Chapter 1

Selena's nostrils were filled with the thick scent of antiseptic. Dazed, she grabbed her phone when she heard it ringing next to her. A serious voice echoed from the receiver. "Hello, is this Ms. Selena Lowe? Your daughter just tried to take her own life by ingesting sleeping pills. We've rushed her to the hospital, and we're in the process of saving her life. "We need you to transfer 50,000 dollars to the hospital. If you're free, you need to rush over to Chamberville Hospital right now—" Selena jolted awake. She was about to get out of bed when excruciating pain shot through her hands and legs. It was only then that she noticed that her hands and legs were in casts, making for a pathetic sight. It was her 20th birthday yesterday. She had gone out with her friends to go racing, but she vaguely remembered crashing her car into a tree. Had she been sent to the hospital after the accident? She couldn't believe her luck. She was already in such a pitiful state, and yet she was still getting harassed by scammers. When Selena snapped back to her senses, she asked coldly, "Miss, don't you check a person's background before trying to scam them anymore? "I just turned 20 yesterday. I'm barely over the minimum age of marriage, so why the hell would I have a daughter? You're better off telling me that my father jumped off a building. "If you want to try scamming me again next time, call me in the afternoon. Don't call me in the morning and ruin my beauty sleep. It's very unethical of you." She didn't wait for the other person to respond before hanging up and tossing her phone aside. A few moments later, Selena heard a set of hurried footsteps thundering outside the room. "Bad news, Mrs. Cole! Louisa's teacher just called and informed us that she never showed up at school. Her phone has been unreachable too. I also just received a call from the hospital claiming that they're currently saving her life!" A shrewd-looking, middle-aged woman pushed open the door anxiously. "I went upstairs just now. Louisa's really in the operating room. You need to head upstairs right now!" Selena stared at the woman, utterly bewildered. She was convinced that her eyes were playing tricks on her. "Mr. Hart?" she asked in a hesitant tone. Cynthia Hart was one of Elijah Cole's housekeepers. Why was she addressing Selena as "Mrs. Cole"? Cynthia didn't seem to notice that anything was amiss. She hesitated momentarily before saying, "Mrs. Cole, Louisa is your flesh and blood. Even if you don't care about Mr. Cole's feelings, you shouldn't—" Selena stared blankly at Cynthia. She turned completely dumbfounded when she glanced at the screen of her phone. Yesterday, her phone's wallpaper still featured a male celebrity who debuted not long ago. Why did it turn into a wedding photo today? She was leaning against a man's embrace in the photo, cradling a bouquet of pure white flowers in her arms. As for the man, it was none other than Elijah, her sworn enemy. Selena's first reaction was that she must still be dazed from sleep. She would rather marry a beggar from the streets than marry a bastard like Elijah. She pinched herself, hard. A red mark appeared immediately on her leg, causing her to grit her teeth in pain. She had just celebrated her 20th birthday in the bar the day before. Could it be that her friends were playing a prank on her? In her confusion, Selena finally noticed that the phone she had answered just now wasn't the iPhone 3GS that she had just bought. The phone's screen was twice as large as the 3GS. Her mind went blank when she tapped into the homescreen—the date was 5th September 2025. She had just lost 17 years' worth of memories without rhyme or reason. Selena lifted her head to look at Cynthia. "Are you telling me that I married Elijah, and we have a daughter together?" "You… You don't remember?" Cynthia asked in a bewildered tone. Selena wondered what else she was supposed to remember. Cynthia was at a loss for what to do as she stared at Selena's confused expression. "You fell a few days ago. The doctor said that you suffered severe brain trauma. Perhaps you can't remember because you just woke up." She mulled over her thoughts for a few seconds before asking, "Shall I ask the doctor to conduct a check-up for you?" Selena's head was buzzing as she gripped the blanket. So the phone call earlier wasn't a scam? Her daughter had tried to take her own life? Although she hated Elijah, she had carried that child in her belly for ten months before bringing her into this world. Just the thought that her life was in danger made Selena's heart twist in her chest. Putting aside the fact that she was suffering from memory loss, Selena swiftly got out of bed and said, "Bring me a wheelchair. I want to check on my daughter's condition first." Cynthia immediately sprang into action. Selena grabbed her phone while she was waiting for Cynthia to return. She wanted to find out what had happened in the