His Greatest Pretense

To fulfill his young girlfriend Wendy Baker's dream of becoming vice president, my husband faked amnesia after a car accident and used it as an excuse to strip me of my position. One afternoon, I happened to overhear a conversation between them. Wendy sounded hesitant as she asked, "Aren't you worried Elaine will never speak to you again if you do this?" My husband did not seem concerned in the slightest. "I'm only letting you have some fun for seven days," he said casually. "After that, I'll just tell her my memory came back. What's she going to do, hold a grudge against someone who was supposedly sick?" My footsteps slowed. I heard every word. However, instead of exposing his lie, I quietly walked away. The next day, during a company meeting, my husband slammed his hand on the conference table and publicly declared that Wendy was his wife. He demanded that I leave the company and hand over every project under my management. The entire room fell silent. Every employee turned to look at me, waiting for me to stop his absurd behavior, just as I always had before. However, this time, I did not argue. I did not defend myself. I simply picked up the resignation agreement and signed it. What he did not know was that the deadline for the company's most important project was only seven days away. More importantly, the client recognized only one person as the project's lead and sole point of contact—me. Seven days later, things would not go the way he had imagined. Instead of getting everything he wanted, he would find himself facing crushing financial penalties, lawsuits, and possibly even jail time. Chapter 1 "If you want to leave, fine. However, first, you have to delete every client's contact information and every coworker's number. Those are company assets, and you have no right to take them with you." Just as I was about to walk out, Wendy Baker, my husband's young girlfriend, stepped in front of me and blocked my way. Having managed the company for years, I knew perfectly well there was no such policy. She was targeting me on purpose. I turned to look at my husband, Jeff Cooper. "Is that what you want too?" Jeff stared at me for a moment, his expression distant, as if he were trying to place who I was. Then, he gave an icy nod. If I really deleted those contacts, there would be no going back. He was convinced I would not dare leave, which was why he was acting tough right now. Honestly, it was not hard to see why he thought that. We had been married for seven years and never had children. The company had become our child instead. In many ways, I cared about it even more than he did. I was always the first one in and the last one out, chasing deals, meeting clients, and making sure nothing slipped through the cracks. Just last week, Jeff announced at a senior management meeting that he wanted Wendy to take over as the manager of the Technology Department. Several longtime employees were hesitant about the decision, but nobody wanted to challenge him openly. They offered a few polite compliments about Wendy, and the proposal was quickly approved by everyone except me. After reviewing Wendy's qualifications, I found that her skills were not even close to meeting the requirements for the position. Ignoring Jeff's pride and reputation, I cast the sole vote against the promotion and shut it down immediately. Jeff knew better than anyone that I would never let him turn the company into his personal playground. Hence, to get Wendy what she wanted, he actually went as far as staging a ridiculous case of amnesia after a car accident just to force me to give in. As the argument was drawing attention, several coworkers hurried over to mediate. "Ms. Yates, calm down. Mr. Cooper is sick. You're his wife. At a time like this, when he's so vulnerable, you should try to be more understanding." The comment seemed to encourage Jeff. Straightening his back, he declared seriously, "My wife means everything to me. Anyone in this company who goes against my wife is going against me." The room immediately burst into laughter. A few coworkers nudged me playfully. "See, Ms. Yates? Your husband still loves you. He's just sick right now. He accidentally mistook someone else for you." As I felt the envious looks directed my way, I could not bring myself to smile. The truth was nothing like what they thought they were seeing. Jeff and I were married, and on the surface, we seemed like a respectable couple. However, whenever a problem came up, he was always the one pushing me to compromise. It did not matter who was right or wrong, and it did not matter where we were; he always stood on the opposite side of me. We had argued about it more times than I could count. Yet every time, he would say the same thing. "You're family. No matter how badly we fight outside, we'll make up when we get home." Then, he would add, "Other people aren't the same. Once you offend them, there's no fixing it." Even though those words never sat right with me, after hearing them for years, I had slowly started believing he might be right. Chapter 2 Only then, after seeing him throw away every principle and every boundary he had once claimed to have for Wendy's sake, did I finally understand something. When someone truly loved another person, their first instinct when that person was hurt was to protect them, not to stand back and calculate the pros and cons. As I was lost in thought, the chair in front of me suddenly crashed to the floor. Wendy had kicked it over. "Elaine, have you lost your mind?" she snapped, pointing at me. "Jeff is my husband, not yours. If I hear you spreading