Chapter 3

My phone buzzed in my pocket—my father calling again. I pretended not to feel it.

Beside me in the car, Chloe was giggling uncontrollably, thrilled by her victory.

Five minutes later, my father called again. I had no choice but to pick up.

"Logan, someone stepped up with a rare Rh-negative donation. Angela and the baby are temporarily out of danger," my father said, relief thick in his voice.

"Oh. What does that have to do with me?"

"Get back to the hospital right now and take care of your wife! The doctor said she could wake up any minute!"

"Not happening." I glanced sideways at Chloe. Her eyes were sparkling with anticipation. "I'm busy shopping with Chloe. Whatever she wants, I'm buying."

On the other end of the line, my father fell dead silent.

I hung up. Chloe laced her fingers through mine with pure delight, leading me into the luxury mall.

Someone had secretly snapped photos of me kneeling before Chloe at the salon. Someone else posted video footage of me publicly abandoning my dying wife.

Within hours, the content spread across social media like a wildfire.

"Look at this! This is the scumbag who abandoned his pregnant wife at a crash scene to chase his college ex!"

"His wife was in critical condition and he refused to donate blood, saying he had to save it for his ex!"

"His wife is severely injured, the baby was delivered prematurely and hanging by a thread in the NICU, yet he didn't care at all. He spent the entire night in his ex-girlfriend's arms!"

By the next morning, the hotel entrance was swarming with reporters holding cameras and microphones.

The moment I stepped out of the lobby, flashes went off like a thunderstorm.

"Mr. Hayes, do you genuinely have amnesia?"

"Why haven't you visited your wife and newborn baby?"

"When exactly did you rekindle your relationship with Ms. Vance?"

"Did Angela know you were cheating on her?"

Their questions pelted me like machine-gun fire.

"Yes, I lost my memory," I said calmly into the mics. "I only know about my past with Angela from what other people told me."

"However, I feel nothing for Angela now. All I know is that the only person I love is Chloe Vance."

Another flurry of flashes blinded the street.

An influencer shoved a phone directly into my face, staring me down. "Can you look into this camera and say with a straight conscience that five years with your loyal wife means less to you than a college ex you only dated for a few months?"

"Since losing my memory, those five years mean absolutely nothing to me," I answered without a single heartbeat of hesitation. My voice rang out clear and unwavering. "My heart only remembers one woman. And that is Chloe."

Back in her sterile hospital room, Angela held her phone with trembling fingers. The screen flashed with my cold, ruthless words. Every syllable felt like a serrated blade tearing through her chest. Tears spilled uncontrollably down her face as her heart shattered into pieces.

She couldn't bring herself to believe that Logan, the husband who had loved her so deeply, could be this callous.

She wanted to dial my number, but her thumb froze over the screen. She was terrified of hearing my voice dripping with disgust, terrified of facing my icy rejection. Her finger hovered, trembled, and finally let the phone slip onto the sheets.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Chloe scrolled through the video of my public declaration alongside the avalanche of internet hate directed at me. A wicked sense of pride swelled inside her.

She smirked with cruel satisfaction. In her mind, her charm was simply irresistible—powerful enough to make Logan burn his entire world to the ground just to crawl back to her feet.