I dreamed of confessing successfully to my childhood friend, and when I woke up, there he was in front of me. Out of excitement, I blurted out, "Hubby."
The next second, a little boy on my right suddenly jumped into my arms, his eyes wide as he looked at me.
"Mommy, he's not Daddy!"
???
"I am."
I turned slightly to see that my former archenemy was now standing there in a lab coat, holding the needle he had just removed from my hand.
I shuddered inexplicably.
1
I had just dreamed of confessing successfully to my childhood friend, and when I woke up, I was already married with children.
I slowly opened my eyes, the pristine white ceiling causing a stabbing headache.
"Amelia, are you awake?"
Hearing the voice, I turned slightly, finding my childhood friend Claire Linley sitting by my side, looking at me with deep concern.
I looked at him, feeling that he seemed a bit different from the dreams, somehow more mature.
But that didn't stop my heart from loving him.
I softly spoke and then gave him a soothing smile.
"Hubby."
Claire's hand on my hospital bed paused, frowning as he looked at me with a somewhat deep gaze. He opened his mouth, about to say something.
But a sudden childish voice interrupted him.
"Mommy, he's not Daddy!"
The next second, a little boy who was sitting on my right suddenly jumped into my arms, his eyes wide and glaring angrily at me.
I stared wide-eyed, looking at him in disbelief.
So, Claire is not my husband? Then who is my husband?
Amid my shock, a slow, spine-chilling voice came from beside me.
"It's me."
The person seemed to understand what I was thinking.
Following the voice, I turned slightly, only to find my archenemy Simon Harding standing at my bedside, wearing a lab coat.
He was still holding the needle he had just removed from my hand.
Simon Harding's gaze was fixed steadily on my face, and I noticed the red streaks in his eyes, the dark circles, and the stubble covering his face.
He appeared completely disheveled and unkempt.
Is this really the well-groomed Simon Harding I knew?
I shivered inexplicably.
The child immediately crawled from the bed to stand in front of Simon Harding, fuming as he placed one hand on his hip and pointed the other at Claire.
"Daddy, Mommy just called that uncle 'Hubby'!"
Dad...dy?
A flood of information rushed into my mind in an instant. On one hand, I couldn't tell if what happened after my confession to Claire was real or not.
On the other hand, I found it conflicting that I would choose to marry my archenemy Simon Harding and have a child with him.
My brain felt like it was in a trance.
Could all this be just a dream, and if I closed my eyes and slept again, everything would return to its proper place?
The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt. I promptly lay back on the bed, silently beginning to pray in my heart.
In my ear was Simon Harding's voice, cold and indifferent.
"The patient just woke up and needs rest. If you have nothing important, please leave."
"I want to stay with her for a while..."
Claire reflexively countered.
Only to see Simon Harding smirk and say.
"Do you want to accompany her or stimulate her?"
"I..."
"My Daddy is a doctor, he's smarter and more capable than you. Shouldn't you listen to the doctor's advice?"
The child spoke in his small, childish voice.
With the door closing, the room returned to its initial quiet.
Leather shoes clacked dully on the floor, and even with my eyes closed, I could clearly hear those footsteps approaching closer.
On the surface, I remained calm, but my heart was in turmoil.
"If you think all this is a dream, then using sleep as self-hypnosis is ineffective. I suggest a bit of self-stimulation first.
For instance, you can choose to get a needle, the most waking method.
Of course, if you can't bring yourself to do it, I would be happy to assist you as a doctor..."
"Don't!"
Terrified, I jumped out of bed, seeing Simon Harding with his hands in his pockets, watching me with a distant gaze.
His hand held the needle, which was enough to give me goosebumps.
God knows the thing I fear the most in this life is injections.
"What kind of husband volunteers to give his wife a shot..."
I muttered softly and discontentedly.
Upon hearing this, Simon Harding sneered, then pulled out a chair to sit down.
He took a pear from a nearby fruit bag and, holding a fruit knife, began to peel it slowly and gracefully.
"Now, you remember I'm your husband?"
His words left me speechless, so I shifted my gaze to the little one.
I reached out and pinched the child's face, soft and full of collagen.
The most important thing is, he looks so handsome, just like a mini version of Simon Harding.
"Sweetie, can you tell Mommy your name?"
Sure enough, handsome people are always popular wherever they go.
The little rascal frowned in distaste upon hearing this, then spoke arrogantly.
"I've grown up now, I'm not a baby anymore, my name is Lucas Harding."
Lucas Harding?
This name clearly indicates he's the child of Simon Harding and me...
I pulled back the hand that was rubbing his cheek, unable to believe that I truly married Simon Harding and had a child.
Lucas then hugged Simon Harding's leg.
"Daddy, could it be that Mommy really forgot us?"
