002

“Tomorrow, you can go home.”

Xena, who was sitting on the bed, turned toward Max. The man had just entered her hospital room after speaking with the doctor.

“The doctor told me earlier. Your condition is stable enough for you to continue recovering at home.”

Xena nodded slowly. During the past few days in the hospital, it was actually Max who had spent more time by her side. He was the one who made sure Xena had no difficulty whenever she tried to get up, reminded her of her medication schedule, and even paid attention to the little things that Xena herself sometimes failed to notice.

And Jacob?

The man did come, but only briefly. He always came with Hazel. Was he trying to test Xena, or was that simply what their relationship was really like?

Xena watched Max as he tidied a few things on the table beside the bed. From the beginning, the man had never seemed bothered by this strange situation. He had also never questioned why he suddenly had to play the role of a woman’s husband when that woman was clearly his best friend’s lawful wife.

“Aren’t you busy?”

Max stopped what he was doing and looked at Xena.

“I can work anywhere as long as I can take care of you,” he replied calmly. “Other matters can wait.”

Xena’s chest felt tight. She had not expected to hear an answer like that. After all, this had started as nothing more than a prank to play on her husband. She had only wanted to give Jacob an April Fools’ surprise and see how her husband would react when she pretended to have lost her memory.

But who would have thought that the little game would instead lead her to a reality far more painful?

She had seen the way Jacob looked at Hazel, the way he acted intimately with her friend, even kissing Hazel without hesitation in front of Xena. And what hurt even more was that Jacob had seemed relieved when he learned that Xena might have lost her memory.

Even if it was only temporary.

Xena lowered her head, trying to hide the feelings beginning to churn inside her chest. There was no way she could reveal that her memory was perfectly fine.

Not now.

If Jacob had truly betrayed her, Xena wanted to know just how far that betrayal had gone. She wanted to know when it had started and what else had been hidden from her all this time.

And most importantly, she wanted to see for herself just how far Jacob would continue playing the role of a husband who no longer considered her his wife.

So, for the time being, Xena would continue pretending.

“Xena.”

The call pulled Xena out of her thoughts. Without realizing it, Max had already sat down beside her. He was looking at her hesitantly.

“Yes?”

“You ... don’t mind going home to my house, do you?”

Right.

This had not occurred to Xena before. She would be allowed to go home tomorrow. In her current strange situation, there was no way she could say she was going home to Jacob’s house.

“Why would I mind?” Xena smiled faintly. “Do I have anywhere else to go home to?”

“No,” Max replied quickly. “You should be going home to my house.”

Xena nodded. “Then let’s go home to your house.”

The next day, Xena finally left the hospital with Max. He did not talk much throughout the drive. He only occasionally made sure Xena was comfortable and that she was not experiencing any pain in her head.

Not long after, the car stopped in front of a large house that looked quiet and elegant. Xena stared at it for a few moments through the window before finally getting out after Max opened the door for her.

As soon as Xena stepped inside, several servants immediately stood and bowed their heads.

Max looked at them calmly. “From now on, treat her accordingly.”

The servants exchanged glances. Some looked back and forth between Xena and Max in confusion. But Max quickly took control of the situation again.

“She is the lady of this house. Respect her and make sure all her needs are taken care of.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Xena looked at Max.

Of course the servants in this house were confused. The Max they had always known as an unmarried man had suddenly brought a woman home and ordered them to treat her as the lady of the house.

The man said nothing more. He simply made sure everyone understood what he had said before walking with Xena toward the bedroom.

When they were almost there, Max handed her a small box.

“This is for you.”

Xena accepted it in confusion. When she opened the box, she found the latest model of a phone inside.

“Your phone was destroyed in the accident,” Max explained. “So I replaced it.”

Xena looked at the phone screen. She turned it on and opened the contact list. There was only one number saved there.

Max’s number.

Xena looked up. “Why is yours the only number saved here?”

Max looked at her for several seconds. “Because I don’t know whose number you might still remember.”

Xena fell silent.

“If you need anything, call me.”

“Of course—”

“Mr. Max,” one of the servants called hurriedly.

The servant’s words cut Xena off. Instinctively, both Xena and Max turned toward him.

“There’s a guest who wants to see you, sir,” he said breathlessly. He immediately lowered his head when he saw the sharp, seemingly cold look in Max’s eyes.

“Who?”

“That ... um ...”

Before he could even get an answer, someone had already approached them.

“You didn’t tell me Xena was coming home today, Max?” Jacob arrived with a wide smile, but the look in his eyes clearly showed that he was displeased with Max.

“Why does it matter?” Max replied calmly. “I just wanted to give Xena some peace and quiet.”

Jacob’s jaw tightened. “I want to talk to you, Max.” He stepped closer, continuing to stare sharply at Max. “Now.”

