Chapter 1
My boyfriend loved playing the amnesia game. Every year, he pretended not to know me, forcing me to chase him all over again.
He did this because he was insecure and needed constant reassurance of my love.
It was incredibly annoying.
But for the sake of his beautiful face, I tolerated it.
In our third year together, he "lost his memory" again.
Only this time, he brought another woman back with him.
Right in front of me, Mike kissed her on the lips.
I froze for a second, feeling a quiet sense of pity—'He's ruined now.'
Seeing my gloomy expression, Mike's lips curled upward.
"Who are you? Why are you in my house? Don't tell me... you're my dad's little girlfriend?"
I looked at him quietly, suddenly remembering what I had overheard him telling his friend yesterday, "Lina has been a bit cold to me lately. I've decided to follow Amir's advice and give her a good scare. If she passes this test, I'll propose to her."
Loving someone like this was just too exhausting.
So, I nodded.
"Yes. Call me Mom."
*****
Mike's face instantly turned pale. His thin lips parted, but he couldn't bring himself to utter the word "Mom." Seeing him struggle made my heart tighten slightly.
'What a beautiful puppy. Too bad he's ruined now.'
I pursed my lips, feeling a pang of regret.
'I regret that after nearly three years together, Mike still doesn't understand me. For a man, the most important things are loyalty and looks. I can yield to his looks and play along when he pretends to have amnesia. But I won't accept a cheater. In just 30 seconds, I have processed everything and am ready to break up.'
Meanwhile, Mike bit his lower lip, his face dark and sullen.
I took a deep breath and was about to speak when the girl opposite us smiled first.
"Hello, Mrs. Thompson." She tilted her head, her voice sweet as honey.
I froze for a moment, my eyes instinctively locking onto their clasped hands. The girl gently squeezed Mike's palm. He pursed his lips, the veins on his forehead throbbing, and squeezed a word out from between his teeth with great reluctance, "...Mom."
'How obedient.'
My lips curled into a fake, cold smile.
Seeing my stiff expression, Mike's tense jaw relaxed slightly. He raised an eyebrow and introduced her to me, "This is my girlfriend, Amir."
'Oh, so it's her. Mike's childhood friend who just returned from Sunfield two years ago. If I remember correctly, the amnesia idea was her suggestion to Mike. She said that cruelty breeds loyalty. Only by making me constantly lose him would I learn to cherish him. After the previous tests, Mike believed her completely.'
His face relaxed, and he spoke with more composure, "Are you really my dad's new girlfriend? How come I've never heard him mention you?"
I curled my lips slightly, offering that as my only response.
Mike refused to drop it, questioning my presence. "Wait, that's not right. My dad isn't even home today. Why did you come here?"
He wanted to expose my lie as quickly as possible to get the script back on track, expecting me to play along and help him "recover his memory" like before.
But unfortunately for him, fate wasn't on his side today.
As the butler brought over the coffee, he answered the question for me, "Mike, you're back too? What's the occasion today? Mr. Thompson just messaged saying he's coming back to the estate."
Hearing that his dad was actually coming back, Mike's face turned so pale he looked like he'd seen a ghost.
I shrugged, spreading my hands to say, 'See? Today, you're calling me Mom whether you like it or not.'
