One year after a near-fatal car crash left me with amnesia, I got married again. I was on my way to the hospital for a prenatal checkup when a little boy suddenly blocked my path. He frowned, his tone ice-cold. "Julian told me to bring you home. Haven't you thrown enough of a tantrum?" I found it a bit funny. I knelt down and gently patted his head. "Little boy, did you mistake me for someone else?" He slapped my hand away, looking incredibly annoyed. "Stop acting. If you stop this nonsense, I might let you tuck me in tonight." Though I was baffled, I decided to take him home safely anyway, just to be sure. We stopped in front of a massive, ultra-luxurious mansion. Standing at the gate was a tall man with a sharp suit and a freezing expression. When he saw me, his eyes flickered, but his voice was dripping with disdain. "Vivian Miller. You finally decided to crawl back?" He grabbed my wrist, trying to drag me through the gates. I wrenched myself free with all my strength and instantly dialed my husband's number. "Tristan! Help me! I think I've run into a family of psychopaths!"
Before the voice on the other end could reply, my phone was violently knocked out of my hand. It smashed onto the cobblestone driveway, shattering into pieces. Julian's brow furrowed with suppressed rage. "Vivian, stop playing dumb." "So what if I made you take the fall for Serena and spend three years in prison? It's not like it killed you." "But look at you. You jumped out of the transport van the moment you got out, and you've made Serena feel guilty for an entire year!" "When we go inside, you are going to apologize to her." For some reason, a sharp, sudden pain pierced my chest. My hands trembled as I picked up the broken pieces of my phone. "You have the wrong person! I don't even know you!" I turned to run, but Julian grabbed my wrist again, pulling me hard into his chest. He was so close I could smell his expensive cologne, but his eyes were filled with pure disgust. "Vivian, did those years in prison teach you nothing? No one is watching your little drama here." My heart felt like it was being ripped apart. My breath caught in my throat. An inexplicable terror wrapped around me, paralyzing my vocal cords. Suddenly, another woman walked out of the mansion. She was wearing a silk lace nightgown, peeking out from behind Julian's shoulder. "Vivian! You're back!" "Where have you been this past year? How could you just abandon your husband and your son?" "Julian was wrong about what happened back then, but I already scolded him for you..." Julian. The name sounded incredibly familiar. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember who he was. "Don't touch me!" I instinctively pushed her away. The woman gasped, slipping and falling hard onto the ground. "I don't know you people! I want to go home! I want my—" Before I could finish, a sharp pain exploded on my forehead. Warm blood began to trickle down my face. The little boy, Leo, was holding a rock, glaring at me. "You evil woman! Don't you dare hurt my mom!" Julian looked at me with a flash of worry, but he quickly swept Serena up into his arms first. But Serena broke free, her eyes red as she grabbed my hand. "Vivian, don't blame Leo. He's been raised by my side these past few years. He forgot that you're his biological mother." She dragged me into the house, pulling out some antiseptic and bandages to dress my wound. "You have no idea how desperately Julian has been searching for you..." Realizing I was trapped, I stopped fighting. I stayed silent, my eyes scanning the walls. They were covered in family vacation photos. A man, a woman, and a child. Holding hands through spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The dates on the photos ran from January to December of last year. My lips curled into a bitter smile. I pointed at the boy who was still glaring at me from the corner. "You say I'm his mother. Then who are you?" "I..." Serena blushed, her eyes darting nervously toward Julian. Julian frowned and snapped at me coldly. "Serena is Marcus's widow. What's with the dumb questions?" "While you were in prison, Serena was the one taking care of Leo and me. You should be thanking her." I found it hilarious. I looked directly at Julian. "If you claim I'm your wife, let me ask you something." "Why did I have to go to prison for her?" Julian froze, his voice suddenly rising defensively. "Serena is fragile! She couldn't survive a day in prison! You can't compare yourself to her!" I stood up, taking a step toward him, throwing out question after question. "Then tell me, what do I like? What's my favorite flower? What size clothes do I wear?" Julian took a step back, his face turning pale. His lips parted, but not a single word came out. I stared into his eyes, delivering the final blow. "When is my birthday?" Julian remained silent. He clenched his fists, then suddenly roared in frustration. "Enough! Stop acting crazy!" I sneered. I raised my left hand, showing off the massive diamond ring on my ring finger. "I'm sorry, Mr. Vance. I don't know what kind of delusion you're suffering from, but I really don't know you." "I am happily married. My husband is waiting for me to come home." "As for the physical assault and illegal detention today, my lawyer will be in touch with you very soon."
