My husband lost his memory. He pinned me down, treating me like his lover: “Baby, I only want you. Don’t even think about making me marry that Lin guy.” Oh. But I am that Lin guy. He’s forgotten we’ve been married for three years, and that we were about to get divorced. Mason’s barrage of phone calls came through while I was still in a meeting at the company. The conference room instantly fell silent. I gestured for them to continue, put on my earpiece, and dialed the number. “Lucas! I called eleven times! Do you know how I’ve been trying to reach you all afternoon?!” The person on the other end was furious, not giving me a chance to speak. “Come back right now! Don’t make me say it twice!” “Otherwise you can forget about your $30,000 living expenses this month!” I calmly browsed through the $3 million cooperation project, realizing the person on the other end had finished speaking. “Okay, got it.” This response somehow set Mason off again. “What kind of attitude is that? Don’t you want your mom’s surgery fees?!” For the next half hour, the topic drifted to “my” alcoholic father, sick mother, and sister still in school. I sighed, regretting not having discouraged Mason from reading those melodramatic novels before. As the lecturing on the other end was winding down, I was starting to doze off and was about to take a sip of coffee. “How can you let your sugar daddy call you home every day?!” “As a kept man, you need to know your place!” I froze at those words, glancing at the ring on my right ring finger. A plain band. We’ve been married for seven years. He once put this ring on my finger himself, vowing to love me forever. Too bad he’s forgotten it all. When I got back, Mason was sitting on the couch, glaring at me angrily as he heard the door open. I raised my hands in surrender, “I bought some pork knuckles you like on the way.” Mason snorted coldly, “At least you know what’s good for you!” I let out a breath. I’d long since figured out Mason’s temperament – explosive, but easy to appease. But tonight Mason wasn’t buying it. “Why are you only getting back at 9:30 PM?” My foot, which had just stepped towards the bathroom, paused. I habitually took two steps back. “Overtime.” Mason narrowed his eyes, “When did you eat dinner?” “6 PM…” “You ate the lunchbox I prepared for you?” “Mm…” Mason pressed on, “How was the carrot?” “…” This question was definitely a trap. I kept a straight face, “I don’t remember any carrots in dinner.” “I hid them under the rice!” Mason gritted his teeth, “You just opened it for a look without eating anything, didn’t you!” …I’d let my guard down. I was so busy working until 9 PM, I’d completely forgotten food even existed. What a waste of Mason’s efforts. I hadn’t even opened the box… Seeing the storm brewing, I turned to go upstairs, heading straight for the bedroom. Mason took the stairs three at a time, blocking the door just as I was about to close it. He smiled ominously, “Baby, what did I say would happen if you didn’t eat properly?” “…” What else? He’d eat me after I finished eating… Tonight was destined to be another sleepless night. In the middle of the night, my stomach ulcer suddenly flared up. I gritted my teeth and endured it, afraid of waking Mason. I shrank back, trying to move to the side. But as soon as I moved, I was pulled back into an embrace from behind. The other person was clearly still asleep. “Baby, don’t move.” Mason’s hand came around from behind, his large palm resting on my stomach. “Lucas, be good. It’ll stop hurting soon…” Mason had never held and comforted me like this before. After all, our marriage was just a family arrangement. Back then, Mason had just taken over the company. When he learned of this news, he only contacted me for a meal. “Mr. Lin, this is the prenuptial agreement drafted by the lawyer, valid for three years or more.” I blankly accepted the thin paper. All the property figures on it became blurry, except for one line. [Mason and Lucas are lawfully wedded husbands.] Enormous joy made my heart pound, but I didn’t dare show it. If Mason knew he was the person I’d had a crush on for five years, he’d probably run away scared! I could only pretend to be calm and nod, “Whatever you say, Mr. Mu.” Mason took a sip of coffee. His handsome face showed no other expression as he simply nodded. “Then we’ll go get the marriage license today. We can hold the wedding in three days.” My heart jolted again, this time in genuine surprise. “So fast?” “Yes.