Chapter 1 — He Only Woke Up After the Divorce

When the phone call came from Bui Dien demanding a divorce, I was dancing barefoot in the living room. The music was cranked to the maximum volume, my rhythmic thumping causing the floorboards to vibrate under my feet. On the other end of the line, his voice was cold enough to frost over the receiver.

"Ky Duong, I do not know you. Be at the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow; make sure you bring all the necessary documents."

"Fine by me." I did not even bother to turn down the music. "Are you printing the divorce agreement, or should I? And while we are at it, I assume you have no objections to splitting our assets down the middle?"

There was a three-second silence on the other end, likely because he had never encountered a soon-to-be ex-wife who sounded so jubilant.

"Whatever you want," he replied.

I hung up, flopped onto the sofa, and stared at the ceiling, laughing like a hyena. Bui Dien had everything going for him: he was handsome, fit, and possessed wealth that could last for lifetimes. He had only one fatal flaw—he was codependent. And not just a little, but pathologically so. If I ate an apple, he had to peel it, slice it, spear it with a toothpick, and feed it to me personally. If I went out for groceries, he would dispatch three cars to tail me. If I took a shower, he would stand outside the door, counting the seconds. If I exceeded twenty minutes, he would knock and demand, "Did you slip and fall?"

As for the nights, they were even more relentless. When I would complain that I was exhausted and wanted to stop, he would promise, "Just one more time." That "one more time" was a ritual that could repeat itself seven times over. But now, all that was over. A car accident had wiped his memory, and he had even initiated the divorce himself. What good deed had I done in a past life to deserve such fortune? A billion in my pocket, plus my freedom. After this, I would find a man who was gentle, independent, and soft-spoken. From here on out, the world would be my oyster.

The next morning, I deliberately chose a red dress. It felt celebratory, a token of good luck. When I arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, Bui Dien was already there. Dressed in a crisp suit, his expression was aloof, exuding an aura that warned strangers to keep their distance. Truthfully, when we first met, this was exactly how he appeared: cold, untouchable, and miles away. Who could have guessed that after marriage, he would transform into a completely different person—a man so obsessed that he seemed desperate to fuse his very existence with mine.

"You're here?" he glanced at me, his tone as distant as if he were addressing a total stranger.

I nodded. "I am, I am. Have you been waiting long?"

He furrowed his brow. "There is no need for such formalities. Let’s go in."

Very well, then. The cold, efficient CEO had returned. I followed him into the lobby, unable to suppress the twitching of my lips. His assistant, Chau An, was standing in the corner. When he caught sight of my face, his own mouth twitched. I winked at him, and Chau An turned away, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

The proceedings were swift. The official asked the standard question: "Do both parties confirm that this divorce is voluntary?"

"I confirm," Bui Dien said.

"I... confirm!" I replied, even louder than he had.

Bui Dien turned to look at me. There was something off about his gaze—not anger, nor regret, but sheer bewilderment. He could not grasp why a woman whose husband had demanded a divorce would be so gleefully happy. I curled my lips at him. You do not understand, Mr. CEO. You do not remember waking me at three in the morning just to say, "I had a nightmare, hold me for a while." You do not remember changing the passcode on my suitcase just to prevent me from going on a business trip. And you certainly do not remember tailing me and my friends during a night out, sitting at the next table in sunglasses to eavesdrop for two hours.

Now that you have lost your memory and view me as a stranger, it is perfect. Thank you. I mean it.

Once the papers were signed and the red certificate was exchanged for a green one, I stuffed the document into my bag and turned to leave.

"Ky Duong."

He called out from behind me. I stopped and glanced back. "Hmm?"

He was standing against the light, his expression difficult to read. "Do you... have nothing else to say?"

I pondered for a moment. "I wish you a speedy recovery?"

His jaw tightened.

"I’m off, then. Goodbye." I waved and skipped out of the lobby. Behind me, I heard Chau An’s voice, hushed and cautious. "CEO Bui, are you alright?"

"...Was she always like this before?"

"What?"

"So... indifferent?"

I did not hear how Chau An answered, but I imagined he would not know what to say. After all, he had witnessed the three months of Bui Dien’s relentless, maddening pursuit of me. Billboards across the city had been replaced with my photos. There were a thousand flowers delivered to my office building every single day. I rejected him once, and he stood in the pouring rain all night. Back then, I thought it was devotion. After we married, I realized it was not devotion; it was an obsession with control.

Never mind. It was all in the past. My new life started today.

On my first day of divorce, I slept until I woke up naturally. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, falling across my face. No one was there to whisper, "It’s time to get up." No one was there to yank the blankets off me. No one was there to brush their nose against my neck and threaten, "If you don't wake up, I will..."

It was quiet. So quiet. I turned over, buried my face in the pillow, and giggled.

My phone rang. My best friend, Hua Nhung, flooded me with voice messages. "Are you really divorced? Did he really lose his memory? Are you sitting there counting your money right now?"

I replied with a voice message, "Girl, that billion is officially in my account. You choose where we eat tonight."

The other end erupted instantly. "I choose! I choose everything! I want to eat at the revolving restaurant on the rooftop for an entire month!"

I laughed, tossed the phone aside, and stretched luxuriously. The sunlight outside the window was beautiful. I washed my face slowly, applied my makeup slowly, and left the house at a leisurely pace. No one was standing by the door. No one asked, "Where are you going?" No one snatched the car keys from my hand to declare, "I’ll drive, you just sit there."

On the road, I rolled the window down. The wind rushed in, tangling my hair into a chaotic mess. Previously, when Bui Dien was by my side, he would reach out to tuck my hair behind my ear, then playfully pinch my earlobe before leaning in close... I stopped myself. Stop thinking about it.

I drove around the city, buying two cups of milk tea, three bags of snacks, and a bouquet of flowers. The flowers were for myself. They were bright, vibrant sunflowers, which made everything feel brighter. As I returned home, I noticed a black car parked outside my apartment complex. The make was very familiar. I took a second look, and the car immediately ignited its engine and pulled away.

"...Probably just a mistake," I muttered. It could not be him. He didn't even know who I was; why would he follow me here? I shook my head and carried my snacks upstairs.

In the evening, Hua Nhung came to pick me up. As soon as she walked through the door, she shrieked, "Ky Duong! Your complexion looks incredible! Divorce really is the best skincare product on the market!"

I checked the mirror and pursed my lips. "Need I say more? After three years of restless nights, I’ve finally been reborn in just one night."

Hua Nhung looped her arm through mine as we walked out, chattering incessantly. "I told you that man had issues. Who in their right mind tracks their wife twenty-four hours a day? Last time you went on that business trip, he actually chased you all the way to the airport just to drag you back?"

"And after he dragged me back, he punished me..." I bit my lip. "Anyway, let's not talk about it."

Hua Nhung stared at me in horror.