Chapter 2

Noelle took one look at the message and said, "Get some rest, then. You can drink it later when you feel like it."

After setting the bowl down, she pecked my forehead. "Something came up at the office, and I need to handle it. I'll come back and keep you company later." With that, she turned and left.

I pushed through the pain and climbed out of the hospital bed. Then, I watched as our housekeeper handed another thermos flask to Noelle in the corridor.

Noelle walked down the corridor and stopped in front of another ward. As soon as she stepped inside, Evan reached out and pulled her into a hug. "Elle!"

Noelle and Evan weren't related by blood. Evan was born from his mother's previous marriage.

"You just had surgery; you're still very weak, so you shouldn't get out of bed!" Noelle immediately set the thermos flask down and helped Evan back into bed.

He sat down and watched as she unscrewed the lid. Then, he gasped, "How'd you know that mushroom soup's my favorite, Elle?"

Noelle smiled fondly. "I remember everything you like."

Evan embraced her and sighed contentedly. "I knew you loved me the most, Elle."

The way she gazed at him was deep and fervent. It was obvious she loved him. "Ev, if you aren't happy living at the Bloom residence, come home. I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

As I leaned weakly against the wall, my heart twisted. I was such a fool to believe that her being gentle and considerate toward me meant she loved me. If she genuinely loved me, how could she not know I was allergic to mutton?

From the very beginning, the person she wanted to marry had always been Evan. I was just the one she settled for because she couldn't have him. I staggered back to my room and dumped the mutton soup into the trash.

…

During my stay in the hospital, Noelle stayed by my side and looked after me. She fed me, helped me get dressed, and worked on her laptop while I slept.

One afternoon, she wasn't in the ward. Her laptop was still on, sitting on the bed. There was a folder on the desktop labeled "My Love".

Driven by curiosity, I opened the file and found thousands of photos of Evan from every stage of his life. Several of them were candid shots taken from awkward angles, yet she clearly couldn't bring herself to delete them.

Right then, a new WhatsApp message popped up in the bottom right corner, so I clicked on it without much thought. It was from her assistant, Elaine. "I've gotten my hands on the Bahira emerald pinky ring you asked me to purchase for Mr. Lockwood, Ms. Lockwood."

Below it was a photo of the ring.

My fingers stiffened. Last week, I had seen this very ring in a magazine. I had fallen in love with it at first sight, but it had been incredibly difficult to acquire.

Noelle had told me she would buy it for me. However, a few days later, she'd given me an ordinary pinky ring instead, claiming that the Bahira emerald one had already been sold to someone else.

Noelle: "Bring the ring to the hospital. By the way, Ev likes the crepe from that shop on the west side of the city. Buy the shop right now. From now on, they'll make crepes exclusively for Ev."

I scrolled up through the chat history and realized that Evan had every gift Noelle had ever given me. Yet, there were things Evan had that I did not.

In an instant, it felt as though my heart was being forcefully torn in two. I had thought she loved me, but compared to Evan, I was nothing but a joke. Since she didn't love me, I'd remove myself from the picture and fulfill her wish.

I pulled my phone out and made a call. "Mr. Pearson, help me draft a divorce agreement…"

Before I could finish, Noelle walked in and looked at me uneasily. "Who's getting a divorce?"

I put my phone away and responded apathetically, "It's just a friend of mine."

She let out a breath of relief. Pulling me into a warm embrace, she commented softly, "You've lost so much weight after staying in the hospital for the past few days. It breaks my heart to see you in this state."

For a moment, I genuinely wanted to ask if she ever grew tired of putting on an act, but in the end, I kept my mouth shut. It didn't matter; I was leaving soon anyway.

…

The following day, Evan came to my ward. He looked young and put together, which made me seem even paler and more emaciated.

I had studied business management, but Noelle wanted to focus on her career. She asked me to quit my job and stay home so that she wouldn't have anything to worry about.

And that's what I did. I became a stay-at-home husband. Yet, she arranged for Evan to work at Lockwood Group and even transferred shares to him.

Evan sneered, "Well, how does it feel lying in a hospital bed, Dominic? It isn't very pleasant, is it? Oh, but what can you do when I'm the one she loves most?

"For my sake, she'd sacrifice you without a hint of hesitation, let alone extract your bone marrow. You're nothing more than a tool to warm her bed!"

I was utterly shocked. So he knew that Noelle had taken my bone marrow to save him.

He flashed me a psychopathic smile. "Dominic, to tell you the truth, your car accident was no accident at all. I just couldn't stand the sight of you, so I intentionally found someone to run you over!"