ten years. I'm responsible for you. If you just walk out like this and something happens, what am I supposed to do?" He chased after me, grabbing my arm, his eyes rimmed with red. I jerked my arm away, but my bag slipped from my fingers, spilling its contents across the floor. Aside from my ID and credit cards, the only thing inside was a battered, worn journal. From our teenage years into adulthood, every single page was filled with Christian's name. He had calculated everything and bribed everyone to lie to me, but he had forgotten about my journal. He lunged forward and picked it up before I could. With every page he flipped, his body trembled more violently. Eventually, he couldn't bear to look any longer. A hoarse, strangled sound squeezed past his throat: "Nora, I... I can explain..."