The Broken Ending

After the amnesia, I stopped controlling Caden. We coexisted like separate planets, never colliding.
He devoted all his resources to paving a golden path for Marla Baldwin’s stardom.
People warned me, “Stop faking amnesia, Sasha, or you’ll lose your place as Mrs. Pierce.”
I’d just smile. Trying to get me killed? I finally had a life of leisure and endless money.
When he crashed his car back home, I was overseas following my favorite band on tour.
His best friend called, begging me to return. I faked panic: “Oh my god, is he okay? I’ll take the next flight!”
By the time he was discharged, I still hadn’t come back.
When I finally returned, I wore an apologetic look and lied: “My wallet was stolen right after I landed. I had nothing but my phone. I’m so sorry.”
But he just stared at me, took my hand, his eyes red. “Can we stop fighting, Sasha? Please?”

1
Marla Baldwin, starring in a blockbuster fantasy series, was the number one trending topic. The comments were a sea of her fans and paid bots, all recounting the hardships she'd endured over the years.
They claimed she’d finally made it.
Meanwhile, I was sitting in a plush VIP hospital suite, gently touching the bandage on my head.
"Oh. My. God."
Gazing around the opulent room, a grin spread across my face, my eyes gleaming.
"Did I just wake up a millionaire?"
Just then, a nurse walked in. I quickly pointed to my head. "Hey, miss! When can I get out of here?"
She spoke softly. "We'll probably need to observe you for another two or three days. If there are no adverse reactions, you'll be free to go."
I waved a dismissive hand. "Perfect, then I can leave now. I feel great."
I fluttered my eyelashes at her. "Pretty please?"
She blinked, momentarily stunned, before saying, "Let me get the doctor to take a look. If he says you're okay, you can be discharged."
"Awesome, thank you!"
After the nurse left, I craned my neck to grab my phone. I wasn't prepared for what I saw.
Holy crap. 99+ notifications.
My vision is a little blurry, so I brought the screen closer. Pinned at the very top was a contact labeled: Hubby.
There was one unread message: If you keep this up, we're getting a divorce.
Divorce?!
The next second, I was calling my mom. As soon as she picked up, I blurted out, "Did you win the lottery or something?"
"You ungrateful brat! You need to tell that Caden of yours to give your brother—"
I hung up before she could finish.
Next, I called my dad. Same question, same answer.
By 3:33 PM, I had confirmed that I hadn't struck it rich.
The wealthy one was the "Hubby" who wanted to divorce me.
I immediately checked my bank account. After counting the staggering number of zeroes, I went back to read the chat history with "Hubby."
I almost fainted.
Seriously, did I have my head slammed in a car door before I woke up?
I had been begging—actually begging—my cheating husband to come back home.
"Unbelievable!" I pressed my fingertips to my temples dramatically. "When did I become so pathetic?"
I walked into the bathroom and stared at my haggard reflection. "Sasha," I said to the mirror, "when did you become this person? Begging for love? Have you completely lost your mind?"
Once the doctor cleared me for discharge, I made a beeline for the nearest luxury mall for a complete makeover.
I bought ten heavy gold bangles in one go, five for each wrist.
The sales associate, seeing how extravagant I was, was smiling so hard her eyes disappeared. She showered me with an endless stream of compliments.
When I left the mall, I was practically radiating the decadent scent of money.
Magnificent.
Next stop: an exclusive gentlemen's club.
I walked in with a briefcase full of cash. I fanned a thick stack of bills and used it to tilt one of the model's chins up. "Do you like me?"
His eyes lit up like laser beams. "Darling, I like you more than anyone," he purred. "You're gorgeous, you have an amazing body… who wouldn't be obsessed with you? If someone isn't, they must be blind."
I turned to another. "Do you love me?"
He practically threw himself at my feet. "After my own mother, you are the person I love and care for most in this world."
I held out a wad of cash, smiling as I had them fan me with it.
See? Love is easy. When you have money, you can have any kind of love you want.
These guys were so smooth, they could sell water to a drowning man.
I was so giddy I couldn't tell which way was up.

