Faking Amnesia to Dump Me, Watch Me Marry Your Rival

The day before our wedding, my fiancé got into a car crash. When I rushed to the hospital, he was holding another woman in his arms, looking at me with pure coldness. "Who are you?" After the doctor diagnosed him with amnesia, I had no choice but to cancel the wedding. Yet on his birthday, I overheard a conversation between him and his best friend. "Liam, how much longer are you going to drag this out before you actually marry Mia?" Liam Vance's voice sounded devoted to another, yet completely detached from me. "I'll think about it after Chloe's birthday." Little did he know, the moment I slapped our certified marriage certificate right in front of him, he would completely lose his mind. The VIP lounge door was left ajar. The voices drifting out made me stop dead in my tracks. "Liam, aren't you afraid Mia will dump your ass once she finds out the truth?" Liam sounded totally indifferent. "She won't. She spent four years chasing me like a lovesick puppy just to put a ring on it." "Her parents are dead. I'm literally the only family she has left in this world." "All it takes is a little sweet-talking, and she'll come running back. Right now, Chloe needs me more." The guys around him started hyping him up. "Man, you really got her wrapped around your finger. But what if Chloe actually takes you back?" "Isn't it obvious? Liam will drop that naive fool Mia in a heartbeat." Liam's deep, icy voice echoed through the crack in the door. "If that happens, I'll explain things to her properly." Hearing that, my heart sank straight into my stomach. My grip slipped, and the gift box in my hands crashed to the floor. The door swung open. The guy who opened it panicked the moment his eyes landed on me. "M-Mia? How long have you been standing there?" "Just got here." My voice was flat, neither loud nor soft. The guy instantly let out a sigh of relief. I bent down, picked up the box, and stepped into the lounge. Chloe Evans was leaning against Liam's chest, her face flushed red from the drinks. She was his ultimate, unforgettable first love. The one who got away. A flicker of guilt flashed across Liam's face, but he quickly composed himself. "Mia? What are you doing here?" "Didn't I tell you we'd discuss the wedding after my memory comes back?" *Discuss?* So, all along, I was just a backup plan. A disposable option. I walked over and placed the gift on the table in front of him. "This is the thing you wanted most." With that, I turned and walked out as fast as my legs could carry me. He didn't have amnesia. He just didn't want to marry me. He was just waiting for Chloe to change her mind. ... Right after graduating from college, I became Liam's executive assistant. Back in school, his face was plastered all over the honor boards. He had been my campus idol for four entire years. When I heard from colleagues that the girl he deeply loved had moved abroad, my quiet crush sparked back to life. After countless late-night dinners where I helped him handle clients and drank on his behalf, Liam personally drove me home one night. Inside the dimly lit, intimate space of his car, he turned to look at me, dead serious. "Mia, why don't we give us a shot?" During the year my parents died in a tragic car accident, he took care of me meticulously. He held me close and whispered tenderly in my ear. "Mia, from now on, I'm your only family." From that day on, I stuck to his side like glue, accompanying him to every business and social event. Until the day Chloe returned to the States. That was the day the spark in his eyes shifted. My spiraling thoughts were suddenly cut short by my ringing phone. "Mia, Liam's completely wasted. Come pick him up and take him home." The thought of all these people knowing the ugly truth, actively helping Liam play me for a fool, made my blood boil. I snapped coldly into the receiver: "Take an Uber and drop him off yourselves. I'm busy tonight." Before the guy could utter another word, I hung up. After sitting alone at a dive bar for hours, I still ended up heading back to the penthouse we shared. The second the front door opened, Liam stood there, wrapped only in a bath towel. And lying in the master bed was a woman. I didn't ask a single question. I simply turned on my heel and headed for the guest room. Liam rushed over and grabbed my wrist. "Chloe got blackout drunk. I was worried she'd get into trouble, so I brought her back." "Mia, even if you're my fiancée, Chloe is family to me." *Family?