When I had just received an offer from a French ballet company, my right leg was amputated due to a car accident.

My fiance could not accept my disability, so he married my competitor, Gabriella Smith.

I was about to have a meltdown when my childhood best friend, Joe Anderson, carpeted my hospital room with roses and proposed to me with a diamond ring.

Throughout our five years of marriage, he treated me extremely well and loved me as he did the very first day we married.

I thought that he was a gift from God to compensate for my tragedy until I accidentally overheard his conversation with his friend.

“Joe, I heard that Gabriella is the principal dancer of the top ballet company in Paris. If only you hadn’t turned Fiona into a cripple for her... Do you feel guilty?”

“I feel guilty about it, that’s why I married her and treated her well. I’ll repay her with my life.”

I grabbed the armrests of my wheelchair as I held back my sobs.

The happy marriage that I thought I had was just a lie.

The husband whom I thought loved me was the culprit behind my plight.

He only loved Gabriella.

If that were the case, I would give my blessings for them to be together!

I bit my lower lip as my vision blurred with tears.

There was just a door separating us, and Joe Anderson was still talking in his office.

He sounded a bit regretful.

“Even though I didn’t end up with Gabriella, I’m very happy to be able to fulfill her dreams, as long as she’s happy.”

His friend, Ted Johnson, could not help but click his tongue.

“Joe, I never knew that you’re such a hopeless romantic. If your wife knows about this, you’ll be put behind bars for a long time!”

Joe chuckled and said quite confidently, “She won’t. I treat her so well. Why would she be suspicious? Until this day, she still believes that I’m her savior.”

‘Savior?’

When I woke up from my coma after the car accident, my leg had already been amputated.

Joe was my doctor.

He told me that my life was in danger when I arrived at the hospital. If my leg was not amputated immediately, I would risk losing my life.

We were childhood best friends, so I did not suspect that he was harming me on purpose!

I laughed at myself as I felt my heart ache. I almost could not breathe from the pain this caused me.

These five years, I had been a fool in Joe’s eyes!

Ted wanted to say something, but Joe cut him off. “Enough. Let’s not talk about this anymore. It’s late. I should head home.”

When I heard him getting up, I immediately wheeled myself to the stairwell nearby.

It was not until I heard his retreating footsteps that I cried out loud.

It turned out that my leg was not really supposed to be amputated five years ago.

Joe had hurt me for Gabriella’s future.

He had turned me, the shining new star in the dance world, into a cripple.

Meanwhile, my fiance at that time, William Miller, whom I had loved for three years, abandoned me for Gabriella without hesitation.

With all the tragedies happening to me one after another, I thought of ending my life.

It was Joe who pulled me away from the windowsill of the tenth floor. He begged me not to do it with teary eyes.

He hugged me tightly, as if I was the most precious thing in the world. “I was the one who did your surgery. If you die, I don’t deserve to live either. If you jump, I’ll jump with you.”

He grabbed my hand tightly, and I could feel the warmth radiating from his palm.

I broke down crying. “But I’m crippled! I don’t have a future anymore!”

Joe pulled me into his arms. “You’re still alive. There are so many things that you can still do. Fiona, regardless of how tough the future may be, I’ll stay by your side.”

He stayed with me while I underwent physical therapy. He was by my side when I could finally stand again, and he proposed to me with a room of roses.

I was touched by his actions. Not only did I believe his nonsense and marry him, but I also fell in love and spent five years with him!

I felt like a joke.

My body went cold as I cried and laughed with my palm pressed against my mouth. My phone started ringing.

It was Joe.

I answered the call.

“Fiona, why aren’t you home? It’s inconvenient for you to go out in your wheelchair. Do you want me to pick you up?”

Joe sounded gentle and loving on the phone.

I just felt cold.

I did not know that love could be faked.

When he heard no response from me, he sounded a bit worried. “Fiona, are you alright? Is there something wrong?”

I took a deep breath and said softly, “I’m fine. I was a bit bored, so I came out.”

Actually, I had wanted to surprise Joe after work.

But I did not expect him to give me a bigger surprise.

Joe probably could tell that I was crying, so he sounded very nervous. “Are you crying? Who did this? Where are you? I’ll come find you right now!”

I dug my fingernails into my palm as I suppressed the sadness and hatred in my heart. “I’m fine. I was just watching a movie. The female protagonist was framed by her husband, whom she loved deeply. She was blind to everything. She didn’t know the truth and still loved him foolishly—”

Joe paused and interrupted me uneasily.

“It’s good that you’re fine. I’ll come and pick you up. You should watch less of this nonsense.”

