Chapter 4
His calm voice hit me like a bolt of lightning.
“You… already knew?”
Evan gave a small nod, hesitating.
“Someone saw you at the hospital that day.”
“Are you… okay?”
I blinked, confused by what he meant.
He added,
“The doctor who treated your mom is still practicing in the States.”
“I can reach out if you need.”
So that’s what he thought–that I was sick.
Not that… I was pregnant.
My lashes fluttered slightly, but oddly enough, my heart was calm in the face of his sudden concern.
Was this pity again?
This time, I guess I was just the family dog.
Got sick, so the owner had to care.
I let out a bitter laugh and glanced over at Claire, whose smile was quickly slipping.
I explained,
“I was nearby, figured I’d just pop in for a quick checkup.”
Before he could ask anything more, I turned and left.
The next morning, I packed my bags and got ready to leave.
As I stepped into the hallway, I ran into the cleaning lady.
She didn’t look surprised at all–like she’d been expecting it.
It felt like everyone had silently accepted that Evan didn’t care about me.
That I was just Claire’s stand–in.
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Faking Amnesia to Dump His Dying Wife? Challenge Accepted!
Chapter 4
When I reached the yard, I suddenly heard a loud clatter from the second floor balcony.
Someone was tossing things down.
I turned and looked–it was the master bedroom, the one I’d lived in for the past three years.
Bedsheets. Water bottle. Pillow…
Everything I hadn’t taken with me was now being heartlessly thrown out.
A not–so–subtle farewell.
And then–our wedding photo.
In the picture, I was standing carefully by Evan’s side, my smile innocent and hopeful.
That girl wasn’t me anymore.
The frame hit the ground and shattered into pieces.
I took a deep breath, stepped over the broken glass, and walked away.
The storm from last night had finally passed.
It was time for me to move on, too.
Evan and Claire didn’t come back until the afternoon.
The house had already been cleaned top to bottom.
Claire beamed with satisfaction.
Evan, on the other hand, was clearly agitated–he hadn’t been able to reach me all morning.
All the explanations he’d prepared stayed stuck in his throat.
He was frustrated.
Just as he picked up the phone to try again, the housekeeper came down from upstairs and said cheerfully to Claire,
“Miss Claire, just like you asked, I cleaned everything out. Sparkling clean!”
“I got rid of anything that woman left behind in the master bedroom, even disinfected the place.”
“But there was a folder in the closet–I didn’t dare open it.”
As she spoke, she pulled a file from her apron pocket.
Evan lowered his phone and took the folder.
A small notebook slipped out.
n..mn Uie Dving Wife? Challenge Accepted!
Page after page was filled with pregnancy prep notes.
Evan froze.
And just like that, the memory from that rainy night came ruslting back–1 was curled up in his arms, crying as T whispered I had no one left in the world.
He looked at my tear–streaked face and, without thinking, had kissed my forehead.
“Let’s have a baby,” he’d said.
“So you’ll always have a family.”
I believed him.
I talked to doctors, read articles, learned everything I could about preparing for a baby.
And slowly, I let myself get close to him.
He smiled faintly, warmth rising in his chest.
Until he flipped to the last page.
There, tucked inside, was a folded ultrasound report.
Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The smile froze on Evan’s lips.
Eight weeks pregnant.
Raine was… pregnant?
But when did it happen?
And why didn’t she tell him?
Was she planning to skip treatment and keep the baby in secret?
Was she trying to throw her life away?
A wave of panic surged through him.
“Where did Raine go?”
The housekeeper blinked, then shook her head.
“She left this morning with her luggage. Didn’t say where she was going.”
Her answer made his brows knit, his sharp expression turning colder.
“What do you mean she? Who’s she?”
Caught off guard, the housekeeper glanced nervously at Claire, then murmured,
“Sorry–Mrs. Cross. I meant to say Mrs. Cross left this morning with her bags.”
Evan’s eyes stayed locked on her, but his mind was replaying my voice from the night before: “You used to stand up for me… remember?”
He thought giving me the title of “Mrs. Cross” meant I’d be treated as his equal.
But without respect, I was no different than a decorative vase in the corner.
Now it was too late to fix that.
Claire, sensing Evan’s shift in mood, Jeaned closer to peek at the notebook–but Evan shut it quickly.
“Claire, you’ve had a long day. Why don’t you get some rest?”
She pouted and clung to his arm.
“Come on, Evan, let’s hang out a bit-”
11:47
Faking Amnesia to Dump His Dying Wife? Challenge Accepted!,
Chapter
Her voice lilted, sweet and girlish, a move she knew always worked on him.
But today, Evan didn’t react right away.
He let her pull him upstairs in silence.
The bedroom had been completely transformed.
The soft gold decor was now a sea of bold, burnt orange–just like Claire herself: loud, bright, and impossible to ignore.
The wardrobe, the corners, the vanity–every inch was cluttered with luxury bags and boxes.
Where the wedding portrait used to hang, there was now a photo of them paddling a gondola in Venice.
The room was packed, yet Raine’s presence had been erased without a trace.
It felt… strange.
Everything around him screamed “home,” but Evan’s chest felt hollow.
Claire closed the bedroom door behind them and playfully pushed Evan onto the silk–covered bed.
He fell back unexpectedly-
The cold edge of the notebook in his pocket jolted him back to reality.
He started to sit up, but Claire climbed onto the bed, leaning over him.
Her cheeks were flushed, eyes shining with anticipation.
“Evan… this is our first time here in our house.”
She shut her eyes, waiting for him to take over like he always did–to pull her under and make her forget the world.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Silence.
She opened her eyes slowly–Evan was staring blankly at the coat in the closet.
A classic wool coat–the very first gift I ever gave him.
The only thing in the entire house that hadn’t been thrown out.
He used to wrap me in it when I was cold, burying his face in the scent of my gardenia perfume.
11:47
Faking Amnesia to Dump His Dying Wife? Challenge Accepted!
36.446
Chapter 5
Back when we still had something real.
Before the memories could pull him under, his phone rang, slicing through the quiet.
Evan looked over–and locked eyes with Claire’s watery gaze.
He cleared his throat awkwardly, guilt thick in his voice.
Then picked up the phone.
A firm voice came through the speaker:
“Mr. Cross, I’m Raine’s attorney. She’s officially filed for divorce.”
“I’ll be handling the legal proceedings on her behalf.”