nonsense like that again, you'll regret it." She cursed me out as if I were the homewrecker. Jeff watched the whole thing happen, not saying a word to correct her. Instead, he simply stood behind Wendy, silently backing her up. A bitter smile tugged at my lips. "Fine," I said. "I'll delete everything." As soon as the words left my mouth, I pulled out my phone. First, I posted an update announcing that I had left the company. Then, I opened my work account, ready to delete it for good. The moment Jeff realized I was serious, panic flashed across his face. He quickly stepped forward to stop me. "Forget it. Considering you've been with the company for so many years, you don't have to delete anything. Just leave." The tension in the room immediately eased, and several coworkers let out relieved sighs. Wendy, however, stamped her foot in frustration. "Jeff, I'm the vice president now. Don't I even have the authority to make a decision like this?" Jeff usually indulged her every whim, but this time, he shot her a warning look, telling her not to push things further. Then, he turned back to me, his expression softening. A notification appeared on my phone. He had transferred me 50,000 dollars. "Don't worry," he said. "The company takes care of the people who've contributed to its success. Even though you're leaving, you won't lose anything that's rightfully yours. We just need a little time. "As for your severance package, we'll get back to you about it in seven days. For now, go home and get some rest." He still thought I had no idea his amnesia was fake. In his mind, seven days from now, he could simply claim his memory had returned, apologize, beg for forgiveness, and everything would go back to normal. Jeff had been a hands-off boss for so long that he had no idea the company's most important project was due in exactly seven days. The contract was worth a fortune. If the deliverables were not submitted on time or if anything went wrong with the project, the company would face massive penalties for breach of contract. In the past, for the sake of the company's stability and Jeff's future, I would have swallowed my pride and endured the pain alone. However, I was tired now. Truly tired. I did not want the company anymore, and I did not want him, either. Jeff instinctively reached out as if to grab my arm, but he seemed to remember he was still acting and awkwardly lowered his hand. I glanced at my phone. The transfer was still pending. Without hesitation, I sent the money back. Then, I opened his contact information. I had him saved as 'My Sweet Jeff' years ago, and it was now staring back at me. I deleted it completely. After finishing everything, I looked at him calmly. I said, "Jeff, I want a divorce." Jeff froze. "What?" he blurted out. "You want to divorce me? Why?" The second the words left his mouth, he realized he had made a mistake. His expression stiffened, and he quickly corrected himself. "Divorce? That's ridiculous. Wendy is my wife. How could I possibly be married to you?" Watching his terrible acting, I could not even be bothered to expose the lie. Arguing with him felt like a waste of breath, so instead, I decided to play along. "You're right," I said. "I tricked you into marrying me. Since that's the case, let's go get divorced." Wendy's eyes lit up immediately. "Finally! That's exactly what should happen. Let's go right now." Jeff frowned. For the first time, hesitation appeared on his face. He ignored the obvious holes in my story and tried to brush the whole thing aside. "Forget it. Something about this feels strange. I'll decide later." I could not understand it. Was Wendy not the one he wanted? I was offering him exactly what he wanted. I was stepping aside and giving them both what they had been working toward. I was confused. Did he not love Wendy? I was the one offering him a divorce, willingly stepping aside so they could be together. Why was he so reluctant? The old me would have demanded answers. I would have followed him, refusing to let the matter go. I would have asked the same questions over and over until he responded. I might even have humiliated myself by asking the one question I had always been terrified of hearing the answer to. Had he ever loved me at all? Chapter 3 Those days, I could not be bothered to try to figure out what was going on inside Jeff's head. I just wanted the divorce finalized as quickly as possible. I raised an eyebrow and deliberately pushed his buttons."So, you're refusing to divorce me because you still can't let me go?" Immediately, Wendy grabbed Jeff's sleeve and pouted. "Jeff, aren't I your favorite wife? How could you marry someone else?" With both of us pressuring him from opposite sides, Jeff had no choice but to agree. The three of us then headed to the courthouse. Just as we reached the entrance, Jeff suddenly rubbed his temples and swayed slightly, pretending that the familiar surroundings had triggered a memory. Then, he reached out and took my hand. He murmured, "This place feels so familiar… I remember now. On New Year's Eve, you and I stood in line here together to get our marriage license." He knew exactly what he was doing. That had been one of the happiest days of my life. He thought that if he brought up one of our precious memories, I would lose the nerve to go through with the divorce. After all, every time he upset me in the past, this trick worked. However, what Jeff did not know was that on the day I overheard him admitting that his amnesia was fake, I had overheard something else too—something far worse. "There was nothing romantic about it," he had said. "The only