Alexander.
What was I doing here?
No matter how many times I asked myself that question, I couldn’t come up with an answer.
I had retreated to my room, determined to block out that insufferable nuisance and force myself to rest. Yet, somehow, my body had betrayed me. Before I even realized it, I had wandered here, my steps carrying me down the hall without reason or logic. And when I finally became aware of where I was, I didn’t stop.
I just kept walking.
Now, I stood at the entrance of the kitchen, staring at what could only be described as the most ridiculous scene of my life.
“Well, good for you! I guess you moved on really easily.
You found a new girl, and it only took a couple of weeks!
Remember when you said that you wanted to give me the world?”
Valentina stood on the stool, eyes closed and chopsticks clutched tightly in her hand as she sang the lyrics at the top of her lungs, one hand dramatically pressed against her chest as though she were performing on a grand stage.
Her voice wavered slightly-off-key and loud-but it didn’t stop her from pouring her heart into the song.
I raised a brow, folding my arms as I leaned against the wall, watching her. This had been going on for the past two minutes, and it was a wonder her voice hadn’t already woken Felix yet.
I glanced at the bottle of whiskey, and my frown deepened. Of course, it was empty-what did I expect?
“You bastard!” Valentina abruptly stopped singing, her eyes snapping open to glare daggers at me. Her trembling finger pointed in my direction as her voice trembled with indignation. “How dare you, you bastard? How dare you do this to me after everything I did for you?”
I tilted my head, a mocking sneer playing on my lips as I studied her. Pathetic. Ridiculous. Utterly foolish.
“Always causing some sort of trouble,” I muttered under my breath, but her next words froze me in place. For a brief moment, I stared at her, my eyes widening in shock.
“How dare you cheat on me, Damien!” she cried out, patting her chest as tears welled in her eyes. Her trembling finger pointed accusingly at me. “How dare you cheat on me with the same woman who caused my miscarriage-with Caelina! After loving you for all those years, giving you my heart-my everything! And yet, you threw it all away for your first love. You betrayed me!”
“How could you sleep with her on the same night I had my miscarriage? How could you get her pregnant? How could you…” She paused, her voice breaking before she let out a scoff, followed by a mocking laugh.
“But then again,” she continued bitterly. “What did I expect? No one has ever loved me, so why did I think you would be any different? How could I believe that I could finally be happy?” Her voice dropped as she clenched her fists tightly “An illegitimate child like me… I guess don’t deserve happiness.”
Immediately after her words, she closed her eyes, her footing faltering on the stool. She slipped, her body lurching forward, but before she could hit the ground, I reacted instinctively. In a swift motion, I rushed forward, wrapping my arms around her frame and catching her just in time.
Her breath came in shallow, uneven gasps as she went limp in my arms, her head falling back, exposing her neck.
I stared at her in shock, trying to process what had just happened.
Hell, had she gained her memories back?
____
Her body landed on the bed with a soft thud as I straightened up, dusting my hands before tucking them into my pockets, my cold gaze narrowing at her.
The abrupt motion seemed to jolt her awake. She groaned, licking her lips and rubbing her arms, her voice barely above a whisper as she muttered incoherent words under her breath.
For a brief moment, I stood there, staring at her as I tried to assess the situation. Back in the kitchen, she had spoken as if she remembered everything.
Damien.
That was her husband’s name. I had done my research on him-the CEO of Laurent Corporation. Not one of the biggest conglomerates in the country, but he had enough wealth to warrant attention if one were to classify him.
I also knew the backstory between him and Valentina. Quite cliche, if you asked me. Apparently, Damien had a first love-some woman whose name I couldn’t be bothered to remember. She had betrayed him for money offered by his father to stay away from him. And right after that, both of their parents had forced Damien and Valentina into an arranged marriage.
Predictable and tiresome.
My gaze flickered back to her face. If she had truly regained her memories, what would my next move be?
Will I let her go back to her family? Or would I kill her?
Hmm,
Well, I guess the interesting way to shatter her completely is waking up to a new face, a new identity, and a life that wasn’t hers.
The corner of my lips curled into a cold smirk as the thought crossed my mind.
With one last glance at her, I turned away, but before I could take a step, her hand gripped mine, stopping me in place.
I frowned and turned around, but froze the moment I met her gaze.
There was something in the way she looked at me-an intensity that made time seem to stop.
Before I could comprehend it, my heart thundered against my chest, the sound almost deafening in the silence. I drew in a deep, shaky breath, unable to tear my eyes away from hers.
That day, as I stood before her, her hand clutching mine, I hadn’t expected the words that left her lips.
“Alexander… I’m sorry for what he did to you,”