The tube of ointment in Serena's hand clattered to the floor. She stood up, her face filled with mock disbelief. "Vivian, what did you just say?" "No wonder you refused to come home. You cheated on Julian!" Julian's eyes turned incredibly dark. He grabbed my wrist so hard his knuckles turned white. "Vivian Miller, who is that bastard?" "Is that why you're pretending to have amnesia? Just to be with him?!" Like a madman, he dragged me up the stairs by my arm and threw me onto the bed. "Let's see if that bastard left any marks on you!" "Get off me!" I screamed, swinging my hand and slapping him hard across the face. "If you touch me, my husband will destroy you..." Before I could finish, his mouth slammed onto mine, cutting off my air. Julian used one hand to tear at my clothes, his touch rough and violating. He buried his face in my neck, biting and kissing me, his voice deep and raspy. "You've gotten brave, Vivian." "If you won't let me touch you, who are you saving yourself for?" I sobbed, fighting him off, when suddenly, the man on top of me froze. His hands hadn't found smooth, soft skin. Instead, he felt thick, jagged, crisscrossing scars all over my body. Julian's hands began to shake. He reached out to turn on the bedside lamp. But before he could, the bedroom door was pounded violently. Serena's delicate, weeping voice drifted in through the door. "Julian! I had another nightmare about Marcus! I dreamed he was beating me, trying to drag me to hell with him!" Julian immediately pushed himself off me. He rushed out of the room and wrapped Serena in his arms, whispering softly. "Serena, it's not your fault." "He was abusive. You only killed him in self-defense." "It's over now. Don't be scared. I'm right here with you." Julian's tender whispers echoed down the hallway and into my ears. I shivered, desperately buttoning my torn clothes. When I brushed my hair back, my face was completely soaked with tears. I crawled to the door and banged on it with all my might. But even when my fingers were bloody and raw, nobody opened it. I curled up in the corner, whispering one name over and over in my heart. Tristan, please. When are you going to find me? I sat in that dark room all night. The next morning, a maid finally unlocked the door and let me out. She walked past me, completely unfazed by my state, and casually tossed a dead snake into the trash can. Julian was sitting downstairs, reading the Wall Street Journal. Seeing me walk down, he ordered casually, "Serena wants your homemade chicken broth. Go make it." "And make sure Leo's milk is strictly room temperature." "Iron my suits when you're done. The maids aren't as neat as you." These words felt like they were programmed into my DNA. My legs actually started moving toward the kitchen on autopilot. But the moment my hand touched the apron, I snapped out of it. I rushed back into the living room, trembling with rage. "You are kidnapping me! I am calling the police!" Julian looked up from his newspaper, letting out a cold, mocking laugh. "Vivian, what game are you playing now?" I was about to scream at him when my eyes caught a photo on the front page of the newspaper. It was Tristan, attending a high-profile charity gala last week. I pointed at the paper, my voice shaking with excitement. "That's him! That's my husband! If you don't believe me, call him yourself!"
