Chapter 2

Serena's tender gaze as she looked at the nurse was familiar—I had seen her look at me that way before.

I also spotted a flicker of something that felt like a mix of obligation and indebtedness. Why was that there?

When I opened the door to Serena's office, she panicked for a moment, but quickly regained her composure. With a smile, she introduced him. "Darling, this is Michael Chase, a new nurse at the hospital."

Michael? That sounded like someone who'd be called Mike.

I set down the lunch container and smiled. "You sure know how to take care of the people you work with, Dr. Green."

Michael's ears reddened, and he quickly left the office.

"What brings you here today?" Serena walked over, wanting to hug me.

I took a step back. "I missed you."

As the words left my mouth, I couldn't help but be aware of how much of a mockery they were.

…

When I got home, I immediately contacted my best friend, Denny Hughes. He worked in the hospital's administrative department and had the best connections for getting information.

"Help me look into a nurse in the surgical department. His name is Michael Chase."

An hour later, Denny sent me a message. "This Michael is no ordinary person. The whole hospital is talking about him. Apparently, he saved Serena's life before."

What? He saved her life?

I kept reading the rest of Denny's information.

Five years ago, Serena had been in a serious car accident and suffered a ruptured major artery. Michael happened to be passing by and used his first-aid knowledge to save her.

Because of that, Serena took special care of him, right down to the smallest detail. Everyone in the department praised her for being a good person who repaid those who had helped her.

But after seeing what Denny found out, I felt my entire body go numb.

I was the one who'd saved Serena five years ago.

At the time, I was still in college when I happened to pass by the scene of the accident. I used my own handkerchief to press down on her wound until the ambulance arrived. I didn't leave until the emergency responders brought her into the ambulance.

The bitter irony hit me. Being married for years was apparently nothing compared to a lie.

…

When Denny and I met up, he looked at me in concern. "You don't look too good. What's going on?"

I shook my head. "Let me see Michael's Instagram."

Denny nodded and opened it on his phone. It was filled with pictures of his daily life with Serena.

He'd taken a photo of the company Serena and I founded together. The caption read, "She said this is the empire she has built for me."

I'd designed the company building myself, but Serena never said anything of the sort to me.

There was another photo of the custom fountain pen I had given Serena. He was holding it in his hand and captioned it with, "Using her pen to write my name."

My hands began to tremble. The most devastating one was from the day I was hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis.

Michael had posted a selfie. In the background was Serena as she gently tucked the blanket around him. The caption read, "She said I'm her source of light. I can't afford to get sick."

That day, Serena had told me she was going abroad for an urgent medical symposium and wouldn't be able to contact me for three days.

But in reality, she had been in the VIP room one floor above me, taking care of another man.

I had been downstairs by myself, hooked up to an IV drip and curled into a ball from the pain. The nurse had told me that since my wife was abroad, it was perfectly normal for no one to be there to take care of me.

At the time, I even felt bad that she had to work so hard.

"This bitch!" Denny slammed his hand on the table in outrage. "Serena Green is a monster!"

Once upon a time, she'd said to me that I was the only person she'd ever take care of.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh. Soon, the tears followed.

I'd finally learned just how stupid I'd been this whole time.

…

I didn't make a scene. I only wanted a peaceful divorce, so I calmly began gathering evidence.

I found the luxury apartment Serena had rented for Michael. It was just a short distance from our home. The rent was 25,000 dollars a month, and she had signed a one-year lease.

She had also funded overseas treatment for Michael's younger sister, who was in poor health, and that added up to over a million dollars.

I stared at the bank statements. The money had been transferred from our joint account under the guise of an investment in medical research.

We'd opened this account two years ago, ostensibly to set aside money for our future child. She had taken the money meant for our child and used it to support another man's family.

I sat in front of the computer, my fingers trembling as I went through the transfer records one by one.

…

It was time for the hospital's annual sterile-procedure assessment. Michael had previously failed three consecutive times. According to hospital regulations, he should have been fired.

I stood in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras and watched as Serena brought Michael into the cardiac surgery preparation room, where absolute sterility was required.

She personally taught him the procedures, guiding him through them step by step.

That was the hospital's sacred ground. Even the vice president of the hospital needed explicit approval from multiple senior medical staff before he could enter. But Serena had broken the principles she valued the most, all for Michael's sake.

Michael's eyes reddened, his voice choked up. "Dr. Green, I'm too stupid. I'm not worthy of your guidance."

Serena sighed, her voice so doting and indulgent that it made me sick to the stomach. "Don't ever say that about yourself. How could the person who saved my life possibly be stupid?"

The person who saved her life, huh?

I almost scoffed out loud.

I was the one who saved her life, yet somehow, he was given the credit for that.