* Turns out he had plenty of family in this world after all.Maybe the chilly night air got to me, but I woke up feeling miserable and called in sick. When I finally walked out of the room, the dining table was already covered with an elaborate breakfast spread. Chloe beamed at me with a fake-sweet smile. "Good morning, Mia. Liam and I grew up together. We've always been super close." I kept my head down, chewing on a piece of toast without answering. She kept rambling on. "Liam has amnesia right now. He forgot a lot of things... mostly things that weren't that important anyway." *Unimportant things.* Wow. I couldn't help but reach for the glass of hot milk to swallow down the lump in my throat. The boiling liquid instantly scalded my mouth and throat. Out of nowhere, Chloe lunged forward and crashed straight into the glass I fumbled to put down. The scalding milk splashed over her hand, and she let out an ear-piercing scream. The bedroom door flew open, and Liam charged out. With pure panic on his face, he cradled Chloe's hand, examining the burn. The very next second, he glared up at me, his eyes blazing with fury. "Mia! Did you do that on purpose?! Do you have any idea how important next week's piano recital is for Chloe?!" "I never realized you were so venomously jealous!" The blistering burn in my throat made it impossible to speak, let alone defend myself. Without waiting for me to react, he scooped Chloe into his arms and sprinted out the door. Liam didn't come back until late that night. I was sitting in the living room, quietly trying to swallow down some lukewarm soup. He stormed in, snatched the bowl from my hands, and slammed it onto the hardwood floor. The ceramic shattered with a violent crack. He roared: "Mia, if the burn had been any worse, she might never play piano again!" "You almost ruined her entire career!" I had no words left. I just stared at the ruined floor, mourning the only food my blistered throat could actually tolerate. Taking a deep, painful breath, I pulled out my phone and typed: [She lunged at me and knocked the glass over herself. I didn't do it on purpose.] Anxious, I kept typing to explain. Liam snatched the phone right out of my hands and smashed it against the wall. "Mia, you're an absolute disappointment." He grabbed me roughly by the arm, dragging me toward the front door. "You hurt Chloe, and now you want to dodge accountability?" "You're coming to the hospital right now to apologize. And you're staying there until she forgives you!" I struggled with everything I had, but he overpowered me and shoved me into the passenger seat. As the car sped toward the ER, my heart turned to pure ice. Inside the hospital room. Chloe lay in bed looking pale and fragile, her hand wrapped in thick white gauze. Liam yanked me inside. "Apologize!" I parted my lips, but only a faint, raspy wheeze came out. A young nurse nearby noticed something was terribly wrong. She hurried over to me, gasping in shock. "Miss, your throat and vocal cords are severely burned! If you don't get this treated immediately, the tissue damage will be permanent!" A brief flicker of hesitation crossed Liam's face, his voice softening slightly. "Stop playing the victim to weasel out of this. Apologize to Chloe first, then go get treated." The nurse stared at us in disbelief and tried to speak up again, but I gently raised a hand to stop her. I borrowed the nurse's pen and notepad, scrawling a quick line: [Chloe, I'm sorry. I'm giving Liam back to you.] Liam's face darkened instantly. "Mia, what the hell is that supposed to mean? Giving me back to Chloe?!" His voice raised defensively. "Didn't you claim to be my fiancée? Or were you lying to me this whole time?" Even now, he was still playing the amnesia card. But I was done acting the fool in his twisted little game. I bent at the waist, gave a stiff, formal bow, and bolted out of the room. I didn't care about Liam roaring my name behind me. Stepping out into the brisk hospital parking lot, I felt as if something vital had finally withered and drained from my soul. The night wind whipped around me, freezing cold. I instinctively wrapped my arms around myself, shivering. The next second, a warm wool coat was gently draped over my shoulders. I turned around to find a familiar face. It was Noah Vance—no, Noah