reason I got married on the last day of the year was that I'd promised her I would. But spending the rest of my life with someone I don't love? I couldn't accept that. So, I kept putting it off until the very last day before finally making up my mind. "Besides, whoever I marry, life will be the same. She has good qualifications and could help me succeed. And she's a good person. Honestly, she was the perfect choice for a wife..." I stood outside the room, listening to him praise me. Yet every word had felt like a stone sinking deeper into my chest. I had always believed our marriage was built on love. However, to him, it had only ever been about what I could do for him. No wonder that after the company became successful, he grew obsessed with money and power. He never allowed me near either one. It was then I understood. He had been guarding against me all along. My thoughts drifted for a moment before Jeff squeezed my hand. "Do you remember now?" he asked. A marriage built on suspicion and calculation was exhausting. For me, ending it before it caused even more damage was the best choice I could make. I shook my head casually. "No. Maybe the car accident damaged your brain and you're just imagining things." Jeff's smile froze instantly. He had gone out of his way to please me, yet I showed no reaction. Then, he remembered that, in everyone else's eyes, he was supposed to be a patient recovering from an accident. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became that I was not being understanding. Finally, he grabbed Wendy's hand and intertwined their fingers. "You're right. None of those memories are real. My only wife is Wendy. Once the divorce is done, Wendy and I are getting married right away." With that, he lifted his chin proudly and walked into the building arm-in-arm with Wendy, looking more like a newlywed registering for marriage than a man filing for divorce. I had no interest in indulging his little performance. I simply followed them inside. After we completed the registration paperwork, we were taken into a mediation room. Jeff immediately sat down beside Wendy and practically climbed into her lap. He pulled out a bunch of grapes he had bought on the way over, peeled them one by one, and fed them to her by hand. He thought the display would make me jealous. Instead, it only reminded me of the Jeff I used to know—the quiet, distant man from my memories. Back then, he would not even hold my hand in public. He said that excessive displays of affection were inappropriate and made people look ridiculous. At this moment, he seemed like an entirely different person—so openly affectionate that it was almost embarrassing to watch. Even the staff in the mediation room looked uncomfortable. Coupled with my firm attitude, the process moved forward quickly, and before long, we were officially going through the divorce procedures. Throughout the entire process, I remained calm and expressionless. That clearly irritated Jeff. As if trying to prove a point, he gave me the cold shoulder and rushed through every step as fast as possible. When we finally walked out with the divorce certificate in hand, I let out a long breath. For the first time in a very long while, the dark cloud hanging over my head felt a little lighter. Chapter 4 I called a rideshare and prepared to head home. Wendy leaned over and glanced at the address I had entered. The second she saw it, her expression darkened. "You're going there?" she snapped. "You and Jeff are divorced. That stopped being your home. You need to pack your things and get out. Now." Standing beside her, Jeff smiled. "She's right. Why should an outsider stay at my place? Honey, you should move in instead." He was kicking me out to make room for Wendy. No normal person could accept something like that. The old me certainly could not have. However, I simply nodded. "Okay. I'll move out." On the ride home, I booked a hotel room. The moment I got back, I began carefully packing my belongings. By this point, everything had spiraled beyond Jeff's control. For once, he softened his attitude. Pretending that more of his memories were returning, he picked up one of our wedding photos and asked, "Elaine, when did we take this photo?" Without even looking up, I continued stuffing clothes into my suitcase. "It's fake," I said casually. "I edited it myself." That answer completely set him off. Jeff snatched my suitcase away and started throwing my clothes out the front door one piece at a time. "Get out!" he shouted. "Leave right now!" The door slammed shut with a deafening bang. I simply shook my head. Without saying a word, I bent down, picked up my clothes from the ground, brushed off the dust, and packed them back into my bag. Inside the house, I heard Wendy's worried voice. "Jeff, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have insisted on becoming the vice president. Seeing you two get divorced makes me feel terrible. Maybe I should explain everything to Elaine." Jeff had already calmed down. After comforting her for a moment, he said, "This has nothing to do with you. Elaine's just too petty. She's actually holding a grudge against someone who's sick. "Forget about her. I'll spend these seven days with you, and then I'll deal with everything afterward. Elaine's easy. All I have to do is crook a finger, and she'll come running back." By then, I was already stepping into the elevator with my luggage. He was wrong. This time, it was really over. There was no reconciliation. … The next few days after leaving Jeff were surprisingly enjoyable. The only thing that annoyed me was my former coworkers