To save her first love, who suffered from uremia, my wife, who was a judge, used her influence to pressure the hospital into awarding one of my kidneys to him.

I explained to my wife that I had kidney failure. Transplanting another kidney would mean certain death for me.

However, my wife yelled at me in disgust, “His illness is serious, and you’re still acting jealous and competing for my attention? Do you even have a heart?”

With the lawyer she hired, she won a court ruling that sent me to the hospital for the kidney transplant.

In the end, my kidney failure worsened. I died alone in a forgotten corner of the hospital.

While my wife, Audrey Kates, stayed by her first love, Gavin Shaw’s hospital room, I lay on a cold operating table.

I was hopelessly waiting for my death.

Tubes ran through my entire body as the monitors beeped like a countdown to death. That sound reminded me that it was time to go. My heart finally went flat on the EKG.

Meanwhile, Gavin’s team reported a successful surgery. The emergency light over the operating room went dark. My eyes closed for good.

Perhaps I had so much anger and bitterness when I died that my soul ended up right next to Audrey.

My heart sank as I watched Audrey hold Gavin with teary eyes. He had narrowly escaped death.

I wanted to ask her whether she even worried if I would make it out alive when Gavin and I were wheeled into surgery at the same time.

The obvious answer was no. After all, she took me to court over Gavin’s illness.

She hired the most famous lawyer in the field. Through her lawyer’s efforts, I lost my case.

When my kidney was removed, I was in so much pain that my back was soaked with sweat as I lay on the operating table.

I called her and begged, “Dear, I’m sorry, alright? Please don’t take my kidney. I’m in so much pain. I’m going to die!”

I had never backed down before. But I thought that if I gave in this time and took the blame for everything I did not do, perhaps she would spare my life for the sake of our five-year relationship.

But Audrey just sneered and said, “Admitting you’re wrong is the least you can do. It’s an honor to save Gavin’s life. Don’t think you can weasel your way out of this. And don’t even think for a moment that giving him your kidney means you’re off the hook for an apology. In all these years, you’ve hurt him repeatedly. Once he’s better, you and I are going to settle the score.

“You want to die? Sure! But you have to apologize to Gavin first.”

I wanted to tell her I never did those things. But I was too weak.

Audrey, as if still not satisfied, said to me viciously, “You're disgusting me!”

My heart sank when she hung up. My five years of affection for her vanished.

Audrey told me I disgusted her. On our wedding day, she swore she would love me for a lifetime. I was her first choice and exception.

But once Gavin appeared, she forgot about me, her own husband.

She gently caressed Gavin’s face as if he were something delicate.

“Thank goodness you’re alive!”

Her choked voice and tired eyes told me that Audrey had stayed up all night because of Gavin.

But while she was worrying about Gavin, had she thought about the fact that I was dead?

Gavin said weakly, “Audrey, I’m sorry for making you worry. Where’s Jasper? Is he still mad at me? I’ll apologize to him right now.”

With that, he tried to stand up.

Anyone could see right through that performance, just not Audrey.

As expected, Audrey gently guided Gavin back down. She patted his head affectionately.

“Oh, you silly goose! Jasper is the one who should apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re always so kind. People will take advantage of you.”

The nurse watched the two of them and could not help but tease them.

“You two are so cute together.”

Then, she looked at Gavin.

“While you were in surgery, your wife waited in the hallway all night. She didn’t leave for a second.”

Gavin blushed. Audrey paused for a moment. She did not plan to correct the misunderstanding.

Then, the nurse changed the subject and sighed deeply.

“Unlike the patient on the next table over… He came in all alone and passed away. No family member even came to claim his body. It’s so sad.”

Audrey’s face softened. That sparked my hope again.

If she realized the pitiful person was me, would she be kind enough to claim my body?

After a long pause, Audrey sighed and said, “That’s indeed sad.”

The hope in my heart faded. I laughed bitterly at myself.

Audrey was head over heels for Gavin. Why would she ever think of me?

She did not continue. Instead, she followed the nurse and pushed Gavin into the hospital room.

As she walked past the operating room where my body was, she stopped. She glanced inside.

There I was, lying cold and dead. My feet were pointed toward the door, so my face was not visible.

But if she had looked closer, she would have seen the wound on my ankle. I got that when saving her.

After Audrey and Gavin entered the hospital room, Miranda Wenzel ran in from outside. She brushed past Audrey.

Miranda grabbed my hand. Her voice shook.

She tried to touch my hair. But when her fingertips met my ice-cold forehead, tears streamed down her face.

“You idiot! If you had just married me back then, wouldn’t that have been so much better? You wouldn’t have ended up like this, dead and completely forgotten! No one even cares enough to claim your body!”

My heart ached when I saw Miranda exhausted and haggard. She must have just come back from out of state.

After I got married, Miranda had left the city. It was because Audrey could not tolerate her. Miranda also did not want to cause unnecessary trouble. So, leaving was the best option at the time.

I was an orphan. At seven years old, I was adopted by the Wenzel family. Miranda became my younger sister.

She initially did not like me. But over time, she became kinder to me.

Back then, I cut ties with my adoptive parents for Audrey’s sake. They wanted me to enter an arranged marriage to a business partner. I knew that they did not adopt me because they liked me. They just needed someone they could use to seal a business deal through marriage.

Miranda helped me escape from the Wenzel family. I had known that she had feelings for me for a long time.

But I also knew marrying Miranda was even less of an option than with Audrey. My adoptive parents would never have agreed to it.

Miranda ultimately claimed my body.

Meanwhile, Audrey was heading out to buy food for Gavin. He said that he wanted a small cake from a shop thirty miles away. Audrey went to get it for him without hesitation.

