Part 2Repeated Suicide for Love

My fists clenched, my heart twisting in agony.

As I watched our memories turn to ash, a piece of my soul burned with them.

The next second, the drug took effect, and I blacked out.

In my dream, I saw Rovan again, the way he was when he was twenty. He told me he was sorry, that he hadn’t taken care of me. I watched as his body slowly faded, morphing into Adrian’s.

“No, Rovan, don’t leave me…”

I cried out, lunging for him, but I fell through empty air.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital bed.

Adrian was sitting beside me. He let out a breath of relief when he saw I was awake.

“Sister-in-law,” he began, his voice hesitant. “Do you remember who you are?”

I looked at him, my expression blank. If he was so determined to abandon our past and play the savior for Maya, then fine. I would give him exactly what he wanted. I would forget everything.

“No.”

Hearing my answer, he didn’t look as pleased as I had expected. He cleared his throat, gave me a brief explanation of what had happened, and then added, “Maya fainted from the shock of seeing you collapse. She needs a blood transfusion. Are you willing to donate?”

My eyes dropped. He knew I had a clotting disorder. In the past, he would have never allowed me to even get a paper cut.

Maya must have truly captured his pity.

I nodded. For a fleeting moment, I thought I saw a flash of guilt on his face. He reached out, his hand instinctively touching my forehead.

“You’ve really forgotten everything?”

And, of course, Maya chose that exact moment to walk in. She shot me a venomous glare and left without a word.

Only after my blood had been drawn did she saunter back in.

“Sister-in-law, have you no shame? Adrian might look like his brother, but they are not the same person.”

“I get that you’re grieving, but that doesn’t give you the right to steal my husband.”

“And just so you know, I was perfectly fine. I just wanted you to lose a little blood to teach you a lesson. If I see you getting close to my Adrian again, I won’t be so nice.”

A wave of humiliation washed over me. I wanted to scream that she was the one who had stolen my husband.

But I said nothing.

Maya took my silence as defiance. “And another thing,” she continued, “I’m pregnant. Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary. I’m going to tell him the good news then.”

My gaze fell to her slightly rounded belly. A bitter smile touched my lips. “Is that so? Congratulations.”

I turned my head away, unwilling to look at her any longer.

Frustrated at my lack of reaction, Maya huffed and left.

Alone in the room, I called my parents. “I don’t want to stay with the Valerius family anymore. I want to come home.”

They already knew about Rovan’s “death” and had been worried sick.

“Of course, sweetheart,” my dad said immediately. “Your brother Liam just got back from overseas tonight. He’ll come and get you tomorrow.”

Liam was adopted by my parents when we were children. He had always been brilliant. He’d worked his way through college and earned a scholarship to study abroad. I hadn’t expected him to be back.

We arranged a time, and I hung up. Then, I messaged a lawyer friend, asking her to draft a severance agreement.

When a spouse dies, the marriage is legally dissolved. But I was worried that “Adrian” would eventually admit he was Rovan and try to entangle me in his life again. It was better to make a clean break now.

I traced the faint indentation where my ring used to be.

Rovan, I thought, I did love you. But I will not take back a man who’s been sullied.