He Forgot Her, Then Lost Her Forever

Chapter 2 Make It for Another Woman

Josselyn headed back to the house where she and Zachary had once lived together.

Wyatt Keyes, the landlord, recognized her right away and greeted her warmly. "Josselyn, isn't your boyfriend joining you?"

Josselyn's mind was a jumble. She mumbled, "He's busy planning his wedding. He's getting married soon."

"I knew you two would tie the knot," Wyatt said with a warm smile. "I've kept this house reserved for you all this time. The cherry tree your boyfriend planted for you has borne fruit, and it blooms beautifully every year."

A sharp, stabbing ache welled up in Josselyn's chest.

She brushed off his remarks awkwardly, took out her key, and unlocked the door.

The furniture inside hadn't been touched at all. In the old photo, she was smiling at the camera, and Zachary—dressed in his military uniform—had his arm around her waist. His chin rested on her shoulder, and he stared at her with tender eyes.

Memories flooded her mind, uninvited and inescapable.

There was the rose blanket Zachary had crocheted for her, soft and bright like a bouquet of fresh blooms.

For her birthday, he'd taken her to a pottery class. He made a silly, lopsided rabbit mug and grinned, saying she'd think of him every time she took a sip.

On New Year's Eve, the whole city lit up with fireworks. They curled up on the couch and played Castle Defense all night long.

On their wedding day, he'd placed his shoulder boards and military medals in her hands solemnly. He held her hand and swore to the officiant, "Ten years, twenty years—even when your hair turns gray, I'll be with you. I'll love you forever."

But it turned out that "forever" had a shockingly short expiration date.

She alone was trapped in those memories, a prisoner of the past.

Josselyn's hands trembled slightly. She tossed all the sentimental trinkets into the trash and listed every valuable item on a secondhand website for sale.

She stared at the indentation on her ring finger—left by the Oppenheimer blue diamond ring she'd worn for years. Zachary had spent a billion dollars to have the world's top designer craft this one-of-a-kind ring when he proposed.

She'd never taken it off, not even when she'd narrowly survived the war zone.

The diamond still sparkled, but everything else had changed.

She let out a bitter laugh, took the ring off, and placed it in a gift box.

Josselyn looked at her luggage, which was barely half full. She realized she had nothing left but her clothes and everyday essentials.

A ping sounded from her phone. Darlene had posted a new photo on i********:, with the caption, "So happy—shopping for wedding dresses with my husband."

The man in the picture had his usual cool demeanor. His sleek black suit made his figure stand tall, and his deep eyes were impossible to look away from.

Under the soft crystal lights, he was focused on fastening Darlene's bra for her wedding dress. His slender fingers rested on her waist, and his usually stern face had softened into a gentle smile.

Josselyn scrolled to Zachary's chat at the top of her list. She typed: You look so handsome in a suit... Then she deleted the line over and over.

Finally, she sent: I'm leaving. I wish you both happiness.

The message turned red with an exclamation mark seconds later—Message sent, but blocked by the recipient.

She stared at the screen in shock, then turned it off.

When she got back to the villa, she could hear Darlene's laughter from far away.

Darlene was curled up in Zachary's arms, playing a two-player puzzle game on a tablet. Zachary casually peeled grapes and fed them to her one by one.

Josselyn looked away and said, "I'm back."

Zachary glanced at her bare ring finger, frowned slightly, and started to speak.

Darlene wrapped her arms around his waist and cooed, "Zachary, I haven't had much of an appetite lately. I heard Josselyn is amazing at making herbal chicken broth. Could she make some for me?"

Zachary shot Josselyn a cold look. "Making a nourishing soup for Darlene, okay?"

Josselyn's chest tightened.

Herbal chicken broth was a recipe she'd spent three months mastering.

She'd apprenticed with a herbalist after Zachary lost his memory, hoping the herbs would remind him of their past and help him recover his memories.

He'd never even tasted it, though. Every time she made it, he'd pour it straight into the trash in front of her, saying it was disgusting.

Now, he was asking her to make it for another woman.

Josselyn couldn't speak through the pain. She walked into the kitchen, rinsed the ingredients, added water and herbs, and let the broth simmer over low heat.

She spent an hour stirring the pot before carrying the finished soup into the living room. That's when she saw Ryland and Rosina standing there—they'd arrived without her noticing.

Rosina took Darlene's hand warmly, fussing over her. "If you feel any discomfort during your pregnancy, just tell us. You're part of the Penrose family, and we'll never treat you badly."

She set down the prenatal supplements she'd brought, along with piles of baby supplies—a crib, a high chair, bottles, tiny baby clothes...

Then she continued, "This is 30% of the Penrose family's shares, plus our ancestral jade pendant. It's been passed down from the first lady of the Penrose family to every wife since. Now it's yours."

Power, money, love, and blessings—these were all things Josselyn had never received when she married Zachary.

She looked away indifferently. After all, none of it mattered to her anymore.