Chapter 4

The one thing my parents told me most, growing up, was this:

"You were born to live a comfortable life. Your mother and I earn money so you can spend it."

And it was true. Up until college, I had no idea what hardship even meant. I was used to a life where everything was handed to me.

I'd assumed my path would follow exactly the one my parents had mapped out for me: graduate from university, come home, marry into a suitable match, then inherit the family business and live out a wealthy, comfortable life.

But everything changed the day I met Megan.

She was the first person I'd ever seen who could wear a white dress that beautifully. She smiled at me faintly under a cherry blossom tree, and I lost every ounce of reason I had.

For the first time in my life, the obedient, well-behaved son picked a fight with his own parents. No matter what, I was dead-set on bringing Megan home.

My mother shook with anger and gave me a stern warning.

"I looked into this girl's past. She's been dating since middle school, and every single time, it's been some man who could benefit her. She uses them up, then kicks them to the curb. A woman like that has no business marrying into this family."

Blinded by infatuation, I couldn't bring myself to listen to a word my parents said. I even thought they were slandering her. How could someone so wonderful ever do something so despicable?

In the end, I got my way and stayed with her, at the cost of a permanent break from my parents. I refused to accept a single cent of my family's help.

I'd thought my resolve would last until the day I died.

I was wrong.

One freezing winter night, I came home from work and pushed open the door to find Megan shivering on the bed, half-frozen. Something in me broke completely.

I wasn't afraid of hardship. I wasn't afraid of suffering. What I couldn't do was stand by and watch the woman I loved live like this.

I knelt outside my parents' door for a full day and night until they finally agreed to help Megan, on one condition: she could never set foot in our family's home.

I knew, deep down, they were just too soft-hearted to keep refusing. I naively believed that once Megan got pregnant, they'd finally come around completely.

Instead, reality had just delivered me a brutal slap in the face.

If that was how things stood, then she didn't deserve my family's help either.

I stayed silent for a long while before finally pulling out my phone and calling my parents.

"Mom, Dad. Megan's been cheating on me. Cut off all support to her."

By the time I got back to the office, Megan and her team were already waiting there. She glanced at me lazily the moment I walked in.

"I don't have time for a minor procedure tonight. You're covering for me."

The "minor procedure" she mentioned so casually was actually a major surgery that would take hours of high-intensity focus. One misstep, and it could ruin a career.

This was her usual trick. She'd spent her school years chasing romance instead of studying, so her actual clinical skills were close to nonexistent. Every time a major surgery came up, she pushed it onto me.

If it went well, she took the credit. If it went badly, she could pin the blame entirely on me.

I used to be foolish enough to believe her, thinking she was really giving me a chance to build my skills. Not anymore.

"No. Whoever's surgery it is, they can go do it themselves."

I didn't even bother looking at her.

The office fell into dead silence. Everyone exchanged glances, clearly unable to believe I'd actually said that out loud. They'd all seen how obedient I used to be around her.

"Am I not giving you enough face? You think you're in a position to say no to me?"

Feeling humiliated, Megan slammed her hand down on the desk.

I let out a cold laugh.

"And to think you're deputy director. How many surgeries have you actually performed yourself over the years? And how many of them actually succeeded?"

Her face flushed red at that. She stammered, unable to get a word out.

Years ago, she'd botched a procedure the first time she'd ever operated. This year, she'd made the exact same mistake again. If my parents hadn't been smoothing things over behind the scenes all these years, she'd have been thrown in prison a long time ago.

Naturally, she couldn't stand having her weak spot exposed in front of everyone.

"I think you've lost your mind! If you don't want to do the surgery, then you don't need to be at this hospital at all. Get out!"

I smiled.

"The one who actually needs to get out is you."

She opened her mouth to say something else, but right then, her phone rang. The moment she saw the name on the screen, she plastered on a fawning smile.

"Director, what a surprise to hear from you today."

On the other end, an old man's furious voice roared loud enough to carry across the entire department.

"Megan Louis! Do you have any idea who got you the deputy director position? If the Greenwoods hadn't been backing you the whole time, you wouldn't have earned that title in a hundred years with your amateur skills! Not only did you not show any gratitude, but you bit the hand that fed you!

"I've already decided to revoke every position you hold, effective immediately. Go home and think long and hard about what you've done!"