Chapter 1

Sienna's first love lost his memory. He thought he was still twenty, back in the years when they were head over heels for each other.

She felt so sorry for him that she pretended to be twenty again, spending every day by his side. My daughter and I were forced to live in the shadows, hiding so he wouldn't find out we existed.

"Just hold on a little longer," she told me. "I'll tell him everything at our daughter's third birthday party."

But at the party, her first love couldn't handle the truth. He pulled a knife, threatening to end it all. She rushed to him, sobbing, promising she'd never leave him.

Then, she looked at me and said the party was postponed. But there would be no other day.

She didn't realize that the careless shove she gave our daughter triggered her heart condition. My little girl died that very night.

1.

"Sienna, you said I was the only one you ever loved. When did you get a husband and a kid?"

Garret looked at Sienna and me with eyes full of agony. He pointed at our three-year-old daughter, Lily.

Sienna looked incredibly guilty. "Garret, the truth is, you lost your memory. We aren't twenty anymore, and we broke up a long time ago."

"No way!" Garret's voice cracked as his eyes turned bloodshot. "We haven't even graduated college yet. Just yesterday, you told me you'd marry me right after graduation."

"Garret, you're sick. You really don't remember," Sienna said, sounding helpless.

Suddenly, Garret grabbed a steak knife from the table. "Lies! All of it!"

"If this is real, then I'd rather just die right now!" He screamed, raising the blade.

"No! Garret, stop!" Sienna lunged forward and threw her arms around him. Tears were streaming down her face.

"You didn't lose your memory, okay? I was just joking. Please, put the knife down." Under her frantic soothing, Garret slowly lowered the weapon.

"You were really just kidding?" He whispered.

"Yes, I swear. These people... they're just actors I hired to pull a prank on you," she lied.

Actors? I almost let out a hysterical laugh.

We had agreed weeks ago that today was the day. She was supposed to tell him the truth and finally draw a line between them.

But when it mattered most, she folded. She chose him over her own family.

"Then let's go home," Garret said, looking pathetic. "I don't want to be here. Looking at that man and that kid makes me sick."

He could insult me all he wanted, but he wasn't going to talk about Lily like that. I stepped forward, ready to knock him out, but Sienna shoved me back.

"Get lost!" she hissed at me. Then, she turned back to Garret with a voice like honey. "Okay, let's go home right now."

She started to lead him away, completely forgetting it was Lily's birthday. Our friends and family were all staring, whispering in shock.

"Sienna! Did you forget what you promised me?" I shouted after her.

"Mommy, please don't go. It's my birthday," Lily sobbed, her little voice trembling.

Sienna had spent every waking moment with Garret lately. She barely ever saw Lily or me.

Lily was such a good, patient girl. She never threw tantrums, always telling herself that Mommy was just busy with work.

But today was her big day. I had promised her that Mommy would be here to blow out the candles.

Sienna walked over and whispered harshly in my ear, "Take Lily and leave. If you upset Garret again, I'll make you regret it!"

"Sienna, Lily and I are your family! How much more are you going to sacrifice for that guy?"

I couldn't hold it in anymore. I had been patient. I had stayed quiet when she said it was temporary. I even stayed in a hotel when she brought him to our house.

"If you walk out that door right now, Sienna, we are getting a divorce!"

Lily reached out and grabbed her mother's hand. "Mommy, don't leave Lily. I want to spend my birthday with you."

"Sienna, why are you still standing there? Are they actually your husband and daughter?" Garret asked, sounding like a wounded puppy.

Every time he made that face, Sienna's heart melted. Sure enough, she violently yanked her hand away from Lily. The force sent our daughter crashing to the floor.

"Of course not," Sienna said coldly. "Let's go home. I'll give you a massage to help you relax."

She took Garret's hand and walked out without looking back.