Chapter 2

"What nonsense are you spouting?" I nearly snapped back, but caught myself at the last second.

"Let's go home."

The rental apartment had only one bed.

That night, I curled up against the wall, facing away from him.

After his shower, Landon climbed into bed.

He lay there silently for a long while before speaking in a low voice.

"I'm really tired today... can we skip the usual tonight?"

My whole body went rigid.

"The usual" was his polite way of putting it.

Whenever I was in a good mood, I'd tease and torment him in bed. He never refused, even after spending an entire day doing construction work until his back could barely straighten.

But now the comments were saying I was pregnant.

Instinctively, I pressed a hand over my lower abdomen, my thoughts in complete disarray.

"Mm... let's just sleep," I muttered.

A few seconds of silence followed.

Then Landon quietly replied, "Okay."

His voice carried a trace of disappointment and confusion.

[Seriously? Why is he disappointed? He's wired!]

[Landon's only treating her this well because she tricked him. Once he gets his memories back, he'll realize she deceived him.]

[Can his fiancée hurry up and show up already?]

I buried my face in the pillow.

I barely slept all night.

Landon, on the other hand, had fallen asleep. His breathing was steady, one arm draped loosely around my waist.

Even after I'd turned him down, he still protected me out of habit.

At the first hint of dawn, he quietly got out of bed.

I pretended to be asleep and watched him through half-closed eyes.

He padded into the kitchen and made breakfast.

After quickly finishing his own breakfast, he left mine in the oven to keep warm.

He reached the door, then suddenly turned back.

He leaned down and pressed a feather-light kiss to my forehead.

The moment the door closed behind him, I waited a few minutes before jumping out of bed.

I skipped breakfast, pulled on a mask, and hurried to a pharmacy, where I bought two pregnancy tests from different brands.

Back home, I locked myself in the bathroom.

My hands shook so badly I could barely open the packaging.

The few minutes of waiting felt like the longest minutes of my life.

Both tests showed two lines.

I sat frozen on the toilet, my legs so weak I couldn't stand.

I really was pregnant.

Everything the comments had said was true.

[Told you. Pregnancy confirmed.]

[The fiancée, Selena Lowe, is about to arrive.]

[This woman's good days are over. The moment Landon gets his memories back, she'll be the first person he dumps. That's what she gets for lying to him all this time.]

Suddenly, I remembered the first time I met Landon.

He'd been injured at a construction site and rushed to the hospital, the back of his head covered in blood.

But one look at his face and bearing, and it was obvious he wasn't an ordinary man.

For reasons I still couldn't explain, I'd told him after he woke up,

"I paid your fifty-thousand-dollar medical bill. I saved your life."

I'd thought he'd be overwhelmed with gratitude and reward me with tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Instead, he'd replied with complete sincerity, "Thank you, but I'm just a construction worker... I'll work hard and pay you back."

I'd been stunned on the spot.

But he was ridiculously handsome, and he indulged me in everything.

Before long, we ended up together.

Later, I quit my nursing job and let him support me.

I complained that he was poor, yelled at him every day, ordered him around, and constantly told him to "get out."

Not once had he ever said no.

Looking back now, I couldn't understand it.

I'd treated him so badly.

How could he still have been so good to me?

I covered my face, but even my sobs came out soundlessly.

[She’s crying now? A little late for that.]

[She is pitiful too. Chasing vanity felt great at the time, but there's always a price to pay.]

I stepped out of the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face, and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

My eyes were swollen and red.