Home / I Faked Amnesia, He Called His Lover His Wife / Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

All Chapters of I Faked Amnesia, He Called His Lover His Wife: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

1

The day I got out of the hospital, I ended up as a guest in my own home.A little wooden sign Nathan and I had picked up on a trip used to hang on the master bedroom door.Now a crystal ornament Ivy liked hung there instead.My clothes had been stuffed into cardboard boxes and piled in the storage room.Ivy had her arm hooked through Nathan's as she looked at me."Claire, the doctor said you can't handle any stress. I just want to take care of you. That's the only reason I'm putting you in the storage room for now."Don't worry. As soon as your memory comes back, I'll help you move back to your own place."Nathan spoke up, his voice flat. "This is my home with Ivy."Ivy lowered her head, but she held on to his arm even tighter.I stood in the entryway, holding my bag from the hospital.Something in my chest twisted.I looked at Nathan, waiting for him to explain. Even a single word would have been enough.But all he did was take Ivy's scarf off for her, then bend down to set her slippe

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The next day, Ivy offered to take me to my follow-up appointment. She took my hand right in front of Nathan."Claire, I promise I'll help you get your memory back."Nathan opened the car door for her and waited until she was settled before he looked at me."You sit in the back."The seat that used to be mine was Ivy's now.My neck pillow used to sit on the passenger seat. Now a cartoon cushion Ivy had bought sat in its place.When the car braked hard, Nathan's arm shot out in front of her, and my forehead slammed into the back of the seat.He glanced at me in the rearview mirror."Put your seat belt on. Stop making people worry about you."I held my forehead and didn't answer.His concern sounded more like a scolding, but it still made my chest ache.At the hospital, Ivy helped me into a chair. She was the picture of a perfect friend.Dr. Mark Quinn went over my chart and asked if I'd had any headaches or trouble sleeping.Ivy sighed and answered before I could, "She came out in the mi

3

I pulled two all-nighters and turned in the profit model on time.Marcus wrote back. My proposal had passed the initial review.If I aced the in-person presentation, I'd become the project lead and earn a bonus equal to three percent of the profits.I booked a train ticket to Southport for the day after tomorrow.That evening, Nathan's parents came over.Nathan's mother, Diane Cole, had barely stepped through the door before she took Ivy by the hand and gave her a necklace."Nathan's told me about you so many times. He really loves you."I stiffened as bitterness welled up inside me.Ivy happily took the necklace and put it on.Diane had once said that necklace was meant for the woman Nathan loved.So everyone knew about Nathan and Ivy. Everyone but me.When Diane noticed me, she barely reacted."Oh. Ms. Whitman's here too?"Nathan answered for me. "She has nowhere else to stay."Diane pushed the black truffle steak that had just been served toward Ivy.But Ivy slid the plate over to m

4

Then came the day Ivy announced she was pregnant.In the middle of the dining table sat a pregnancy test, a lab report, and a pair of baby socks.She grabbed my hand, her face glowing with excitement."Claire, I'm going to be a mom. I'm almost six weeks along, and the baby's healthy."Six weeks. So they'd been together even longer than I'd thought.Nathan wrapped his arms around her from behind. The tenderness in his eyes stopped me cold."We'll have to move the wedding up and get the dress altered. We can't have anything too tight around your belly."He'd already started looking at cribs and even cleared his schedule for a week so he could go to her prenatal appointments.Ivy rested a hand on her stomach and looked at me."Claire, are you happy?"My chest tightened. I didn't say anything.Her eyes got a little red. "Are you still mad at me?"Nathan put his phone down."Claire, Ivy still considers you her best friend. The least you could do is be grateful."I picked up the lab report a

5

Mark realized he'd said too much. His expression changed instantly.Nathan stared at him, his voice low. "Did you just say Claire never lost her memory?""Mr. Cole, I...""Does she remember me or not?"Mark was quiet for a moment. Then he had no choice but to tell him everything.Two weeks earlier, when I'd woken up in the ER, my tests had shown that my cognitive function was completely normal.I'd begged Mark in private, "Nathan and I had a fight. I want to use the accident to play a little joke on him and see if he still cares about me. All you have to do is help me keep it quiet."Mark thought we'd just had a fight and I wanted to surprise Nathan, so he didn't object.He never imagined Nathan would use it to bring Ivy home and let her take my place."Ms. Whitman always knew who you were."Mark looked at Nathan, and there was pity in his voice. "She knew exactly who you were the whole time."Nathan stood in the middle of the exam room, his hands slowly curling into fists.Suddenly he

6

Nathan didn't sign. Instead, he followed me to the parking lot.I unlocked my car and waved for my coworker to get in first.Once we were alone, he finally spoke, his voice urgent. "Claire, I know I was wrong. But what happened with Ivy wasn't something I could control."I looked at him coldly. "I gave you chances to make this right."When she moved into our bedroom. When you proposed to her with my ring. I never called you out."Nathan's lips moved."Every single time, you made the choice."I opened the car door, my voice colder than the rain. "Don't blame it on amnesia now."He swallowed hard. "I thought you really didn't remember.""So you think hurting someone who doesn't remember doesn't count?"He had no answer. Rain dripped from his hair.He reached out to shut the car door for me but stopped when he saw the distance in my eyes."I'll call off the wedding," he said quickly. "If you'll just give me one more chance."I looked at him and let out a small laugh."Nathan, do you still

7

Right before the Southport project's annual report, one of our old suppliers suddenly filed a claim against us.They said we'd ended the partnership unilaterally and demanded $240,000 for breach of contract.The day the lawyer's letter arrived at the office, the project team was thrown into chaos.At the meeting, the former team lead challenged me. "You're the one who pushed to switch suppliers. If we lose in court, it'll eat up every cent of the project's profits, and your job could be on the line."Finance put the bonuses on hold.Some people at the company even suggested paying them to settle so it wouldn't mess up the year-end audit.Marcus looked at me. "Are you sure about this?"I didn't answer right away. I just had legal pull every contract attachment.Over the past three months, every time I'd changed suppliers, I'd kept the service records and inspection data.That supplier had missed the targets in their contract four weeks in a row. They'd also submitted two duplicate invoi

8

The day the divorce was finalized, Nathan transferred the last of the settlement to me.The house we'd lived in counted as premarital property, so there was no argument over it.Our joint savings were split proportionally.He voluntarily gave up his claim to the car and part of the investment returns."This settlement is very much in your favor," Rachel said.I nodded. "It's what I'm entitled to after everything I put into that marriage."I didn't turn it down, and I didn't feel like I owed him anything.Ivy sent me an email later.She said she'd left the city. She admitted she'd envied my life for a long time.So when Nathan made room for her in his life, she took my place, knowing full well it wasn't hers to take.At the end of the email, she asked if I hated her.I read it, closed it, and didn't reply.My mom asked me once if I got lonely, being on my own.My dad cut her off right away."She's so busy we have to make an appointment to see her. What's wrong with being on her own?"I

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