Three years into our marriage, my husband, Felix Shaw, still didn’t recognize me.
He could remember the world, but not my face.
When I changed my hairstyle, he’d ask, “Miss, who are you looking for?”
When I changed my clothes, he’d think I was the family’s new maid.
On our anniversary, I was trapped in a collapsed mine with his employees.
In the darkness, I groped my way to him and told him I was Sarah Grant.
But he pushed me away: “Stop pretending! My wife isn’t here at all.”
The rescue team dug for three days and three nights before finally getting me out.
That night, at the celebration banquet, Felix Shaw toasted: “Thank you, everyone! No one was injured.”
He’d completely forgotten about me, still lying in the hospital.
From then on, I wore the same color clothes, had the same hairstyle, and used the same perfume, just so Felix Shaw could recognize me.
But every time he saw me, Felix Shaw still treated me like a stranger.
I thought it was God’s punishment. But on the day I flew abroad to celebrate Felix Shaw’s birthday, I saw him push through the crowd and embrace a girl with unerring precision.
It turned out that he couldn’t remember my face simply because I wasn’t the one he loved.
In that case, let’s just let each other forget each other.
——
As soon as I turned around, I was surrounded by several foreign police officers.
They thought I was a wanted criminal.
But my broken French only made their faces even more stern.
I was forced to my knees.
In panic, I instinctively looked towards Felix Shaw, who was not far away.
“Felix Shaw! Help me! They’ve got the wrong person!”
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
He looked over, his eyes sweeping across my face.
Then, as if he were looking at a stranger, he calmly looked away.
“I don’t know her.”
Those were the coldest words I’ve ever heard in my life.
Fifteen days. In the dark interrogation room and the icy cold of the cell, I counted the clocks for 360 hours.
It wasn’t until a DNA comparison report finally cleared me of all charges.
I dragged my exhausted body out of the police station, only to be greeted not by Felix Shaw but by his secretary.
Henry Chen adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his tone full of reproach: “Miss Grant, what are you doing? Did you know that Mr. Shaw waited for you at the airport for two whole hours?”
The remaining warmth in my heart completely cooled in the cold wind of a foreign country.
On the day I returned home, as soon as I exited the gate, I was surrounded by countless flashes of light and microphones.
My imprisonment abroad had become a public scandal.
After finally escaping the encirclement and returning home, Felix Shaw’s first words were reproach.
“How many times have I told you to wear a white coat outside? Why didn’t you listen?”
He frowned, his tone like he was scolding an ignorant child. “You knew I’m face-blind and couldn’t tell a woman’s face apart.”
I clenched my fists. He flipped through another page and, without even looking up, issued his second directive: “The PR department has prepared a draft; a press conference will be held tomorrow.”
“Go clarify and apologize to the public.”
Apologize?
Who am I apologizing for? For Felix Shaw’s coldness and callousness, or for his supposed “face blindness”?
I looked at his impassive face and asked softly, “Who was that girl you were hugging at the airport?”
His hands paused from flipping through the documents, a rare stiffness crossing his face.
After a few seconds, he spoke: “There were so many people there, I thought it was you.”
I almost laughed out loud.
That girl that day wore a bright, eye-catching red dress and had long, wavy perms, a look I’d never worn before.
And I didn’t even have a single red dress in my closet.
“Felix Shaw, I clearly called you that day.”
The resentment within me forced me to ask. “And then?” Felix Shaw raised his eyelids. “Do you want me to apologize for my mental illness?”
“Sarah Grant, you knew I had this problem long before we got married.”
Looking at his impassive face, I suddenly felt tired.
Yes, this is all my own fault.
“Okay, I’ll go to the press conference.”
Felix Shaw’s attention wandered, his gaze fixed on my bag.
There was a half-opened aviation magazine.
I followed his gaze and saw that the page was open, a photo of a symphony orchestra performance.