Julian narrowed his eyes, about to say something. But Serena stood on the grand spiral staircase, looking down at me with pure contempt. "Vivian, are you out of your mind?" "Everyone in New York knows Tristan Carter is completely untouchable. He doesn't even let female business partners near him, let alone a wife." "Besides, the Vance Group is currently in talks with the Carter Corporation for a merger. We would have heard if he got married." I clenched my fists, desperate to argue, but a sudden, sharp pain flared in my lower abdomen. My baby... Looking at the unguarded front door, I bolted. "Vivian! Where do you think you're going?" Serena rushed down the stairs and threw her arms around me, blocking my path. Losing all control, I bit down on her arm, hard enough to tear a piece of flesh off. She screamed in pain, collapsing to the floor and clutching her bleeding arm. "Julian! My arm... it hurts so much!" The tenderness in Julian's eyes as he looked at her arm instantly turned into murderous rage when he looked up at me. "Vivian Miller! Have you lost your mind?!" Slap! A brutal slap landed squarely on my face. My vision went pitch black, and a loud ringing filled my ears. Before I could recover, Julian dragged me by my hair to Serena's feet and kicked the back of my knees. "Kneel down and apologize to Serena!" "You hurt my mom! I'll beat you to death!" Leo rushed over, slamming his heavy toy car repeatedly against my head. My freshly bandaged wound split open, and blood began to gush out again. I swallowed the metallic taste of blood in my mouth, struggling to crawl away. But someone kicked me hard from behind, and my stomach slammed heavily against the sharp edge of the marble stairs. A blinding, agonizing pain ripped through my body. I felt a warm, thick liquid trickling down my thighs. Looking at the pool of blood beneath me, tears finally spilled over. "My baby... Please, take me to the hospital..." I tried to stand up, but the world spun violently, and I plummeted into darkness. When I woke up again, the sharp smell of bleach and antiseptic filled my nose. Faint voices drifted over from the side of the bed. "Pregnant? Amnesia? What the hell does that mean?!" "Mr. Vance, to be precise, it is dissociative amnesia. It's a defense mechanism her brain built to protect her from severe trauma." The man's voice was tight with suppressed fury. "We provided her with everything she needed! How could she get a mental illness like that?!" The doctor sighed heavily. "The patient's body has scars from sharp weapons, blunt force trauma, and multiple healed bone fractures. These are classic signs of prolonged, severe physical abuse." "Her body was pushed far beyond its limits. When her mind finally broke down, it chose to completely wipe out all those agonizing memories to keep her alive." Julian fell silent for a few seconds. When he spoke again, his voice was incredibly hoarse. "I will look into this..." "But the baby in her womb cannot stay. I am not raising another man's bastard." I opened my eyes in sheer terror, trying to scream, but my body wouldn't obey. They wanted to kill my baby! Several medical staff approached, slowly pushing a syringe into my IV line. Julian stood beside me, his eyes rimmed with red. Using the absolute last ounce of my strength, I grabbed the edge of his jacket. "Please... don't..." He reached out and covered my tear-filled eyes. Slowly, I slipped back into unconsciousness. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the Vance mansion. But I was strapped to a heavy metal chair, and a strange, cold device was strapped to my head. "Vivian, you're awake." Serena was kneeling in front of me, a sinister, triumphant smirk on her face. "Julian told me about your little amnesia." "But don't worry. We're going to help you remember everything." Touching my flat, empty stomach, I let out a gut-wrenching scream of despair. My baby was gone. Julian's eyes were bloodshot. He knelt down beside me, kissing the tears on my cheeks. "The specialist said that after 99 electroshock sessions, your memory will return." "Once you remember, I will personally destroy anyone who ever hurt you." "As for that bastard child... I won't hold it against you anymore." My entire body shivered violently as I shook my head in terror. "No! Please! I really don't know you! I beg of you..." "Start the machine," Julian ordered coldly as he stood up. The switch was flipped. A massive jolt of electricity surged through my veins like liquid fire, exploding from my fingertips straight into my vital organs. Every muscle spasm felt like my bones were being crushed into powder. I screamed, my voice cracking into a raw, bloody shriek. Blood poured from my lips. My vision went dark, leaving nothing but an endless, tearing agony. And then, the dam in my mind finally burst. Silent tears streamed down my face. I whispered hoarsely, "I remember..." I remembered all eight years of pure, suffocating hell.
