When we got to the parking garage, Jade offered to drive. Since my foot was killing me, I didn't argue.

As I slid into the back seat, she couldn't resist a sarcastic jab. "What? Is the front seat cursed or something?"

I rolled down the window, needing some air. No curse, but the car reeked of Henry's cologne.

Feeling her eyes on me, I replied casually, "You don't do well with blood."

That seemed to settle her down a bit.

"I spilled some perfume yesterday. The smell's probably still hanging around," Jade explained, handing me a half-empty bottle. "I actually made this as your anniversary gift, but I spilled half of it. You can still have it, though, if you don't mind."

I didn't touch it. I don't do leftovers, whether it's food, someone else's perfume, or anything secondhand, including women.

I just leaned back and said, "My foot's bleeding all over your car. Can we get to the hospital already?"

Jade went quiet. Her little attempt at kindness fell flat. But she kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror like she had something on her mind but didn't know how to say it.

When I closed my eyes and pretended to nap, she finally said, "Mom wants us to stop by her house today. Could you..."

She was clearly worried I'd let it slip that Henry was back. Since I was already set on the divorce, I didn't want to make things messier than they needed to be. If her mom found out Henry was the reason, it'd just drag everything out.

So, I just nodded. Jade then let out a sigh of relief.

The rest of the drive was awkwardly quiet, but oddly enough, I didn't mind. It was kind of nice, actually. When we got to the hospital, Jade gave me a squinty look, probably trying to figure me out, then dropped me off at the emergency room before hurrying to the burn unit.

"I'll grab my medicine and be back in a bit. Then we'll head to my mom's."

As soon as we got there, the ER was chaotic. A car accident patient came in, covered in blood. Jade definitely wouldn't have handled it well. She couldn't stand the sight of blood.

It had already been an hour by the time the doctor finished with me, but Jade hadn't returned. Instead, my mother-in-law called, asking when we'd get to the house.

Right then, I got a notification on my phone. Henry had posted something on social media:

'Too much seafood, and now my stomach's killing me. Someone freaked out, but the doctor says it's just indigestion.'

I glanced at the picture. It was taken right here in the hospital.

So much for Jade making it to the old house with me.

Not in the mood to deal with my mother-in-law's endless questions about grandkids, I came up with an excuse to skip the visit. As I left the hospital, nausea hit me, and I had to lean against the wall, dry-heaving while cold sweat dripped down my face.

A passing doctor noticed and stopped.

"You okay, sir?" she asked, looking concerned.

I shook my head. "I'm good, thanks."

Ignoring the dizziness, I headed toward the restroom but overheard a conversation as I turned the corner.

"Henry, you've gotta stop being so reckless. I told you not to overeat, and now you're dealing with indigestion!" Jade said with concern.

Henry smiled mischievously. "Jade, it's your fault for making that seafood porridge so damn good. I wanted to eat the whole thing, even the bowl!"

I turned and saw Henry grinning at Jade like she was the only thing that mattered. The sight of it made my stomach churn even more.

Jade giggled back at him, "If you liked it that much, just let me know. I'll make it for you whenever you want. But you've gotta stop stuffing your face like that!"

Henry noticed me standing there and, with a smug grin, grabbed Jade's face and kissed her hard. "Now that I've locked it down, no backing out!"

Those hands that never cooked for me were now eagerly making seafood porridge for him like it was nothing.

First Love really has a hold on people.

Then, my stomach cramped up even more, and sweat dripped down my forehead. I knew I looked pathetic right then. I glanced at the restroom just a few steps away, then back at the two of them, locked in their little moment.

I decided to walk away, and just so, Henry called out after me, "Luke? What are you doing here?"

When Henry saw me standing at the dermatology clinic's door, his eyes lit up, and he started walking toward me.

But as he got closer, his expression shifted to one of disdain. "What's the rush, Luke? Afraid we'll find out you've got some... embarrassing disease?"

The smile on Jade's face vanished the moment she saw me. "Luke, didn't I tell you to wait for me? What's the point of following me around all day? Even with an injured foot, you can't stop being pathetic?"

I looked up at Jade, and it seemed she was expecting my gratitude. Gratitude for trusting that I didn't have some filthy disease and for maintaining my dignity in front of Henry. But her face showed no embarrassment or discomfort at being caught in a lie. Instead, her expression was full of cold reprimand.

