For three years, my husband, Liam Hayes, never really knew me. He could remember every face in the world, except mine. I’d change my hairstyle, and he’d ask, “Excuse me, miss, are you looking for someone?” I’d wear a different dress, and he’d assume I was the new housekeeper. On our anniversary, I was trapped in a collapsed mine shaft with employees from his company. In the suffocating darkness, I groped my way to him and told him my name was Evelyn Reed. He pushed me away with a scoff. “Stop pretending. My wife isn’t even here.” It took the rescue team three days and three nights to dig me out. That night, Liam raised a toast at a victory celebration. “Cheers, everyone. No casualties.” He’d completely forgotten I was still lying in the hospital. From then on, I only wore one color, kept the same hairstyle, used the same perfume – all just so Liam might finally recognize me. But every time he saw me, Liam still looked at me like a stranger. I thought it was heaven’s punishment for me. Yet, on the day I flew abroad to celebrate Liam’s birthday, I watched him push through a crowded airport and accurately embrace a girl. [Chapter 1] It turned out, he couldn’t remember my face simply because I wasn’t the one he loved. If that was the case, then let’s just fade into the crowd and forget each other. The moment I turned to leave, I was surrounded by several foreign police officers. They mistook me for some wanted criminal. My broken French only made their faces colder. They pushed me down, forcing me to my knees. In a panic, I instinctively looked towards Liam, who was not far away. “Liam Hayes! Help me! They’ve got the wrong person!” I screamed with all my might. He heard me and glanced over, his gaze sweeping across my face. Then, as if looking at a stranger, he calmly shifted his eyes away. “I don’t know her.” That was the coldest sentence I’d ever heard in my life. Fifteen days. In dark interrogation rooms and cold prison cells, I counted the hours, enduring three hundred and sixty of them. It wasn’t until a DNA comparison report finally cleared my name. [PAYWALL] I dragged my exhausted body out of the police station, but instead of Liam, his secretary, Mr. Davies, was there to meet me. Mr. Davies adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his voice thick with blame. “Ms. Reed, what on earth are you doing? Do you know Mr. Hayes waited for you at the airport for two whole hours?” Any remaining warmth in my heart completely froze in the foreign chill. The day I returned home, I was swarmed by countless flashing lights and microphones the moment I stepped out of the gate. My wrongful imprisonment abroad had become a public scandal. Finally pushing through the chaos and getting home, Liam’s first words were an accusation. “How many times have I told you to wear a white coat when you go out? Why don’t you ever listen?” He frowned, his tone like he was scolding an unruly child. “You know perfectly well I have face blindness; I can’t tell women’s faces apart.” I clenched my hands. He turned a page in his document, issuing a second instruction without looking up. “The PR department has drafted a statement. We’ll hold a press conference tomorrow.” “You need to clarify things and apologize to the public.” Apologize? Who was I apologizing for? For Liam Hayes’s cold indifference, or for his supposed “face blindness”? I looked at his unfeeling face and softly asked, “At the airport, the girl you were holding, who was she?” His hand, turning the document, paused. A rare stiffness appeared on his face. After a few seconds, he spoke. “There were too many people then. I thought it was you.” I almost laughed, bitterly. That day, the girl wore a bright, eye-catching red dress and had a voluminous wavy perm I had never worn. [Chapter 2] My closet didn’t even contain a single red item. “Liam, I explicitly called out to you that day.” The lingering resentment in my heart forced the words out. “And?” Liam raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to apologize for my psychological condition?” “Evelyn, you knew I had this problem long before we got married.” Looking at his indifferent face, I suddenly felt incredibly tired. Yes, it was all my own doing. “Fine, I’ll go to the press conference.” Liam’s mind drifted, his gaze fixed on my handbag. Half a flight magazine peeked out. Following his gaze, I looked down and realized the open page displayed a photo of an orchestra performance. Dozens of people, packed together, and in the most inconspicuous corner of the photo sat a cellist. It was the girl Liam had embraced at the airport – Serena Vance. The photo was so blurry her features were almost indistinguishable. Yet Liam, with just a single glance, had seen her. It turned out, he wasn’t unable to recognize women’s faces. He just couldn’t recognize the faces of those he didn’t love. My heart felt squeezed