Chapter 1 Waking Up

"Mrs. Monroe tried to take her life!" someone cried. When I opened my eyes, all I saw was blinding white. Before I could process anything, I felt a sharp pain in my wrist. As it slowly passed, I heard a man's anxious voice ring out. I turned to see him standing with his back to me. He was on the phone. "She's at the hospital now, Mr. Monroe. Do you want to come and see her?" I heard another man's icy voice on the other end of the line. "Is she dead? Don't bother me if she isn't." The call ended there. The man with me sighed and turned around. He was slightly taken aback when he saw me awake. After a while, he approached me and said, "You're awake, Mrs. Monroe." "…Who?" I looked at him, feeling lost. "Are you talking to me?" "Don't you recognize me?" The man's expression shifted. "I'm Corey Hart, Mr. Monroe's assistant." "…And who is Mr. Monroe?" Corey frowned at me, starting to look impatient. "Mr. Monroe is very busy with work, Mrs. Monroe. Faking an attempt to take your life isn't going to change that, let alone acting like you have amnesia. You should just give up already—Mr. Monroe isn't coming to see you!" I was even more baffled by his words. I had no idea what he was saying. Noticing my silence, he took a step forward. "You've been married to Mr. Monroe for five years, and he hasn't fallen for you despite all the fuss you've kicked. Don't you think you should reflect on that and stop causing trouble for him?" I still didn't know what was going on, but Corey's behavior upset me. Even looking at his expressions made me feel annoyed. Wait. "Did you just say… five years?" I shot out of bed and dashed into the ensuite bathroom to look at myself in the mirror. The face I saw was mine, yet it also looked more mature than I remembered it looking. There was also a trace of unmissable woe and resentment there. Had Corey been telling the truth? Were we five years in the future? Was I really married? … Well, it turned out I really was married—and for five years, too. I hadn't transmigrated, nor was I dreaming. No, it was none of that. I just had a case of memory loss. My memories were stuck at when I'd been 18 and a freshman in college. Back then, I'd had a crush on my senior, Louis Monroe—a man who was flawless in terms of appearance, family background, and capabilities. And I had married him. According to Corey, I'd married Louis when I'd been 20. It had been a shotgun marriage, so we hadn't exactly been in a steady relationship. I'd yet to graduate from college at the time, so we'd just registered the marriage without throwing a wedding. After marriage, I'd realized that Louis felt nothing for me. Instead, he was affectionate with his childhood sweetheart, Amanda Jones. Rumor had it she was his true love and someone he'd failed to get. Meanwhile, I'd started throwing tantrums upon learning I was unloved. I'd pulled various tricks to attract Louis' attention, but all it had gotten me was his dislike and disgust. His friends thought of me as a joke; they were all waiting for the day we got divorced. Amanda didn't consider me a rival either. In their social circle, she was like a princess—compared to her, my tantrums and all the fuss I kicked up made me look like a clown. Ultimately, I'd threatened Louis with my life and demanded he cut all contact with Amanda. He hadn't given in. Instead, he'd even told me to go ahead. So I had. That was the full story of what had happened before I'd woken up without my memories. I couldn't help finding it unbelievable. Committing suicide over an unrequited love didn't seem like something I'd ever do! By the time I processed everything, I was back in my marital home's master bedroom. Since the doctor had declared that I was fine, Corey had brought me home. Before leaving, he'd even warned me not to cause any more trouble. I appraised the massive villa I was in, losing all desire to kick up a fuss. I was stunned by the display of wealth before me. Just the walk-in wardrobe alone was larger than my original home! I was looking around the master bedroom, unsure where to start, when I heard a noise at the door. I whipped around to see Louis standing there. When our gazes met, his expression was grim and icy.