My wife's childhood guy best friend came back to the country. He raised a toast to me, thanking me for taking care of her.

I turned him down, but my wife blamed me for embarrassing him.

To punish me, she stopped our daughter's treatment and demanded I kneel and apologize to her childhood friend.

That night, our daughter's condition got worse.

I held her as her body kept twitching, calling my wife over and over.

But I could never get through.

In my arms, our daughter's body grew colder.

Meanwhile, her childhood friend posted a picture of them looking cozy on his social media.

"Even the northern lights can't outshine you by my side."

Three days after Tara Smith passed away, Nicky West called me.

"Do you admit your mistake, Jensen Smith?"

I held Tara's ashes, feeling numb with grief, and mumbled, "Yes. I was wrong, incredibly wrong."

If I had not insisted on marrying Nicky, Tara would not have been born, and she would not have suffered so much from the start.

Since Tara was born, Nicky had only focused on her career and ignored her. I was the one who took care of Tara.

When Tara was barely a year old, she was diagnosed with a rare disease. From that point on, the hospital became our second home.

After five years of treatment, we finally saw a glimmer of hope.

Suddenly, just because I refused to accept her childhood best guy friend's mocking toast, she stopped Tara's treatment and demanded I kneel and apologize to him.

It was absurd.

Her daughter's life mattered less to her than a glass of wine.

As I admitted my fault, Nicky's voice turned smug. "We have a reservation at Moonlight Hotel tonight. Come apologize to Ryan, and we'll consider it settled."

As if doing me a favor, she added, "Ryan is kind. You don't need to kneel, just a few drinks as punishment will do."

"In your dreams," I replied coldly.

Nicky replied angrily, "Don't push your luck, Jensen. Haven't you learned your lesson?"

I laughed bitterly and replied, "What lesson could you possibly teach me now?"

I used to give in to everything for Tara's sake, but since she was gone, Nicky had no more leverage over me.

Nicky snorted and responded, "A medical lab overseas has developed a special medicine to treat Tara's illness. Apologize to Ryan if you want it."

Indeed, Nicky was telling the truth. When I heard the news from her doctor, I hugged Tara and cried joyfully, grateful that fate finally showed us mercy.

However, Tara never got the medicine. Instead, her mother stopped her treatment.

Tara died in agony.

All I felt was bitterness.

It had been three days, and Nicky did not even know that Tara was dead.

She must have just gotten off her flight, eager to call and demand I apologize to Ryan Morrison, her childhood best friend.

I spoke through clenched teeth. "No need, Nicky. Tara is already—"

Before I could finish, I heard a smooth male voice on the line. "Let it go, Nicky. Don't force him. As long as you're by my side, that's enough."

Nicky's voice instantly softened. "Ryan, I know you're understanding, but he humiliated you in front of so many people that day. I can't let you suffer like that."

Tara had been burning with fever that day, and I had not slept for a full day and night taking care of her.

Nicky suddenly called to meet her at the hotel. I thought it was urgent, but I was met with mocking and curious stares.

Ryan walked over with two glasses of wine in hand.

"Jensen, I haven't been around these past years. Thanks for taking care of Nicky. Here's a toast to you."

Ryan's words were provoking. He spoke as if I were some stand-in who only got in because he was not around.

I refused his toast and turned to leave.

Nicky exploded and accused me of being rude. She even demanded I kneel and apologize to Ryan, or she would stop Tara's treatment.

I initially thought she was bluffing. Tara was her daughter, after all. She knew how serious her illness was.

However, she was not bluffing.

I called her countless times, went to her office, and even looked for her at Ryan's place, but she was nowhere to be found.

I could only watch as Tara died in my arms.

The thought filled me with a burning hatred.

I decided to face their provocation head-on.

"Moonlight Hotel, right? I'll be there at eight at night sharp."

Nicky sounded pleased. "That's more like it. If you'd just—"

I hung up before she could say another word.

I gently brushed my hand over Tara's urn.

"Tara, Dad will avenge you. I'll ruin them."

With everything prepared, I arrived at Moonlight Hotel at 8 p.m. sharp and entered the private room.

Alongside Nicky and Ryan, the room was filled with about a dozen men and women, most of whom had been at the last gathering.

Nicky had gone to great lengths to restore Ryan's pride.

