Bird Breaking Free from Its Cage

The day after my divorce was finalized, I got into a car crash and lost my memory. Later, my ex, Beckett, shows up, saying he’d consider getting back together... if I promised to stop acting crazy.

I stared at him, my spoon halfway to my mouth. “Nah, I’m good,” I finally managed. “Seriously, I’m fine just keeping the money.”

1

I woke up staring at my best friend, Riley, who looked like she’d aged about ten years.

She kept telling me not to beat myself up. That I needed to take care of myself, even though the divorce was final. She said Beckett could provide for the kids, that I didn’t need to keep fighting a losing battle in court.

I blinked, confused. "Who's Beckett?"

Riley froze, her face blank. It took her a second to snap out of it, then she ran to get a doctor.

The doc said I had amnesia from the accident. Riley immediately wanted to know how old I thought I was.

“Eighteen,” I replied. “Didn't I just graduate yesterday?”

Riley burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. "Oh, Liv, this is the best thing that could have happened! Yes, you’re eighteen! Eighteen is amazing. No Beckett, no kids... just us."

I was even more lost than before.

2

Riley took me home. Once she realized I probably wasn't getting my memory back anytime soon, she gave me the lowdown on my life.

Apparently, I’m Olivia Bennett, and I fell for a poor college kid named Beckett Sterling. I spent ten years with him, from eighteen to twenty-eight, supporting his dreams, eating ramen while he built his empire, raising his kids, and playing hostess to his parents. Then, this year, he filed for divorce.

“Wait, what?” I was horrified. This sounded like some trashy, melodramatic soap opera.

I asked, my voice trembling, “So, you’re saying I was a goddamn doormat for a decade and got kicked to the curb at twenty-eight?”

Riley nodded grimly. “Yep. Two kids: a six-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter. Since you were a stay-at-home mom with no income, the court decided the kids were better off with Beckett.”

“WTF? I lost my kids too?" Even though I didn't remember any of this, it sounded brutal. I was close to tears.

Then Riley grinned and patted my shoulder. “Hey, don’t get too down. At least you got money.”

My tears stalled. I asked tentatively, “How much?”

Riley sat up straight. “Liv, listen up. You got 20% of Beckett’s assets, 10% of the stock in his three publicly traded companies, and two brownstones in Brooklyn. About twenty million bucks.”

"..."

Silence. Processing. Then, I cautiously asked, "Riley, are you messing with me?"

"I swear on my Louboutins."

I stared blankly at the sky. I didn't remember the last ten years of my life. But Riley said I was rich, and eighteen-year-old me loved money. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

3

Riley took some time off to get everything transferred over to my name.

I didn’t see Beckett. He had his lawyer handle all the divorce stuff. After a month of paperwork, ...