“Martha, escort Mrs. Gareth to her room. Make sure all her needs are taken care of,” Max ordered, and the servant immediately obeyed.

Then his gaze turned to Jacob. “Of course. There are quite a few things we need to talk about, Jacob.”

But before Max left, he first walked over to Xena. Max gently stroked the top of her head. “Get some rest. Martha will look after you.”

Seeing this, Jacob immediately approached and grabbed Max’s hand. “Can we speed up our conversation, Max?”

Max looked at Jacob’s hand, which was still gripping his wrist. But instead of getting angry, he merely raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Let go.” Max’s voice remained calm.

Jacob finally released his hand, then let Max walk ahead toward the lounge. Jacob followed without saying anything else.

Xena watched the two of them from where she stood. For some reason, she felt that there was something different about Jacob’s behavior tonight. The man looked far more restless than before.

“Mrs. Gareth, let me show you to your room.”

Xena glanced at her. Hearing someone address her by a different name felt strange. She was used to being called Mrs. Xena or Mrs. Montoya. However, for the time being, she had no choice but to accept the identity she had been given.

“Yes, of course,” Xena replied softly.

Martha then escorted her to the room.

Along the way, the middle-aged woman explained a few things about the house, including what Xena could ask for if she needed anything. Xena simply listened without asking many questions. Her mind was still occupied with the day's events, especially Jacob's lie when he handed her over to Max as though she weren't his own wife.

“Have a good rest, Mrs. Gareth. Just call me if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Martha,” Xena said with a small smile.

She waited until the woman had closed the door and her footsteps had gradually faded into the distance. The room fell silent again. Xena had no intention of wasting her time simply resting. She had already had enough rest at the hospital.

Xena hurried out of the room. She walked carefully, trying to remember the route she had taken with Martha earlier. When she passed a room whose door was slightly ajar, she suddenly stopped.

Voices came from inside.

One of them sounded so familiar that Xena recognized it immediately.

Jacob.

Just as Xena had suspected, her husband was still at Max's house. There was no way Jacob had come merely for a visit, especially since Xena had sensed his irritation earlier. Curiosity drew her closer, and she positioned herself where she would remain mostly out of sight but could still hear the conversation clearly.

Max and Jacob were talking about her. Holding her breath, she began to listen.

“I just want you to take care of her until her memory comes back,” Jacob said casually. “I still want to have fun with Hazel.”

Xena froze.

So ... was everything true? Jacob and Hazel?

Her hand slowly curled into a fist at her side. In truth, ever since she had seen how Jacob treated Hazel at the hospital, Xena had already had her suspicions. But hearing it directly still felt different.

A sense of pain slowly pressed against her chest. She wanted to walk in and ask how long they had been like this, why Jacob had done this to her, and there were still so many things Xena wanted to ask.

But none of that was possible now.

In Jacob’s eyes, Xena was a woman who had lost her memory.

“Aren’t you worried about me?” Max asked.

Jacob simply let out a soft laugh. “Why should I be?”

“You handed your wife over to me.”

“Seriously?” Jacob’s laughter could still be heard. “Why should I be worried about her being with you?” Jacob repeated casually. “You’ve never liked being approached by women, have you?”

Max did not answer.

Jacob leaned back against the sofa, as though their conversation were not something serious. “Besides, Xena’s condition right now actually works in my favor. I can have more time to enjoy myself with Hazel without having to go through the trouble of hiding it from her.”

Xena held her breath. She felt as though the world had collapsed beneath her feet. And ... what had Jacob just said?

An advantage?

Jacob continued, “Once her memory comes back, I’ll come and get her.”

Without realizing it, Xena tightly gripped the hem of her blouse. How could the man she had loved with all her heart for three years treat her like an object that could simply be left behind for a while?

“Besides, my wife is boring,” Jacob continued. “She’s monotonous in bed, and now she’s not even attractive anymore.”

Xena’s chest felt even tighter. She had never imagined that Jacob would talk about her like that to someone else.

Especially to Max.

The man who had always been considered his best friend. But Jacob still had not finished speaking. “You’re not interested in her, are you?”

Neither of them said anything.

Jacob laughed at the awkwardness that followed. “She’s my wife, and you’re my best friend. You wouldn’t cross that line, would you?”

Xena unconsciously held her breath. For the first time that night, she was truly waiting to hear what Max would say.

“I know my boundaries,” Max finally replied.

Jacob stood with a broad smile. He patted Max on the shoulder and said, “Good. In that case, I’ll head home first. Hazel is waiting for me.”

Max remained silent.

“Oh.” Before Jacob left Max’s study, he spoke again. “If it’s just holding Xena’s hand or hugging her, I can still tolerate it. But I don’t like other people touching what’s mine, Max. After all, she’s my wife.”

Jacob stared at Max for a long moment when his best friend gave no response at all. “Do you understand?”