constantly messaging me. Today, they must have gotten desperate because one of them called me directly. "Ms. Yates, please come back. The project deadline is almost here." I was about to refuse when I heard shouting and the sound of people fighting over the phone. A few seconds later, Wendy's angry voice came through the line. "Elaine, you've already been fired. Stop sticking your nose into company business." One of my coworkers immediately fired back, "Wendy, what are you doing? Do you have any idea how much money the company will lose if this project fails?" Wendy sounded completely unconcerned. "Why are you panicking? I'm almost finished with the designs. I'll have everything submitted in a few days." A shocked voice exploded through the phone. "This is ridiculous! Nobody trusts your skill level. Besides, the client specifically requested Ms. Yates as the lead designer. You're deceiving them! "Where's Mr. Cooper? I need to talk to Mr. Cooper right now!" Wendy's threatening voice cut in, "Jeff is still recovering. If any of you go running your mouths to him, don't blame me when I fire every single one of you." The call abruptly ended. Still, I could already guess how things would play out. After seeing what had happened to me, nobody at the company dared to challenge Wendy openly. They could only swallow their frustration and endure it. I shook my head and pushed the matter from my mind. For the first time, I truly let go of the company. Before, I had spent every waking moment working. Now, I finally had time to reconnect with my friends. Every day was filled with dinners, drinks, laughter, and freedom. Little by little, all my worries faded away. On the seventh day, I changed into a formal gown and headed to a friend's wedding with a corsage in head. As I walked into the venue, I pulled out my phone and sent her a message: Chapter 5 [I left the corsage in the car, but I found it. I'll bring it to you right now.] I had barely finished sending the message when a familiar voice reached my ears. "Thank you all for coming to celebrate Wendy's and my wedding..." I turned around. There, standing near the entrance, were Jeff and Wendy greeting guests. Wendy was dressed in a white wedding gown, and a giant wedding portrait of the two of them stood on display outside the banquet hall. Wendy spotted me first. Without hesitation, she grabbed Jeff's chin and kissed the corner of his lips. The surrounding guests erupted into happy cheers. Jeff laughed and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. Then, he looked up. The moment our eyes met, he froze. A second later, he abruptly straightened up and deliberately put some distance between himself and Wendy. Wendy pursed her lips, clearly unhappy that his attention had shifted to me. She must have thought I had come to stop the wedding. Seeing so many people gathered around, she immediately put on a pitiful expression before rushing over, grabbing my hand, and pleading loudly, "Elaine, I really love Jeff. Please let us be together, don't take him away from me, okay?" Jeff raised an eyebrow, preparing to step in and defend her, but his gaze landed on the bridal corsage in my hand. He instantly misunderstood. Thinking I had come to get married myself, his eyes suddenly turned red. "Elaine," he said hoarsely, "how could you marry someone else without telling me?" I knew he had gotten the wrong idea, but I saw no reason to explain. "We're divorced," I replied calmly. "Show some respect." Jeff stared at me in a daze. For the first time, he seemed too distracted to keep up the act. After a dramatically exaggerated performance of 'recovering his memory', he grabbed my hand and asked, "Elaine, why am I wearing a tuxedo? Are you here to marry me all over again?" As he spoke, he reached for the corsage in my hand, intending to pin it on me. I caught his wrist and looked at him without a trace of warmth. "Stop pretending. I heard everything—the entire conversation with Wendy about you faking your amnesia." The moment he saw the coldness in my eyes, Jeff knew there was no point lying anymore. His expression darkened. "I only did it because you're biased against Wendy!" he snapped. "You kept suppressing her every chance you got. I didn't have any other choice. You have no idea how well she's been running the company since you left." I let out an icy laugh. "Running it well? Or hiding the truth well? Do you even know that the BrightStar Industries project deadline is today?" Jeff froze, then turned toward Wendy. Wendy smiled confidently. "Relax. I've already handled everything. Something this simple isn't worth worrying about." Then, she looked at me with open provocation. "Ms. Yates, I'm guessing you don't know this, but I submitted the designs days ago. The client has already started mass production. Sorry to disappoint you, but it turns out I'm just that good." Hearing that, Jeff nodded with satisfaction. Just as he was about to say something, his phone rang. A triumphant smile spread across his face, and he waved the phone at me. "See? The client is probably calling to praise Wendy. You really should reflect on yourself and apologize to her." Smugly, he answered the call on speakerphone. The next second, an enraged voice exploded from the device. "You idiots! We asked for Elaine's designs! How dare you submit an intern's rejected drafts and pass them off as the real thing? This is a serious breach of contract, and it's already caused us enormous losses! "Get ready to pay 100 million dollars in damages. We'll see you in court. And if you can't pay, you'd better get comfortable at the thought of a prison cell!"