Chapter 2

"I'm afraid that if I see Julian again, I won't be able to stop myself from telling him the whole truth."

With that, Hailey turned and walked away.

Watching her leave, Vivian murmured to herself, "I'll take responsibility for the pain I've caused. I owe Julian a debt I'll spend the rest of my life repaying."

Just then, Vivian's assistant, Alex Wilson, approached.

"Ms. Rhodes, the surgery had been scheduled for 9:00 am tomorrow."

"Good," Vivian said. "Have them leave town and lie low for a while. Send them to the same place as the other two."

She pulled a black credit card from her purse and handed it to her. "This is their payment. It's enough to support them for the rest of their lives. You take them there yourself. Make sure no one sees you."

Alex took the card, acknowledged her orders, and quickly left.

Vivian took out her phone and called Andrew.

"Andy, I've spoken to the doctor. The surgery is set for tomorrow. Get some rest today. I'll keep Julian calm for the next couple of days, then I'll come see you."

I didn't snap out of my daze until the sound of Vivian's footsteps had faded away.

So the three accidents that had destroyed everything I had hoped for were never accidents at all. Vivian had deliberately caused each one to help Andrew.

I had thought that although these past three years had been full of misfortune, at least my marriage had been happy.

Every time something happened to me, my wife stayed by my side and cared for me.

But it had all been a carefully crafted lie. I had never truly known her.

By the time the medical staff and Vivian found me, I had been lying in the artificial lake for two hours, hoping the cold water would numb me.

I was lost in my thoughts. When I heard a familiar voice, I snapped back to reality.

"Jules! What are you doing? Get out of there!"

Panicked, Vivian plunged into the water and dragged me back to shore.

After making sure I was breathing normally and wasn't in immediate danger, she threw her arms around me and sobbed.

"What would I do if something happened to you? Are you really going to leave me here alone? You're only losing your sight. It's not the end of the world. I'll be your eyes from now on."

Because of my impaired vision, I couldn't see her expression. But when I felt her tears on my hand, I could feel my chest tighten.

Vivian, you were the reason I lost everything. Wasn't my death exactly what you and Andrew wanted? So why were you pretending to care?

I pushed her away.

"I'm fine. I wasn't trying to hurt myself. I just needed somewhere to clear my head."

Vivian stopped crying, her voice still trembling with fear. "Thank God. I thought you were leaving me."

She turned to the medical staff. "Please take my husband back to his room."

Several nurses escorted me back to my room.

After changing my clothes, Vivian repeatedly questioned the doctor about my condition. Only after confirming that nothing would interfere with my surgery the next day did she finally relax.

"Vivian, I don't want to have my eye removed. I—"

"No! You—"

She stopped herself, apparently realizing she had overreacted.

After a pause, she patiently explained, "The doctor said leaving the eye in could put your life at risk. I don't want you to die, Jules. I want you to live. No matter what happens to you, I'll always be by your side."

I looked at her, feeling nothing but coldness inside.

"Do I really have no choice but to go through with this surgery?"

"Yes. You have to."

Her voice was firm. She looked straight into my eyes, and there was no concern in her expression—only absolute confidence that she would get her way.

I sighed and quietly closed my eyes.