Lucas glanced at me and handed the peeled pear to Lucas, then rubbed his hair.
"So, you need to be a little adult now, during the time Mommy lost her memory, you need to protect Mommy from being bullied by bad people."
Lucas nodded understandingly while munching on the pear.
"Now, let Daddy protect Mommy first. You go outside and prepare to introduce yourself to Mommy later, okay?"
Lucas obediently nodded and left, but halfway through, he suddenly turned around and ran to Simon Harding's arms.
"Daddy, you can't tell on me for secretly eating ice cream behind Mommy's back while I'm outside, okay?"
Did the little guy just treat me like air?
Simon Harding pinched his cheek.
"Alright."
Once Lucas left, the room became quiet and even the atmosphere turned a bit awkward.
Remembering Simon Harding's gentle fatherly demeanor towards Lucas just now made me start to doubt.
In my memories, Simon Harding, who was once arrogant and solitary, is he really the same person as the one sitting before me now?
"I know you must have a lot of questions for me now and might not fully understand the current situation."
Simon Harding looked at me, and a hint of pity flashed in his eyes.
"Ask away, whatever you want to know, I'll tell you."
I curled up my legs, holding myself tightly, and couldn't help but glance towards the door.
"Lucas looks quite like you, handsome too, seems like he's indeed your son."
"But..."
I fearfully glanced at Simon Harding with the corner of my eye. His expression looked somewhat unpleasant.
But I still clenched my fists and spoke out what's in my heart at this moment.
"This child doesn't seem to resemble me, so... senior, are we really legally married?"
Simon Harding's face turned as dark as pig liver. I tightened my grip on the blanket in my hand.
"Am I... like his stepmother or something?"
Simon Harding was practically ignoring me now; he closed his eyes and began to take deep breaths seriously.
Then I saw him pick up the needle from the bedside, as if he was about to stab me the next second!
"Hey hey hey, senior, let's talk this through..."
Even if I told the truth, you don't need to get so angry.
2
"If you could think as seriously and thoroughly as you are now when studying, you wouldn't have lost your top spot in Chemistry."
Simon Harding gave me a sarcastic look, then stood up to tidy up the infusion bottle and needle in his hands.
"What do you mean? Didn't I get the highest score in Chemistry in the college entrance exam?"
I looked at Simon Harding's side face, unable to believe I'd make such a mistake.
Simon Harding put the infusion bottle away, then disinfected his hands, turned around, bent forward to face me, with his hands propped on both sides, trapping me within his arms.
The familiar scent from him kept drilling into my nose, making me feel suffocated.
He squinted his eyes slightly at me, then spoke.
"Is the day Claire Linley agreed to your confession what's on your mind now?"
He lowered his voice, neither light nor heavy, yet it felt somewhat oppressive.
My neck instinctively shrank.
"How... how do you know?"
"As soon as you opened your eyes, you called someone your husband. Are you taking me for a fool? Hmm?"
When Simon Harding spoke, I felt the atmosphere around me turn somewhat sour.
"Then... can you tell me what happened between me and Claire Linley?"
Simon Harding was right about one thing, I'm indeed curious about many things now.
But the point I'm most curious about is what happened between me, Claire Linley, and Simon Harding.
Why did I end up marrying Simon Harding and have a child?
Simon Harding rubbed his tongue against his teeth, mulling over the words in his mouth.
Then he raised his hand to rub my hair.
"Think for yourself."
Simon Harding's words completely piqued my curiosity.
"Simon Harding, who said earlier I could ask you questions, aren't you my husband? What kind of husband treats his wife like this, I'm giving you a bad review!"
Simon Harding raised his eyebrow.
"Really? Then who was it just now that ignored me as the legitimate husband, called another man husband in front of me, and looked utterly besotted?"
I clenched my little fists in anger.
"Simon Harding! You only know how to bully me..."
"No, Daddy, don't fight with Mommy!"
The door of the room suddenly opened a crack, and Lucas's cute face scrunched up like a little bun.
He ran to Simon Harding with his little legs, looking quite furious.
With a grown-up look on his face, hands on hips, he questioned Simon Harding.
"Daddy, you're cheating, didn't you say you were introducing yourself to Mommy? How can you argue with Mommy?"
Simon Harding turned his head, squatting down to pat Lucas's little head, then spoke gently.
"Mom and Dad aren't having an argument. I just got a little excited thinking about our little darling, Lucas. If you don't believe me, you can ask Mom."
After saying that, he stood up and bent down to whisper something intimately in my ear.
"I know it's probably hard for you to accept all of this at once. If you have any issues with me, we can talk privately when it's just the two of us. But for now, let's not upset Lucas."
I watched as Lucas Harding's gaze flitted between us, his big eyes filled with unabashed curiosity.
I clearly understood how important a harmonious family is for a young child.
