I had imagined this scenario many times.

Him looking at my stomach with a sharp expression, talking about pregnancy. I practiced this imagining in front of the mirror countless times. Reminding myself that I, who couldn’t even remember my husband’s face, couldn’t possibly remember a night with him.

“Did I… sleep with you?”

Ga Eun asked, looking straight into Do Jun’s eyes. Her question seemed to fluster Do Jun quite a bit, making him clear his throat.

“I saw documents saying our marriage was contractual. I thought there was no way we had slept together…”

Ga Eun’s expression, which she had practiced many times, was enough to completely deceive Do Jun. Before appearing pregnant in front of Do Jun, Ga Eun had prepared for every situation more meticulously than he had thought.

“It seems like you’re having morning sickness, and you seem to be avoiding taking medication too.”

Until the end, Do Jun clung to his suspicions, refusing to let go.

“I think I developed acid reflux from being too stressed. Did I used to throw up often before?”

Ga Eun continued to feign ignorance. Do Jun’s question brought back memories of the past. The image of Ga Eun’s back as she entered her room only after emptying her stomach completely on days she returned from her parents’ home.

“I think you did.”

Like a snake, Ga Eun slithered past the current situation.

“Well then, I’ll do some more work before going to bed.”

With leisurely steps, Ga Eun slipped into her old room. Do Jun could no longer stop her.

Just as he was staring at Ga Eun’s tightly closed door, Do Jun’s phone rang loudly.

[We’ve found out about the lady’s activities.]

Do Jun swallowed dryly as he waited for his secretary’s next words.

[She frequently visited the internal medicine department at a local general hospital. It’s apparently famous for treating acid reflux.]

Do Jun, still unwilling to accept that his intuition was wrong, continued:

“What about the investigation on Dr. Kim Dong Un?”

In response to Do Jun’s question, Secretary Kim immediately mentioned the prepared documents and answered.

[There doesn’t seem to be any particular connection with the lady. No one saw them meeting separately either.]

“Good work.”

Do Jun continued to find Ga Eun’s behavior suspicious, but there wasn’t a single piece of evidence to prove his suspicions.

A moment later, Ga Eun came out of her room and handed Do Jun an envelope of documents.

“If you’re so curious, check for yourself. It was in the study.”

Ga Eun passed Do Jun the results of a health checkup she had done before the accident. It also included gynecological records.

“I tried to work, but I’m too tired. I’ll go to bed first.”

Ga Eun deliberately yawned in front of Do Jun and hurriedly entered the bedroom. Just as she felt her whole body growing heavy, as if she would fall asleep the moment she lay on the bed.

Do Jun entered the study with the medical report Ga Eun had given him. As he slowly examined the report, his gaze stopped at the gynecological records.

There was no mention of pregnancy anywhere. Instead, there was a doctor’s note suspecting hormone imbalance and polycystic ovary syndrome.

‘What exactly are you hiding from me?’

Do Jun was curious about the purpose of Ga Eun, who had suddenly left his side and returned as a completely different person. Did she really want to get her hands on World Group? Or had she really lost her memory?

The Ga Eun that Do Jun knew in the past was a woman who showed no interest in running the company. She only moved as her father, Chairman Yoon Gi Cheol, ordered, seeming to have neither her own management philosophy nor ambition.

But he had heard that Ga Eun, who had suddenly returned to the company, showed more passion for the fashion show than anyone else. Could losing one’s memory change their entire personality?

Do Jun was on edge about all of Ga Eun’s suddenly changed behavior.

‘Since when did she become so interested.’

He felt pathetic for following Ga Eun around all day, putting company work aside. Do Jun tried and tried again to focus on tomorrow’s meeting, turning on his laptop in the study.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Ma’am, aren’t you going to work?”

Ga Eun barely opened her eyes to Oh Jipsa’s voice, which seemed to come from far away. Since becoming pregnant, she often felt sleepy at odd times, making it difficult to wake up once she fell asleep.

“Ma’am!”

Only after hearing Oh Jipsa’s loud voice did Ga Eun’s gaze turn to the clock on the wall. Even if she started preparing now, she would be late for work.

“Thank you.”

Ga Eun immediately went into the bathroom, quickly finished washing up, and changed her clothes. Once again, Oh Jipsa personally prepared a lunch box and handed it to Ga Eun.

“Thank you.”

She felt guilty about her actions of secretly throwing away the lunchbox while pretending to have eaten it all. Ga Eun hurriedly left through the front door, unable to even properly meet her eyes.

