Chapter 1
The day after we finished dividing up the assets from our divorce, I got into a car accident and lost my memory.
Later, my ex–husband River Kane tracked me down. He said if I stopped acting crazy all the time, maybe we could get remarried.[]
I was mid–bite on my ice cream spoon and just froze. After a long pause, I finally managed: “Uh, no thanks! I mean… I… I’m actually totally fine just keeping the money.”
…0
I woke up to find my best friend Mackenzie staring at me with this super worried expression plastered all over her face.[]
“Hey, don’t beat yourself up anymore, okay?” she said, trying to sound all reassuring.
“Look, your body is your temple, babe. Even if you’re going through this divorce mess, you still gotta live your best life.“[]
She sat down on the edge of my bed, fidgeting with her phone. “And honestly? The kid’s gonna be totally fine with River. You don’t need to put yourself through some brutal custody war–especially when we both know how that’s gonna end.“[]
I just stared at her, my brain feeling like it was wrapped in cotton. After what felt like forever, I finally managed to get the words out. “Um… who the hell is River?“]
Mackenzie froze mid–sentence, looking at me like I’d just spoken in tongues. It took her a hot minute to snap out of it before she bolted to get the doctor.
The doctor said I had memory loss from the car accident. Mackenzie immediately jumped in, asking how old I thought I was.
I said without any hesitation. “Eighteen. Didn’t I just finish my SATs yesterday?“]
Mackenzie completely lost it. She literally crumpled to the floor, laughing so hard she was clutching her stomach and pounding the side of my hospital bed with her fist.
“Willa, oh my GOD! This amnesia thing is like… the universe giving you the ultimate do–over! Yes! You’re eighteen, baby! Eighteen and free! No River, no kid, no drama… just you and me against the world!“]
Now I was even more confused than before.
Mackenzie took me back to her place once the doctors confirmed my memory probably wasn’t coming back anytime soon.
That’s when she finally gave me the rundown on my apparently very messy life.
Me–Willa Reynolds–fell head over heels for some broke college guy named River during freshman year.
I spent ten whole years with this dude, from eighteen to twenty–eight. Stuck by him while he was building his empire from nothing, lived off ramen and dreams, popped out two kids for him, and basically became his family’s live–in caretaker.
And this year? He decided to divorce my ass.]
“Wait, WHAT?” I practically shrieked
This sounded like some tragic Lifetime movie bullshit.[]
After I got over the initial shock, I asked in this shaky voice, “So you’re telling me I spent a decade being someone’s unpaid servant, and then got kicked to the curb at twenty–eight?“]
Mackenzie nodded grimly. “Yep. And you’ve got two kids—your son’s six, your daughter’s four. But since you were a stay at home inom
Chapter 1
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with zero income, and the kids chose to stay with daddy, River got full custody.“[]
“Hold up… so I lost the kids I spent years raising too?“[]
Even though I couldn’t remember any of this, it sounded absolutely terrifying. I was about to start ugly crying.[]
Then Mackenzie’s whole vibe shifted, and she actually smiled while patting my shoulder. “Hey, don’t look so miserable. At least you’re loaded now.“[]
I blinked back tears and asked cautiously, “How loaded are we talking?“]
Mackenzie sat up straight, looking way too pleased with herself. “Willa, listen carefully. You walked away with twenty percent of River’s assets, ten percent stakes in three publicly traded companies, and two historic townhouses in Manhattan. We’re talking about nine hundred million dollars.”
Dead silence.
I stared at her, then asked slowly, “Mackenzie… you’re not messing with me, right?“]
“If I’m lying, I’m literally a piece of shit.“]
That day, I spent hours just staring out the window at the sky.
I’d lost ten years of memories. I had no clue what my life had been like during that time.[]
But Mackenzie said I was rich as hell, and eighteen–year–old me had always been obsessed with money.
So honestly? I guess this isn’t too bad.
