Chapter Two:

Jocelyn's POV

Lillian didn't want the child to be illegitimate and subject to gossip, so she left a brief text message and secretly departed.

That night, Ashton went crazy, searching for her all night in the pouring rain.

Then I witnessed with my own eyes as Ashton carried Lillian back to our Repulse Bay villa where we had lived for two years, holding her as if she were a precious treasure.

After Ashton carefully looked after Lillian all night, he brought up divorce with me with unusual determination.

"Jocelyn, let's get divorced."

"You helped me back then, now consider it you helping me. I've fallen in love with Lillian. Without her, I'll die!"

With things having developed to this point, the divorce was inevitable.

But Dean's next words made me furrow my brow.

"Sir has fallen in love with you again, no... that's not quite it either."

My heart trembled, my mind in a fog as I asked, "What do you mean? What do you mean he's fallen in love with me again?"

Dean really didn't know how to explain the current situation, so he could only push open the hospital room door and let me see for myself.

As soon as I entered, I saw Ashton with his head wrapped in thick bandages.

And Ashton happened to look up at me at the same time.

As our eyes met, the disgust and coldness I had imagined didn't arrive as expected.

Instead, Ashton's gaze suddenly lit up.

Just like when we first fell in love, full of affection that seemed ready to overflow.

"Darling, you're finally here!"

Darling?

How long had it been since I'd heard that term of endearment?

So long that it seemed as if all the betrayal I'd experienced during this time had been just a nightmare.

But how could that suffocating heart-stabbing feeling be a dream?

My eyes instantly reddened as I roared, "Don't call me that!"

A flash of surprise crossed Ashton's eyes, and he immediately tried to get out of bed anxiously, but accidentally pulled at the wound on his shoulder, gasping in pain.

The next second, a hurt expression appeared in his eyes.

"Darling, I know you're still angry that I missed your graduation performance, but I was in a car accident. Don't you feel even a little sorry for me?"

Graduation? Performance?

My brow furrowed tightly, my fingertips digging hard into my palm.

Only then did Dean finally step forward, lowering his voice to explain.

"Madam, sir injured his head and has amnesia. His memory has stopped at two years ago, when you two had just confirmed your relationship."

My breathing instantly stopped. I went to ask the doctor and only then confirmed that Ashton wasn't acting.

He really had lost his memory!

How ironic.

Of all times, he had lost his memory to two years ago, when our love was at its strongest.

After thinking for a moment, I walked to the bedside and spoke calmly.

"Ashton, we've been married for two years."

Ashton's eyes flickered, full of unexpected surprise and excitement.

But I pretended not to see it, took out a stack of documents from my bag and handed them over.

I continued, "I've already signed the divorce agreement."

The surprise in Ashton's eyes instantly froze, leaving only shock and confusion.

"Di... divorce?"

His eyes stared fixedly at the divorce agreement in my hand, but he refused to take it.

My hand suspended in mid-air was starting to ache, so I placed the divorce agreement on the table beside the hospital bed.

"If there are no problems, we can proceed with the divorce."

The cold and indifferent voice drilled into Ashton's ears, and he instantly became agitated.

"No! Impossible! We love each other so much, how could we possibly divorce? Stop fooling around, darling, I..."

Before he could finish, his gaze suddenly fell on my neck.

My skin was snow-white and delicate, so those dense, intimate marks were particularly conspicuous.

And those marks clearly had been made not long ago.

"You... you actually, cheated?!"

His voice was hoarse, as if he had suffered a huge blow, then he covered his head and fell back on the hospital bed, his expression pained.

Dean couldn't bear to watch and quickly stepped forward to support him.

His eyes also inadvertently swept over my neck, then he lowered his gaze and sighed.

"Madam, the doctor said sir can't be stimulated right now. As for the divorce, could you perhaps postpone it..."

Before I could speak, Ashton, who had been in pain, suddenly slowly raised his eyes, looking at me stubbornly and earnestly.

"Even if you cheated, I still don't want to divorce you!"

"Since childhood, my greatest wish has been to marry you. Even if you made a mistake, I'm willing to forgive you this once. Can we start over..."

Ashton's words were like a heavy hammer, striking hard at my heart.

My heart, which had already been shattered and numb, seemed to show slight signs of beating again.

Start over?

If time could go back to two years ago.

If he could never remember Lillian.

If he would continue to love me as passionately as before.

Then perhaps I could also...

But this thought was only half-formed when it was interrupted by a delicate, hesitant voice.

A slender figure in white walked right past me and threw herself toward the bedside.

"Oh my God! How did you get hurt so badly?!"

The person was none other than Ashton's pampered college girl, Lillian.

Lillian lay by the bedside, in her early twenties, with skin so tender it seemed water could be squeezed from it.

The corners of her eyes drooped slightly, with crystal-clear tears still hanging on her lashes.

This appearance would make even me, a woman, feel sorry for her, let alone a man.

However, Ashton, who had always been particularly precious about his little lover, this time surprisingly pushed her away, looking completely baffled.

"Who are you?"

Lillian's face instantly turned pale, her misty beautiful eyes suddenly widening.

"I'm Lillian!"

"Don't you remember me?"

"Then do you remember that I'm carrying our baby?"

As she spoke, Lillian pulled Ashton's hand and gently placed it on her lower abdomen.

This time, Ashton didn't resist, but stood there dazed, letting Lillian pull his hand.

After a minute of stunned silence, he finally quickly withdrew his hand.

I quietly watched this scene, the corners of my mouth curling into a cold smile, laughing at myself mockingly.

I must be crazy!

To choose to deceive myself again because of his words!

Between us, there was already Lillian and this child. How could we possibly return to the past?

The Ashton of two years ago would never have allowed any woman other than me to touch him.

Let alone this hesitation lasting several minutes!

The reality before my eyes was like a heavy hammer waking me up. Even with amnesia, Ashton still didn't feel the slightest aversion to Lillian's touch.

At this thought, my eyes suddenly reddened, and I turned to leave.

Seeing this, Ashton panicked and tried to get out of bed to stop me.

"Darling, let me explain. This must be a misunderstanding. I don't even know her!"

I clenched my fingers tightly, not stopping my steps. Ashton anxiously called out.

"Jocelyn! You're the one who made the mistake first, yet you won't even give me a chance to explain. Are you in such a hurry to divorce and marry someone else?!"

"If you take one more step, believe it or not, I'll go to your parents and cancel all cooperation with Richter Group!"

This time, my steps halted.

But not in submission.

I turned to glare at Ashton, my reddened eyes filled with coldness.

"Ashton, you dare touch Richter Group and see what happens!"

"Even if I end up with nothing, I'll at least make you pay dearly!"

Before, to force me to divorce, Ashton had repeatedly threatened me with the company.

Now that he didn't want to divorce, he was threatening me with the company again.

I didn't want to endure it anymore!

If my parents were alive, they would never have let me be coerced just to stabilize the company.

Even if I really ended up with nothing, I would climb back up with my own hands!

One day, I would personally remove Ashton, this backbone, and grow my own support.

Seeing my stubborn gaze, Ashton was stunned.

He seemed not to have expected that I, who had always been gentle in nature, would explode with such a strong side.

Just as the atmosphere became frozen, Lillian suddenly spoke softly, breaking the silence.

"Did you get injured and lose your memory? Jocelyn's parents already died in a car accident, didn't they? And at that time, the reason they got into the accident was because..."