Chapter 1

I opened my eyes, and the first thing that came into view was the operating room with the emergency light still on. I realized I had been reborn back to the very day my mother-in-law, Lillian Pierce, got into a car accident.

Before long, a doctor emerged from the operating room. "The patient's in critical condition! Her liver has ruptured, and we need an immediate transplant from a direct relative."

I nodded, having already been mentally prepared for all of this. I pulled out my phone and called my wife, Elena Prescott. "Honey—"

Before I could tell her what had happened, she tore into me over the phone. "Tristan Calloway, have you lost your mind? Didn't I tell you that I'm playing a murder mystery game right now and can't be disturbed? Why do you have to be such a jerk? You're such a wet blanket!"

I took a deep breath. "Honey, your mother was in a car accident. We need you to come down here to get tested for a donor match!"

"Your mother's the one who was in a car accident! Tristan, don't you dare curse my mother again, or you'll be sorry! I'm divorcing you the second I get home!" With that, she hung up on me without a second thought.

The doctor was standing close by and had clearly overheard our conversation. He couldn't help but scowl. "This is preposterous! The patient is in critical condition, and we must perform the surgery as soon as possible."

I nodded. "Lillian has another relative. Her younger brother. Will he do?"

"Yes."

I hurriedly called Lillian's brother, Gabriel Pierce. "Lillian was in a car accident, Gabriel. We need you to come do a liver transplant. It's incredibly urgent!"

There was a prolonged silence on the other end of the line, and I couldn't help but fret. "Gabriel!"

"Why are you going to such lengths, Tristan? I can't believe you actually came up with such a blatant lie just to get Elena to come home. This is seriously unacceptable!"

I was caught off guard for a moment. Then, I hurriedly explained, "I'm not—"

"You're not what? Elena already messaged me and told me to ignore you. You've really crossed the line now!"

The blood drained from my face, as I never in a million years expected that even Gabriel wouldn't believe me.

The doctor reached out and took my phone. "I'm a doctor. This gentleman's telling the truth. The woman inside currently has a ruptured liver, and we must perform a liver transplant immediately!"

To our surprise, Gabriel snorted. "You must be someone Tristan hired to deceive me. Cut it out with these cheap tricks! It's utterly pathetic for a man to neglect his responsibilities and spend all his energy on underhanded schemes just to get his wife to come home."

Having said his piece, he hung up on us.

The doctor was also dumbfounded. I hastily looked at him. "Is there any other way? I can persuade them later. Right now, the most important thing is keeping my mother-in-law alive!"

"There is a way. We can give her an injection to sustain her vital signs. Each shot can keep her alive for two hours, but it is quite expensive. Each shot is ten grand."

I nodded without a moment's hesitation. "Give her a shot first. I'll go borrow the money right now!"

Lillian had always been good to me. No matter what Elena did, I couldn't just stand by and watch Lillian die right before my eyes.

After I went downstairs to pay for the first shot, I immediately called Elena's best friend, Nora Hayes. I only had a little over ten grand on me, and since Elena would absolutely refuse to give me any money, I had no choice but to call someone else to borrow some.

"Nora, it's an emergency! Lillian's in the hospital right now. Can you lend me some money first? I—"

Before I could finish, she impatiently cut me off. "Tristan, have you no shame? Elena told me you're a malicious man. I didn't believe her, but now you're actually joking about something like this?

"Had she not told me to ignore you, you might have really fooled me! Please, just leave my friend alone! A disgusting man like you doesn't deserve her!"