Looking for free link: Once Under His Name Now Under My Own

Chapter 1

After the car accident, I pretended to have amnesia to tease my husband and son.

"Who are you?"

A flicker of delight flashed in my son's eyes as he led the woman standing outside the ward inside.

He said to me: "Auntie, my parents and I are here to visit you."

Beside them, my husband remained silent, tacitly allowing our son's choice of words.

"Auntie, my parents and I are here to visit you."

His sweet, childish voice echoed through the hospital room.

With bandages wrapped around my forehead, I looked down at my five-year-old son, Joey Ware. He was holding hands with both adults, a sly smile on his face.

Ethan Ware, dressed in a sharp suit, had no intention of correcting the boy. Instead, he studied me with a probing gaze.

The woman Joey was holding wore a long white dress. She had an elegant, gentle demeanor. Under my stare, she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Seeing me stare at Willow, Joey protectively stepped in front of her, adopting a vigilant stance.

If I really had lost my memory, I would have believed the three people standing before me were a loving family.

Joey tugged at Ethan's hand and whispered: "Dad, since Mom has lost her memory, does that mean you can finally get divorced?"

Although Joey spoke in a whisper, he modulated his volume just enough so I could hear every word.

I knew his little tricks. He was punishing me because I had scolded him yesterday, embarrassing him in front of the help. He was upset.

This was Joey's typical kind of prank; he took pleasure in punishing me.

But I no longer wanted to play along with his games.

Since I claimed to have amnesia, I might as well keep up the act.

I'd pretend I didn't have this son, or this husband.

"Excuse me... who are you?"

Joey looked surprised, even a bit panicked: "You really don't remember me?

That's impossible. I'm your favorite... kid."

Ethan frowned, his cold eyes turning icy, his voice dripping with impatience:

"Natalie Solis, drop the act.

The doctor said it's just a mild concussion, nothing serious. Don't think you can use amnesia to get out of the divorce."

"Yeah, stop faking it! You love us so much, how could you possibly forget us!"

Joey's cold glare was a carbon copy of Ethan's.

All I felt was a headache coming on.

Before I could say anything, a nurse knocked on the door: "The patient needs rest. Please, all unrelated persons, step outside."

Without a word, Ethan and Joey took Willow and left.

The young nurse walked in and said to me: "Your husband was just here. He went out to buy you some milk."

"My husband?"

My mind went blank for a moment.Wasn't my husband the one you just asked to leave?

The nurse blinked: "Yeah. Actually, I worked in Obstetrics four years ago. I saw you two several times.

You two are so good-looking, it's really hard to forget."

I did have my prenatal checkups at this hospital four years ago, but Ethan never accompanied me, not even once.

The nurse continued: "And your husband was one of the few who didn't play on his phone the whole time. He just waited anxiously at the door for you to finish your checkups.

"Tall, handsome, and so attentive and loyal... he made us nurses believe in love again back then!

"By the way, who were that man and the kid?"

"He's handsome, sure, but he looked as gloomy as a debt collector."

I couldn't help but laugh.

Ethan never showed up for a single one of my fourteen prenatal checkups; the one who accompanied me was Sebastian Solis.

My younger brother, five years my junior, was just 18 back then.

I didn't explain my relationship with Ethan and Joey. After all, we would soon have nothing to do with each other.

Chapter 2

A moment later, Sebastian rushed in, panting and carrying bags.

I was starving; I hadn't eaten all day, and a dull ache was gnawing at my stomach.

Sebastian quickly opened the milk and placed it on the tray table, arranging the spoon, napkin, and cup coaster with meticulous care.

"Here's your favorite milk.

You eat first. I'll peel the egg for you."

I accepted his care without hesitation. Ever since I was fifteen, when Grandpa first brought Sebastian home, he had automatically become my most loyal companion.

After a few sips of milk, the pain in my stomach finally began to subside.

I looked up to see Sebastian's eyes rimmed with red.

"You have no idea how scared I was when I heard you were in a car accident."

His 1ips trembled, and his voice was thick with suppressed sobs.

A sudden sting of tears pricked at my nose.

Who wouldn't be terrified in the face of a car crash?

I was just lucky enough to escape any life-threatening injuries.

I was afraid Ethan and Joey would worry, so I thought I'd play a prank by pretending to have amnesia.

But how could heartless people ever worry about me?

I was discharged from the hospital just a few days later.

