For years, my mother had received countless messages like this, so she didn't hold much hope this time.

But when she rushed to the hospital, she found the man truly was my father.

She froze—then burst into tears of joy. There was no time to question why he had been alive all this time, yet never once reached out to her in three long years.

Sebastian's sharp eyes caught on immediately, his brow lifting in realization.

"Don't tell me... he had amnesia?"

Amy nodded, her smile tinged with quiet resignation.

"As cliché as it sounds, yes. He truly couldn't remember anything—not even his own name. He ended up marrying the woman who found him washed ashore, a simple fisherwoman who nursed him back to health."

"When he finally learned he had a wife and daughter waiting for him, he was torn. To him, my mother and I were strangers. But the fisherwoman—she had been his entire world during those lost years. His anchor. His salvation."

Sebastian exhaled thoughtfully. "So he was willing to give up the entire Harrington empire—just to stay with the woman who saved him?"

Amy's fingers tightened around her cup. "Yes. He felt nothing for us. No memories, no connection. It wasn’t until my grandfather intervened—threatening the fisherwoman—that my father was forced to return home."

A new thought struck Sebastian. "When your father disappeared at sea, the Harringtons must have launched an extensive search?"

"Of course." Amy glanced at him, impressed by his quick deduction.

"But what devastated my mother most was discovering the fisherwoman had known his true identity all along. Instead of contacting us, she chose to keep him hidden—for herself."

Sebastian nodded slowly. "I’ve met Mr. Harrington before. Even now, he carries an undeniable presence. I can only imagine the charisma he had in his youth."

Amy’s lips thinned. "The fisherwoman fell for him—knowing full well he had a family. She spun him lies about his past, weaving a new life where she was his only love."

"She saved him, yes. For three years, they lived as husband and wife. Even after the truth came out, he couldn’t bring himself to hate her for it."

"And then, not long after his return, she followed him home."

A bitter shadow flickered in Amy’s eyes.

"Maybe there’s truth to the saying—once bound by marriage, forever tied by debt. My father was consumed by guilt. He arranged for her to be cared for, housed, provided for."

"My mother tolerated it—out of gratitude. After all, he’d lost his memory trying to save her."

"But the woman wasn’t satisfied. She wormed her way between them, exploiting his fractured memories. She nearly succeeded, too."

"It wasn’t until after my parents signed the divorce papers that his memories finally returned."

"He tore up the documents, refusing to let the divorce proceed. My mother, remembering the sacrifice he’d made for her, forgave him."

"My father promised to send the woman away for good."

"But a year later, she came back—this time, holding a baby girl."

She gave my mother an ultimatum: Take the child in as your own, or grant us the divorce and let me raise her.

"No matter how patient my mother was, she couldn’t bear raising another woman’s child—a living reminder of betrayal. She chose divorce."

"But my father refused to let her go."