Today too, a chauffeur was waiting for her in front of the entrance. For now, not being late for work was more important than refusing Ji Do Jun’s goodwill, so Ga Eun obediently got into the car.

“Can we make it to the company in time?”

Hearing Ga Eun’s urgent voice, the driver hurriedly started the car.

Only after the car started did Ga Eun let out a deep breath, as if the tension had finally eased. Just as the car was about to reach the World Group headquarters building, Ga Eun, who had been maintaining silence, spoke to the driver.

“I’ll return home alone today. I have plans with a friend.”

At Ga Eun’s words, the driver stubbornly insisted.

“I’ll take you to your meeting place. And I’ll wait until your appointment is over.”

As if trying to persuade the persistent driver, Ga Eun slightly raised her voice to convince him.

“If you wait outside, how can I comfortably meet my friend when I’m worried? I’ll tell the CEO that you dropped me off, so please report it that way too.”

The driver, probably remembering Ji Do Jun’s face, refused to yield until the end.

“If the CEO finds out about this… I’ll be fired immediately.”

With little time left until work started, Ga Eun extended her pinky finger to the driver, pretending to be friendly.

“I promise. I’ll make sure you don’t get fired.”

After Ga Eun’s persistent persuasion, the driver followed her wishes and linked pinkies with her to make the promise.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Ga Eun smiled brightly at the driver, said goodbye, and hurriedly got out of the car.

Fortunately, thanks to her quick preparation for work, she had enough time to avoid being late. This time, to save time, she got on the elevator instead of using the emergency stairs.

The mixed scent of employees’ perfumes made her nauseous. Ga Eun had to try her best not to breathe in the perfume smell, holding her breath as much as possible.

When they reached the 5th floor, most of the employees in the elevator got off.

Ga Eun breathed a sigh of relief as all the employees left. Whether her stomach was starting to show or not, the dress she had worn comfortably every year now felt tight against her body.

As time passed, Ga Eun couldn’t help but feel more urgent. When the elevator stopped at the 7th floor, Ga Eun hurriedly got off.

A familiar silhouette was seen standing at the entrance of the fashion team office. Ga Eun recognized who it was at a glance, even from a distance.

“What brings you here?”

Lee Yun Sook, her stepmother, approached Ga Eun, pretending to be friendly.

“I felt like I hadn’t properly congratulated my daughter on her first day at work.”

A moment later, Yun Sook’s secretary entered the fashion team office carrying a bunch of coffees. The sound of employees buzzing at the sight of coffee could be heard from outside.

“Shall we talk for a moment?”

Yun Sook linked arms with Ga Eun, pretending to be friendly, and took her back to the elevator. As soon as the gazes of the employees watching them disappeared, Yun Sook distanced herself from Ga Eun.

“Are you deliberately not answering my calls?”

Once they were alone, Yun Sook revealed her true colors.

“Did you call me?”

Ga Eun had been continuously ignoring her calls. She could even guess why Yun Sook wanted to see her.

Yun Sook, anxious to find out how much she remembered, had come to the company early in the morning to see for herself.

Yun Sook dragged Ga Eun to a corner seat in the cafe where employees wouldn’t see them.

“What exactly are you up to?”

Yun Sook began to pour out words she couldn’t say in front of Ga Eun’s father, Gi Cheol.

“What do you mean?”

As Ga Eun continued to feign ignorance, an irritated Yun Sook downed the cold coffee in front of her in one gulp.

“You agreed to leave the position of World Fashion team leader. So why did you suddenly change your attitude?”

Yun Sook, who had promised to give up the World Fashion team leader position in exchange for money, was now in a dilemma due to Ga Eun’s sudden appearance.

“I don’t remember what I said to you then, Mother.”

Ga Eun deliberately provoked Yun Sook’s anger further.

“How much do you remember? It’s been some time now, surely you remember something?”

Yun Sook pressured Ga Eun intensely, as if urging her. Ga Eun pretended to have a headache, pressing her hand to her forehead.

“I really don’t know anything.”

While Yun Sook was angry at Ga Eun, she was secretly hoping that she truly didn’t remember anything. If possible, she wished and wished that her memories would never return.

Ga Eun could tell, without being told, that Yun Sook was relieved by the current situation.

Ga Eun felt as if she could still vividly hear Yun Sook’s mocking voice from before the accident.

“You’re exactly like the chairman, so incredibly smart. I guess blood really doesn’t lie.”

The weather that day, the temperature on her skin, the sound of her rapidly beating heart. And even Yun Sook’s whispering, mocking voice. Ga Eun had never forgotten a single moment.