2
Relying on a faint flicker of memory, I found my way back to an opulent, sprawling villa. My legs felt like jelly, my heart pounding in my chest.
"Holy crap, is that a fountain? And a colonnade? Wow, and a garden… and a swimming pool!"
The smile on my face stretched wider. This is my house.
I pushed open the heavy front door. The foyer was dark.
I switched on my phone's flashlight, fumbling along the wall for a light switch.
Before I could find it, a piercing scream echoed through the hall.
"Ah!"
My heart leaped into my throat.
My knees went weak from the shock, and I leaned against the wall, peering toward the source of the sound.
The next second, the lights flickered on.
I squinted against the sudden brightness.
When my eyes adjusted, I saw a man with a woman huddled in his arms.
They were too far away for me to see clearly.
The man's voice was cold, laced with impatience. "What is it this time? Threatening to jump off the roof? Slit your wrists?"
Before I could process what was happening, the woman beside him shrank back as if terrified of me, her big, watery eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
I held up my hands. "Whoa, sorry to interrupt. Didn't see a thing in the dark. I'll just… head upstairs."
"You two carry on."
With that, I turned and bolted up the stairs as if my life depended on it.
Following another hazy memory, I found a bedroom and slipped inside.
Once again, I found myself marveling, "This room is huge."
After a shower, I came out to find someone else in the room.
It was the man from downstairs.
I guessed he must be "Hubby" from my phone—Caden Pierce.
His shirtsleeves were rolled up, and he leaned against the wall, staring at me coldly. "What's the new game?"
Before I could speak, he sneered. "Amnesia?"
I knew that even if I showed him the doctor's official diagnosis, he wouldn't believe me.
So I just waved my hands frantically. "Nope, not at all! I'm perfectly fine!"
Silence descended upon the room.
I had no feelings for him, no memories of him.
To me, he was just some guy standing in my room. I asked hesitantly, "Was there something else?"
If not, you can leave.
I highly doubted a cheating man would want to stick around anyway.
He lazily lifted his gaze to meet mine. "Weren't you the one who was begging me to come home?"
"Heh, well, if you're busy, you're free to go."
I offered a dry laugh. He shot me an icy glare before disappearing into the bathroom.
I sat on the bed, scrolling through my phone, trying to piece together my life from the endless text messages.
It turned out Marla Baldwin was Caden's childhood sweetheart. But her family went bankrupt during college.
She didn't get into the same university as him, and their youthful romance was buried by circumstance.
When they met again, she was a struggling extra in Hollywood, while he was the CEO of the Pierce Corporation.
It was a story straight out of a romance novel. He felt sorry for her past and wanted to give her the glittering career she deserved.
I was just the villain who had thrown a wrench in their fairytale. I had publicly accused Marla of being a homewrecker.
Her rivals seized the opportunity, fanning the flames of the scandal, and she was nearly driven out of the industry.
I did a quick search. The whole affair ended with me issuing a public apology.
The official statement claimed it was all a misunderstanding, that Marla had not interfered in our marriage.
What a load of crap. How touching. How noble of him to protect her.
I yawned, deciding to go to sleep before he came out of the bathroom.
If I was asleep, it wouldn't be awkward.
...
The next morning, I woke up alone.
After breakfast, I casually asked the housekeeper, Maria, "What do I usually do around this time?"
"Oh." Maria paused, thinking for a long moment before choosing her words carefully. "Ma'am, you would typically go to Mr. Pierce's office?"
"To work?"
"Ah, no."
I got the picture.
For the next few weeks, Caden never came home.
I, on the other hand, made friends with a few wealthy wives. They took me to exclusive clubs, high tea, and lavish spas.
"It's about time you finally saw the light," one of them said.
Her name was Clara, a stunningly beautiful woman.
I shook my head internally. Men. They have a beautiful, fragrant flower at home, but they still can't resist the temptation of trash on the street.
She slowly exhaled a plume of smoke. The handsome young actor sitting beside her quickly held out an ashtray.
The model next to me was just as attentive, picking up a strawberry and holding it to my lips. "Darling," he whispered, "have a strawberry."
