Chapter 1
Chad didn’t pick up my call again, so I blew up at him. To make it up, he drove out in a freaking storm to buy me cherry pie–and that’s when the accident happened.
When I got the news, my brain went total static. []
It was like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over me, freezing me to the bone.[]
I didn’t even change clothes before bolting out the door, ran so hard I lost a flip–flop. []
By the time I found the hospital room, Vance Fowler in his white coat was just closing the door. He did a double – take when he saw me: []
“Joanna, jesus–you’re soaked through!”
I was a mess, hair dripping, clothes sticking, but I couldn’t give a damn. My voice shook as I croaked: “Chad–C – Chad, how is he?”
ance’s eyes darted around when he saw me about to cry.
Vance’s
He stammered: “He took a hit to the head, but he’s mostly okay, really-” [
“Is he in there?” I tried to push past, but he blocked me. “Joanna, hold on! Let me finish.” []
His hesitation sent my heart into my throat. “Are you hiding something? Is Chad really okay?” |
Vance nodded, then tapped his temple. “His mind… it’s not right. I don’t know how to explain–you just need to see for yourself. But Joanna, promise me you won’t freak out, no matter what.” []
On the way over, I’d been kicking myself. I shouldn’t have yelled, shouldn’t have started that fight. If anything happened to Chad, I… I couldn’t live. I’d do anything if he was just okay, I’d never fight him again.
But when I pushed open the door, what I saw was my husband wrapped around a young girl in a white sundress.
That was Eve Lowe, his secretary–he’d fired her a month ago because I didn’t like her. [
And yeah, that’s exactly what we’d fought about today.
Eve jumped like a scared rabbit when the door opened, shoving away from Chad.
I felt a knot in my gut as I looked at the man in the bed.
Chad met my eyes with total stranger vibes. The gauze around his forehead stung my heart, mixing guilt and ache. I took a step, but he turned to Eve, voice sickly sweet: “Who’s she?”
Eve flicked a guilty glance at me. “She’s Mrs. … Ms. Jones!”
Chad held out his hand, and Eve placed hers in his palm. “A friend?” []
Eve shook her head fast. Watching their hands lock, anger shot up my spine. When he looked back at me, those eyes that used to melt me were full of straight up disgust.
That’s when it hit me. My voice trembled: “You don’t rememb-”
“Get out.” His voice was ice, cutting me off.
Chadwick Jenkins and I were seven years dating, three years married–ten years total. In all that time, he’d never talked to me like that. Even when we fought, he let me rant, then hugged it out. []
The worst he’d ever said was: “Joanna Jones, are you done yet?”
Today, he’d even apologized, grabbed his keys for that pie. And now he comes back not knowing me? [
My Husband Left Me for a Secretary–Hie Hillionaire Buddy Finally Time to Crown My Queen!
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Chapter 1
But he just frowned, sizing me up from head to toe, lingering on my mud – caked
“Chad, I’m your wife!” I blurted. []
I thought he’d yank his hand back, put distance between him and Eve. B feet.
“You’re not my type,” he said flatly. [
I froze.
I remembered him on one knee, ring in hand: []
“Joan, if you don’t marry me, I’ll die alone. Have mercy?”
I’d played it cool then, huffed: []
‘Yeah, right—there are other girls.“[]
“But I only want you. I’d die without you.”
The The memory of that soft–spoken, earnest guy overlapped with the cold stranger here.
Tears spilled over, but I looked at his bandage and told myself:
He’s just amnesiac. As long as he’s alive, he’ll remember. [
We’ve got decades left. []
It’s okay–we’ll take it slow.[]