In the past, if I wanted a sandwich from just downstairs, she could not be bothered to spare two minutes for me.

When Miranda and Audrey crossed paths in the hospital hallway, my body was lying there under a white sheet.

They locked eyes. Audrey recognized Miranda immediately.

“Get out of my way,” Miranda said briskly.

It was understandable. There was no way she would be polite to someone who had personally caused my death.

Audrey looked conflicted when she saw Miranda. She stepped back. After all, the dead were to be respected.

But when Miranda turned, Audrey’s gaze fell on my ankle.

“Wait a second!”

Audrey seemed to remember something as she chased after Miranda.

“Is this person… your relative?”

I held my breath. I was afraid Miranda would reveal the news of my death. I was even more afraid that she would not. I was actually quite looking forward to seeing Audrey’s reaction once she learned I was dead.

Miranda was silent for a long moment. Then, she finally spoke.

“He’s my husband.”

I was stunned, and so was Audrey.

Audrey knew all about my situation. She also knew that Miranda had feelings for me.

“Oh? When did you get married?” Audrey blurted out the question instinctively. She was surprised.

Miranda sneered and said rudely, “I don’t think that’s any of your business, Ms. Kates.”

Audrey was caught off guard. She said sarcastically, “You used to go on and on about how much you liked Jasper. Honestly, you’re not all that impressive.”

Miranda paused. She turned to look at Audrey and said, “Compared to you, I still haven’t done nearly enough.”

It was obvious Miranda was being sarcastic. I could not believe Audrey failed to notice it.

I followed Miranda as she left. I looked back at Audrey. I realized that I no longer loved her as much as I used to.

After Gavin spent a month in the hospital, Audrey came to pick him up as he was getting discharged.

When I died, only Miranda showed up. But Gavin’s hospital room was packed. All his friends and family crowded inside. They were delighted when Audrey walked in.

“Ms. Kates, when are you going to marry Gavin? Look how worried you are about him! Gavin’s such a lucky boy.”

Gavin lowered his head and said sheepishly, “Don’t say that. Audrey’s already married! I don’t want Jasper to get the wrong idea about us when he hears this. I don’t want to be the other man either. Otherwise, he’ll make things hard for me again.”

One of his friends said sarcastically, “What’s so great about a petty guy who only knows how to get jealous? Audrey loves you! The one who isn’t loved is the real third wheel. Besides hurting you, what else can he even do? If I were her, I would’ve divorced him a long time ago.”

I found that laughable.

Was I really this third wheel?

That was so typical of Gavin. He always led Audrey to believe that everything was my fault.

But the real kicker was Audrey’s attitude. She did not say a word. She just helped Gavin pack his things while everyone else in that crowded room just stood there watching.

I thought back to my life after marrying Audrey. She always said she would love me forever.

But I was the one doing all the housework. I was the one who swallowed all the hurt. I thought she would have my back when things got hard. But it turned out that she was the one making things hard for me.

“Ms. Kates, Gavin has stayed single for you all these years. You can’t let him down,” a person said enthusiastically as he grabbed Audrey’s arm and tried to push the two together.

Bitterness filled my heart. So, this was how they talked about me in private. To them, I seemed to be the unforgivable one.

Audrey did not say anything. I figured she probably thought the same way.

Gavin went back to Audrey’s bachelor apartment. That apartment was Audrey’s private space after our fights. She had never taken me there before.

I should have realized it sooner. Gavin was Audrey’s only exception. She would bend every rule for him.

Audrey neatly arranged Gavin’s belongings. As she bent down, Gavin walked over and wrapped his arms around Audrey’s waist.

My heart ached. It had not been long since I had passed away, and the two of them had already gotten so intimate. It was like Audrey had never gotten married.

Her body stiffened. She wanted to pull away, but this only made Gavin’s arms tighten further.

He rested his head on her shoulder and whispered, “Audrey, please give me a chance? I didn’t mean to leave you back then. If my mom hadn’t gotten sick, I never would’ve taken your father’s money and left you.”

It seemed they had broken up because he had taken her father, Vincent Kates’, money for his mom’s treatment. How cliche!

Had Audrey held onto that for all these years?

Audrey laughed, but I could not tell what she was truly feeling.

“If you had just told me the truth back then, we wouldn’t have ended up with this regret. Are you implying that I couldn’t have come up with the money by myself that you took from my father?”

Gavin was taken aback for a moment.

But he was smart. He knew that she could not stand me at the moment. So, he quickly turned the topic to me.

“Is that why you stood by and did nothing when Jasper bullied me? Is it because you hate me? He sent people to my company to trash my reputation. He also had thugs beat me up! When I got sick, he wouldn’t even donate a kidney to me. Is this how you get back at me?”

He was lying.

Every word was untrue. I did not even know where Gavin’s company was.

Besides, I was just an orphan. How could I have any power or influence to hire a bunch of thugs?

If anyone bothered to investigate carefully, Gavin’s accusations would fall apart. Yet, Audrey believed them without a doubt.

It was even more absurd that he claimed Audrey did nothing for him. After she learned about all of this, she dragged me out of my company in front of all my colleagues. It was as if I had done something shameful.

To get back at me, she found a group of thugs and watched as I was humiliated and beaten.

I curled up in the corner, shaking in despair, while those people held up their phones and filmed my bare body.

Audrey just sat there watching the show. In the end, she waved her phone in front of my face and threatened me maliciously.

“If you ever dare hurt Gavin again, I won’t hesitate to upload these videos online. That would haunt you for the rest of your life.”

She ignored me as I pleaded that I had not done anything like that. She did not believe me even for a moment.

When Gavin brought up the old incident again, she did not tell him how she had tormented me because of his lies.

How ironic!

I did not understand why Audrey married me if she did not love me.