Then he leaned closer to my ear. "Want to play a game?"
My interest was piqued. "What kind of game?"
The model had soft, androgynous features and a captivating smile. I found myself staring for a moment.
He leaned in, but before he could say a word, the door to our private room was kicked open with a violent crash.
A man in a black suit stormed in, his face a mask of fury. He lunged forward and punched the actor square in the jaw.
I gasped, covering my mouth. Clara and the other wives, however, seemed completely unfazed.
The actor didn't dare fight back. Finally, Clara, examining her manicure with an air of boredom, spoke. "Are you done? If so, get out. You're scaring my friends."
In the dim light of the room, the sliver of yellow light from the hallway illuminated the man's pale face.
He took off his suit jacket and draped it over Clara's shoulders, then grabbed her arm. "Come home with me."
After Clara left, I asked the remaining wives, "What was that all about?"
One of them laughed bitterly. "The classic double standard. He's allowed to play with fire, but she's not even allowed to light a match."
As we left the club, I tilted my head at the model beside me. "Why do you work here?"
He smiled, his answer simple. "I need the money."
"Are you clean?" I asked.
He paused for a second, as if processing the question, then nodded. "Yes."
I smiled back. "Alright. I'll give you ten thousand a month. Be mine."
His lips parted slightly. "Thank you," he said.
"What's your name? Your real name."
"Leo."

3
The day Caden and Marla Baldwin's names exploded across the internet, Leo and I were up at 4 AM.
We were chasing a sunrise.
There's a road in Northwood that's surrounded by the ocean on three sides.
He drove a scooter, and I sat beside him in the sidecar.
The road was dotted with others like us, all seeking the dawn.
The horizon was already set ablaze with a magnificent crimson and gold. Palm trees lined the road, swaying in the gentle breeze.
At 5 AM, a crowd gathered on the beach. For nearly twenty minutes, we watched.
A sun like a salted egg yolk slowly ascended from the sea, its light brilliant but not blinding.
When I got back to the villa, I collapsed onto the bed and fell instantly asleep.
I was jolted awake by the incessant buzzing of my phone. Groaning, I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. "For crying out loud!"
"Aaargh! So annoying!"
I grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.
Finally, I unlocked my phone. Messages were flooding in from people I knew and people I didn't, all asking if Caden and I were getting divorced.
The general sentiment was: "You can't keep faking this amnesia, Sasha. If you do, your spot as Mrs. Pierce is going to be up for grabs."
I scoffed internally. Are you trying to get me killed? I finally have a life where I don't have to work and still have money to burn.
I scratched my head, took a deep breath, and opened up social media.
Well, what do you know. The number one trending topic was #CadenAndMarla.
Apparently, one of their old high school classmates had posted a video as part of a viral trend called 'Seventeen-Year-Old Daydreams.'
The video transitioned to a photo of the user in their old classroom.
In the background, several other students in uniforms were captured in the shot.
I looked down at the photo, which fans had enlarged and digitally enhanced for clarity.
You could see Marla's face perfectly.
The girl was looking up at the boy standing before her, her eyes bright with an adoring smile.
The boy was leaning casually against the blackboard at the back of the room, his head slightly bowed, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
The comments section was on fire.
"Is this a scene from a Netflix teen drama? I'm invested."
"So all those 'coincidences' weren't coincidences at all. Caden has been her guardian angel in Hollywood this whole time."
"OMG, tell us more! This is so sweet!"
"But wait, isn't Caden married? What does that make them? Is Marla not the other woman here?"
Amidst the sea of fans shipping this 'reunited lovers' fantasy, a rare voice of dissent emerged.
But people only want to hear what they want to hear, see what they want to see.
Anytime a comment didn't fit their fairytale narrative, they would reconstruct their fantasy world with a barrage of "I heard" and "from what I understand."
"The wife isn't nearly as pretty as Marla. And I heard she used some dirty tricks to marry into the Pierce family in the first place. A family like that would never have accepted her otherwise."
"I agree. The fact that Caden and Marla found each other again proves that even fate couldn't stand to keep them apart."