tight, and every breath was painful. But I still managed a smile, pulled out the magazine, and put it into Liam’s lap. “Here, I don’t want it anymore.” This identity as Mrs. Hayes. And these three years of being ignored. I wanted none of it anymore. The next day, I arrived punctually at the press conference. The spotlights felt like countless sharp knives, all aimed at me. I wore a rose-colored gown, completely defying Liam’s demand for white. Taking the microphone from the host, I spoke calmly. “The reason I was wrongfully arrested was because my husband, Mr. Liam Hayes, told the police he didn’t know me, right to their faces.” The entire room erupted in an uproar. I paused, looking at a specific camera, as if looking through it at Liam. “I imagine a man who, after three years of marriage, still can’t recognize his own wife, must be in a lot of pain, trapped in that marriage.” “So, I’ve decided to set him free.” “Mr. Liam Hayes and I will be divorcing, effective immediately.” Only when I got into the car did I realize my hands were shaking. Not from fear, but from the sheer relief of finally breaking free from shackles. My phone vibrated wildly, “Liam Hayes” flashing on the screen. I simply turned it off. My car hadn’t driven far before Liam blocked its path. Liam got out of his car, his face as dark as a storm cloud. “Evelyn, have you lost your mind?!” He yanked me out of the car, his grip so fierce it felt like he might crush my wrist. “Who gave you the nerve to spout nonsense at a press conference?!” I coldly stared at his furious face. “Tell me, which part of what I said wasn’t true?” My question choked him, and his anger intensified. “Do you have any idea how much harm this could cause others?” “What if they dig up the airport surveillance? What if Serena gets dragged into this? She just barely got into the Vienna Orchestra!” He could distinguish her, after all. The pain in my heart spread instantly, agonizingly, like I was being flayed alive. “Liam, you recognize her.” Liam’s face was filled with undisguised irritation. “So what? She means something different to me, but I still married you.” “Don’t forget, all of this was something you begged for.” Yes, it was all my obsession. Liam couldn’t even remember my face, so how could he remember a promise from twenty years ago? I wiped away my tears. “Liam, I regret it. Let’s get a divorce.” [Chapter 3] Liam fell silent, but his face didn’t show the relief I’d expected. After a long pause, he finally spoke, as if making a monumental decision. “Don’t be ridiculous. If you just wear white like before, I won’t fail to recognize you.” “I’m not divorcing you.” “Really?” I managed a sarcastic smile, looking up at him. He’d probably forgotten what document he’d taken from my hand this morning. I had merely put on a wig and changed my clothes. Liam had automatically assumed I was the new secretary. He’d signed the divorce papers without even looking. He even asked me to tidy his study’s safe. Liam had carefully cut out Serena Vance’s photo from yesterday’s magazine. I opened the safe; it was filled with Serena’s press clippings. Red dresses, blue dresses, black dresses. No matter how Serena was dressed, Liam could recognize her. And in the oldest photo, a high school Serena, wearing a white dress and long, straight black hair. Exactly the look I’d painstakingly maintained for three years. Lost in thought, Liam took my hand. “Evelyn, I won’t lose you again.” I tugged at my lips in a mocking smile, about to explain everything. But Liam suddenly pushed me away and ran in a certain direction. I followed his gaze; Serena Vance’s back was disappearing into the crowd. Halfway there, Liam seemed to remember something. He turned back and yelled, “Evelyn, wait for me, I’ll be right back.” But the direction he shouted towards was at another woman nearby. She was also wearing a rose-pink dress, just like mine. I turned and walked away without hesitation. Liam was furious about my unauthorized departure. But that day, I was sitting in a nearby coffee shop, discussing my new identity papers. All afternoon, until dark, Liam never came back. I ignored Liam. After all, if I changed my clothes, I was invisible to him. With all the immigration paperwork settled, the first thing I did was go to a department store to buy new clothes. For years, just to get Liam to look at me, my wardrobe had been entirely white, like a walking funeral parlor. Now, even looking at them made me sick. The sales assistant enthusiastically pulled out a fiery red dress. I was about to swipe my card when a cool voice cut in. “I’ll take that one too.” I turned my head and saw Serena Vance’s arrogant face. She looked me up and down. “Ms. Reed, what are you still struggling for? Didn’t the airport incident make it clear?” “Brother Liam doesn’t love you. No matter how expensive the clothes you