“What’s wrong with the brakes…?”
Nyxia Winter’s face instantly drained of color.
She kept pressing the brake pedal with all her strength, but the car refused to slow down.
The pedal sank all the way to the floor beneath her foot.
The brakes had failed.
Rain hammered relentlessly against the windshield, turning the road ahead into a blur of distorted lights and shadows.
The wipers swept back and forth as fast as they could, but they were no match for the torrential downpour.
Nyxia’s heartbeat spiraled out of control.
“Come on…
please stop…!”
Her trembling hands tightened around the steering wheel as she desperately tried to avoid the cars crossing the intersection.
One horn after another blared through the storm, but her vehicle kept surging forward, far too fast for her to regain control.
Then a black sedan emerged from the right.
Nyxia’s eyes widened.
She recognized the car.
More importantly, she recognized the man behind the wheel.
Wilder Reed.
The man she hated more than anyone else.
Their eyes met for only a fraction of a second.
What froze Nyxia wasn’t the realization that their cars were about to collide.
It was the look on Wilder’s face.
He wasn’t panicking.
He wasn’t shocked.
His expression remained eerily calm, as though he had known this moment was coming all along.
“Wil—”
CRASH!
The impact slammed into her with terrifying force.
Shattering glass exploded around her as the seatbelt dug painfully into her chest.
Her head struck something hard, sending a wave of blinding pain through her body.
Everything around her spun wildly.
Then…
darkness swallowed her whole.
✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼
“Nyxia…”
Someone was calling her name.
The voice sounded faint.
Distant.
As though it was reaching her from somewhere impossibly far away.
“Wake up…”
She wanted to open her eyes.
She truly did.
But her body felt impossibly heavy, refusing to obey.
“Can you hear me?”
The man’s voice became clearer.
“Please…
wake up.”
Silence followed.
When he spoke again, his voice was rough, as if he were struggling to keep himself from breaking down.
“I love you so much.”
A single tear slipped from the corner of Nyxia’s closed eye.
That voice…
Why did it sound so familiar?
Who was it?
✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼
Thirty minutes earlier…
“Stop lying to me!”
Magnus’s furious shout echoed across the living room.
Nyxia stared at the man in front of her, breathing heavily.
Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails dug painfully into her palms.
“I’m the one who’s lying?” she shot back in disbelief.
“You accused me of cheating without a single piece of proof, and somehow I’m the liar?”
Magnus threw several photographs onto the coffee table.
“If you’re innocent, then explain these.”
The pictures scattered across the tabletop.
They showed her standing outside a restaurant with another man.
Nyxia immediately looked back at Magnus.
“He’s my client.”
“Your client?” Magnus let out a sarcastic laugh.
“Then why were the two of you having dinner together?”
“It was a business meeting.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
Frustration finally got the better of her.
“Then what about you?” she demanded.
“How many times have I seen you with other women?
What’s the difference betwe—”
SLAP!
The sharp sound cut through the room.
Nyxia’s words died instantly.
The force of the slap knocked her head to the side, and a burning pain spread across her cheek.
Slowly, she turned back.
Nova was standing beside Magnus with her hand still raised.
There was no rage on her face.
Only cold certainty.
“That’s enough, Sis,” Nova said flatly.
“Stop trying to blame someone else.”
Nyxia stared at her younger sister in disbelief.
“Nova…?”
Nova lowered her hand before taking another step toward Magnus.
“Magnus has already shown you the evidence.
Instead of making excuses, why don’t you just admit what you’ve done?”
A suffocating silence settled over the room.
Magnus didn’t stop Nova.
He didn’t even seem surprised by what had happened.
Nyxia gently touched her burning cheek as her gaze moved back and forth between the two people she trusted the most.
Then, slowly, a bitter smile appeared on her lips.
“So…
this is how it is.” She looked straight into Magnus’s eyes.
“So you’ve both already decided that I’m the guilty one?”
Magnus remained silent.
His silence hurt far more than any accusation ever could.
After several long seconds, he finally spoke.
“If you don’t trust me anymore, then you should leave.”
Nyxia held his gaze.
Part of her waited for him to take it back.
She waited for him to stop her.
To tell her he didn’t mean it.
But he never did.
He simply stood there, watching her in silence.
Finally, Nyxia gave a slow nod.
“Fine.”
She picked up her handbag.
As she walked past Nova, she paused for just a moment.
“I never thought the first person to betray me would be my own sister.”
Nova’s face flushed with anger.
“What?
I’m only standing on the side of what’s right.”
But Nyxia was already walking toward the door.
A second later, it slammed shut behind her.
✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼
Nyxia unlocked her car with trembling hands.
Tears streamed down her cheeks faster than she could wipe them away.
After starting the engine, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
One foolish hope still lingered in her heart.
Come after me, Magnus…
Just once.
If you come after me now…
I’ll forgive everything.
She looked into the rearview mirror.
The front yard remained empty.
No footsteps.
No familiar figure rushing after her.
No one came.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
Then she shifted the car into gear and drove away.
✼ •• ┈┈┈┈๑⋅⋯ ୨˚୧ ⋯⋅๑┈┈┈┈ •• ✼
“Doctor!”
Someone shouted from nearby.
“The patient’s awake!”
Nyxia’s eyelids fluttered.
The first thing she saw was a blinding white light that forced her to squint.
As her vision gradually cleared, the surroundings slowly came into focus the white hospital ceiling above her, the fluorescent lights overhead, and the steady rhythm of a heart monitor echoing through the room.