I insisted to the doctor that while I remembered everything and everyone else, I had absolutely no memory of Ethan or Joey.

Upon my discharge, the doctor told Ethan it was temporary amnesia caused by the concussion, and that my memory would slowly return as I recovered.

I returned to the home I shared with Ethan.

A beautiful piano melody drifted from the living room.

Willow and Joey were playing a duet.

When the piece ended, Willow gave a thumbs-up and praised: "Our little pianist is amazing!"

Joey blushed and giggled: "It's only because you're such a good teacher."

It was a heartwarming picture of a devoted mother and her loving child.

I walked up the stairs, my expression unchanging.

When Joey saw me, the smile vanished from his face.

Willow quickly stood up: "Mrs. Ware, how are you feeling?"

I stood on the stairs and nodded at her: "I'm mostly recovered. Please, carry on."

I didn't hate Willow; I was simply jealous of her.

Willow wasn't the "other woman" in my marriage to Ethan.

She was Ethan's unforgettable first love.

Even though Ethan and I were married, there is a saying that rings true:

—The one who isn't loved is the true third party.

When Ethan was eighteen, in the prime of his youth, I saw for the first time how passi0nately he could love someone.

Last month, the Vance Group declared bankruptcy, and Willow was forced to return to the country.

Willow had used all her savings to pay the debt left by the Vance Group's collapse, but as a music major, she struggled to find a high-paying job domestically.

Ethan found her and hired her as Joey's piano teacher for 600,000 a month.

"New Mommy is the best!

I love New Mommy the most."

Joey shouted loudly in the living room.

"Mr. Ware, I'm not... please don't call me that."

Willow looked at Joey with embarrassment.

Joey, dissatisfied with how she addressed him, affectionately hugged Willow's leg: "If you call me Mr. Ware again, I'll get mad. You have to call me Joey!

"You're so much gentler than my mom. I like you the best!"

He glanced toward the upstairs bedroom, and seeing I hadn't come out yet, he continued, "Why won't you stay at our house? I want to see you the moment I wake up. My dad already agreed. Why won't you stay? Our home is so luxurious—you can have anything you want here."

Ethan had actually suggested Willow stay here; there were plenty of rooms, it would save her the trouble of traveling back and forth, and besides, Willow was currently penniless.

But Willow insisted on renting a place outside, rejecting Ethan's offer.

"Mr. Ware... Joey, you need to continue practicing today's piano piece."

Joey shook his head, determined not to stop until she agreed to move in.

"Is it because you're afraid of my mom?"

"Don't worry, Dad and I will protect you. She's completely obedient to my dad—she won't do anything to you."

Joey was my son. He was clever, and he knew exactly what to say to hit where it hurt the most.

Chapter 3

I put on my pearl earrings before strolling out at a leisurely pace.

Seeing me come downstairs, Willow looked troubled: "Mrs. Ware, I..."

"It's fine, Willow. Just stay here.

I know your daily commute by bus takes three hours round trip."

I took the shoes the maid handed me. "Don't feel guilty. I'm actually glad you're back."

Joey looked surprised, freezing for a moment.

In the past, if Ethan drunkenly muttered the name Willow, I would always tear up, my eyes turning red.

Yes, Willow's visit to the house last month wasn't the first time Joey had met her.

He had secretly seen the photo of a woman his dad kept carefully hidden in a drawer, and heard him mutter that other woman's name when drunk.

This gave him the ultimate weapon to punish Mom.

But now, this weapon had surprisingly lost its effect.

"I want ice cream!

Get me two! No, I want ten!"

His only answer was the sound of the front door closing behind me.

During my days in the hospital, I'd looked disheveled every day. Finally discharged, I needed to hurry to the spa for some skincare.

The driver had been waiting outside for quite some time.

Inside, Joey dropped the act immediately.

"Joey, here's your ice cream."

The maid hurriedly took it out of the fridge.

"Who said I wanted it?"

He threw the ice cream onto the floor.

He stared straight at the closed door.

Did Mom really not remember him?

Ethan's mother, Margaret Stone, heard that Willow was back and that Ethan had hired her as Joey's piano teacher, so she rushed over with several bags of luxury goods.

On the sofa, the elegant lady held Willow's hand: "Willow, my dear, you've really been through so much.

"If you had just been with Ethan from the start, with him helping manage the Vance Group, how could it have gone bankrupt?"

