Chapter 2

Before I could say a word, Ivy grabbed Chester's hand and rushed out of the hospital room. She didn't even dare to spare me a second glance.

I lay on the bed, simply allowing dust from the ceiling to shower down on me.

Since it was just a minor earthquake, why couldn't she just stay behind with me?

The answer was simple—Chester just meant more to her than me.

The building was still shaking. My oxygen mask slid off my face.

I gasped for air, feeling how swollen my throat was. It took effort to even breathe.

By the time the earthquake stopped, I was already fading out of consciousness.

The doctor rushed back into the room and wheeled me away for a gastric lavage, but Ivy was nowhere to be seen.

A nurse muttered under her breath, "Didn't they say that Ms. York really loves her husband? Then, why did she just abandon him when the earthquake struck?

"Last year, she made a huge fuss over a minor injury he sustained and requested that he be admitted to the hospital. Now, he's seriously injured, and yet she's nowhere to be found."

Another nurse replied, "I think I saw Ms. York running toward the exit while shielding another man during the earthquake just now."

She clicked her tongue. "Is it possible that her devotion is just for show?"

It turned out that when you didn't love someone, all your pretenses were incredibly easy to see through.

Standing at death's door had a way of putting things into perspective. For example, a woman's true colors or the reality of a relationship.

My breathing grew increasingly labored, yet I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

In the end, the medical staff managed to save my life.

Ivy stood guiltily by my bedside, claiming that she'd only been slightly late because she sprained her ankle.

I was so weak that I didn't even have the strength to look up at her. I had no idea how to deal with her lies.

A nurse was treating the burn on my chest. A large surface area of skin was already blistered.

A faint trace of disgust crossed Ivy's gaze at the sight of my wound. Still, she said gently, "Sammy, I'll make sure that you won't be left with any scarring, so don't worry."

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her smile faintly upon looking down to read the text.

She stood up and smoothed out the hem of her skirt, then said, "Sammy, something's come up at the company, so I have to head back."

I forced myself to speak through the pain in my throat. "Could you please not go? Stay and keep me company."

I was revolted by such displays of weakness, but I wanted to see what choice she'd make.

Ivy frowned and replied, "But something really has come up. Please behave."

A nurse piped up at the opportune moment, "The patient still needs to undergo a comprehensive examination, so the presence of a family member is required. Moreover, his injuries require constant attention, as he could break out into a high fever at any moment."

Ivy hesitated for a few seconds, but eventually, she replied, "It's fine. I'll have a caregiver drop by in a short while."

I smiled bitterly.

In the past, if Ivy heard that I'd come down with a cold, she'd even take an emergency flight back from abroad in a helicopter.

Yet now, even when I was this heavily injured, she wasn't even willing to stay for a second longer than necessary.

Less than half an hour after she left, my hospital bed suddenly collapsed on itself.

The nurse nearby was shocked.

She was just about to help me up when the IV drip suddenly plummeted straight down and struck me directly in my right eye.

My temples throbbed, and the excruciating pain in my right eye was akin to someone driving a nail into my flesh.

My consciousness began to fade against my will. Half of my face was covered in blood.

Everyone was stunned by the bizarre scene. They'd never seen someone experience such a series of misfortunes.

By the time the doctor rushed into the room, I could no longer feel any sensation from my right eye.

A nurse hurriedly took out her phone with trembling hands to call Ivy. She made four to five phone calls in a row, but nobody picked up.

Based on the series of unfortunate events I'd just experienced, it was easy to tell who Ivy was with right now.

Just as the doctor was preparing to take the risk and begin the surgery anyway, the nurse finally got through to Ivy.

She hurriedly put the call on speaker mode and asked, "Hello? Am I speaking to Ms. York? Your husband's gotten into an accident and may need to have his right eye removed. We need you to come over and sign the papers right away!"

As I stared at the ceiling, gasping heavily for breath, I heard Ivy reply hoarsely, "What? Ah… Go ahead with the surgery. I'll be there soon… Don't bite me there."

She kept trailing off into sultry moans, and her last words were loaded with so much implication that it made my skin crawl.