last 17 years. She didn't have many photos or messages on her phone, so she scrolled through her Twitter feed. She was surprised to discover that Elijah wasn't on her list of followers. In the end, she discovered that she had blocked him. When she tapped on their chat log, the last message was a system notification that read, "You and Elijah are following each other now. You can start a conversation with him." Selena was rendered speechless and couldn't help but wonder whether they were really married. It even seemed that she shared a closer bond with the cleaners in her area. After looking through her feed, she finally got the answers that she was looking for. Firstly, although she and Elijah didn't seem to be close, they had three children together. The one who tried to take her own life was their youngest daughter, Louisa Cole. They also had a pair of twins before Louisa—Samuel Cole and Sebastian Cole. Secondly, Elijah was currently the president of Phenomenal Group, which meant that he controlled her company. An idea surfaced in Selena's thoughts. Even though she hated Elijah, she had to admit that he was good-looking and intelligent. Perhaps she finally managed to take back her assets from her useless father, Gregory Lowe, and had gotten Elijah to marry her to help her run the company? However, the wedding photo on her phone suggested that she liked him a lot. Perhaps she had been blinded by her love for him and forced him to marry her? But Elijah hadn't been grateful for what she had done. Just then, Cynthia finally returned with the wheelchair. Selena snapped out of her thoughts. She pocketed her phone and headed upstairs. She learned that not only did Louisa ingest sleeping pills, but she had also slit her wrists. If she had arrived at the hospital even a second later, she would have lost her life. Selena couldn't help but clench her fists. Louisa was only 15 years old. What terrible thing happened to her that drove her to end her own life? She wasn't sure how much time had passed before she heard the elevator ding behind her. A tall man, who was dressed in a suit, walked over to her. He frowned deeply when he spotted her as if he couldn't believe his eyes. "Selena? What are you doing here?" Selena was also stunned. Could the newcomer be Elijah? He had undergone a tremendous change in the past 16 years. He used to always keep his head down and look gloomy, but now he carried himself with the demeanor of an elite in the business world. His handsome features were as eye-catching as ever. He was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, which made him look refined and composed. Although he must be close to his forties, he didn't look old at all. However, when Selena snapped back to her senses, rage began burning hotly in her chest. How dare he ask her why she was there? He hadn't asked about her being admitted to the hospital, and he had arrived so late, even though Louisa had tried to take her own life. Did he have any humanity in him? She stormed over to him in her slippers and retorted, "Something terrible happened to my daughter. Where else would I be if not here? She's only 15 years old, but she tried to take her own life! "You useless jackass! Don't you care about your wife or kids? I was admitted to the hospital, but you were still engrossed in your work. I won't forgive you if anything happens to Louisa!" Elijah's frown deepened as the coldness in his eyes intensified. Selena had been admitted to the hospital because she had jumped off a building over another man. He had rushed to the hospital as soon as he could, only for her to chase him away. Why was she accusing him of neglecting her now? Elijah's voice turned even frostier at the mention of Louisa. "Instead of asking me how I raised the children, Selena, why don't you reflect on the things that you've done? "You'd better pray that Louisa's going to get through this. If anything happens to her, I'm going to make that Shaw bastard and his entire family pay!" Selena was stunned. From the tone of his voice, she could tell that her relationship with Elijah was indeed strained. But who was "the Shaw bastard" that he mentioned? Was he the reason why Louisa had tried to end her life? She clenched her fists and was about to say something when the doors to the emergency room swung open. "Is Louisa Cole's family here? We've managed to save her life. Her condition is stable, but she has to remain in the hospital for now. She needs someone to watch over her—" "I'll do it," Selena said without any hesitation. "Can we see her now?" The nurse nodded. "Of course. Please follow me." Selena was about to follow her when she felt a hand wrap around her wrist. Elijah's lips were pressed into a tight line as he stared at her. "What are you up to this time, Selena? I'm willing to get a divorce if that's what you want, but the kids are innocent. How could you be so cruel to them when they're your own flesh and blood?"