Chapter 1

0"Lucas, it's your turn to choose," my father said weakly from his hospital bed.

I stood there, looking at his pale face, and replied softly, "Dad, I'm not choosing anyone."

My words, though quiet, sent ripples through the room like a stone thrown into still water.

Ethan jumped up from his chair, his face a mask of disbelief. "Lucas, are you insane? Do you know what's at stake here?"

He strode over to me and hissed, "Dad's company is going bankrupt. The Summers and the Song families are our only lifelines!"

"I chose the Summers. You have to marry Sophia from the Song family. It's your duty!"

My duty? In my past life, I believed that too.

I had married Sophia Song, the amnesiac heiress of the Song family, and cared for her for five long years.

I treasured her, but when Ethan and I were kidnapped, she didn't hesitate to push me towards the kidnappers' knives.

The pain of that cold blade piercing my heart still lingered in my body.

Seeing that I remained unmoved, Ethan grew desperate.

He turned to our father's bedside, his voice rising with emotion. "Dad! Look at him! He's deliberately trying to destroy our family!"

"He's always tried to take everything from me! Now he's going to ruin us all!"

My father's face turned purple with anger. He pointed at me, struggling to speak.

"You... you ungrateful child," he wheezed. "Your brother has sacrificed so much for this family. Why can't you just do your part!"

I clenched my fists at my sides, my nails digging into my palms.

Yes, my brother had sacrificed his freedom for the Summers family's financial support, gaining fame and fortune.

And I was supposed to sacrifice my entire life to fill that bottomless pit?

I glanced out the window. Sophia was leaning against the wall in the hospital corridor, her head bowed like a lonely statue.

Even through the glass, I could sense the aura of brokenness she was deliberately projecting.

Seeing my silence, my father thought I had given in. His face showed a hint of relief.

"Then it's settled. After your brother gets engaged to the Summers girl, you'll..."

"I said, I'm not choosing anyone," I interrupted coldly.

My voice was like a slap across everyone's face.

I turned to leave without another glance at them.

"Stop right there!" My father issued his final ultimatum.

"If you walk out that door today, you're no longer my son!"

I paused at the threshold, not looking back.

"Good riddance," I said.

As I came out, Sophia looked up. Those eyes, feigning confusion and innocence, seemed to show a hint of genuine concern and pain.

In my past life, those eyes had fooled me into utter ruin.

I walked past her without a sideways glance.

But she grabbed my wrist.

"Don't go," she pleaded. "If they don't want you, I do."

I looked at her, then suddenly raised my hand and gently tapped her forehead with my index finger.

"You know what?" I said in a voice only we could hear.

"Your act of pretending to have amnesia is really pathetic."

Her pupils contracted sharply.

I watched as her eyes instantly turned sharp and cold, and I smiled.

"Miss Song, your undercover game is over."

With that, I walked out of the hospital, leaving her rigid form behind.

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