Dozens of people were crowded together, and in the most inconspicuous corner of the photo, sat a girl playing the cello.
It was the girl Felix Shaw had embraced.
The photo was so blurry that her features were barely discernible.
But Felix Shaw, with just one glance, saw her.
It turned out that it wasn’t that he couldn’t recognize women’s faces.
He just couldn’t recognize someone he didn’t love.
My heart felt like it was being squeezed, and even breathing hurt. But I still managed a smile, took out the magazine, and stuffed it into Felix Shaw’s arms.
“Here you go, I don’t want it anymore.”
This identity is Mrs. Shaw.
And these three years of being ignored.
I didn’t want any of it.
The next day, I showed up at the press conference on time.
The spotlights stabbed me like countless sharp knives.
I was wearing a rose-colored dress, a stark contrast to Felix Shaw’s request for white.
Taking the microphone from the host, I spoke calmly.
“I was wrongly arrested because my husband, Mr. Felix Shaw, claimed in front of the police that he didn’t know me.”
The whole audience was in an uproar.
I paused, looking at a camera, as if I were looking through it at Felix Shaw.
“I imagine it must be very painful for someone who can’t recognize their wife after three years of marriage to be trapped in a marriage.”
“So, I’ve decided to oblige him.”
“Mr. Felix Shaw and I will be divorcing.”
Only when I got in the car did I realize my hands were shaking. It wasn’t fear, but the relief of finally breaking free from the shackles.
My phone vibrated frantically, the words “Felix Shaw” appearing on the screen.
I immediately turned it off.
The car hadn’t driven far when Felix Shaw stopped it.
Felix Shaw got out, his face as dark as black as water.
“Sarah Grant, are you crazy?!”
He yanked me out of the car with such force that it felt like he was crushing my wrist.
“Who gave you the guts to spout nonsense at a press conference?”
I coldly stared at his furious face.
“Is there anything I said that isn’t true?”
He choked at my question, his rage growing even stronger.
“Don’t you realize how much harm this will cause others?”
“What if they dig up the airport surveillance footage and Claire Green gets dragged into it? She worked so hard to get into the Vienna Orchestra!”
He truly understood.
The pain in my heart suddenly spread, nearly slicing me apart. “Felix Shaw, you recognized her.”
Felix Shaw’s face was filled with unconcealed annoyance. “So what? She means something different to me, but I still married you.”
“Don’t forget, you asked for all of this.”
Yes, it was all my obsession.
Felix Shaw couldn’t even remember my face, so how could he remember the promise we made twenty years ago?
I wiped the tears from my face: “Felix Shaw, I regret this. Let’s divorce.”
Felix Shaw was silent, but his expression wasn’t as relaxed as I’d imagined.
After a long pause, he spoke, as if making a crucial decision.
“Don’t mess around. You’re wearing white clothes like before. I won’t fail to recognize you.”
“I won’t divorce you.”
“Really?” I forced a smile and looked up at him.
He probably forgot about the document I’d handed him this morning.
I just put on a wig and changed my clothes.
Felix Shaw assumed I was the new secretary.
He signed the divorce agreement without even glancing at it. He even asked me to clean out the safety in his studies.
Felix Shaw meticulously cut out the photo of Claire Green from yesterday’s magazine.
I opened the safe, and it was filled with reports about Claire Green.
Some in red, some in blue, some in black.
No matter how Claire Green dressed, Felix Shaw could recognize her.
The oldest photo was of Claire Green in high school.
She wore a white dress and had long, straight black hair.
She looked exactly like the look I’d painstakingly maintained for the past three years.
Lost in thought, Felix Shaw took my hand and said, “Sarah Grant, I won’t lose you again.”
I curled my lips sarcastically, about to open my mouth to explain everything.
Felix Shaw suddenly pushed me aside and ran in one direction.
I looked over, and saw Claire Green’s back disappear in the crowd.
