Chapter 1 Has He Ever Slept With You

Nicole Perry was summoned to a hotel, where she was confronted with an intimate moment involving the man she loved deeply.

It was Jerald Nash and her cousin, Erika Perry.

Jerald moved with confident expertise in their lovemaking, while Erika responded with unrestrained enthusiasm, her soft, melodic moans filling the room as she pleaded repeatedly for him to ease his intensity.

Throughout her life, Nicole had maintained a reserved and impeccable demeanor, adhering strictly to principles of decorum and self-discipline. Yet, confronted with this raw and explicit display of desire for the very first time, she felt no trace of embarrassment; instead, a crushing wave of heartbreak engulfed her.

Later, as Jerald stepped into the bathroom for a shower, Erika appeared from the bedroom, wrapped loosely in a robe, her hair tousled and her face glowing with satisfaction. The vivid love bites and marks dotting her delicate skin pierced Nicole's vision like sharp thorns.

Erika approached with a triumphant grin. "He was incredible, wasn't he? So powerful." She paused, savoring the moment. "You have loved him deeply all these years. Has he ever slept with you?"

The casual mention of her profound affection caused Nicole's eyes to well up with stinging tears.

Nicole's love story with Jerald had started three years earlier, though its roots stretched back much further. As teenage sweethearts, they had vowed at sixteen to build a future together forever. Nicole had dreamed of sharing a lifetime with Jerald by her side, but tragedy had struck on her twentieth birthday when a severe car accident had erased all his recollections of her.

Erika, who had long harbored a crush on Jerald, had quickly exploited the opportunity to step into Nicole's role and capture his heart.

In a cruel twist, Jerald had confused Erika with Nicole and developed genuine feelings for Erika, whom he believed was his original love.

Unable to accept the loss, Nicole had held on tenaciously, refusing to give up. Over the past three years, she had exhausted every possible method to restore his lost memories, even volunteering as a participant in risky clinical trials involving hormonal therapies. The experiments had caused significant weight gain and other side effects, yet Jerald had responded only with cold detachment and open disdain.

Nicole had once clung to the conviction that true love could overcome any obstacle.

But now, replaying the vivid images of Jerald and Erika's sex encounters in her mind, Nicole felt a surge of revulsion and deep sorrow, realizing how futile her efforts had become-reduced to a pathetic and laughable endeavor.

Observing Nicole's tightly pressed lips, Erika sneered, "Seriously? Are you really that pathetic? Still refusing to let go after all this?"

Nicole answered with a strained, raspy voice, "You have no authority to comment on what exists between Jerald and me."

Erika leaned in, her tone dropping to a venomous whisper. "Is that so? What if I revealed that on the very night your mother lay dying in critical condition, Jerald was with me in a secluded hospital office, lost in our passion? Knowing that your desperate cries of grief only heightened our excitement-could you still find it in yourself to love him then?"

Nicole's complexion drained of color in an instant. That fateful night, as her mother's health had deteriorated rapidly and medical staff rushed to intervene, she had frantically dialed Jerald's phone dozens of times, pleading for his presence.

But Jerald had never come, and her mother had passed away during surgery. Devastated, Nicole had directed her anger toward others involved, but spared Jerald any blame, despite him being the primary doctor overseeing her mother's care.

Nicole had once rationalized his absence as exhaustion leading to sleep, or perhaps an unavoidable emergency that had detained him. The actual truth of those hours shook her core.

Just then, Jerald stepped out of the bathroom and noticed Nicole standing there.

Erika instantly switched from her previous harshness to a sorrowful demeanor, leaning into his arms. "Jerald, Nicole's here. She mentioned it's her mother's memorial service today and insisted you come along."

Her deception came naturally, designed to cast Nicole as the unreasonable intruder.

Jerald sided with Erika without question, fixing Nicole with a stern, emotionless glare. "What connection do we have that obligates me to attend your mother's funeral? Consider this my last warning-cease bothering me with all sorts of excuses."

Nicole remained motionless, tears tracing silent paths down her face as she gazed at him as if he were someone she'd never met before. In her heart, she had long acknowledged that he no longer belonged to her, yet her unyielding persistence had chained her to endless hoping and waiting. Now, though, she'd had enough of waiting.

The glimmer of held-back tears in Nicole's eyes faded gradually, replaced by a dull emptiness. She managed a brittle smile and whispered in quiet surrender, "Fine, I get it now."