Chapter 2
Five years of trying to make this marriage work, all that love and effort she'd put in... what a waste.
Later, Henry's assistant came to handle her discharge paperwork.
Keeping up her act of memory loss, Victoria looked at the assistant. "Who are you?"
Grace Johnson hesitated briefly. "I'm Mr. Harrison's assistant. I'm here to take you home."
"Mr. Harrison?"
"The man who was just here. Your husband."
Victoria let out a silent, bitter laugh while keeping her expression neutral and puzzled. "So why would he tell me we're just friends?"
"I honestly don't know," Grace sighed. She couldn't understand her boss's thinking. His wife had lost her memory in a car crash, and he chose to call her just a friend.
"Was this an arranged marriage?" Victoria mused, keeping up her act. "Is that why he's saying we're just friends?"
Grace stayed quiet, leaving Victoria's question unanswered.
The car rolled to a stop outside Rose Villa. Victoria's chest tightened at the sight of the familiar house.
Unbidden, the image from that photo flooded her mind - Henry holding Sarah, their bodies close, his eyes soft with a tenderness she'd never seen directed at her. The pain hit her like a physical blow.
These feelings for him, she realized, weren't going to fade easily.
This was the house they had shared, the place where they'd built their life together. Five years ago, he had been drugged, and she'd woken up in his bed. Their families quickly arranged the marriage, and everything had been set in motion.
On their wedding night, he'd been blunt: "I don't have feelings for you, but I won't betray you. Let's just be a marriage of convenience."
A marriage of convenience meant no love, just business.
She'd agreed.
But gradually, Henry started controlling every part of her life, telling her what to wear and how to look.
For a while, Victoria fooled herself into thinking he was starting to care.
She felt hopeful and tried harder to be the perfect wife he seemed to want.
Six months after they married, she got pregnant with Jude, and she started dreaming of a happy family.
But Henry never changed. He stayed cold, only showing passion in bed. And she always fell for it.
Five years later, when she found Sarah's photo, reality hit her like a splash of cold water.
Everything about her - her clothes, her hair, her makeup - was copying Sarah!
Now it all made sense. He'd been so involved because he was trying to turn her into Sarah.
She was just a replacement.
After five years together, she finally saw the truth. Her life had been nothing but a cruel joke.
The tears came without warning.
"Are you okay?" Grace asked, concerned.
Victoria touched her wet cheeks, confused. "I don't know why I'm crying."
Grace just watched her with sympathy.
Pulling herself together, Victoria walked into the house. A housekeeper immediately approached her. "Ma'am, Mr. Harrison and young Mr. Jude will be home in two hours. Would you like to start dinner preparations?"
For five years, Victoria had handled everything for Henry - cooking his meals, choosing his clothes, even picking out his accessories.
She'd done it all hoping he would fall in love with her someday.
But now she knew that her feelings would never be returned.
Victoria looked genuinely puzzled. "Why would I need to cook dinner?"
The housekeeper stared at her, startled. "Ma'am, are you feeling okay?"
At that moment, Grace explained Victoria's condition to the servant.
The servant's eyes softened with sympathy. "Ma'am, you should rest. We'll take care of dinner."
"I'm not feeling great. Which way is the bedroom?" Victoria asked, rubbing her temples.
The maid showed her upstairs, and Victoria just crashed onto the bed. Her head was swimming as she tried to figure out her next move.
Divorce. That had to be first.