It was obvious that Nicky loved Ryan far more than me.

When Nicky and I had just gotten married, she often went out for business dinners.

I would pick her up if she was drunk, only to be mistaken by her clients as some male stripper and showered me with unwanted affection. When I tried to fight them off, the commotion finally drew a staff member who broke things up.

However, Nicky insisted on not reporting it as those clients had offered an additional two percent profit on the contract.

I could not help but think that Nicky would not have allowed Ryan to be humiliated over money if he had gone through something like that.

Everyone's eyes were on me, and Ryan's smugness was clear.

Nicky replied in annoyance, "Stop standing there. Get over here to apologize to Ryan."

I stepped forward, looked at Nicky, and asked, "You insisted I owe Ryan an apology. What exactly did I do wrong?"

Nicky's face darkened and exclaimed, "Jensen, stop acting dumb!"

I smirked coldly and replied, "I'm your lawful husband, Nicky. How could refusing the other man's toast be my fault?"

Ryan stood up, placing his hand on Nicky's shoulder with a defiant gaze. "Everyone knew I was the one for Nicky back then. I didn't—"

I cut him off, "You were, but I'm Nicky's lawful husband now. What are you now?"

Ryan looked uncomfortable and muttered to Nicky. "Nicky…"

I turned to Nicky, my voice filled with scorn. "Nicky, do you remember what you said when Ryan dumped you and went abroad?"

After Ryan left, Nicky drowned herself in alcohol. I was the one who looked after her, encouraged her to get back on her feet, and helped her build her company to its successful standing.

Nicky hated Ryan to the core back then, swearing to get her revenge. However, after his return, she cast all that hatred aside and was tangled up with him again less than a year later.

Nicky furiously snapped, "Jensen, you're here to apologize to Ryan! Ryan had his reasons for going abroad back then, so don't you dredge up the past!"

Ryan wrapped his arm around Nicky's shoulders and said smugly, "Don't play the victim, Jensen. If I hadn't left back then, you wouldn't have had the chance to marry Nicky."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, then. I'm giving the trash back to you today," I replied with a laugh.

Nicky's face twisted in anger as I mentioned her as trash.

"Jensen, what are you saying?"

"It is what it is."

I turned to Ryan with a glass of wine and continued, "You want an apology? Here you go."

Ryan looked thrilled, thinking that he won. He figured that I, Nicky's husband, was finally bowing down to him.

In the next second, I threw the wine straight in his face.

Ryan let out a low growl.

Then, I tossed the second glass in his face too.

Before I could get to the third, Nicky grabbed my wrist and shoved me away.

She picked up a napkin, wiping the wine off Ryan's face.

Ryan looked at me with pure venom in his eyes, though he quickly masked it as he murmured, "Nicky, I never would've thought that you could marry someone like this…"

Nicky stormed over and grabbed my shirt, her anger blazing. "Get on your knees and apologize to Ryan right now, Jensen!"

When I looked into her eyes, I saw that any love I once felt was long gone, replaced by deep-seated hatred and contempt.

"No way, Nicky!" I spat.

My reaction seemed to startle her, and she quickly let go.

However, her voice turned icy as she asked, "Jensen, do you want to save Tara? If you don't kneel and apologize to Ryan today, she won't get the medicine she needs."

I would've done anything, even sacrificed myself to save her—if Tara were still alive.

I laughed bitterly. "Tara's your daughter too, Nicky! How could you force me to compromise by leveraging her? You don't deserve to be Tara's mother!"

Nicky's expression wavered as if she were about to say something.

Ryan interjected, "It's on you, Mr. Smith. Don't you want your daughter cured? Why can't you manage this small request?"

I was floored by his audacity and landed a hard punch on him.

"Ryan, you're truly shameless!"

No one expected me to lash out so suddenly.

Ryan was caught off guard, and he hit the ground.

Nicky rushed over, filled with anger and concern, and slapped me across the face. "Jensen, the last lesson didn't get through to you!"

She pulled out her phone immediately and called her assistant to cancel the purchase of Tara's medicine and to stop Tara's treatment at the hospital.

Her message was clear.

The assistant hesitated on the other end. "Ms. West… Tara has already passed away."

Nicky froze.

"What? When did this happen? Why wasn't I notified?"