Chapter 3 The Truth She Would Never Hear

"Throw him outside. Make him kneel for twenty-four hours. If he doesn't finish, don't let him back in."

I let the servants drag my weak body away without a word.

There was no point in explaining. She never listened. She was only looking for an excuse to vent her anger.

Dark clouds rolled overhead.

The moment they dragged me outside, a light drizzle began to fall. Before long, it turned into a torrential downpour.

My head grew heavier and heavier. Suddenly, the ground seemed to tilt toward me. Then everything went black.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

Sylvia stood beside me, her face full of concern. "You're finally awake. The doctor said you had a high fever.

"So… You oversalted the soup because you were sick, right? Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you still go outside and kneel?"

I simply looked at her in silence.

She had never listened to my explanations. Even if I had refused or fought back, she would not have spared me the punishment. This concern of hers was nothing more than an act.

When Sylvia saw that I would not answer, she did not press the matter.

Instead, she brought over some medicine. "Come on. Drink this. It'll help you recover faster."

I kept my lips shut and did not move.

She raised an eyebrow. "What? You think I poisoned it?"

I met her eyes. "Haven't you done that before?"

Sylvia bristled. She lifted the bowl and took a sip herself. "I was childish back then. This time, I really didn't."

Still doubtful, I picked up the bowl.

Before I could drink, she started talking. "Gideon's mom is sick. He checked, and it turns out your mom is a perfect kidney match. He was hoping she'd donate one.

"Your mom's always been healthy, and she is the kind of person who'd help anyone. I'm sure she'd agree."

She had driven my mother to her death. And now she was talking about asking her to donate a kidney.

I slammed the bowl onto the bedside table.

Instead of answering her, I said quietly, "Let's get divorced."

Sylvia stared at me as if she'd misheard. "What did you say? I only asked your mother to donate a kidney. It's not like it'd hurt her. You're divorcing me over that?"

The mention of my mother sent another stab of pain through my chest.

Holding back my grief, I said, "Didn't you always say I kept you and Gideon apart? He's back now. If we get divorced, you'll finally be free to be with him. Isn't that what you want?"

I was giving them exactly what they wanted. She should have been happy. I could not understand why she looked so furious.

"Julian, who do you think I am? You don't get to decide when we get married and when we get divorced.

"You tore Gideon and me apart for money. You stole ten years from us. I haven't even made you repay a hundredfold for everything I suffered. You're not getting off that easily. If you don't want the medicine, fine. Then stay here and die."

With one sweep of her hand, she knocked the bowl to the floor.

A nurse walked in just then for my checkup.

Seeing the shattered bowl, she sighed. "After you fell ill, your wife was terribly worried about you. She's been asking about your condition every few minutes. She made that medicine herself. She really cares about you."

I smiled without saying anything.

Maybe ten years ago, I would have been touched by Sylvia's kindness.

But after ten years, I had grown used to what always came after her moments of tenderness.

Either she would turn cruel again, or she wanted something from me.

Just like this time. The rare care she had shown me was only meant to buy my mother's kidney.

The nurse finished the examination and quietly left the room.