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m very busy lately, the sooner the better.” A wave of disappointment suddenly welled up. So Mason was only rushing because of time constraints, not because he was eager to be with me. So I didn’t tell him that today was April Fool’s Day, not really suitable for getting a marriage license. Looking back now, it was fitting. Because our marriage, from beginning to end, was like a joke. Mason was a good husband. Although I knew the only “I love you” he’d ever said was just part of the wedding ceremony script. But he truly did his duty – never staying out overnight on business trips, never fooling around. So it wasn’t until the second year of our marriage that I found out he had a long-cherished love. Back then, Mason adhered to the principle of not interfering in each other’s affairs in an arranged marriage. He worked diligently every day, even on weekends. If I wanted to see him during the day, I could only go to his company to find him. I came at a bad time today. Mason was in a meeting. I was led to wait in his office. Like all CEO offices, Mason’s was simple yet grand, minimalist but luxurious. I scanned around, finally resting my gaze on a rabbit plush toy in the corner of a shelf. Behind that out-of-place toy, there was an inconspicuous crack in the wall that looked like a hidden compartment. I unconsciously walked over. When I was just an inch away from the toy, a low voice suddenly came from behind. “What are you doing?” I froze, turning to see Mason’s stern face. Only then did I realize how rude I’d been. “I’m sorry.” Mason walked straight to the couch, “Why did you suddenly come over?” I took out the pastries I’d prepared, “I was bored on the weekend and tried making some desserts.” Mason didn’t say much, just sampled a few and finally commented that they were good. Usually I’m the one livening up the atmosphere, but today I was distracted. My eyes kept darting to that toy. The flash of panic in Mason’s eyes earlier kept bothering me. What an ordinary plush toy, but the initials sewn on its heart were a bit unusual. — ML Like someone’s name. I thought I’d never have a chance to learn the truth, but coincidentally, just as I left Mason’s office that day, I ran right into someone. Coffee instantly spilled all over me. The person who bumped into me looked like an assistant, with fair skin and delicate features. My gaydar went off – I could tell at a glance he was gay too. More importantly, his name was Mark. Mark looked extremely guilty and quickly took me to clean up. When he realized my suit was custom-made and very expensive, he took out his phone. “Mr. Lin, let’s exchange contact info. I’ll definitely compensate you.” His profile picture was a cartoon rabbit. This instinctively made me take out my phone too. After adding him on Snapchat, I casually asked: “I rarely hear Mason mention you. Are you two close?” Everyone knew about my marital relationship with Mason. Although our feelings weren’t that deep, I still wanted to emphasize my position in front of others. “Of course!” Mark smiled lightly. “Our families are old friends. I grew up with Mason.” He paused, then looked at me kindly. “But don’t worry, Mr. Lin. Mason and I are just friends.” Even so, I still felt uneasy. As I was about to leave, Mark called out to me again. He smiled innocently. “Let me give you a ride, Mr. Lin! Mason has a meeting this afternoon. I can help bring him an important document.” Mason had strong boundaries. He didn’t like outsiders visiting or touching his things. But judging from Mark’s attitude, this clearly wasn’t the first time. Much later, I finally understood that perhaps I was the outsider. That night I drifted in and out of sleep, and my dreams weren’t very pleasant. So by the time I was fully awake, it was nearly noon. I was alone in the house. I washed up as usual and prepared to go out, planning to have my assistant bring me food at the office. Just as I was fully dressed, the door was pushed open. Mason came in carrying several plastic bags. He looked surprised to see me. “Where are you going?” “The office.” “It’s a day off today.” He then pulled me inside without further ado. “Don’t go to that lousy job anymore. Quit and I’ll support you.” “…” How could I quit my own company unless it went bankrupt? But I didn’t dare say that out loud. With Mason’s capabilities, he really could acquire my family’s company. “I bought groceries. Have a seat for now.” “How about tomato beef brisket for today?” Since losing his memory, he seemed to have become a different person, transforming from a workaholic into a perfect househusband. Not only did his personality become much more domineering, he was also incredibly clingy. As if I really was his kept lover. Lover… A name floated up in my mind. I laughed coldly to myself. So this was how Mason treated his lover. No wonder Mark was so