My husband, Alex, got into a car accident and lost his memory. He reverted to his nineteen-year-old self—his wildest, most rebellious phase. When I went to see him, he treated me like a complete stranger, his eyes cold and distant. "Wife? Are you kidding me? There's no way I got married!" Seeing how resistant he was, I had no choice but to leave. But ever since that first meeting, he’s been popping up in front of me 800 times a day, claiming it’s just a "coincidence." A month later, he was bragging to his friends about getting my number. They broke down on the spot: "Bro, you spent a whole month just to get your own wife's number?" 1 Alex was in a car accident. I booked the earliest flight back. When I arrived at the hospital, he had just fallen asleep. The doctor said Alex was fine, just a mild concussion. But the impact caused temporary amnesia. As for how long "temporary" meant—maybe a month, maybe a year, maybe longer. His memory was stuck at nineteen. His wildest, most untamable age. His friends warned me that Alex didn't remember marrying me and it might take time for him to accept it. I was prepared. Even when he first found out he was going to marry me years ago, his attitude wasn't exactly warm. Not as resistant as now, but definitely cold. Asking a nineteen-year-old Alex to accept a wife was a tall order. I took a deep breath. "I'll come back tomorrow. Call me when he wakes up." "Okay, sister-in-law." The next day, before I heard from his friends, the hospital called. "Mrs. Sterling, can you contact your husband? We've searched the entire hospital and can't find him. He's not on the security cameras." "It looks like he climbed out the window." My breath hitched. It was hard to imagine the nineteen-year-old Alex doing something so reckless. In the years we’ve been married, he’s always been calm and composed. I’d heard stories about how wild he used to be, but climbing out of a hospital window? After leaving work, I called his friend, Ben. It turned out Alex went straight from the hospital to a club to find them. When I arrived at the private room, Ben and the others were being pressured by Alex to drink. "Alex, I really can't drink anymore." "Me too, man. I quit drinking years ago." "Alex, stop drinking. Sister-in-law is going to kill us." "Yeah, it's been a day. She must be worried." Alex raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "Sister-in-law? You guys trying to skip out on drinks again?" Ben looked like he wanted to cry. "Alex, you really don't remember you have a wife?" "Stop messing with me. I wouldn't get married even if I was dead. Giving up my freedom? No way. Besides, guys who let their wives control them are spineless!" Alex still thought Ben was just the prankster friend taking advantage of his amnesia. He definitely didn't believe he was married. The sound of me pushing open the door was drowned out by the loud music. Ben saw me first. A chill went down his spine. "Alex, stop talking." I walked into the room and picked up a bottle from the table. Except for Alex, everyone sat up straight. Alex leaned back on the sofa, looking up annoyed. "Do the waitresses here just barge in without knocking?" His voice cut off the moment he saw me. After locking eyes with me, Alex started frantically adjusting his tie and shirt. He buttoned the top two buttons, then reconsidered and unbuttoned them. He pulled his collar down a bit, revealing a hint of his chest. Nineteen-year-old Alex... quite the show-off. Ben and the others couldn't bear to watch Alex dig his own grave any longer. They were about to warn him, but I silenced them with a look. As I left, I heard everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief. "Alex, why is your face so red?" Alex looked incredulous. "Me? Blushing? Impossible!" Luke, who was always a bit dense, immediately opened his front camera. "It is red! Wait, Alex, do you know who she is?" "Cough." Ben interrupted him sharply. They were more afraid of offending me than Alex. "Someone must have spiked the drinks. Check it out." Alex picked up his glass, then slammed it down. "Done drinking. Going home." 2 The "home" Alex referred to wasn't the house we lived in now. He went back to the old Sterling estate. Since his keys didn't work, he climbed over the fence. He almost got caught as a burglar. Luckily, the security guards had good eyesight. He was unharmed, but he woke up his elderly parents. "You brat, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? Digging up ancestors' graves?" "Honey, you forgot. Our son is supposed to be in the hospital. He had an accident and lost his memory. He probably