My Seven-Year Wait Is Over, My Amnesiac Husband Now Get Lost

"Why did you push her into the pool?" Julian Sterling gripped my wrist so hard it bruised, his voice cold as ice as he demanded I apologize to the woman in his arms. I looked at Chloe Mercer, who was shivering against his chest, and a bitter laugh escaped my lips. "If I told you she pulled me in first, would you even believe me?" There was nothing but pure disgust in his eyes. "Seraphina, I saw you push her with my own eyes. Are you still going to lie?" I stopped defending myself. Because I knew that in his eyes, I would always be the wicked woman who stole her sister's husband. But who could have guessed? That very night, after being forced to drink an entire table of alcohol, I suffered a severe allergic reaction and went into anaphylactic shock. Julian walked away, holding Chloe, without even looking back. I had to dial 911 myself, collapsing onto the cold hardwood floor. Later, an old high school photo went viral online. In the photo, Julian and I were in our school uniforms, leaning against each other with bright, genuine smiles. Only then did everyone realize that the "mistress" who had been dragged through the mud for four years was actually his first love. But Julian personally posted a statement to clear the air: "Serene was the only woman I have ever loved." At that moment, I finally made up my mind. This ridiculous marriage? I was done with it. Seraphina's POV After an old high school love letter was leaked online, I went from being the prep school’s most beloved teacher to a homewrecking whore, ripped apart by the entire internet. All because the man I supposedly coveted was my late sister’s husband. The person who leaked the letter even claimed— Four years ago, on the night of my sister Serene’s funeral, I drugged Julian Sterling, crawled into his bed, and forced him into a shotgun marriage. The rumor spread like wildfire. The school’s online forum was buzzing with the scandal. Parents started demanding my firing, colleagues crossed the hallway to avoid me, and anonymous hate letters piled up on my desk. But I didn't issue a statement. I didn't fight back. I just quietly put the hate mail into my drawer. As I walked out of the school building, I heard the nasty whispers of some intern teachers behind me. "She acts so innocent and high-and-mighty, but she’s actually a snake..." "Her sister was barely in the ground before she drugged the husband and forced him to marry her. Talk about shameless." "To think I actually looked up to her. It makes me sick." Each word felt like a physical blow to my chest. I kept walking. It was only when I got into my car and locked the doors that my hands started shaking. I pulled out my phone and dialed Julian’s number. But a woman answered. "Hello?" "Where is Julian?" My face turned pale. "Put him on." "Julian is in the shower right now. It's not a good time. If there's something you need, you can tell me. I'll pass it along." I didn't want to waste my breath on her and was about to hang up. Suddenly, she spoke up. "You're Mrs. Sterling, right? Let me guess—you're calling to ask Julian if he was the one who leaked that love letter?" My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles turned white. "Well, you're blaming the wrong guy. Julian doesn't have the time to ruin your precious reputation. It was the maid. She was cleaning the villa, found your old love letter, and posted it on Twitter." The woman's voice was smug and slow. "Julian already fired her. But don't get the wrong idea. He didn't do it to protect you. He just hated that she touched his things." My lips trembled. "I see." I hung up the phone and slumped over the steering wheel, a suffocating pain gripping my chest. The "spiked drink" incident four years ago had forced me into this miserable marriage with Julian. And it made him hate me with every fiber of his being. Occasionally, his name would pop up on Instagram gossip pages alongside different women. Every single one of them had a face that resembled my late sister, Serene. I knew he did it on purpose to humiliate me. To show me that he would rather sleep with cheap lookalikes than look at me. To him, I wasn't even worth a single hair on Serene's head. The pain had evolved from a sharp, agonizing stab to a dull, numb ache over the years. I thought I was used to being the villain in his story. But I never expected my old, private love letter to him would be exposed to the public, turning me into a social pariah. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Julian: [We’re going to the Sterling estate on Saturday. I need your signature for the shares transfer.] I stared at the screen. My thumb hovered over the keyboard for a long time before I finally typed: [Fine.] The Sterling estate was brightly lit when I arrived. As I walked in, the woman sitting next to Julian looked up at me— I recognized her. Chloe Mercer. The girl who had been spotted with Julian in the tabloids all week. His latest flavor of the month. And the voice behind the phone call. Before today, I thought Chloe was just another temporary lookalike. But when I saw her face clearly under the chandelier, my heart stopped. Chloe looked almost identical to my late sister, Serene. "Hi, Mrs. Sterling," Chloe said, wrapping her arm intimately around Julian's. Her voice was sweet, devoid of any shame. "I'm Chloe. Julian's girlfriend." How pathetic. My husband's mistress was standing in front of me, introducing herself with pride, completely unbothered by the fact that she was playing house with a married man. She didn't just share Serene's face; she shared her bold, unapologetic attitude. Without saying a word, I looked away and signed the transfer papers quickly. "Anywhere else I need to sign?" Julian clearly didn't expect me to be this compliant. He froze for a second. Then, a cynical smirk played on his lips. "No screaming, no crying? You're giving up the shares just like that? That doesn't sound like you, Seraphina. What kind of game are you playing now?" Instead of explaining, I pulled another document out of my bag and slid it across the table. "Since I've signed the shares over to you, you can sign this." "Divorce papers?" Julian stared at the document, stunned. I spoke calmly, "You have no feelings for me, and I'm tired of holding onto this dead marriage. Let's end this. I'm letting you go, so you and Ms. Mercer can be together legally." Chloe's eyes lit up instantly. Julian, after recovering from his shock, let out a harsh laugh. Without another word, he snatched the pen and scribbled his signature on the divorce agreement. He tossed the papers back at me, his eyes filled with disdain. "Playing hard to get won't work on me, Seraphina. No matter what trick you're trying to pull, the outcome remains the same." He didn't believe I would actually divorce him. After all, every time he had a public affair over the past four years, I had threatened divorce. But I had never followed through. Under his mocking gaze, I kept my silence. I picked up the signed divorce papers, turned around, and walked out. He had no idea that this time, I was entirely serious.Seraphina's POV As I drove away from the Sterling estate, my phone rang again. It was a voice memo from my mother. I clicked play, and her shrill, piercing voice filled the car. "I heard you signed the shares over to that bitch! Have you lost your mind? That was Serene's legacy! It belongs to our family!" "Go back there right now! I don't care if you have to beg Julian on your knees or throw a fit—get those shares back! Otherwise, your father and I are disowning you!" I tossed my phone onto the passenger seat, my knuckles turning white against the steering wheel. I felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion. I had fought before. The first time Julian demanded the shares, I threw a massive fit. I broke a vase in the living room, and we ended the night screaming at each other. But halfway through my drive back then, remembering the sweet times we used to share, I had turned my car around, wanting to swallow my pride and talk to him rationally. But when I reached his study, I overheard him talking to his assistant. "Mr. Sterling, are you sure about this? Under state law, Mrs. Sterling is entitled to a portion of the marital assets. Transferring all her shares to Ms. Mercer might cause a massive PR backlash..." Julian cut him off coldly. "And?" The assistant went quiet for a few seconds before speaking in a low voice. "I just feel like... Mrs. Sterling is being treated unfairly. You know she wasn't the one who spiked your drink four years ago. Her parents set her up because they were desperate to secure the Sterling alliance. She's been carrying the blame for years. It's quite tragic." A long, suffocating silence filled the study. Just when I thought he wouldn't answer, Julian's voice rang out, devoid of any warmth. "So what?" "The Vance family dared to scheme against me. Whether she knew about the drug or not makes no difference." "A woman who let her own parents use her as a pawn to climb into my bed doesn't deserve my respect, let alone my love." He paused, and his next words pierced my heart like a dagger. "The only woman I ever cared about was Serene. As for anyone else—" "I don't give a damn." He had known all along. He knew I wasn't the one who drugged him. He knew my parents had tricked me into bringing him that spiked drink. He knew I was just a pawn sacrificed by my own family to secure a business alliance. But he didn't care. Even though he knew I was innocent, he let me take the fall for four years, allowing the world to spit on me and call me a shameless seductress. I drove straight to my lawyer's office to submit the divorce papers. The clerk informed me that there would be a mandatory waiting period before the divorce was finalized. As soon as I stepped out of the office, I received an email from the school board. [Your application for the transfer to the rural school in Wyoming has been approved. It's a three-year contract, starting next month. We know you want to leave, but the living conditions there are incredibly harsh. Please think it over before you make your final decision.] My eyes grew dim. Without a shred of hesitation, I replied: [Thank you. I have made up my mind.] The day I learned the truth was the day I applied for the transfer to Wyoming. I wanted to run as far away from this city as possible. Everyone believed I was a shameless woman who seduced her dead sister's husband. The leaked love letter was just the final nail in my