eager to get close to him. Speaking of which, I’ve rarely seen Mark since Mason lost his memory. It doesn’t match how frequently we used to meet before. I tentatively asked: “You’ve been sick for so long. How come Mark hasn’t come to see you?” Mason frowned slightly, habitually glossing over the fact of being sick. “Mark? Am I close with him?” I didn’t comment. More than just close. He not only has your house key, but also knows your phone password. My silence made Mason increasingly doubtful. He pondered for a long time, then knocked on his head. “Isn’t he my childhood friend? Why are you bringing him up? What’s your relationship with him?” Mason actually remembered Mark. It seems he’s not far from fully regaining his memory. This farce of the past two months is probably coming to an end soon. I smiled, “He’s your true love, the person you really like.” “Impossible!” Mason’s face darkened. “My mind is full of your name. How could I like someone else?” He leaned in closer, his tone carrying a hint of expectation. “To be honest, after being lovers for so long, when will you agree to marry me?” “I’ve even thought about the ring design. It’ll be engraved with our initials.” I remained silent. When Mason first lost his memory, he tried to use his sugar daddy status to keep me by his side. I couldn’t stimulate him, so I could only gradually hint at the truth. “Don’t you remember you’re already married to the Lin family’s son?” But not only did he not remember, he thought I was urging him to marry someone else. Mason’s face darkened as expected. He leaned down over me. “Baby, I only want you. Don’t even think about making me marry that Lin guy.” Baby… That term of endearment made me shudder. I violently pushed him away. “Don’t call me that. It disgusts me!” Let’s go back to three months ago. The three-year term had just passed then. My relationship with Mason was still harmonious. He even cooked for me personally every day. I even thought living like this for a lifetime wouldn’t be bad. Mason had been busy lately. When he came home, I could only receive a cold message. [I won’t be back tonight. Don’t wait up for dinner.] After a few times, I still couldn’t help but find a chance to ask: “Has the company run into trouble recently?” “No, don’t worry about it.” Mason’s answer was within my expectations, but I still couldn’t completely put my mind at ease. In the end, I learned from Mark. “A project encountered a hitch at the last minute. The contract couldn’t be signed. The partners have some misunderstandings about Mason…” Mark said a lot. From his tone, the situation didn’t seem very optimistic. I didn’t think too much and inquired about more details of the project. As luck would have it, the partner was Mr. Zhang, whom I knew. “I might be able to help contact him about this matter,” I said, then paused as something occurred to me. “Just don’t tell Mason first.” Mark agreed. Mr. Zhang was a wealthy man who loved wine, women and song. After accompanying him drinking for four or five nights in a row, he finally relented. I hurriedly called Mason, ignoring my stomach pain, but he didn’t answer for a long time. In the end, I was in so much pain I had to go to the hospital. That’s when Mason suddenly called back. At the time, I was sitting on the hospital bed admiring the night view when Mark’s voice came through. “Mr. Lin, do you need something?” Mark’s voice sounded a bit flustered. “Mason drank too much. I saw you called many times, so I thought it must be urgent. That’s why I took the liberty of calling you back from his phone.” Took the liberty… So he knew Mason’s phone password. My heart sank, but I still tried to stay calm: “It’s nothing. I just wanted to tell him the issue has been resolved.” “Ah—” Mark exclaimed in surprise. “I forgot to tell you, my dad is good friends with the partner. The matter was settled long ago.” Settled long ago. So it was all just me being presumptuous. Bitterness welled up in my heart. This feeling was even worse than the dull ache still in my abdomen. I just couldn’t understand – if it was so simple, why did Mark deliberately make it sound so serious before? I lowered my eyes. “Are you two together right now?” “Yeah! Mason drank too much at the reception today, so I had to bring him to a hotel.” Footsteps came from the other end, probably Mark entering the room. Next, I heard a familiar breathing pattern, followed by a term of endearment uttered like in a dream. “Baby, don’t go…” The sourness in my heart reached its peak at that moment. I didn’t dare listen anymore and quickly hung up the phone. But Mason’s pet name kept echoing in my mind.
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