Willow looked a bit panicked: "Margaret, you shouldn't say that. The past is set in stone. I'm just grateful Mr. Ware is willing to give me a job."

"Why can't I say it? I'm very relieved that Joey is in your hands now."

Margaret patted her hand with satisfaction.

Margaret lowered her voice, "Ethan is getting a divorce, did you know?

He wants a divorce the moment you return. Doesn't that prove something?

"Don't worry, even Joey likes you. You won't be mistreated in our family, and Ethan will help the Vance Family make a comeback."

Margaret didn't ask me to host her when she came over, even though she knew perfectly well I was home.

I knew my place and didn't come out to disturb their reunion.

Not only did Ethan and Joey like Willow, but Ethan's mother, Margaret, adored her too.

Long before Ethan and I got married, Margaret had wanted Willow to be her daughter-in-law.

Willow came from a family of scholars, well-matched with the Ethan in social standing.

It just so happened that Ethan fell in love with Willow at first sight, which delighted Margaret even more. She immediately started planning a marriage alliance between the two families.

Unfortunately, Willow didn't like Ethan. She decisively rejected his confession and went abroad to further her studies in music.

Although Margaret was a bit regretful, she liked Willow even more, seeing her as a girl with ambition.

As for me—born into a modest family, seen as vain and hungry for wealth and status, someone who would stop at nothing to marry Ethan.

I could tell that Margaret actually looked down on me—perhaps even loathed me—but her impeccable manners kept her from showing it too openly.

Sometimes I think that if Willow had been the one to marry Ethan from the start, it would have been a happy ending for everyone.

My phone vibrated, and I unlocked it to check.

It was a notification: the insurance payout from the car accident had been deposited.

I thought the sheer terror would make me slowly forget what happened that day.

Yet the moment I close my eyes, it all feels like it happened yesterday.

Chapter 4

It was raining heavily that day, and Ethan and I were on the highway.

Someone called Ethan, and the voice on the other end came through loud and clear.

"Mr. Ware, a group of debt collectors are heading to the Vance Family to cause a scene. They're going after Ms. Vance."

Ethan turned his head to glance at me.

I knew he wasn't asking for my permission; he was telling me he was going to the Vance Family to find Willow.

We were currently heading in the opposite direction of the Vance Family home.

I said softly: "Just drop me off at the service area ahead. I'll take a taxi back."

As soon as I got out, even though I quickly opened my umbrella, I was drenched.

The black car roared past me, splashing dirty water all over my face—a rusty relationship meeting a rainy day.

But the taxi I hailed was old, and it skidded on the slick highway.

The moment the car spun out of control, my blood ran cold, and I scrambled to buckle the rear seatbelt.

My heart hammered against my ribs, and my mind went blank.

With a loud bang and a violent jolt, my head slammed hard against the window.

In that moment, time seemed to slow down.

My life flashed uncontrollably before my eyes, yet every memory revolved around Ethan.

At ten, my parents gritted their teeth and took out a loan to buy a villa in the capital's most exclusive neighborhood, and that's when I met Ethan.

My parents told me I had to be careful and curry favor with him, because he was the heir of a wealthy family.

Ethan was handsome, and I was more than happy to follow him around. And so I trailed behind him for seven years.

At seventeen, I realized I had fallen for Ethan, but he couldn't stand me.

During the year I loved him the most, his circle mocked me as a "simp," and everyone around me called me "Clown."

At eighteen, Ethan fell for Willow. I watched from the shadows as he revolved his world around her, and then watched him sink into depression after she turned him down.

At twenty-one, Ethan got drunk. He pinned me to the bed and kissed me, muttering Willow's name over and over.

I should have pushed him away and slapped him, but my hand faltered.

My father's company was having cash flow issues and desperately needed a large sum of money.

And—being with Ethan had been the dream for both me and my parents for over a decade.

I endured it in silence. For as long as Ethan had his way with me, he kept calling out Willow's name.

Ethan's grandfather soon found out about us. The Ware Family had always been traditional, so he forced Ethan to marry me. I got what I wanted and became his wife.

At twenty-two, I got expecting. The pregn@ncy was very difficult. I suffered severe morning sickness and had a complicated delivery.

...

Memory is a tangled web of pain.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital room.

My whole body ached, and I had a splitting headache.

At twenty-seven, right in front of my hospital bed, my son called Willow "Mom," and my husband just let it happen.

I pretended not to care, but countless moments like that were stabbing at my heart.