Halfway through his run, Felix Shaw seemed to remember something. He turned and called out, “Sarah Grant, wait for me! I’ll be back soon.”
But he was calling out to another woman beside him.
She was wearing the same rose-pink dress as I was.
I turned and left without hesitation.
Felix Shaw was furious that I had left without permission.
But that day, I was sitting in the café next door, talking to the ID processing person.
Felix Shaw didn’t come back the entire afternoon, until dark.
I ignored him. I just needed a change of clothes.
I was invisible to him.
After completing all the paperwork for leaving the country, the first thing I did was go to the mall and buy new clothes.
For the past few years, to get Felix Shaw to look at me more, my wardrobe had been all white, like a moving mourning hall.
Now, even one more glance made me sick.
The salesperson enthusiastically held out a bright red dress.
Just as I was about to swipe my card, a cold voice interrupted. “I want this one too.”
I turned my head and saw Claire Green’s proud face.
She looked me up and down. “Ms. Grant, what are you still struggling with? Didn’t you understand what happened at the airport?”
“Brother Felix doesn’t love you. No matter how expensive the clothes you buy are, he’ll just treat them like air.”
I didn’t bother to waste time talking to her. I pulled my black card from my wallet and handed it to the salesperson.
“Pack up this dress she touched, and all the styles in this collection.”
“Also, get her out.”
The salesperson immediately started to clear everyone out, but just then, Felix Shaw appeared.
He walked straight towards Claire Green, not even glancing at me.
“Pack up the dress and give it to Miss Green.”
The salesperson was stunned and whispered, “Mr. Shaw, but this is you…”
I was wearing smoky makeup and a striking orange curly hairstyle.
As expected, Felix Shaw didn’t recognize me.
“Who the hell is she?” Felix Shaw’s voice was quiet, but loud enough for everyone in the counter to hear clearly. “A woman who appeared out of nowhere is worthy of competing with Claire for something?”
He turned to the stunned salesperson, his tone commanding.
“From today on, remember Miss Green’s face. From now on, all of Shaw’s businesses will unconditionally prioritize her services.”
Claire Green dropped her skirt with a look of condescension: “No, I don’t need it.”
“Give it to those poor, unloved souls.”
Felix Shaw didn’t argue: “As long as you’re happy.”
I stood there, watching Felix Shaw’s eyes fixed on Claire Green, and the last bit of warmth in my heart completely cooled.
Back at the villa where I’d lived for three years, the access control system failed to authenticate.
I was about to call the housekeeper when the door opened from the inside.
Claire Green was wearing my slippers and Felix Shaw’s bathrobe.
She frowned, as if she had seen something foul. “I thought you were a respectable person, someone who knew your limits.”
“Is it fun to pester Felix? Is it fun to dress in white and imitate me?”
I stood outside, the night breeze making me feel a little cold.
Yeah, it was so boring.
What else was I fantasizing about?
I lowered my head and took off the diamond ring designed by Felix Shaw himself.
My black card, my car keys.
And my marriage certificate with Felix Shaw.
I neatly arranged these things that symbolized my status as ‘Mrs. Shaw,’ one by one.
Then, I turned around and never looked back.
I took out a brand new phone and dialed a number.
“Hello, it’s me.”
“From now on, there’s no Mrs. Shaw in the world.”
Felix Shaw didn’t contact me again, probably thinking I was still throwing a tantrum.
Whatever.
I was too busy to pay him any attention.
The gossip headlines were pushing out relentlessly.
In the photos, he and Claire Green were seen together. A tenderness I had never seen before shone through his stern face.
Felix Shaw neither admitted nor denied the affair with Claire Green.
I scrolled through the news, turned off my phone, and continued counting all my assets.
The things I had used to get to Felix Shaw were now converted into cash and deposited into the account of a non-governmental organization combating human trafficking.
The person in charge was incoherent with emotion, constantly expressing his gratitude.
I, however, stared at the photos of the rescued children, lost in thought.