"Lucas, Daddy was just debating with Mommy whether you can have ice cream, not arguing with her."
"So, Mommy, can Lucas have ice cream?"
The little guy seemed to deflate like someone had touched his weak spot.
"Of course, you can."
I nodded heavily.
"Yay, ice cream rules, Mommy rules. So, Mommy, as a reward for letting Lucas have ice cream, Daddy should give you a kiss, okay?"
...
What? What kind of logic is this? How come Lucas gets to have ice cream and I get rewarded?
Plus, do I even kiss Simon Harding…
Thinking of this, I stiffly turned to look at Simon Harding, who was standing beside me with a cheeky grin as if waiting for me to voluntarily offer a kiss.
"Since Mom woke up from the hospital, she hasn't been as affectionate with Daddy. Mommy, do you not like Daddy?"
While I was still in a state of bewilderment, Lucas Harding looked utterly dejected.
He hung his head, fiddling with his chubby little hands, his voice tinged with a touch of sadness.
"Does she not like Lucas, and doesn't want Lucas anymore?"
My heart clenched tightly, and in the next second, a memory that had kept me awake for countless nights resurfaced in my mind.
The same words, I had said them desperately, as if cutting my heart out to show them, but she still resolutely chose to leave without hesitation, her figure slowly disappearing until it became nothing.
"No, no, how could I not like Daddy or not want Lucas?"
While saying this, I closed my eyes tightly and leaned forward to Simon's cheek.
Just as my lips were about to touch his cheek, Simon turned his head to face me.
I widened my eyes, looking at his enlarged face in front of me. His lips were gently warm, making my cheeks start to heat up involuntarily.
I quickly pushed him away, then glared at him fiercely.
Meanwhile, Lucas Harding covered his little chubby face with his hands, playfully averting his gaze but chuckling gleefully, clearly not hiding his joy.
The phone on the bedside table suddenly rang, and Lucas skillfully picked up the phone and answered it.
"Hello, my dearest godmother… Yes, yes, Mommy has already woken up… Godmother, are you at the hospital now? Mm-hmm, I'll come get you right away, okay?
Godmother, wait for me… Daddy? Daddy is busy right now. He's doing something embarrassing with Mommy…"
Lucas said this with a sheepish look and then ran out.
"Your best friend, Daphne Roe, is now the director at Grant Group and also Lucas's godmother."
Simon's explanation was surprisingly straightforward.
"Stop changing the subject!"
I picked up the fruit from the bedside table and threw it at Simon.
But to my surprise, he caught it steadily, as if people often threw things at him like this.
"Did you do that on purpose just now, to take advantage of me?"
Simon caught the apple, tossing it up and down, smiling tenderly.
"Funny, the day of our first kiss, you said the exact same thing."
"And your face was just as red."
He bent down, speaking in a low voice by my ear, making my ears and even my head tingle.
I forcefully pushed him away.
"I've lost my memories, not my mind. Don't think that just because I'm amnesic I can't judge anything."
Yet my hand unconsciously touched my cheek; indeed, it was burning hot.
"Where's my phone?"
According to Simon, since I have a good best friend, shouldn't I just ask her if I have questions?
Besides, maybe it's more credible.
"In the drawer."
Simon retrieved the phone from the drawer and handed it to me.
I took the phone and retreated to the corner of the bed, looking warily at him.
"Stay away from me, don't peek at my secrets."
Simon shook his head and laughed, as if he heard something amusing.
What are you laughing at, I silently fumed.
I looked down at the screen trying to unlock it and finally had to turn to the person on the sofa for help.
"Simon Harding, when was Lucas born?"
He seemed to have anticipated my question, put down the newspaper, and lazily lifted his gaze to me.
"April 15th."
Upon hearing the answer, I was about to enter the numbers when I heard him speak again.
"If you don't want to wait until the phone auto-locks, I suggest you try 120314."
I pursed my lips, not wanting to believe him, but my body was honest. The next second, the phone unlocked successfully.
As the home screen lit up, I nearly tossed the phone at his face.
The wallpaper on my phone was Simon Harding. It wouldn't have been surprising, except it was a photo of him stepping out of the bath, wearing nothing but a simple bathrobe, the highlight being the slightly open neckline... so very tempting.
How could I be so... lovesick!!
I blushed as I tried to appear calm looking at Simon, our eyes met, and the wallpaper seemed to come alive in my mind.
I quickly averted my gaze, pretending to focus on my phone intently.
"Why is the password 120314?"
"March 14, 2012 was the first time I saw you and the day I first felt my heart skip for you."
3
I just opened WeChat, preparing to find my best friend's chat window.
But then I saw a lot of messages being pushed to me by the browser, and the protagonist was still me??
With a suspicious and uncertain attitude, I clicked on it.