The people I couldn't bear to lose were wishing for me to leave sooner.

I chose silence. Perhaps happiness was never meant for me.

"Would you ever speak cruelly to the one you love?"

I really wanted to ask Ethan and Joey that question.

But the moment they saw Willow, I realized I already knew the answer.

Ethan had fallen in love with Willow at first sight.

And Joey liked Willow from the very first glance, too—it was the first time Joey had ever shown affection for anyone else.

People always cling to what they set their hearts on at first sight.

Joey was growing more like his father every day—in looks, temperament, and taste.

They both loved Willow.

I never considered Willow to be the "other woman."

Because ever since that night, I was the one who had stolen what belonged to Willow.

Suffering stems from chasing the wrong things.

I think this marriage has run its course.

It was time to return Ethan and Joey to Willow.

Chapter 5

In fact, Ethan had drafted the divorce papers the very day Willow returned.

He had wanted a divorce for a long time—to pursue Willow again.

Just as he wished, I notified the Ware family lawyer and went to Ethan's company.

"I agree to the divorce."

I looked at him calmly.

Ethan looked a bit surprised.

Samuel Clark handed a copy of the divorce agreement to each of us.

I quickly scribbled my signature on the paper without hesitation.

Ethan paused just as he was about to sign, his knuckles turning white from gripping the pen so hard.

Samuel hesitated before speaking: "Mr. Ware, you can take more time to think it through before signing."

I knew exactly what Ethan was feeling.

Even a pet dog, after years together, would stir some affection.

And I had been chasing after him for sixteen years.

"I'm keeping Joey."

he said, watching me with a probing gaze.

I nodded.

I didn't want either of them anymore.

He gave me another deep look, trying to find the sadness, heartbreak, or reluctance on my face.

But there was nothing.

He gripped the pen tighter and signed his name with apparent anger, pressing down so hard the ink nearly bled through.

I, on the other hand, was only focused on the asset division agreement and left Ethan's office feeling quite satisfied.

In the empty, quiet office, Samuel shivered, feeling the icy aura radiating from Mr. Ware.

"Mr. Ware, should we announce the news of your divorce?"

"No need. She's just throwing a tantrum."

After saying this, Ethan seemed to comfort himself, and his furrowed brows finally relaxed.

"Don't let a word of this get out. She'll come back on her own."

She just has amnesia; she's forgotten me and Joey.

She loves me so much, and she loves Joey so much. She'll remember soon enough.

Even the doctor said the amnesia is only temporary.

Once she remembers, she'll definitely come running back in tears, begging me to get back together.

Consider this divorce a punishment for her forgetting us so completely.

When she comes back crying and apologizing, I'll forgive her and remarry her.

Ethan's irritation vanished instantly as he picked up the coffee on his desk and took a sip.

Samuel, sweating profusely, took out a tissue to wipe his forehead.

The divorce papers are signed, and the assets are divided—is she really just throwing a tantrum?

I thought I would be sad when it was time to leave; after all, I had lived there for six years.

But instead, I felt incredibly relieved, as if a shackle had been removed.

I was no longer anyone's wife, nor anyone's mother.

I didn't have to please anyone anymore, nor did I have to fear that someone might not like me.

While neither of them was home, I hired three trucks and spent a fortune booking three premium white-glove moving services.

I packed up and took every single one of my luxury bags, clothes, jewelry, and skincare products.

I also took my baking supplies, a cabinet full of the designer fine set I had carefully selected, a few pieces of furniture I was accustomed to using, and many decorations I had purchased.

I even packed up the expensive gifts I had bought for Ethan and Joey. Father and son alike disliked them, leaving them gathering dust in the deepest corners of the cabinets—they wouldn't even notice they were gone.

In that case, I might as well se11 them secondhand; at least that way, they can serve some final purpose.

After all, we're divorced now. Seeing these unwanted items lingering around would probably just be an eyesore for them.

There was a lot to clear out, but luckily I'd hired three moving companies. With plenty of hands on deck, everything was packed and loaded in under two hours.

The house felt empty all of a sudden. When Ethan comes back and sees this, he'll surely think the place looks much cleaner and tidier now.

He never liked having too much clutter in the house, and now, it was finally all gone.

I was considerate enough to leave plenty of space for the new mistress of the house who would soon be moving in.

Before walking out of the courtyard, I took one last look at the villa.

I would never be coming back here again.