I said, “It’s fine. I’ve already called a cab. I’ll reach home very soon.”

When I reached home, I could smell the delicious food as soon as I entered the living room.

Joe was cooking in the kitchen. When he heard the door unlock, he immediately walked out of the kitchen and pushed my wheelchair for me. “Fiona, you’re back! I made your favorite food!”

I looked up at him.

Joe obviously looked like he was trying to please me, just like a golden retriever wagging its tail.

In the past, I would have definitely tugged on his collar and kissed him. But today, I only felt disgusted.

“Fiona?”

When Joe did not receive a response from me, he stared at me in confusion.

Even though I had mentally prepared myself, I still could not help but tremble when I met his eyes.

Joe noticed that I was shaking, so he took my hand.

He then noticed how cold my hands were and was momentarily stunned before he got up, picked up a blanket from the couch, and wrapped it around me.

“Why is your hand so cold? It’ll be bad if you catch a cold.”

Then, he pushed me to the dining table gently.

He leaned down to give me a kiss on the forehead. “Just wait for another minute. I’ll get the food ready.”

I forced out a smile.

He had made a few recipes.

They were all foods that I liked.

Joe was a great cook. In the five years that we were married, he had taken care of cooking and all the house chores.

He smiled and served me some food. “My wife is too pretty to do any house chores. I’ll do this dirty work for you instead.”

When he saw that I seemed absent-minded, he served another piece of meat to me. “Eat it while it’s hot.”

I nodded and ate it.

The food that I once loved tasted like nothing.

After dinner, while Joe was taking a shower, I picked up his phone for the first time.

For five years, I had never checked Joe’s phone because I trusted him.

However, my trust was worth nothing.

I laughed at myself and turned on his phone.

It prompted me for a six-digit passcode.

I thought for a while and looked up Gabriella’s birthday online.

I entered her birthday, and the phone unlocked successfully.

My heart sank when it happened.

I clicked on his photo album. There were pictures related to his work.

I paid extra attention and found a hidden folder.

That folder was filled with photos of Gabriella.

Many of them were photos of her performance and behind-the-scenes things.

Those did not look like photos downloaded from the internet.

I checked the timestamps of those photos and realized that the dates matched the time when Joe told me he was away on business trips.

It turned out that he was not going on business trips. Instead, he was flying across the globe to watch Gabriella perform.

He had also downloaded a lot of photos of Gabriella and William.

He had deliberately cropped William out of every single photo.

I clicked on his notes app in a daze. Unsurprisingly, they were filled with notes detailing his unrequited love.

I could feel the one-sided love he had for Gabriella in between the lines.

He did not even mention a single word about me.

When I heard the shower turn off, I exited the notes app and cleared my log before locking the phone and putting it back in its original place.

I felt my cheeks wet with tears as I did that.

When Joe got out of the washroom, I was already lying down in the bed with my back facing him.

He got into bed and wrapped his arms around my waist. He kissed my ear and whispered, “Fiona…”

I knew what he wanted.

Even though he did not love me, it did not stop him from wanting me.

Men…

I held back my disgust and whispered, “I feel unwell today…”

His hands paused, and he said softly, “Then, get some sleep.”

I could not sleep at all.

The next morning, Joe was making breakfast in the kitchen.

I was trying to apply for identity revocation.

It took three days at most to get the paperwork to go through for a revocation. It was the best option to discard this rotten relationship.

Three days later, I would completely disappear from his life.

“Alright, your appointment is successful. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

When Joe walked out with the sandwiches, I had scheduled my appointment. He saw that I was making a phone call and asked, “What are you doing? What appointment?”

I ended the call indifferently. I pointed at my right prosthetic leg. “Oh, my driving license has expired. Since I’m no longer using it, I scheduled an appointment to cancel it.”

Upon hearing that, a hint of guilt flashed across Joe’s eyes. But it disappeared very soon.

He walked to my side and said, “Fiona, don’t be upset. I’ll be your driver forever. I can take you wherever you want to go.”

I smiled and nodded. “Lucky me.”

After breakfast and cleaning up, Joe left for work at the hospital.

Before he left, Joe said to me, “Fiona, I’ve arranged a candlelight dinner three days later to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. I’ll pick you up after work.”

He sounded as loving as he was before.

When I saw he was about to kiss me, I turned my head away and said, “Why are you being so romantic when we’ve been married for so many years?”

A hint of pity flashed across Joe’s eyes. He said gently, “That’s because I love you.”

My heart was stone-cold, but I humored him on the surface. “Of course! Go to work. Don’t be late!”