coffin, cementing my status as a predator who had coveted Julian for years. But they didn't know... The first person Julian had ever loved was me. He was the one who once promised to protect me forever and never let me shed a single tear. I went back to my apartment, collapsed onto my bed, and fell into a deep, feverish sleep. In my dreams, I relived my past with Julian. It was seven years ago. At seventeen, I fell in love with Julian Sterling at first sight. He was the golden boy of our high school—wealthy, brilliant, the star athlete, chased by every girl in town. But I wasn't intimidated. I was bold, and when I wanted something, I went after it. Soon, the whole school knew that sophomore Seraphina Vance was aggressively pursuing senior Julian Sterling. At first, Julian ignored me. Then he tried to avoid me. But eventually, he fell for me. Those were the happiest days of my life. But the summer after graduation, Julian asked me to meet him at the observatory to watch a meteor shower. I waited all night, but he never showed up. Until his best friend ran up to me, eyes red. "Julian got into a horrible car crash on the way here..." He survived, but he fell into a deep coma. It was a long, excruciating wait. Even his own family began to lose hope, but I stayed by his side, believing he would wake up. Five months later, Julian finally opened his eyes. But the first thing he said to me was: "Who are you?" My world shattered in an instant. The doctors said it was selective amnesia. He remembered everyone—except me. I couldn't accept it. I brought him all our photos, trying to prove we were in love. But every time I tried to make him remember, he would suffer from agonizing migraines. Once, he even went into shock. The doctor gave a stern warning: no more triggers. His mother fell to her knees, begging me, "Seraphina, I know you're hurting, but Julian can't take this anymore. Just pretend you two broke up, please?" My heart broke. I nodded through my tears and vanished from his life. But three years later, at my sister Serene’s engagement party, I saw her fiancé. It was Julian Sterling—the man who had completely forgotten me.Seraphina's POV The entire weekend, I kept my phone turned off. I locked myself in my apartment and went nowhere. I reorganized my teaching materials from scratch and graded every single assignment my students had turned in. I worked like a machine, refusing to let myself stop for even a second. On Monday morning, I walked to school as usual. But as soon as I reached the campus gates, my heart dropped. A massive, neon-painted banner hung near the entrance: [Fire Seraphina Sterling! No moral decay in our classrooms!] My feet froze. It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing my lungs. Before I could even process it, a swarm of reporters carrying cameras rushed out of the main building, surrounding me instantly. At the same time, dozens of angry parents flooded the courtyard, blocking my way. "Ms. Vance, is it true that you coveted your sister's husband since you were in high school?" "Did you really drug Mr. Sterling on the night of your sister's funeral?" "Do you admit that you forced him into marriage through blackmail?" Flashlights blinded me, and microphones were shoved directly into my face. The parents' shouts were even more vicious. "Look at her! The shameless homewrecker!" "Someone like her shouldn't be allowed near children! What is she going to teach them? How to steal husbands?" "Get her out of our school! We won't let our kids be ruined by a monster!" "Get out!" The wave of hatred crashed over me. I was pushed back, my spine slamming hard against the concrete wall. I opened my mouth to speak, but my throat was so dry that not a single sound came out. Suddenly, through the chaotic crowd, I spotted Julian walking out of the principal’s office. He was wearing a perfectly tailored suit, looking cold and detached. The principal was walking right behind him, nodding and smiling apologetically. I stared at him instinctively. Across the ocean of angry faces, our eyes met for a fleeting second. But in the next instant, a furious parent broke through the crowd. She raised a heavy metal water bottle and threw it straight at my head. *Thud!* After a dull, agonizing impact, a warm liquid began to trickle down my forehead. I reached up to touch it. My fingers came away covered in deep, bright crimson. All the noise around me suddenly seemed to fade into static. Through my blurry vision, I looked back at Julian. He simply retracted his gaze, looking completely unfazed. He turned around and walked out of the school gates without looking back. I thought I was numb. For four years, I had tolerated him kissing other women in the tabloids. I had tolerated him refusing to acknowledge me as his wife in public. I had even tolerated him letting the world spit on me when he knew I was innocent. But at this moment, as I stood bleeding, trapped by a mob while watching his retreating back, a sharp, suffocating pain ripped through my chest. It turned out I could still bleed. I could still feel pain. After Julian left, the principal finally stepped in with security to disperse the reporters and parents. Once the school nurse patched up the gash on my forehead, the principal pulled me into his office, sighing heavily. "Ms. Vance, look at this mess. The negative publicity is destroying the school's reputation. I invited Mr. Sterling here today to discuss his annual donation, and I asked him if he could clear up the rumors about your marriage. But... he told me the leaks were true. He said there was nothing to clarify." I kept my eyes on the floor, staying silent. "You see? Even your own husband won't defend you. The parents and media will only get worse. I think it's best if you stop coming to school. I’ve already assigned another teacher to take over your classes. Since your transfer to Wyoming is approved anyway, take this time to pack and rest." After a long silence, I finally whispered, "I understand." I walked back to my empty classroom, took a cardboard box, and began packing my belongings one by one. My colleagues watched from a distance. No one came to help, and no one said a word. I held the heavy box and walked out into the blinding sunlight. Just as I reached the school gates, a soft, young voice called out from behind me. "Ms. Vance!" I turned around and saw a little boy from my class running toward me, his face flushed red. "Ms. Vance!" He looked up at me, his eyes bright and sincere. "I believe you. You're not a bad person." He was the very first person to say those words to me. And he was only nine years old. A strange warmth bloomed in my chest, cutting through the cold ache. I knelt down and gently patted his head. "Thank you for believing in me. Work hard, and be good for your new teacher, okay?" The boy's eyes filled with tears. "Are you really leaving, Ms. Vance?" "Yes." Wanting to comfort me, he wiped his face and nodded bravely. "I promise I'll get straight A's."Seraphina's POV For the next two weeks, I didn't see Julian. But every time I opened my phone, my feed was flooded with news of him and Chloe. He had taken her skiing in Switzerland. He had purchased an $8 million pink diamond for her at a Christie's auction. He was photographed walking hand-in-hand with her in Paris. In our four years of marriage, Julian had never given me a single gift. Not a flower, not a ring, nothing. I turned off my phone, walked into my storage closet, and pulled an old wooden box from the bottom shelf. Inside were all the gifts Julian had given me seven years ago. A worn-out plush bear he had spent half an hour trying to win from a claw machine on our first official date. He had said, "This bear looks like me. When I'm not around, let him keep you company." A terribly knitted gray scarf. He had stayed up for a week to make it, and the stitches were completely uneven. He had blushed when he gave it to me. "Don't laugh. It's the first time I've ever made anything by hand." And an album filled with our high school photos. He had said, "I printed all our pictures. When we're old and gray, we can look back and remember how deeply we loved each other." In the photos, his arm was wrapped securely around my shoulders, laughing wildly, while I leaned into his chest with a smile that reached my eyes. Back then, we truly believed we would have a lifetime together. I carried the box out to the small backyard. I knelt on the grass, lit a small fire in the metal pit, and began throwing the items in, one by one. With each piece that burned, it felt like a chunk of my heart was being carved out. But I told myself I had to do it. I couldn't take any ghosts of the past with me to Wyoming. I watched the treasures of my youth turn to gray ash. My eyes were dry. I couldn't even cry anymore. The last item was a glass snow globe. When shaken, fake snow would fall over a tiny hand-in-hand couple. It was my eighteenth birthday gift from him. He had whispered, "Look, it's us in the snow. I promise to take you to see real snow every winter." My fingers trembled as I held the cold glass. Suddenly, a deep, familiar voice cut through the quiet backyard. "What do you think you're doing?" My spine went rigid. I turned around slowly. Julian was standing a few feet away, dressed in a sharp charcoal suit, his brow furrowed. Chloe was clinging to his arm, looking at me with a mix of curiosity and smug satisfaction. I didn't expect him to show up here. I looked away calmly. "Just burning some useless trash." Julian’s eyes scanned the fire pit, and his gaze suddenly froze. He saw the snow globe in my hand. I knew he recognized it. When he first woke up from his coma with amnesia, I had brought this exact snow globe to his hospital bed, crying, begging him to remember. He had looked annoyed back then and knocked it out of my hand. Now, he frowned but said nothing. I tossed the snow globe into the center of the flames. The glass shattered with a loud crack. The flames flared up, devouring the last piece of my past. I stood up, brushing the dirt off my knees, and asked quietly, "Why are you here?" Julian's voice was as cold as ever. "This villa is registered under my name. Do I need your permission to come home?" I lowered my eyes. "That's not what I meant." I wanted to say that in our four years of marriage, he could count the number of times he slept here on one hand. His sudden appearance had to be for a reason. But I swallowed the words. Explaining was pointless. Julian wrapped his hand around Chloe’s waist and said casually, "I wanted to buy Chloe a house, but she looked at dozens of properties and only liked this one." I froze. "What?" "I mean," Julian said, looking at me with dead eyes, "I'm giving this villa to Chloe." I stared at him, speechless. This villa was purchased by the Sterling family four years ago as our marital home. I had spent months designing the interior, choosing the furniture, and planting the garden. I had built a home here. And now, he wanted to hand it over to another woman? "Aren't you divorcing me anyway?" Julian sneered. "This house belongs to me. Don't worry, I won't let you starve on the streets." He shook his head mockingly. "I have plenty of other properties. Pick any penthouse you want. Consider it your alimony."Seraphina's POV I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms, trying to suppress the agonizing ache in my chest. "I don't want this villa, and I don't want any of your other penthouses," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Just let me stay here until the end of the month. I promise I'll be gone by then." Julian let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "First you hand me divorce papers, then you put on a show burning old junk. I actually thought you were serious about giving up your title this time." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "But here we are. You refuse to move to a nicer penthouse and make excuses to stall. Tell me, Seraphina, when next month comes, what will your next excuse be?" Everything I did was just a calculated move in his eyes. I kept my eyes down and said nothing. He had never trusted me, and nothing I said would change that. Once the divorce was legally finalized, the truth would speak for itself. Julian took my silence as a confession. He spared me one last contemptuous look. "Stay or leave, I don't care. But Chloe likes this place, so she's moving in today." With that, he turned and walked toward the house. Chloe took a step forward, extending her hand to me, her eyes gleaming with triumph. "Mrs. Sterling, looks like we'll be roommates for a couple of weeks. Let's try to get along." I didn't even look at her hand. I turned to walk away. "What is your problem?" Chloe snapped, blocking my path. "I'm trying to be nice here." "I heard you," I replied coldly. "But I don't get along with mistresses. I have a natural aversion to them." Chloe laughed as if she had heard a hilarious joke. "A mistress? What about you, Seraphina? Aren't you one too?" My gaze hardened. "Julian is literally moving me in, and you're still begging to stay under his roof," Chloe mocked, leaning in close. "I have to hand it to you. To drug your own sister’s husband at her funeral just to get a ring... you really are a shameless masterpiece." Her words were like poison-tipped needles piercing my heart. My hand flew out before I could think. *Slap!* The sharp sound echoed in the yard. Chloe’s head snapped to the side, a bright red mark blooming on her pale cheek. "My marriage with Julian," my voice shook with rage, "is none of your business. You're just a cheap replacement." Chloe clutched her cheek, a dark flash of anger crossing her face. But before she could strike back, she spotted Julian walking back toward us from the glass doors. Her angry expression vanished, replaced by a cunning, wicked smile. "Do you want to play a game?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Let's see who Julian cares about more—his legal wife, or me, the girl who has his dead love's face." Before I could react, Chloe grabbed my wrist. With a sudden, violent yank, she threw herself backward, dragging me down with her. *Splash!* The freezing water of the swimming pool swallowed us instantly. "Help! Julian, help me! I can't swim!" Chloe screamed, thrashing wildly in the deep end. I choked on a mouthful of water, struggling to surface. Through the splashing water, I saw Julian sprint to the edge and dive in without a single second of hesitation. He swam past me, his eyes locked entirely on Chloe. He scooped her shivering body into his arms and pulled her toward the steps. "I've got you. Don't worry, you're safe," he murmured, his voice laced with panic as he carried her inside the villa. He didn't look back at me once. It was as if I were invisible. I floated in the cold water, my clothes heavy and dragging me down. I stared at the empty glass doors of the villa, and my mind suddenly flashed back to a summer when I was seventeen. I hadn't learned how to swim back then, and I had accidentally slipped into the lake behind the school. Julian had jumped in without thinking, fighting the current to drag me to safety. I had only swallowed a few gulps of water, but he had fainted from pure exhaustion. When he woke up in the clinic, his face pale, he had hugged me so tight I could barely breathe. "You scared me to death, Sera. What would I do if I lost you?" I had cried, promising him I would never go near the water again. He had smiled and kissed my forehead. "It's okay. As long as I'm here, I'll never let anything happen to you." I stood in the freezing pool, water up to my chest, and let out a quiet, self-deprecating laugh. All these years, I was the only one trapped in the past. I should have accepted it long ago. The Julian Sterling who loved me died in that car crash seven years ago.