His wife, Clara.

The bitterness in my heart surged again, making me hold my breath as my hand instinctively moved to my chest.

I really felt it—I had a reaction to his words.

Could it be...

No, impossible!

"No! I am Clara Yin! I’m not anyone named Clara!"

Subconsciously, I only wanted to push it away.

But Mrs. Hannigan grabbed my arm and shook her head at me. "Clara, have you forgotten your own situation? I rescued you by the sea back then. When you woke up, you had lost all your memories. I was the one who gave you the name Clara Yin, you haven't forgotten that, have you?"

I was silent.

Of course, I hadn't forgotten that.

What I had forgotten was the past—a past I couldn't remember no matter how hard I tried.

"President Riverton's wife disappeared four years ago after falling into the sea."

Now, everything was clear.

Celine covered her mouth in shock.

So—

I, Clara Yin, was really the Clara who fell toward her death all those years ago?

Chapter 16

"Sister! It really is you!"

"No, it’s not!"

I denied it flatly.

How could I accept this? it was far too sudden!

And just because of a similar incident involving water at the same time, I was judged to be his wife?

"I know you don't believe it," Xavier said, pulling out a small red booklet and handing it to me. "This is our marriage certificate."

It was genuine, an absolute proof that he wasn't deceiving me.

I took the certificate with half-doubt and opened it. The woman in the photograph looked exactly like me.

The same face, the same time of falling into the sea, and I had amnesia.

It seemed there were no such coincidences in the world, but why... why was I so unwilling to accept it?

Was it because I never expected to be found by my family one day?

No, this wasn't just a relative—it was a husband.

A husband. That made it even stranger.

The room fell into a sudden, heavy silence.

"I won't force you, and don't try too hard to think about the past... Celine, we’ll be staying here for the time being."

Celine nodded immediately.

I remained unmoved, standing there in a daze.

"I’ll give you time," Xavier said, then looked at Mrs. Hannigan and added politely, "I’ll have to trouble you to stay with her."

Mrs. Hannigan nodded and looked at me, eventually shaking her head with a sigh.

And so, I spent the entire afternoon alone in my room, not taking a single step outside, as if the whole world had stopped.

Mrs. Hannigan stayed by my side the entire time. When I didn't speak, she remained quiet, providing me with a strange sense of comfort.

It wasn't until evening that Xavier had dinner sent up.

"Clara, stop overthinking. Have something to eat."

Mrs. Hannigan placed the dinner on the table and handed me the utensils, but I didn't take them.

"You know, don't make things more complicated than they need to be."

I slowly looked up at her, frowning. "I’m not making things complicated. I just... find it hard to believe."

Mrs. Hannigan patted my shoulder and smiled. "I know. Suddenly having a husband and a new identity—if it were me, I’d find it miraculous too."

I pursed my lips and shook my head again. "I can't describe the feeling, but I suppose I must be his wife."

Mrs. Hannigan was silent for a moment, as if deep in thought. Finally, she spoke: "It’s not 'supposed to be.' You are."

"Mrs. Hannigan, what did he say to you?"

My heart skipped a beat. That man who claimed to be my husband—what exactly did he tell her?

Mrs. Hannigan didn't hide anything. She told me about what happened after my amnesia and about Xavier’s hopes.

He said he had been in agony over his wife's death for all these years, and now that I was alive, he hoped I would accept him and go home with him.

"President Riverton hasn't been himself since his wife passed away. But now that you’re alive and he loves you so much, you won't ever have to be apart again. Isn't that wonderful?"

There was a hint of expectation and persuasion in Mrs. Hannigan's voice.

Love.

That word sent ripples through my heart.

Love...

To someone with amnesia, a word like "love" felt so alien.

I looked at Mrs. Hannigan blankly, trying to grasp the meaning behind the word.

What did it feel like? To me, it was so foreign that I felt I might not even need it in this lifetime.

"Then why did he lose me in the first place? Have you ever wondered why I fell into the sea four years ago?"

Mrs. Hannigan looked at me, a flash of hesitation in her eyes. She didn't seem to want to answer directly, but I insisted on knowing the truth.

"Clara, some things aren't as simple as you imagine," she finally said, her voice heavy. "The situation back then was very complicated. President Riverton..."

Before she could finish, a sharp pain shot through my heart.

"Clara, are you okay?"

"I..." I clutched my chest, my eyes full of pain as I shook my head repeatedly.

I gritted my teeth, trying to endure the agonizing torture in my chest.

Suddenly, that dream surfaced in my mind again—the imprisoned woman, those men...

"Clara, don't scare me!"

Seeing this, Mrs. Hannigan reached for the medicine to give to me.

But I refused to take it, showing a stubbornness I hadn't had in years.

"I won't take it!"

Every time I took that medicine, my brain felt numb. While it stopped the pain, it made me feel like a puppet.

My chest felt tight, and I wanted to go out for some air to clear my head. Just as I opened the door, I saw the man standing outside.

My... forgotten husband, Xavier.

He stood there silently, as if he had been guarding me all along.

Mrs. Hannigan followed me out. Seeing Xavier, a smile touched her lips.

"You two talk. I’m going back to my room to rest."

As she left, I instinctively tried to close the door.

But this time, Xavier didn't give me the chance.

He propped his hand against the doorframe. His grip wasn't overly forceful, yet I couldn't shut the door no matter how hard I tried.

"You..."

I was a bit annoyed, though I couldn't say why, since he hadn't actually done anything.

"I didn't mean to bother you. I just wanted to watch over you here."

I was speechless.

This man spoke as if I might disappear at any moment.

Watching over me—I wasn't a child, so why did he need to guard my door like this?

I gave up on closing the door, let go, and brushed past him. "I just want to go out for some air."

"I’ll go with you."

"..."

I said nothing and kept walking, but I didn't refuse him.

After all, this was a public space; he was free to go wherever he pleased.

Outside the hotel was an open-air garden. In the evening, it was very quiet and undisturbed.

I walked through the garden, looking up at the starry sky with eyes full of hesitation and gloom.

The man followed behind me. He didn't come close, maintaining a constant distance.

Not too close, not too far. Whenever I looked back, I could see him.

I didn't know where my future lay, nor did I know how to face this sudden husband.

After a long silence, I pursed my lips and finally spoke first—

"If you are my husband... then why did I fall into the sea in the first place?"

I finally asked the question that had been haunting me, the one I couldn't let go of.

But rather than trying to remember or guess on my own, it was better to ask him directly.

Xavier looked at me, a flash of pain and struggle in his eyes.

He was silent for a moment. Just before I lost my patience, he finally spoke: "At that time, an accident happened. Because of me."

"Hmm?"

I was confused. An accident happened because of him?

"I’m a businessman. My identity comes with many enemies... Back then, as my wife, you were kidnapped."

As he spoke, Xavier's eyes grew dark, and his voice was deep and heavy, as if every word carried a massive burden.

"I rushed to save you, but those people hurt you and threw you into the sea."

Listening to him, shock and fear surged through me like a tidal wave.

Kidnapped? How was that possible?

My heart tightened as I remembered that dream again.

That feeling of terror and helplessness flooded back into my soul.

I couldn't imagine the scene of being hurt and thrown into the sea.

That despair and powerlessness... my eyes suddenly turned red.

Chapter 17

I could clearly feel that Xavier noticed the shift in my expression. He approached me with extreme caution, as if terrified that any sudden move might trigger memories that were never meant to be revisited.