The sharp scent of antiseptic lingering in the air told her exactly where she was before she even had the strength to think.
A doctor quickly approached her bedside, relief evident on his face.
“Welcome back, Miss Winter,” he said with a gentle smile.
“You’ve finally woken up.”
The doctor’s voice reached Nyxia as though it were coming from somewhere far away.
She blinked several times, struggling to focus.
Her vision was still blurry, and the bright hospital lights shining overhead only made the throbbing in her head worse.
“W-Where am I?”
“You’re at St.
Mary’s Hospital.
Don’t try to sit up just yet.”
A nurse gently raised the head of her bed until she was in a more comfortable position.
The doctor then examined her pupils with a small flashlight before opening the medical chart in his hands.
“I’m going to ask you a few questions.”
Nyxia gave a faint nod.
“What is your name?”
She searched her mind for an answer.
Nothing.
It was as though every memory had been wiped away, leaving behind nothing but an empty void.
“I…
I don’t know.”
“How old are you?”
She tried again.
Still nothing.
“Can you tell me your parents’ names?”
Panic slowly tightened around her chest.
Her eyes stung as tears began to gather.
“W-Why…
can’t I remember anything?”
The doctor closed the chart and offered her a reassuring smile.
“Please don’t panic.
You suffered a severe blow to the head, so temporary amnesia is a very real possibility.
Most patients gradually recover their memories over time, so don’t force yourself to remember.”
Nyxia nodded weakly, though the fear gripping her heart refused to fade.
The doctor stood and walked toward the door.
“I’ll ask your family to come in.”
A few moments later, the door opened.
Three people walked into the room.
Nyxia’s gaze immediately fell on the man in front.
For reasons she couldn’t explain, her heart skipped a beat.
His face felt incredibly familiar, as though he had once been someone precious to her.
Yet she couldn’t remember who he was.
Slowly, her eyes shifted to the woman standing beside him.
A sharp pain pulsed through her temples.
Laughter.
A dining table.
Birthday candles.
Fragments of memories flashed through her mind before disappearing just as quickly, leaving only a dull ache behind.
Then the third person stepped into the room.
Everything changed.
Pouring rain.
Brakes that suddenly failed.
The violent crash.
Wilder Reed’s cold, unwavering gaze just before the collision.
Like a dam bursting open, every memory came flooding back all at once.
Her name.
Magnus.
Nova.
Their argument.
The accident.
Without realizing it, Nyxia tightened her grip on the blanket until her knuckles turned white.
I remember…
The doctor, oblivious to the change in her expression, smiled faintly.
“It seems her memories are beginning to return little by little.”
His words sparked an idea.
If they think I still can’t remember anything…
Maybe Magnus will forget about our fight.
Maybe…
He’ll go back to treating me the way he used to.
Protecting me.
Loving me.
With that thought in mind, Nyxia carefully erased every trace of emotion from her face, forcing herself to look at the three people before her as though they were complete strangers.
The doctor turned toward them.
“It seems she doesn’t recognize any of you yet.
Please introduce yourselves.”
Nova stepped forward first with a warm smile on her face.
“I’m Nova Winter,” she said gently.
“I’m your younger sister.”
Nyxia looked at her blankly.
Inside, however, anger was already beginning to burn.
A moment later, Magnus stepped up beside Nova.
Without the slightest hesitation, he reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers as naturally as if it were something he’d done countless times before.
“My name is Magnus Brock.” He turned toward Nova with a proud smile before looking back at Nyxia.
“And this is my fiancée, Nova.”
The words had barely left his mouth when Nova let out an excited squeal.
“Ahhh!
Finally!”
She clapped her hands repeatedly, bouncing on her feet with pure excitement.
Her face lit up with happiness, as though she’d just received the greatest gift imaginable.
Her eyes sparkled, and her smile stretched from ear to ear without the slightest hint of guilt.
Then, without any hesitation, she threw her arms around Magnus.
Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed a long, affectionate kiss to his lips right in front of Nyxia.
Magnus kissed her back without hesitation.
One arm slipped around Nova’s waist as a satisfied smile appeared on his face, as though every bit of affection she showed him belonged to him alone.
Nyxia could only stare.
Her mind went completely blank as disbelief crashed into anger, heartbreak, and humiliation all at once.
The weight of those emotions pressed so heavily against her chest that even breathing became difficult.
Every emotion crashed into her at once, squeezing the air from her lungs.
Her fingers dug into the bedsheet until they trembled.
She could only watch as her own sister basked in the arms of the man Nyxia had believed belonged to her.
Just a few hours ago, Nova had slapped her to defend Magnus.
And now…
right before her eyes…
Nova was celebrating their engagement as though nothing else in the world mattered.
Nyxia wanted to scream.
She wanted to pull Magnus away from her.
She wanted to demand when the two of them had started betraying her.
But she couldn’t.
Because at this moment, she was nothing more than a woman who wasn’t supposed to remember anything.
Before she could say a single word, the doctor turned to the last man in the room.
“And you, sir?”
Wilder stepped forward without the slightest sign of urgency.
His movements were calm and composed, carrying the quiet confidence of someone who believed everything was already under his control.
He stopped beside Nyxia’s bed and looked at her for several long seconds before finally speaking.
“My name is Wilder Reed.”
His voice was calm, yet firm enough for everyone in the room to hear.
“I am Nyxia Winter’s legal husband.”
His gaze briefly shifted toward Magnus and Nova, who were still standing close together, before returning to Nyxia.
“From this moment on, I will take full responsibility for my wife.”