Felix Shaw and I escaped the kidnappers.
But we were lost in the mountains.
Little Felix Shaw gave me the last of the wild fruit he had picked, and ate mud for food.
But we were still recaptured.
I screamed in fear as the rusty iron rods struck me, but Felix Shaw held me tightly, groaning as he endured the beating.
The smell of blood filled the air, and he was dying.
While the kidnappers were drunk, I finally found an opportunity, slipped through a dog hole, and called the police. Later, Felix Shaw was taken away by the Shaw family, who arrived, and I didn’t even get to say goodbye.
The promise he made before he passed out, to marry me, became my single obsession for many years.
I used all my strength to reach him, step by step, and become his wife.
But it was all a one-man show.
Felix Shaw had long forgotten it.
Back at our temporary rental, Claire Green was sitting there leisurely.
She even looked up and smiled.
“You’re back?”
The next moment, sirens blared outside.
The door was flung open with tremendous force, and a group of black-clad bodyguards burst in, pinning me to the ground without a word. “Don’t move!”
Then Felix Shaw rushed in and hugged Claire Green, his voice filled with uncontrollable fear: “Claire, it’s okay. It was my negligence that led to you being kidnapped.”
He held her like a lost treasure: “I promised you I wouldn’t let anything happen to you again.”
The words sounded familiar.
The captain of the bodyguards holding me down recognized me: “Mr. Shaw, this is…”
Felix Shaw finally turned around to look at me.
But he looked at me as if I were a sworn enemy.
“Smack!”
My face was knocked sideways by the blow, and the taste of rust instantly filled my mouth.
I didn’t cry, but instead felt like laughing.
“Who cares who she is?” Felix’s voice was cold and icy. “If you hurt Claire, the daughter of the richest man, I’ll make her pay!”
“Treat her well, show her the consequences of kidnapping Claire!”
The bodyguard captain wanted to say more, but a fierce glare from Felix silenced him.
I was dragged into an empty room and beaten with fists and feet.
My body ached, but I couldn’t help but think of how painful it must have been when Felix had blocked the blow for me.
The smell of blood filled my mouth and nose, but I felt no fear of death.
My life was originally given by Felix.
Now, I’ve returned it to him.
After an unknown amount of time, the door opened.
Claire leaned into Felix’s arms: “Felix, she’s learned her lesson. Just send her away.”
“Let me never see her again.”
Felix said without hesitation: “Okay.”
He personally escorted me to the private airport.
As I was pushed onto the gangway, the necklace around my neck snapped. The jade rose pendant fell to the ground.
Felix had picked it for me personally, and it was the only time he’d remembered to give me a birthday present, only after his secretary reminded him.
In front of the villa, I still couldn’t bear to drop it.
Felix frowned and picked it up: “Why does this look familiar?”
My heart skipped a beat at that moment.
But Claire simply coughed twice and tugged at his sleeve: “Felix, the wind’s strong, I’m cold.”
Felix’s hesitation vanished in an instant.
He casually tossed the pendant to the ground, lifted his foot, and ran over it.
“Drag her up, and never let her set foot back in America again!”
The plane’s engines roared, the immense force pinning me to my seat.
Go up.
Okay.
He personally sent me off, personally ended the past.
We’ll never see each other again.
…
This was Felix’s fiftieth visit to a psychologist.
The aftermath of being abducted as a child—face blindness—had finally caused problems in his life.
Sarah Grant was surprisingly angry this time, having not contacted him for almost two weeks.
It was his fault; he was too busy accompanying Claire.
But he had already broken his childhood promise to Claire and married someone else.
He couldn’t even refuse such a small request to be with her.
This psychotherapy session involved him drawing the image of the little girl under hypnosis.
Recreating the scene of the abduction, step by step, would heal psychological trauma.
Felix thought it would be easy; his drawing would always resemble Claire.
But the psychologist who took the drawing exclaimed.
“Why is it her?”
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