The first time I met Julian, I was working part-time as a singer at a high-end lounge. He claimed it was love at first sight. He rented out the entire venue for me. The path from the lounge to my college dorm was lined with thousands of red roses he had ordered. After that day, luxury gifts began piling up at my doorstep. He appeared in my life every single day, playing the perfect, attentive gentleman. I knew the massive gap between our social statuses, so I kept my distance. Until my gambling addict father sold me to an underground human trafficking ring. Julian had stormed into that dark basement alone, taking a dozen stab wounds to save me. That night, covered in blood, he carried me out of that hellhole step by step. "Vivian, you are my entire life." "If you die, I won't live another day." Because of those words, I became his wife. Until Serena and his older brother, Marcus, returned from Europe. It was only then, from a casual slip of the tongue from his friends, that I found out Serena was his first love—the one that got away. After that day, Julian changed completely. All his attention shifted to Serena. The gifts meant for me were redirected to her. Just because Serena casually mentioned she didn't want another woman ruling the Vance household, Julian forced me to sign divorce papers. She said she wanted a child but was too afraid of the pain of labor. So, the son I nearly died giving birth to was taken from my arms and handed to her. Whenever I screamed and demanded my baby back, Julian would threaten to cut off the life support for my terminally ill mother in the hospital. To pay for my mother's medical bills, I became Serena's dog. I washed her feet, endured her slaps, and accepted her verbal abuse. But the one time I couldn't take it anymore and fought back, my mother was kicked out of the hospital into a heavy rainstorm. She died of a heart attack on the street, and I didn't even get to say goodbye. Desperate and heartbroken, I tried to run away with my son. But Julian caught me and forced me to take the fall for Serena's crime. That night, I knelt in the pouring rain, begging him at his feet. "Julian, please! I can't go to prison! What will happen to Leo if I go?!" But he only kept his umbrella tightly over Serena, shielding her from a single drop of rain. His voice was as cold as a winter blizzard. "Serena is too fragile for prison. Unlike you, you've always been tough." "When you get out, we will compensate you." On my very first day in that hellhole, inmates hired by Serena rubbed industrial bleach into my eyes. On the second day, I was pushed down the concrete stairs, breaking my arms and legs. On the third day, a group of corrupt guards let violent inmates into my cell... For three years, every single day was a living nightmare. On the day of my release, Julian sent his men to pick me up. But when I saw the faces of the men in the car—the very same men who had tortured me in prison—my mind snapped. I jumped out of the moving vehicle on the highway. I was hit by an oncoming truck, thrown over the guardrail of the bridge, and plunged into the icy river below. I slowly opened my eyes, the haze in my mind completely gone. Looking at the couple in front of me, the unfamiliarity was replaced by a deep, dark hatred that seeped into my very bones. Julian rushed forward, desperately wiping the blood from my lips. "How is it, Vivian? Do you remember now?" I glared at him, spitting out each word like venom. "I remember everything." "You are my enemy. You murdered my mother, and you killed my baby." Julian's face drained of all color. He stumbled back a few steps, looking at the doctor in terror. "What's wrong with my wife?!" Serena stepped forward, pulling out a long, horrifying syringe filled with a strange yellowish liquid. "Julian, it seems Vivian's brain is still a bit scrambled." "I know a back-alley clinic that deals with neuro-damage. One injection of this straight into her temple, and she'll be perfectly obedient." Looking at the terrifying needle, Julian hesitated. Just as he was about to speak, the maid knocked urgently on the door. "Sir! Tristan Carter is downstairs. He demands to see you immediately." "What is he doing here?" Serena offered a sweet, reassuring smile. "He's probably here to discuss the merger. Julian, go handle him. Leave Vivian to me." Seeing her confident look, Julian nodded and hurried downstairs. The moment the heavy oak door shut, the sweet smile on Serena's face vanished. She grabbed my jaw with manic force, her face twisting with pure malice. "Vivian, you miserable bitch! Why did you have to come back?!" She raised the long needle, pressing the cold tip against my temple. "I will destroy any woman who tries to take Julian from me. Go to hell!" The moment she leaned in, I gathered all my strength and kicked her hard in the stomach. I tore myself free from the leather straps and sprinted toward the door. "Tristan!"
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