The next day, I woke up in the hospital.

Cindy was by my bedside, her eyes full of concern and anxiety.

"Why didn't you tell me you were feeling unwell? The doctor said you have a high fever. Does it hurt anywhere else?"

She reached out to touch my forehead.

I instinctively recoiled, my gaze sweeping over her neck.

There, several bright red hickeys remained, sharp and painful to my eyes.

Cindy noticed my gaze and tried to cover them up by pulling up her collar.

"You didn't come back to the room last night, so I was the mosquitoes' only target."

Why would there be mosquitoes in the dead of winter?

Her lie was so clumsy. She couldn't even be bothered to make up a better story.

I remembered last summer, it was really hot. There were many mosquitoes, and she was bothered by them. Therefore, I sprayed mosquito repellent on my body and lay down next to her naked so that she wouldn't get bitten.

But red marks still appeared on her body from time to time.

I thought it was because I wasn't doing a good enough job, but thinking back now, those marks were clearly left behind by Duncan.

Cindy asked me kindly, "What would you like to eat?"

I didn't answer. I closed my eyes, ignoring her.

Just then, Duncan came into the ward carrying a thermos.

"Jeremy, I heard you got sick, so I made this soup to nourish you."

He put down the thermos and deliberately removed his coat to reveal a low-cut undershirt that showed off a lot of skin. His chest was adorned with suggestive scratch marks.

"My skin is sensitive. I accidentally scratched myself and it became like this. Cindy said your skin is tough, so you shouldn't have this kind of problem, right?"

He meaningfully fiddled with the herb in the soup, and the smugness in his eyes was obvious.

I clenched my teeth and could taste blood on my tongue, but it couldn't compare to the pain in my heart.

Duncan smiled, bent down to feed me soup, and whispered in my ear, "You heard what we did last night, right? Cindy clung to me so tightly. She even helped me clean up afterwards, saying she hadn't had enough. Have you ever enjoyed that kind of treatment from her? I chose to do it in your bedroom on purpose. Cindy rolled all over the bed. She was so stimulated her whole body went limp..."

Now I know why they were so brazen. It turned out that Duncan wanted me to see it!

He was obviously trying to provoke me by telling me about Cindy's performance in bed!

I couldn't stand it anymore, so I pushed him away.

He used that chance to spill the hot soup and adopt a hurt expression.

"Jeremy, I just wanted to feed you something nutritious. If you don't want it, just say so. Why do you have to do this..."

Cindy, who had just finished a phone call, frowned and held Duncan's hand with concern.

She then turned to me and slapped me without hesitation, obviously furious.

"Did the fever damage your brain, Jeremy?! Duncan is kind enough to make soup for you, but you attacked him. Are you crazy?!"

Before I could speak, Duncan lowered his eyes pitifully.

"Cindy, it’s okay. Jeremy is sick, so it's understandable if he's feeling a little irritable. It's my fault for being insensitive and coming over to disturb you guys. Don't blame him."

"He deserves it!" Cindy's eyes were like cold blades. "Apologize to Duncan right now!"

Duncan humiliated me and framed me, yet Cindy wanted me to apologize to him.

Of course I refused. "Dream on!"

Cindy was enraged. She violently yanked out my IV drip.

"How dare you?! I know you're still angry about last night, but you brought that on yourself. Why are you attacking Duncan?! Since the cold water couldn't clear your head, go stay in the warm room instead!"

The warm room at home was a resting place that I designed and built for Cindy myself. I learned to do it from scratch.

The temperature inside could be adjusted and maintained at will, ensuring that she would be comfortable every second she was in there.

But now, she shoved me inside and turned the temperature up to an unbearable 120 degrees!

Duncan feigned concern. "Cindy, the temperature is too high. Jeremy won't be able to handle it. Although my hand was scalded, it's not a big deal."

Cindy cruelly locked the door. "Compared to the temperature of the soup, 120 degrees is nothing. I'll make him apologize to you!"

But only a small patch of Duncan's hand was red, and he didn't even need to apply ointment.

Meanwhile, 120 degrees was tantamount to death for me who hadn't recovered from the fever.

My body felt like it was being roasted on a fire. Every inch felt painful.

I clenched my teeth tightly, refusing to give in. "I did nothing wrong!"

Cindy scoffed. "You're so ungrateful. I don't think a verbal apology is enough now."

She turned around and called a servant over.

"Get him paper and pen. Let him out only after he writes an apology letter to Duncan."

After that, she left with Duncan.

Not long after, my phone rang. It was a video call from Duncan.

I answered it.

On the screen, Cindy looked tenderly at Duncan, softly asking if he was still in pain.

Duncan shook his head with a smile, saying that as long as she was concerned about him, he could endure any pain.

The two looked at each other affectionately and kissed.

Less than two minutes later, they took off all their clothes.

Cindy gasped passionately, "Be gentle, you hurt me last night..."

Duncan gently nibbled her earlobe, "It’s your fault for being too sexy. Do you like this? Hmm?"