buy, he’ll only see you as air.” I couldn’t be bothered to waste words with her. I pulled my black card from my wallet and handed it to the sales assistant. “Wrap up the one she touched, and every single item in this entire collection, for me.” “Also, please escort her out.” The sales assistant immediately started to remove her, but just then, Liam appeared. He walked straight to Serena, not even glancing at me. “Wrap up the dress, for Ms. Vance.” The sales assistant stared, dumbfounded, and quietly reminded him, “Mr. Hayes, but this is your…” I was wearing smoky eye makeup and a flashy orange-red curly perm. Liam, predictably, didn’t recognize me. “What is she, anyway?” Liam’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough for everyone in the boutique to hear. “Some woman who popped up out of nowhere, does she really think she’s fit to compete with Serena?” [Chapter 4] He turned to the stunned sales assistant, his tone an undeniable command. “From today forward, remember Ms. Vance’s face. From now on, all properties under the Hayes Group will prioritize her service without question.” Serena Vance, with an air of graciousness, tossed the dress back. “No need. I don’t lack this. “Let’s just leave it for those pitiful, unloved people.” Liam didn’t argue. “Whatever makes you happy.” I stood there, watching Liam’s eyes, never leaving Serena, and the last shred of warmth in my heart completely died out. Returning to the villa I’d lived in for three years, the security system failed to recognize me. I was about to call the housekeeper when the main door opened from inside. Serena Vance stood there, wearing my slippers and wrapped in Liam’s bathrobe. She frowned, as if she’d seen something filthy. “I thought you were a decent person who understood boundaries.” “Clinging to Liam, is that fun? Wearing white clothes to copy me, is that fun?” I stood outside, the night wind chilling me. Yes, it really wasn’t fun. What was I still fantasizing about? I looked down, taking off the diamond ring Liam had personally designed for me. The black card, the car keys. And my marriage certificate with Liam. I placed all these symbols of “Mrs. Hayes” status, one by one, neatly arranged. Then, I turned and never looked back. I took out a brand new phone and dialed a number. “Hello, it’s me.” “From now on, there’s no such thing as Mrs. Hayes anymore.” Liam never contacted me again, probably assuming I was just throwing a childish tantrum. It didn’t matter. I was too busy to bother with him. Gossip headlines, however, were pushed to me relentlessly. In the photos, he and Serena were inseparable. His usually stern face held a tenderness I had never seen before. Liam neither confirmed nor denied his relationship with Serena. I scrolled past the news, turned off my phone, and continued to tally all my assets. All the resources I had used to reach Liam were now converted into cash, flowing into the account of a non-profit organization dedicated to combating human trafficking. The person in charge was so excited he was incoherent, profusely thanking me. But I just stared, lost in thought, at the photos of the rescued children. Liam and I escaped from traffickers. But we got lost in the mountains. Little Liam gave me the last wild fruit he’d picked, while he subsisted on mud. But we were caught again. Rusty iron rods slammed into our bodies. I screamed in terror, but Liam held me tightly beneath him, grunting as he endured all the blows. The smell of blood filled the air, and he lay semi-conscious. While the traffickers were drunk, I finally found a chance to crawl through a dog hole and call the police. Later, Liam was picked up by his family, and I didn’t even get to say goodbye to him. His promise to marry me, made before he passed out, became my only obsession for many years after. I used all my strength, taking one step at a time to reach his side, to become his wife. But it was merely a one-woman show. Liam had long forgotten. Returning to the short-term rental I was temporarily staying in, Serena Vance was sitting casually inside. She even looked up and smiled. “You’re back?” The next second, police sirens blared outside. The door was kicked open with tremendous force, and a group of black-suited bodyguards stormed in, seizing me without a word and pressing me firmly to the ground. “Don’t move!” Immediately after, Liam rushed in, grabbing Serena and holding her close, his voice laced with uncontrollable fear. “Serena, it’s okay. I was careless and let them abduct you.” [Chapter 5] He held her like a precious treasure, lost and now found. “I promised you, I wouldn’t let anything happen to you again.” His words sounded eerily familiar. But the bodyguard captain holding me recognized me. “Mr. Hayes, this is…”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “298984”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply