My Fiancé Erased My Memory for His First Love

Everyone knew that after a k********g left the genius researcher Serena Whitmore with brain damage, she developed severe amnesia and forgot each day by the next. Fortunately, her childhood sweetheart Adrian Foster remained unwaveringly devoted. He recorded every detail of her life on sticky notes and stayed by her side through rehabilitation, doing so for seven long years. From eighteen to twenty-five, Serena lived by those notes until, on the very last one, she saw the words: September 13: Marry Serena. Her heart swelled with joy. But that night, when she got up for water, she passed the study and accidentally overheard Adrian talking with a friend. The door had been left slightly ajar. Through the c***k, she saw Adrian leaning against the desk, head lowered, staring at the unlit cigarette between his fingers. "Are you really going to have a bodyguard take your place on your wedding night with Serena? Don't you think that's too cruel?" "I can't betray Vivian," Adrian replied flatly. "Besides, Serena forgets everything. In a few days, I'll tear up the note, coax her a little, and she'll forget it ever happened." Serena nearly collapsed. Her eyes burned as tears welled instantly. He was going to let another man take his place in their marriage bed! And Vivian Whitmore was her father's illegitimate daughter, the one he had brought home after Serena's accident left her unable to inherit the family business. But when had Adrian and Vivian become involved? Serena clearly remembered how cold and dismissive Adrian had always been toward her, how openly he seemed to despise her. Then his next words shattered what remained of her world. "If Vivian hadn't arranged that k********g, I wouldn't have bothered taking care of Serena all these years. Vivian and I knew each other in high school. If Serena hadn't gotten hurt, Vivian would have been the one I married." Adrian lit his cigarette, his eyes unreadable in the glow. "Vivian wronged Serena, so I'll make it up to her. I'll take care of Serena for life and marry her. But everything else… her inheritance, the Whitmore family fortune… all of it belongs to Vivian." ***** Serena had no idea how she made it back to her room. The moment the door shut behind her, her legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor, sobbing. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that Adrian, the man who had grown up beside her, had deceived her for seven years for Vivian's sake. Worse, he had planned to let another man violate her in his place. Every kindness he had ever shown her had been a lie. Vivian had destroyed her. And Adrian had helped her do it. Curled on the floor with her knees pulled to her chest, Serena bit her lip and cried until she trembled. Because she could not remember, Adrian had written those notes for her day after day, year after year, creating endless anniversaries and memories for her to relive. When she was sick, he had abandoned billion-dollar deals to stay at her bedside for three days and nights. On her birthday, he had set off fireworks for an entire month so no one would forget the date. Once, because she casually mentioned liking a flower she did not know by name, he had searched deep in the mountains just to pick it for her. Every tender memory she had believed was love had only ever been Adrian's way of compensating Serena for Vivian's wrongdoing. The pain in her chest was so sharp she could barely breathe. And yet, beneath the agony, she felt grateful. Thank God the wedding had not happened yet. She still had time to walk away. What Adrian did not know was that after seven years of treatment, nearly eighty percent of her memory had returned. She had planned to tell him at the wedding. She had wanted him to know that she would remember their wedding day for the rest of her life. But now she would never let them hurt her again. Wiping away her tears, Serena picked up her phone and made a call. "Mom," she said hoarsely, "I'll go abroad."