Chapter 2

He saw us come out and quickly hit pause on whatever he was watching, scrambling to his feet.

The instant Diana spotted him, she shoved me aside and rushed forward.

"Slowly! What's the rush? Don't you know you just had surgery? You need to be careful with every little movement!"

Diana transformed in an instant. The rage was gone, replaced by something soft and playful, her voice taking on the lilting warmth of a woman besotted.

"Diana, don't worry, I'm fine. But I heard everything you and Nathan were saying just now."

"Nathan, what happened here is all on Diana. She did this without telling me. When I found out, I felt terrible. I had no idea she'd go to such lengths for my sake. I'm honestly devastated, and I feel so guilty. What if I did this, what if I got down on my knees and thanked you properly, from the bottom of my heart?"

Vincent Ward had just come through major surgery, yet his color was rosy and full.

That was the health I had been waiting so long to reclaim. And now he stood here, claiming he had not known a thing.

I stared at him, the blood gone from my face, not blinking.

I was just about to speak when another voice beat me to it.

"Vincent! What's all this talk about kneeling? Why would you kneel to him?

"Nathan has been sick for a long time. He's used to it by now. Don't blame yourself. What you need is rest. Go lie back down. I'll go pick up a whole chicken later and make you a proper restorative broth.

"Diana, you've already done so much. This whole month, you've been taking care of me around the clock. Your own mother said she couldn't have done it better.

"You even put me in a VIP room and cooked for me every day in that little kitchen, experimenting with all those nourishing recipes. I don't even know how to begin to thank you."

Vincent's voice cracked with emotion. He stepped forward and seized my hand.

"Nathan, I genuinely envy you. A wife like Diana, she's remarkable. You can't keep taking her for granted the way you did before. She deserves better."

My heart was bitter as gall. I pulled my hand free.

Was I taking Diana for granted?

When my illness worsened, when I was at my most fragile, when I needed her most… she had been at Vincent's bedside, night and day, barely sleeping, barely stopping.

All because Vincent had only just been diagnosed. He was scared. He was in pain. He could not take it.

The donor kidney I had fought so hard and waited so long for, she had tricked the doctors into transferring to him instead.

Every word out of Vincent's mouth felt like a blade twisting in my chest. And Diana was the one who had handed him the knife.

I smiled–a hollow, wretched thing. "Is that so? If she's that wonderful, she's all yours."

I turned and walked toward the door.

This apartment was suffocating me. If I stayed any longer, I wouldn't make it out alive.

However, even now, Diana would not let me go.

The moment my fingers touched the door handle…

Her voice rose behind me.

"Nathan, are you out of your mind? What filth is coming out of your mouth? Is that really how your mind works? You think everything is dirty?

"Vincent and I are nothing more than friends, the purest kind!"

The pale smirk on my face deepened. "The purest kind? Sure."

Smack!

My head snapped to the side. I slowly lowered my gaze.

Diana stared at her own hand in disbelief, then looked at me in panic. "I… Nathan, I didn't mean to. I was just angry. Yes–you were talking nonsense, that's why I reacted!"

I blinked slowly. I wanted to hit back, but the ringing in my ears grew louder and louder.

I reached out, desperate to grab onto something, but there was nothing.

As I fell forward toward Diana, I watched–clearly, helplessly–as Vincent lunged with frantic urgency and snatched her out of the way.

"Diana, look out!"