Chapter 7

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when Aaron went to bed, but he woke the next morning dizzy, weak, and with no appetite at all.

After using the bathroom, he returned to bed and did not want to get up again.

The doctor examined him and discovered that the antiretroviral medication had stopped working. The virus was once again attacking his body.

Aaron spent the next three days in a daze. On the morning of the fourth day, a nurse brought him a hospital bill. There was not enough money left in his bank account to cover it.

He opened his mobile banking app and saw that the account, which once held tens of thousands of dollars, contained only a few hundred.

When he checked the transaction history, he discovered that half the money had been transferred away.

Aaron called Vanessa, and she admitted that she had moved the money.

Since they were still in the middle of finalizing their divorce, she claimed she transferred her half to stop him from wasting it on some young woman.

“Aaron, come here and apologize to me. I’ll pay for your treatment out of pity. Otherwise, you can just die!”

Vanessa’s cold words ignited Aaron’s anger, and he hung up without another word.

Her confirmatory test came back negative, so she pushed all the blame onto him while taking the moral high ground…

Aaron was furious and discouraged.

Without money for medication, he would die even faster.

He still had not figured out how he contracted the disease, and he did not want to die without ever knowing the truth.

After weighing his options, he realized that selling the house was the fastest way to get a large sum of money.

He bought their first home with his own savings.

With Vanessa’s help, he secured it for half its market value. The property had appreciated considerably since then, and selling it could bring him a sizable profit.

He absolutely could not ask Edward and Diane for money.

After thinking it over, Aaron called Vanessa again and proposed selling the house.

Vanessa cursed him out but eventually agreed.

She said she would arrange the sale, but insisted that he move all his belongings out within the next two days.

Around noon, Aaron forced himself to rally and secretly left the hospital.

He found a small rental apartment in an older complex near the hospital.

The apartment had been vacant for six months. Aside from the stale air, it was in decent condition.

The landlord took one look at Aaron and realized that he had AIDS.

He explained that the previous tenant was also living with AIDS. The man received IV treatment at the hospital but stayed in the apartment instead of being admitted, saving a great deal of money.

Aaron decided that might work for him too.

He asked the landlord to hire a cleaner, then returned home to move his belongings.

After carrying everything out, Aaron left the keys inside the house. The moment he closed the door and walked away, a deep sense of loss settled over him.

But he understood that the disease had taken away both his health and his hope. He and Vanessa were destined to live in completely different worlds.

That afternoon, Vanessa told him she had found a buyer. Aaron soon received $160,000 from the sale.

Over the next seven days, Aaron’s condition deteriorated rapidly. He drifted in and out of consciousness, and during the worst episodes, doctors placed him on a ventilator.

Perhaps he was imagining it, but he thought he saw Edward and Diane visit him. Diane even cried for a long time before leaving.

One day, Aaron woke up.

Maya brought Rebecca over.

After examining him and reviewing his test results, Rebecca said, “Aaron, you’re incredibly strong. You spent the past week with a relentless fever, and at one point you could barely breathe.

“I thought we were going to lose you, but you pulled through. Well done. Keep fighting!”

“Hang in there, Aaron!”

Maya was the last to leave.

She secretly raised a clenched fist toward him, encouraging him to keep going.

Two days later, Aaron’s condition continued to improve, but he still was not well enough to leave the hospital.

At noon that day, Aaron had little appetite but forced himself to eat. He ended up vomiting again. While cleaning up, he unexpectedly noticed Vanessa entering the room.

The two of them stared at each other, neither knowing what to say.

Aaron knew that Vanessa did not have AIDS while he did, and he felt too ashamed to meet her eyes.

Vanessa had not visited him once since his hospital admission, let alone taken care of him.

She had even divided their savings between them.

Aaron looked so thin and sickly that Vanessa felt an unexpected pang of guilt.

Aaron spoke first. “Why are you here? I’m hardly a pleasant sight, so go back where you came from!”

“Hmph! I came to see whether you were dead yet. Since you’re still alive, tell me, did you sleep with that mistress? Is this your punishment?”

“You…”

“Don’t come any closer, or I’ll spray you again!”

Vanessa took out her pepper spray and watched Aaron warily.

Aaron remembered how the last attack had infected his eyes, left him with a dangerously high fever, and caused him unbearable suffering.

“You’ve had your laugh. Why are you still here?”

“I haven’t had enough!”

Vanessa glared at him.

When Aaron climbed into bed and pulled the blanket over his head, she looked around the room.

It was sparsely furnished.

Apart from a change of clothes, he had only a few books, and there was no caregiver staying with him.

She clenched her teeth, seemingly struggling with something.

After a long while, Aaron cautiously poked his head out.

Vanessa was still standing at the foot of the bed, staring at him.

“Vanessa, are you some kind of freak?”

“You’re the freak! Otherwise, how would you have caught such a disgusting disease?”

“You…”

“So you really did come here to mock me. Go ahead. Get your fill!”

Aaron undid his shirt and exposed the rashes covering his body. He even tugged down his pants. “Look! Go ahead and laugh!”

“Gladly. I’ll take a picture, have it printed, and hang it up at home so I can look at it every day. It’ll keep evil away!”

Vanessa pulled out her phone, but Aaron hurriedly dressed again. The corners of her lips twitched for some inexplicable reason.

Aaron gritted his teeth. “You came here to get a divorce, didn’t you? So, you can marry that Gavin guy? Fine. Give me the papers. I’ll sign them!”

“I’ll say it again. Gavin and I are just friends. Nothing happened between us!”

Vanessa grew agitated, and her voice rose.

“Really? Who’s going to believe that? If I hadn’t gotten into that accident and been held up by those people, I would have gone after you and your lover with nothing to lose. We might all have ended up dead!”

“Gavin competed in an amateur kickboxing tournament. Do you really think you could have beaten him?”

“I couldn’t beat him, but I could have scratched him. I had just received my confirmatory results, and I hadn’t undergone any treatment.

“The virus was raging through my body. Anyone who came near me would have been infected. They would have died!”

Vanessa shuddered at the thought. “You’re despicable!”

Aaron let out a cold laugh.

“Damn it, the world is unjust. It lets a pair of cheaters like you and Gavin walk around free! Even if I didn’t get the chance that day, once the men you’ve been with hear that your husband is infected, they’ll be terrified and rush to get tested.”

“You’re insane!”

“Are you scared? Then get out!”

Vanessa asked, “Who did you tell about your illness?”

“I told everyone!”

The sudden seriousness in Vanessa’s expression told Aaron she was in trouble.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot. I’ll tell your coworkers at the bank about my diagnosis and make sure they get tested as soon as possible.”

Vanessa gave a quiet scoff and stepped toward him.

“The Geological Survey’s finance department closed its accounts at my bank and opened new ones at a rival bank. What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

“That’s confidential. I have nothing to say!”

Vanessa took out a $20,000 check and held it out to Aaron.

“You’re taking imported medication and paying for it out of pocket. The money from selling your house won’t last long. Forget your stupid principles. Isn’t money for life-saving medication more important?”

“Insult me, humiliate me, mock me—do whatever you want! But I won’t reveal a single word about the Geological Survey!”

Aaron knew exactly what was happening. Edward was taking revenge on his behalf.

Three years earlier, after meeting Vanessa, Aaron had gone out of his way to persuade the Geological Survey’s finance department to open its accounts at her bank.

He had even referred several affiliated companies to her, doing everything he could to strengthen her position there.

Now that Edward had stepped in and pulled the Geological Survey’s accounts from Vanessa’s bank, she was taking a serious hit.