Chapter 3

Irene only returned home after dark.

She was carrying bags of all sizes when she returned. Most of them were daily necessities.

When she pushed the door open, she saw I was in the living room.

She set the bags down on the table, crouched in front of my wheelchair, and said softly, “Frederick, don’t take what I said earlier to heart. I was just…

“I’m just exhausted. I’m only one person, and I have to work while taking care of you. For five years, I’ve done my best. Anyone would be tired.”

She continued cautiously, “After your accident, I couldn’t bear to be in this house. Too many memories… That’s why I never stayed here.

“Don’t worry. I hired a caregiver. She’ll take care of you from now on.”

Back then, those words would have moved me. But I knew she had already found someone better.

She stood up. Her gaze swept over the plane ticket on my phone, then she said with a smile, “Once your legs are a bit better, I’ll go with you wherever you want.”

I pursed my lips tightly and gave her a faint response.

She glanced down at her watch and said, “I have to go now.

“Pete has a temper. If he finds out I was here with you, he’ll be upset.”

She sounded hesitant, as if afraid that I would make a big deal of it.

I sighed inwardly and said, “Okay. I can take care of myself.”

She seemed surprised.

I looked away. I did not want to see that expression on her face.

She was about to say something when her phone rang.

Peter’s whiny voice came through from the other end.

She was not irritated. Instead, she cajoled him patiently.

I watched her from my wheelchair, feeling out of place.

We were supposed to be husband and wife, but I felt like the third wheel at that moment.

I stared at Irene with desperate longing. I was so hungry for any sign of love that I lied to myself, hoping to find even a trace of the affection she once had for me in her eyes.

But there was nothing.

Seeing her eager to leave, I asked flatly, “When are we getting divorced? After that, you can give your boyfriend a title that he deserves.”

Her smile froze. She frowned and said, “Stop that nonsense. I’m leaving. I have things to do.”

The door slammed shut again.

Just as she had said, she had made sure I was well taken care of.

She hired several caregivers. They were extremely careful with everything from helping me out of bed to taking me to the bathroom. But Irene herself was never there.

She acted as if she had forgotten I even existed.

When I asked for her new number, she said irritably, “Frederick, I have a job. I can’t be around twenty-four seven.

“There’s a caregiver, isn’t there? If you need something, ask her.

“I’m not giving you my number. If I do, you’ll probably max out my phone bill in a month.”

She had said that more times than I could remember. I learned my lesson. I did not reach out to her even once for an entire month.

Just when I thought my life would go on like that, Irene suddenly remembered me.

She brought Peter to see me.

He was dressed neatly and wore a ring that matched hers.

They stood there in front of me with their hands intertwined.

He greeted me with a smile. “Frederick, I know a guy who treated plenty of patients with your condition.

“If you work hard at rehab, there’s a chance you could recover.”

Irene looked at me with a smile and said, “This friend of Peter’s is hard to book, even if you throw money at him.

“Frederick, you’d better thank him properly.”

I smiled bitterly when I saw how affectionate they were.

The doctors could not do anything. I doubted Peter’s friend could do anything to make me walk again.

Before I could refuse, he stepped forward and pressed down on my leg. He then leaned in close and whispered, “Frederick, you’re a cripple now. Wouldn’t it be better to just take the hint and leave?

“Rin was ready to put you down because of me. If you’d just slept one more day and died, at least you would’ve suffered less.”

His fingernails dug hard into my wound. The sharp, stinging pain made me instinctively shove him to the floor.

But from Irene’s perspective, it looked like I was deliberately mistreating him.

Her expression darkened. She helped him up and yelled at me without even knowing the full story.

“Frederick, you need to learn to be grateful! I know you’re angry, but Peter was only trying to help!”

She took a deep breath and said mockingly, “They say people who end up disabled lose their minds. I didn’t believe it at first, but now, I get it.

“You really disappoint me.”