doesn't remember his own house." "Oh right. Now that you mention it... You brat, forgetting even Alice? You've got some nerve." Alex's dad grabbed a feather duster and aimed for his legs. Maybe twenty-nine-year-old Alex wouldn't dodge. But nineteen-year-old Alex knew exactly how to evade his father's wrath. He sprinted upstairs to his room and slammed the door. "What Alice? You guys arranging another engagement? When I was nineteen you tried to sell me off to some rich lady, remember? Can't believe you're still doing this when I'm twenty-nine." His dad shouted from the stairwell, "Ungrateful brat! I wish you wouldn't waste Alice's time!" Alex sneered from behind the door. "Fine by me." That night. My best friend, Sarah, came over to keep me company and vent on my behalf. "Why don't you just confront him? I bet he's faking it!" "Let's go to the estate right now, bag him, and beat him up!" I couldn't say I wasn't angry. My husband stays out all night, claims he's definitely single, and acts like marrying me is a fate worse than death. "But seriously, what if he never remembers? Are you two just going to be stuck like this?" "If he really doesn't remember, then we bag him and lock him in the house." 3 Work was slow the next day, so I agreed to go with Sarah to check out her new bakery and give some advice. Just as I arrived, my mother-in-law called. "Alice, I have to tell you something." "This morning, I saw Alex dressed like a peacock. He even put on hair gel and cologne before leaving. I'm afraid he's—" The door chimed. Alex walked into the bakery. It was opening day, so the shop was crowded, but I spotted him immediately. Mainly because his outfit was screaming for attention. Cargo pants with too many pockets, an oversized black T-shirt, and a silver chain necklace. So trendy it hurt. I spoke into the phone, "It's okay, Mom. I know." He might have amnesia, but I still remember everything. I walked past Alex with a tray of samples, deliberately offering them to the customers around him. Just as Alex, who was closest to me, finally reached out for a toothpick, Sarah swiped the last piece. "Mmm, delicious. Crunch crunch. My baking is top tier." She looked at Alex, feigning surprise. "Oh! I didn't know you wanted to try too. I took the last one. Tell you what, we have new products you can buy to try at home." Alex's mouth twitched. Sarah continued, "Wait, you didn't just come here to mooch free samples, right?" And just like that, Alex bought a $3,000 membership card and five pineapple buns, leaving with a dark face. Sarah waved his first receipt of the day. "Thanks, bestie. Consider this my grand opening red packet." 4 Alex sat in the private room at the club, staring at five pineapple buns. "Isn't this Sarah's new bakery?" Ben took a bite of a bun before Alex pulled him onto the sofa for interrogation. "How does my outfit look today?" Ben answered honestly, "Very nineteen-year-old you." Alex frowned. "Am I old now?" Luke looked envious. "No way. You've maintained your prime better than any of us. You're legitimately handsome, bro." "I'm twenty-nine now. That's basically thirty. Men aren't worth much at thirty... Wait, she doesn't know how old I am, right?" Ben dropped his bun. "She? Alex, are you talking about a woman?" Alex hummed noncommittally. "Yeah. She's playing hard to get." "Holy shit. Tell sister-in-law Alex fell in love at first sight with someone else." "I know, I know. I'm texting her now." "What does she look like, Alex? Don't do anything stupid!" "You guys saw her yesterday. I didn't fall in love at first sight! I'm never getting married! But I've never seen anyone look like that. Face the size of my palm... so gentle..." Max, who was typing the text to me, froze. He looked up at Alex in disbelief, then frantically deleted everything. "The one from yesterday? That's..." False alarm. Ben and Luke exchanged glances. They asked Alex, "Do you know her name?" Alex shook his head. "You guys know?" Ben and Luke made eye contact for a long time before pushing the hapless Luke forward. Luke grinned until his face hurt. "Yeah, her name is Alice Vance. We know the owner of the bakery, Sarah. Alice is her best friend." Alex let out a soft "Ah." "So that's it." "These buns are pretty good. I'll bring you guys some more over the next few days." Alex left, humming a tune. The remaining friends looked at each other. "You think when Alex gets his memory back, he'll throw us all into the river?" "It's fine. Sister-in-law told us not to say anything. With her protection, Alex won't do anything to us." "True."
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