Hayes. When did he get back from London?Noah Hayes was my childhood best friend. On the exact day Liam and I officially went public with our relationship, Noah booked a one-way ticket to London. And now, here he was, standing tall before me, looking down with a teasing smirk. "What's the matter? Did Liam finally kick you to the curb?" Furious and miserable, I punched him lightly on the shoulder, my eyes welling up with tears as I nodded. After reading the notes on my phone explaining the entire nightmare, Noah clenched his fists, veins popping on his neck. He swore he was going to walk in there and beat Liam to a pulp, but I held him back. Suddenly, the tall, proud man dropped down on one knee right on the pavement before me. "Mia, why don't we give us a shot?" Those exact words. Liam's face flashed across my mind, and hot tears streamed down my cheeks. Noah panicked instantly. He pulled me into his arms, awkwardly patting my back to soothe me. "Hey, hey, don't cry. I was just joking!" "My mom's been breathing down my neck to get married, alright? I just needed a fake date to get her off my back." I gently pushed him away, unlocked my new phone, and typed one word: *Okay.* With Noah's help, I moved every trace of myself out of Liam's villa that very night. Over the next few weeks, probably because he was too busy playing devoted nurse to Chloe, Liam didn't reach out to me once. After all, he was playing the amnesiac. He couldn't risk slipping up. Noah's parents flew back to the States. On the day of our engagement party, I arrived at the luxury hotel dressed in an elegant gown, only to run straight into Liam at the grand entrance. He looked at me in shock, his brows furrowing with deep irritation. "Mia? You know today is Chloe's birthday bash. What on earth are you doing wearing an evening gown here?" The entourage of mutual friends behind him immediately started snickering and egging him on. "Man, Mia disappeared for weeks just to pull off a grand gesture! Look at that dress—she's definitely here to propose to you, Liam!" A subtle blush crept onto Liam's cheeks, looking somewhat smug. Instead of answering, I unzipped my clutch, pulled out a crisp manila folder, and held it out to him. "Mr. Vance, here is my formal resignation. Thank you for the opportunities over the years." The bustling crowd went dead silent. Liam took the envelope, staring at it in total disbelief. Then, pure rage took over. "Mia! You're using your job to threaten me into marrying you?!" He shoved the resignation letter back against my chest. "Until my memory comes back, you better stop making a damn scene!" Before he could finish, a manicured hand slid around his bicep. "Liam, let's go inside. All our friends are waiting for the birthday toast," Chloe purred, casting me a triumphant, mocking smirk. "Miss Quinn should join us too. I didn't invite you, of course, but since you're Liam's secretary, I'd be happy to have you." She dragged out the word *secretary* with venomous condescension. Ignoring her completely, I turned to walk toward the private hall reserved on the other side. Liam violently grabbed my wrist. "Mia, what are you trying to pull?! Today is Chloe's big day. Whatever you have to say, we'll talk later." "If you dare ruin something this important to her, I will never forgive you." Noticing the pitying glances from the bystanders around us, my cheeks burned. Realizing his tone was too harsh, Liam loosened his grip slightly. "I still haven't gotten my memories back. I know that's unfair to you, but—" I let out a bitter, mocking laugh and yanked my arm away from his touch. "Liam Vance, my resignation is a notice, not a request for your approval." "And as for us breaking up? That was finalized the moment I left the hospital." "I am here today for my own wedding, not to watch your cheap soap opera." Liam's expression turned terrifyingly stormy, his voice dropping to a menacing rumble. "Mia, if you still want to be my wife, cut the crap and stop acting like a lunatic." He glanced at Chloe, giving her a reassuring look. "Once Chloe's birthday is over, I'll give you an answer." Chloe was dressed extravagantly in white, looking more like a bride-to-be than a birthday girl. I scoffed, reached into my bag, and pulled out our certified marriage license. I snapped it open and held it high for every single person in the lobby to see. "Take a good, hard look, Liam. I'm already married."