Chapter 1. What Is Going On Here?

“Congratulations, Mrs Riley. You have successfully transplanted one of your kidneys to Mr Richard Riley!”

“You can take a look at the X-ray yourself, ma’am. You now have only one kidney left in your body.”

Inside the City Hospital, I collected the X-ray results from the doctor and smiled faintly.

I had just come out of a difficult surgical operation.

Transplanting one of my kidneys to my husband, Richard, wasn’t supposed to be a crime… right?

Well, today was our fifth wedding anniversary. I had been married to the CEO of GLK Pharmaceuticals for five years now.

Everything had happened so fast.

Five years ago, I saved Richard’s grandfather from kidnappers who had been chasing after him. I hid him inside my little biscuit shop so he could escape from those dangerous men.

After that terrifying incident, the old man grew fond of me. According to him, I was a kind-hearted girl and would make a perfect wife for his grandson.

At first, I had no interest in getting involved with any man, at least not at that point in my life. But eventually, I agreed to follow him to meet his grandson.

And that grandson happened to be Richard.

The moment I saw the handsome man standing before me, I fell deeply in love.

I loved everything about him.

It was almost as if his grandfather could read my mind because he immediately announced that he wanted me to become his granddaughter-in-law. He wanted Richard to marry me.

The decision barely gave Richard any choice.

It was his grandfather’s final wish, and he didn’t want to do anything that might disappoint the old man.

So, he agreed to the marriage.

But after our wedding, Richard made one thing very clear to me.

" This marriage was only based on convenience. Don't expect any love from me!"

Things became even worse after his grandfather passed away.

Richard’s attitude changed completely. He treated me like a stranger instead of his wife.

Sometimes, he wouldn’t come home at all.

Other times, he would return late at night and ask coldly,

“Did I ask you to stay awake waiting for me?”

Still, I never gave up.

I did everything possible to win Richard’s heart, but nothing ever seemed enough.

Not until last Monday.

That was when he showed me the X-ray of his kidney.

One of them had become badly damaged, and he needed a transplant as soon as possible.

Thinking this would finally make him love me, I agreed without hesitation to donate my kidney to him.

As a wedding anniversary gift, I personally brought him to the hospital and told him I was ready.

I didn’t even remember how the surgery happened because I had completely lost consciousness.

But one thing I knew for sure was this:

My kidney had been transplanted into Richard’s body.

He now had two healthy kidneys and I was left with only one.

Yet somehow…

I was still happy about my decision.

As I stared at the X-ray results, the doctor’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

“If you’d like, Mrs. Riley, we can still check the health condition of your remaining kidney. It won’t take long, I…”

“No, Doc,” I interrupted quickly. “There’s no need for that. I have something important to do.”

My words suddenly trailed off as my eyes swept across the hospital ward, searching for...

Richard?

But he was nowhere to be seen.

My brows furrowed.

He already left?

Without even waiting for me to wake up?

I turned sharply toward the doctor.

“What about my husband? I haven’t seen him around. Has he already left the hospital?”

The doctor nodded immediately.

“Yes, Mrs. Riley. Your… your husband already left.”

He stammered awkwardly, as if he wasn’t completely sure of his own words.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Doc, are you okay?”

“Yes! Of course, Mrs. Riley. I’m completely fine.”

He forced a smile before quickly adding,

“As for your husband, he said an emergency meeting suddenly came up and he had to attend to it immediately.”

I blinked twice.

An emergency meeting?

What kind of emergency could be so important that he would completely forget today was our fifth wedding anniversary?

“Hope there’s no problem, Mrs. Riley?” the doctor asked carefully, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Instead of answering, I grabbed my handbag and slowly stood up.

“I should get going now, Doc.”

The doctor looked shocked.

“Mrs. Riley, what are you doing? You just had surgery! You should rest a little longer…”

“No, Doc,” I replied with a small smile. “It’s also an emergency.”

I carefully folded the X-ray results and slipped them into my bag.

This was actually perfect.

Since Richard had gone for an emergency meeting, I could use the opportunity to prepare a beautiful surprise for him before he returned.

I would decorate our room.

Prepare everything romantically.

And maybe…

Just maybe…

He would finally appreciate me.

Personally, I stopped by the mall and bought everything needed for the decorations.

Balloons.

Ribbons.

Candles.

And several other things.

After packing them into my car, I drove straight toward the mansion.

SCREEECHHHH…!

It hadn’t even been up to twenty minutes since I left the hospital, yet I was already back at the Riley mansion..

With a smile resting on my lips, I made my way toward our matrimonial room when a faint sound suddenly drifted into my ears.

“Ouch… spank me again, baby…”

My footsteps froze instantly.

The smile on my face disappeared.

My fingers tightened around the X-ray results as my heartbeat suddenly became uneven.

Slowly, I took another step forward.

“Oh my gosh, Richard” a woman’s voice moaned breathlessly. “I thought I was going to die. Imagine if I didn’t get the transplant. What would have happened to me?”

“I assured you, Zoey, didn’t I?” a deep masculine voice replied lazily. “I told you I’d get her kidney for you. And look, her kidney is inside your body!"

My entire body went stiff.

“She’s too stupid, isn’t she?” the voice continued mockingly. “That woman would do absolutely anything for my love and attention. Such a pathetic housewife.”

The ribbons and balloons slipped from my hands and scattered across the floor.

My world spun violently.

That voice…

That deep voice…

It belonged to my husband.

Richard.

But what was he saying?

Get her kidney for you?

My breathing became shaky.

No…

No, this had to be a misunderstanding.

There was no way Richard would do something like this to me.

Unless…

Unless I stepped into that room myself and saw the truth with my own eyes.

With trembling fingers, I reached for the doorknob.

Just as I was about to push the door open, another soft moan escaped from inside.

“Fuck… babe…”

Then the woman’s voice came again, low and seductive.

“With that bitch’s kidney inside me, I feel alive again. Come on, Richard… let’s continue…”

The rest of her words barely registered in my ears when.....

BANG!

I pushed the door open violently.

And at that moment…

My heart shattered.

Right there before my eyes stood Richard— My husband.

His hands were wrapped possessively around another woman’s body as they stood tangled together intimately.

The moment my eyes landed on them, Richard turned sharply, his expression changing in shock.

I stared at him helplessly, my lips trembling.

“Ri… Richard…?” My voice cracked painfully. “What are you doing, Richard? Are… are you cheating on me with another woman?".