"Amelia Grant and Simon Harding"
"Amelia Grant becomes the newest executive CEO of Grant Group, a decisive and strong woman"
"Secret video of Amelia Grant and her husband Simon Harding"
The first two headings look alright, pretty standard.
Who posted the last one?!
My finger drew circles next to the link, and eventually, I decided to click and take a look.
The first sentence in the article was "A small video of Amelia Grant and her husband Simon Harding having lunch together in the office"
This sentence is so abbreviated that I feel like teaching him some language skills!
I quickly added it to my favorites on the phone, planning to have the company's public relations department handle this news properly.
As soon as I put the news into my favorites, Simon Harding came into my view.
The familiar scent lingered in my nostrils, and his soft hair brushed my cheek.
A face identical to the one on the phone screen was now facing me, with a roguish grin.
Without a doubt, he caught sight of all my little maneuvers, and he teasingly spoke.
"So you're eager to grab your phone because of this, huh? Isn't the real deal right in front of you? You can just ask your darling husband, I'd be more than happy to resolve your troubles."
I glared at him angrily and elbowed him hard, but he easily dodged.
"As the executive CEO of Grant Group, maintaining an image is crucial; obviously, this kind of news is a smokescreen released to capture public attention, and we can't indulge it."
When Simon Harding heard this, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained composure, though the smile in his eyes never faded.
He stared at me intently, making my heart restless, and I handed my phone to him.
"See, the content clearly describes us having lunch in the office, yet it says 'small video', misleading the public imagination."
"Oh, like that—"
Simon Harding suddenly elongated his voice.
"So, aren't you part of the public too, having your imagination misdirected?"
"Simon Harding!"
I was about to have a good argument with him when the door opened again, revealing a lovely face.
Upon hearing that I woke up, Daphne Roe rushed over without a word.
I know that no matter the past or present, time has never changed our relationship.
However, when we talked about Claire Linley, she became somewhat silent and then said a very similar sentence to Simon Harding.
"Amelia, you have to believe that you and Simon Harding got married because you love each other."
After saying that, she grasped my right hand's back and gently rubbed it.
It felt like she was preparing her words, seeming unusually calm.
Following her gaze, I noticed a roughly ten-centimeter scar on the back of my hand, winding and irregular.
But I clearly remember my hands were once delicate, with no scars like this.
"This was from your first wedding anniversary with Simon Harding. You wanted to cook something delicious for him but accidentally cut your hand while chopping vegetables, and Simon ended up spending the whole day with you at the hospital."
Daphne looked up at me, yet I felt my mind blank; I didn't even know what to say.
"Since then, Simon never let you into the kitchen again, handling all the household chores himself. Even if he's busy and has to work overtime, he always makes sure to fill your stomach before attending to his tasks."
"Amelia, in his heart, you're always the priority."
Tears gradually welled up in Daphne's eyes.
"You always bragged about this to me in the past, and as for your childhood friend, he has long become insignificant in your life. It's okay if you don't remember him because you're blissfully happy now."
Daphne's firm gaze left me speechless, and Simon Harding, in my past memory, had been like a passerby.
But at the moment he passed by me, he grasped my hand tightly, refusing to let go.
All the memories in my mind, I told them all to Daphne.
That snowy night, flakes drifted across the sky; he stood before me, facing the light, with warmth flickering in his eyes amidst the cold winter.
I watched him slightly part his lips, eagerly yearning to hear his reply.
But in the next moment, he transformed into snowflakes and disappeared from my sight.
I desperately sprinted towards his direction, hoping to find traces of him.
Finally, not far away, I saw the silhouette of a man, only to realize—it was Simon Harding.
4
A week later, my body began to recover gradually.
And during this time, Simon Harding's visits to my room seem to have noticeably decreased.
Daphne told me that Simon Harding had previously entrusted colleagues to share his workload due to taking care of me.
Now, he's busy in the hospital, practically working non-stop.
I rather hoped he wouldn't appear, but unfortunately, with Lucas Harding around, this thought was basically impossible.
Lucas Harding pesters Simon Harding every day, calling him to lunch and dinner routinely.
He claims that having family meals together will help restore my memory.
Plus, he intensely insists that Simon Harding give me a kiss just like before every mealtime.
...
This suits Simon Harding perfectly because every time, he takes the opportunity to tease me thoroughly.
But sometimes, when I can't stand it, I'd stealthily pinch his waist.
These playful and lively days quickly passed a month, but since that day, Claire Linley hasn't come by again.
Upon being discharged and returning home, Simon Harding took me to a place that seemed to have a nice environment.
As soon as I entered, I instinctively sat on the shoe bench and bent over to take out the slippers from the shoe cabinet.
When I got up, I realized that two people were gazing at me with wide eyes.
Their astonished and differing looks made me feel uneasy.