The comments flew back and forth, but my mind was a complete blank.
I couldn't even remember how Caden and I met, let alone how we got married.
I scratched my head. Why would the heir to a massive fortune marry me?
Didn't his parents object?
I couldn't find an answer, so I gave up trying.
That evening, I was waiting for Leo outside the Northwood Institute of Technology.
He had taken a year off from school due to family issues but had recently re-enrolled.
He was wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt over a white t-shirt.
A sharp pain lanced through my head. A fuzzy image flickered at the edge of my vision.
"Hey, have you been waiting long?"
I shook my head slightly. "Not at all. Any good places to eat around here?"
"Feel like some barbecue? A new place just opened up, I hear it's really good."
"Sounds perfect."
The Institute of Technology was right next to Northwood University. As we passed by the university's main gate, I slowed to a stop.
The familiar entrance felt like a dream.
Leo asked softly, "Sasha? What's wrong?"
"I think... I think I used to go to school here."
Just as we were about to leave, a warm, elderly voice called out from behind us. "Is that you, Sasha?"
I turned. An old man pushing a bicycle was walking towards us, a cheerful grin on his face.
"The last time you two visited was for the alumni event a few years ago! Don't tell me you came all this way just to see this old man?"
I bit my lip. The whole amnesia thing sounded ridiculous to most people. So I just smiled. "Of course, Professor. We came to see you. How have you been?"
The professor waved his hand with a laugh. "I'm doing great, just great. I know Caden is a busy man. And who is this young fellow?"
He gestured toward Leo.
"A friend of mine," I said. "He goes to the tech institute next door."
"A pleasure to meet you, young man."
Leo bowed his head slightly. "Professor."
"Yes, yes," the professor nodded, his kind eyes twinkling as he looked at me. "My, how time flies. It feels like just yesterday you two were freshmen. That boy, Caden, ran all over Riverton in the middle of the night just to collect a full set of those character dolls for you, and he had a major competition the next day. Ah, to be young. And now, look at you, married for five years."
My smile froze on my face.
I'm twenty-eight this year.
The professor continued, lost in his memories. "I wanted him to stay on for his master's, his Ph.D. He joined my research lab as a freshman—a true genius, one of a kind. But his parents were against it. He told me he had to go out there and build a future for you both."
Suddenly, a sharp, stabbing pain shot through my heart. An image flashed in my mind.
A boy in a blue shirt, darting through unfamiliar streets.
Then, a bright, teasing voice echoed in my ears: Hey, going for that sun-kissed look? I thought I was too pale myself, mind if I join?
"Well, look at the time," the professor said, snapping me back to the present. "I have to get to my class. You two should come by and visit this old man when you have a chance."
I smiled. "We will. Please take care of yourself."
After the professor left, Leo noticed my pale face. "Sasha, are you okay? You don't look so well."
"I'm fine. Just… remembered some things."
The Northwood night was a dazzling spectacle, with golden lights illuminating the city's grand, European-style architecture.
Clara was drunk. I went to pick her up.
A waiter led me to a private room. She was slumped on the floor, her head resting on the table, her curly hair splayed out around her.
I had no idea what had happened to make her drink this much. Hearing the door, she lifted her head groggily, her voice slurred. "Sasha? Is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me. Come on, I'm taking you home."
"Home?" She blinked, staring at me with a vacant expression.
Then, a bitter smile twisted her lips. "Right. My home. The one where I'm all alone."
As she laughed, something seemed to occur to her. She fumbled with her phone and held it out to me.
The screen displayed an email from a university abroad. An acceptance letter.
"I'm going to study overseas."
My jaw dropped. "Clara, that's amazing! Congratulations! I'll have to come visit you."
"You better. I'll show you my campus."
But she didn't look happy. I glanced at the empty bottles scattered around the room. "Isn't this the school you've always dreamed of?"
"Hmm? What makes you say that?"
"You just don't seem very happy about it."
She froze at my words, then threw her head back and laughed. "No, it's not that. It's just... surreal."
I looked at her, confused, as she began to tell me her story.

First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "247102" to read the entire book.