She Married Me to Hand Everything to Him

Kendrick's POV

When I finally came to, my wife, Daphne Gibson, was gently dabbing my parched lips with a damp cotton swab.

I turned away, but she only leaned in and kissed my cheek.

"Darling, I wasn't trying to pressure you into signing. But Oliver is the stepson," Daphne explained gently. "Without something to his name, he'll never be able to earn his place in the Gibson family.

"He called me earlier and said Mildred's mom tore into him again. I panicked and pushed you to sign because I wanted to help him. Once he has the company, he'll finally have some respect in the family."

The tenderness in her eyes had always been enough to make me lose myself in her. But this time, all I felt was disgust.

The unbearable pain coursing through my body kept dragging me back to everything that had happened in the operating room.

I'd been hit by a drunk driver. By the time I reached the hospital, doctors warned that my spinal injuries were severe. Without immediate surgery, I would be permanently paralyzed.

After more than ten hours of fighting to save me, the doctors had to use a new procedure to implant an advanced artificial spine.

But Daphne, the person who should have been signing off on my surgery, hadn't shown even a trace of fear or concern. Instead, she'd pressured me into signing away my company.

Just like that, everything my mother had devoted her life to building had fallen into the hands of Oliver Shaw, my stepbrother.

Even now, thinking about how close I'd come to dying still left me shaken. The woman who had spent years protecting and loving me had been willing to gamble away my future for another man.

At that moment, Daphne gently tucked the blanket around me. It was as if she weren't the same person who had just threatened me into signing away my company for Oliver.

My chest tightened, and a wave of bitterness welled up inside me.

Daphne sighed when she saw my expression. Then, she said, "Kendrick, you've just had surgery. Getting worked up isn't good for your recovery.

"The company doesn't really do anything for you. It only drains your time and energy. But it's something Oliver can rely on. You're his younger brother, so you should be the bigger person.

"Everything I make goes to you anyway. What more could you possibly want?"

She sounded as though she had my best interests at heart. Yet, every word only made me feel more distant from her.

I lowered my gaze and asked quietly, "What did the police say? Have they found the person who did this?"

Daphne reached up and touched her ear, clearly uncomfortable.

"Not yet. But don't worry, Ken. I'll make sure whoever did this pays dearly," she said without the slightest hint of remorse.

But earlier, in my haze, I'd heard her talking to Oliver on the phone.

"Oli, are you saying the person who hit Kendrick is your friend?" she had asked. "He's hurt this badly. There's no way I can just let this slide."

However, after Oliver pleaded with her for a while, Daphne eventually gave in. "Don't worry about Kendrick. He's so in love with me. He'll do whatever I ask."