My Family's Regret After I Disappeared at Sea

A single car accident was all it took to shatter my world. The family who once cherished me, the fiancé who swore to protect me—they all lost their memories. Every trace of me was erased from their minds.

The only one they remembered was Ava, the family's adopted daughter.

On what should have been a joyful birthday, my older brother—the same brother who once indulged my every whim—smashed a cake into my face in front of a crowd. He then ordered the bodyguards to strip away my gown, as if I were nothing but a joke to him.

My parents, who used to treasure me like the most precious pearl, struck me to the ground before a room full of guests. Without hesitation, they announced that I was no longer their daughter.

And my fiancé—the man who had grown up with me, who had whispered countless promises of love—dragged me to another man's bed and left me there.

I wanted to believe it was all the accident's fault. That it was a cruel twist of fate. But then the man in that bed showed me a video.

"Sienna will never forgive us if she finds out we faked our amnesia."

"Don't worry about it. Ava's parents have done us a huge favor. Once we save Ava, we'll fix things with Sienna."

"Actually, this might be good for her. Sienna will realize she can't be happy on her own. She won't be so eager to leave after this."

"After Ava recovers, we'll stage a treatment to restore our memories. Sienna will have to forgive us—she won't have a choice."

It wasn't fate. It wasn't an accident. It was betrayal—cold, calculated and deliberate.

And when the four of them chose to offer me up in exchange for Ava's safety during a hostage situation, I finally understood. I was nothing more than a disposable chess piece.

So, I let go. I stepped off the edge and plunged into the sea.

From that moment on, I owed them nothing.

——

I lay on the cold floor, my body trembling, my swollen eyes fixed on the silhouette of a man standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows. Tears burned hot against my raw skin, but I had no strength left to wipe them away.

"You're lying!" My voice cracked as I forced the words out. "You've got something against Cassius, don't you? That's why you faked this video, to make him and my family look bad!"

The man, Troy Vitali, didn't react. He remained still, his back turned to me, as if my outburst wasn't even worth acknowledging.

It wasn't until I grabbed the phone and hurled it against the door, shattering the screen into jagged shards, that he finally moved. He turned around slowly, then let out a low, mocking chuckle as he strode toward me.

"You still think they care about you? Seriously?" His voice was laced with disdain. "You're nothing to them compared to Ava. I was doing you a favor."

His words crushed me, a bitter truth to swallow. I had no value left.

Then, a sudden banging shook the door. After a brief silence, several bodyguards broke in and the man at the center of the intruding bodyguards was none other than Cassius, my fiancé.

Cassius was a man whose word was law. Yet, when it came to me, he had always been gentle, almost indulgent. He spent millions to build me a paradise. When I casually mentioned wanting to see snow, he had private planes transport the first snowfall from the north, just to see my smile.

But three hours ago, at my birthday party, before countless guests, this very man threw my disheveled self into Troy's arms like I was trash.

With nothing but cold indifference, he had turned away, leaving behind a single sentence.

"She's yours. I'm sick of her."

Now, as I stood in this room, his sharp, piercing gaze swept over me and Troy, scrutinizing every inch of my torn dress, my messy hair, my humiliation. It was as if he were looking at something utterly worthless.

Then, with chilling detachment, he spoke.

"Tie her up."

His bodyguards stepped forward at once. I staggered back, but before I could react, Troy moved first.

He placed himself between me and Cassius, his stance relaxed, but his presence unwavering. "What's this, Cass? You said you didn't want her anymore. Having second thoughts?" His voice was laced with amusement, yet his eyes held something deeper—something unreadable.

Then, he turned to me, his gaze lingering.

"Well, I've done what I needed to do. The rest is up to you."

And with that, he walked away, his footsteps steady, unhurried. He didn't look back.

I was left staring at his retreating figure, my mind a storm of emotions I couldn't untangle.

Cassius' face darkened, his expression twisting as his gaze landed on my tattered clothes. A muscle in his jaw tightened before, without warning, he stepped forward and seized me by the throat.

The air left my lungs as I stumbled back, my fingers clawing at his wrist, but his grip only tightened.

"What did you do with him?!" His voice was ice, his breath sharp with anger.

I gasped, struggling against his hold, but I refused to look away. I forced a smirk, tilting my chin up, meeting his fury with quiet defiance.

"You're the one who put me in his bed," I rasped, my lips curling. "You really have to ask what we did?"

His fingers dug into my skin, his hold unrelenting. "Ava is lying in the hospital, fighting for her life and you're here messing around? Have you no shame?!"