Chapter 3

Lucas grabbed Lily by the wrist, refusing to let her walk out. Then he snapped his head toward me, his eyes burning with fury. "Scarlett, what’s wrong with you? Who gave you the right to interrogate people like they're criminals?

"I’m ordering you right now. Transfer the money immediately and apologize to Lily!" He was absolutely livid.

I let out a soft, mocking laugh, putting on a puzzled, hurt look. "Why would I apologize? They were just normal questions. If she didn't lie, why is she so bent out of shape? Besides, she's your savior, not mine. If anyone is writing a check, it should be you."

I knew the truth, though. Over the years, Lucas had secretly funnelled almost every cent he had directly to Lily. Right now, his accounts were bone dry.

Predictably, Lucas exploded into a rage. He grabbed his phone off the bedside table and hurled it straight at my head. I ducked just in time, the metal casing grazing my ear as it smashed against the wall.

He didn't even care that he had almost hurt me. He just pointed a trembling finger at my face and roared, "My legs are ruined and this is how you treat me? What's the point of staying together then? The second I get out of this hospital, we're filing for divorce!"

"Divorce?" I repeated the word slowly, tilting my head.

Lucas mistook my tone for hesitation, a flash of smug satisfaction darting across his eyes.

Then I leveled my gaze at him and added calmly, "Wait, didn't we already get divorced?"

…

In my past life, after Lucas died, I was completely heartbroken and my health fell apart. When I was kicked out of my home, I dragged my sick body to court to claim my rightful share of his estate as his widow, only for the lawyer to inform me that we had officially divorced days before his accident.

Lucas' face drained of color as the truth hit home, though he quickly tried to cover it up. He was betting on the fact that I didn't have the proof yet.

"What kind of crazy lies are you spewing?" he stammered, his voice rising in fake indignation, "Scarlett, are you just inventing excuses to abandon me now that I'm disabled?

"How can you be so heartless? Have you completely forgotten everything I've done for you? We've been married for six years. Don't you know how good I've been to you?"

Tears began streaming down his face, his voice cracking with emotion.

We had met on a blind date and gotten married because we shared similar values. It was never a wild, epic romance, but over time, real affection had grown.

Lucas used to handle his responsibilities at home. He drove me to work every day, listened patiently whenever I had a bad day, and always stood up for me. His anniversary gifts were never quite what I wanted, but he never missed a single one.

Only later did I realize Lily had been in the picture the entire time. After dropping me off, he would make up excuses about needing gas just to sneak away and visit her.

The anniversary gifts he bought me were cheap knockoffs with inflated price tags, and he used the money from my return gifts to buy luxury items for his high school crush.

Back then, I didn't care much about money. He always used to say, "We're a team, Scarlett. Moving money around between us is just shifting it from my left hand to your right."

I just had no idea the money was actually shifting from my left hand straight into Lily's right.

The memory was so ridiculous I almost laughed out loud.

Lily stepped in, trying to smooth things over while subtly twisting the knife.

"Scarlett, please don't fight because of me. Look, I get it. You're probably stressed about how expensive his medical bills are going to be, so you're guarding your wallet. It's totally fine! I didn't save Lucas for cash anyway. Honestly, money isn't an issue for me..."

She played the humble saint, clearly trying to bait me into proving I wasn't stingy.

I didn't fall for it. Instead, I turned back to Lucas with a dry smile. "See? She said it herself. She doesn't need the money. Why are you pushing so hard to give it to her? Is cash burning a hole in your pocket?"

Lucas' face turned a bruised, angry purple.

Lily glared at me, her sweet act slipping for a split second.

Before either of them could say another word, the doctor walked into the room, holding a clipboard to remind us to pay the next installment of his hospital bills.