"I like it, it feels so good..."

"I wish I could tie you to the bed and keep you here forever..."

"You're so bad..."

Teasing words, dripping with seduction.

I had never seen this side of Cindy before.

The conversation in the video became more and more outrageous. At the peak of their passion, Duncan breathily asked, "You're so good at this. Did Jeremy teach you?"

Cindy said without hesitation, "I've never slept with him."

Duncan chuckled. "I know, you feel disgusted when he touches you. Sorry for ruining the mood. I'll stop talking about him. Let's go to the window. Raise your leg higher..."

This was the wife I had shared a bed with for three years.

She locked me in a 120-degree warm room to torture me, then committed adultery with her own brother-in-law in broad daylight.

She told me she wanted to put romance aside, but she then bloomed freely in the arms of another man.

I smiled bitterly, tears streaming down my face.

The phone couldn't withstand the high temperature and shut down by itself, and the video call ended.

However, their voices still lingered in my mind.

My heart felt numb. I clutched the clothes on my chest, gasping for air.

A sense of suffocation assaulted me from all directions. I fainted in the warm room with tears streaming down my face.

I woke up in the bedroom this time.

The temperature in the room was just right, but I still felt like I was burning all over.

Cindy was standing by the bed. She handed me hot water and fever medicine. "Take these."

I turned my face away and ignored her.

She forcibly turned my face back. "Still throwing a tantrum? Stop acting like a petulant child! You did something wrong, so you should be punished. If Duncan hadn't pleaded for you, you'd still be in the warm room!"

I looked straight into her eyes and asked, "Would you be happy if I died in there?"

My hoarse voice stunned Cindy, and she finally noticed how terrible I looked.

A brief flash of guilt and heartache crossed her eyes, as if she wasn't the cause of all this.

"You haven't written the apology letter yet, so don't threaten me with death."

She forcefully pried open my mouth and poured the medicine and water in together.

The pill got stuck in my throat, and I coughed violently, tearing open the surgical wound that hadn't healed yet.

Blood seeped out, and Cindy panicked a little for once.

"Are you okay?"

She bent down to pat my back.

At that moment, Duncan and Stanley walked into the room.

Seeing the state I was in, Stanley asked, "What's going on? Why is he bleeding?"

With Duncan present, Cindy's hand didn't land on my back after all.

"It's nothing. The wound just didn't heal properly."

Stanley immediately said, "In that case, I have good news. I bought a mountain villa for Jeremy, the one that he's always liked. The environment there is perfect for recuperating."

As he spoke, he looked at me meaningfully.

I knew this was his test for me, to see if I would really agree to Cindy bearing Duncan's child.

I wiped the water from the corner of my mouth. "Okay, I'll move there."

Stanley beamed with satisfaction. "Jeremy is so understanding. Cindy, you and Duncan should prepare for the surrogacy."

Cindy looked flustered. "Dad, what surrogacy? What are you talking about?!"

"It's Jeremy's idea. Your sister passed away young, so Duncan is all alone. You don't want him to be lonely for the rest of his life, right?"

Cindy's eyes widened in shock. She then glared at me angrily.

"You actually want me to bear Duncan's child? If this gets out, what will people think of Duncan? Do you have no morals?!"

Obviously, Duncan's reputation was very important to her. She did not want people to talk bad about Duncan behind his back.

Her reasoning was full of righteousness and morality, yet they were doing all sorts of morally corrupt things behind my back.

Even now, she still carried the fishy scent of after sex with Duncan.

I felt disgusted. I deliberately asked her, "Don't tell me you're unwilling to sleep with him?"

Cindy's words caught in her throat.

Of course she was willing.

She just couldn't bear to see Duncan suffer even the slightest criticism.

When she didn't answer for a long time, Duncan smiled bitterly.

"Cindy, I don't know how I offended Jeremy for him to humiliate me like this. People already look down on me because I married into the Johnson family and took on the Johnson family name. If I..."

Before he had even finished speaking, tears fell from his eyes.

Cindy hurriedly wiped them away for him while comforting him softly.

Stanley, frustrated, said, "The Johnson family line is about to end! Why are you hesitating?! Cindy, you said Jeremy can't have children, so have one with Duncan instead. Just tell people that it's Jeremy's child. No one would know."

I see. In order to appease my parents-in-law, Cindy even made up lies about me.

But it didn't matter anymore.

This marriage was already rotten to the core. I felt no desire to defend myself.

However, a hint of awkwardness flashed on Cindy's face. She then glared at me.

"You're so despicable, Jeremy! Is this how you're trying to force me to sleep with you? Your methods are as pathetic as ever."

I couldn't understand how requesting a normal marriage relationship was a despicable act.

Looking at her hand that was hooked on Duncan's arm, I propped myself up with difficulty.

"If you don't want to, pretend I never said anything."

Cindy pursed her lips and fell into a brief struggle.

After a moment, she grinned coldly.

"Okay, if that's what you want, I'll grant your wish. You better not regret it!"