As for the cold sweat trickling down my forehead?

It didn't matter.

I walked past them, heading straight for the restroom, but Henry blocked me. My instinct was to avoid his touch. With a light shove, he stumbled to the ground.

Jade reacted instantly, steadying Henry while shoving me to the ground. "Luke! Haven't you had enough of this nonsense?"

She didn't push me hard, but my foot had just been stitched up, and now that the anesthesia had worn off, all I felt was excruciating pain. I couldn't handle the shove. That slight fall made my whole world spin. The pain from my abdomen and foot spread to my stomach, leaving me feeling nauseous and my temples throbbing. All I wanted was to get up and rush to the restroom to throw up.

After struggling to rise, Jade grabbed my wrist, refusing to let me leave. "Apologize to Henry!"

Her eyes were as cold as ice, completely ignoring the bloodstained bandages on my foot. Every cell in my body screamed in pain. Using all my strength, I barely managed to stand.

Suppressing my anger, I asked Jade to let go. But she dug her nails into my wrist, immediately leaving red marks. I wasn't about to back down. "You couldn't keep your dog on a leash. What's that got to do with me? If you don't let go, I won't hesitate to tell your family about your little affair!"

Jade released my wrist and slapped me hard, her eyes reddening. "Luke, how dare you!"

She seemed to be thinking about how best to curse me. But in the next moment, I vomited. It wasn't intentional. It was purely a reaction to the pain in my stomach.

Standing too close, Jade ended up with a lot of my vomit on her clothes. Compared to my pale face and sweat-soaked appearance, her now filthy dress looked far worse. Oddly, it made me feel a bit better.

Seeing my red, Jade's swollen face and pained expression didn't explode at me for dirtying her. Instead, she seemed to forget Henry was right next to us and instinctively moved closer to pat my back.

"You drank too much last night, didn't you? You're giving yourself gastritis! You just can't go a day without messing things up, can you?"

The sickening smell from her clothes made me pinch my nose and back away from her.

Jade's outstretched hand froze, and the trace of concern on her face vanished. "Luke! You're really taking advantage of me, aren't you?"

I ignored her, limping toward the restroom to clean up my mess. It was only then that Jade seemed to remember my injured foot.

Guilt flashed across her face as she followed me to the restroom door, trying to coax me. "Okay, fine, I shouldn't have hit you! But why are you stalking me like this? Isn't it embarrassing? Let's just go see a gastroenterologist. Stop acting up, alright?"

It was the first time since Henry's return that she spoke to me gently as if she was trying to soothe a kid. But instead of calming me, it made me feel even more nauseous, and I couldn't stop myself from retching again.

In a rare moment of panic, Jade forgot we were in the men's restroom and rushed inside to pat my back.

"Get out! Don't touch me!" I snapped. Without hesitation, I swatted her hand away.

She froze in shock. Her eyes widened in astonishment, quickly shifting to fury. "Can't you be a man for once? You've got the honor of being married to the McKenzie family, so start acting like it! But if you're gonna keep being this insufferable, then let's just get a divorce!"

This wasn't the first time Jade had threatened me with divorce.

But it was the first time I calmly looked at her in the eye and said firmly, "Alright."

Jade didn't get the rambling apology she was expecting. My indifference caught her off guard, and for the first time, she was furious, unable to handle the sudden shift in power between us.

"Luke, what did you just say?"

I repeated every word clearly. "I said, let's get divorced."

After I spoke, I pulled out the divorce agreement I had prepared a year ago from my file folder and handed it to her.

Jade stared at the slightly yellowed papers, disbelief etched across her face. "What kind of game are you playing now? Trying to push and pull?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "You're overthinking it."

Jade's eyes reddened with anger, and her fingers trembled as she pointed at me, but no words came out. It turned out that being the one to initiate a divorce felt pretty liberating.

Witnessing Jade's fury, Henry silently mouthed a word at me. "What a sore loser!"

He carefully pulled out a wet wipe, using one hand to clean the mess off Jade's dress while the other gently comforted her. "Jade, if he doesn't appreciate you, why bother with him? You got burned making hangover soup for him, and he doesn't even feel bad. Instead, he goes and deliberately throws up on you. His so-called love? It's all fake!"

Henry's indignant expression, filled with concern, made him look just like a loving husband.

Meanwhile, I seemed cold-hearted and petty. Henry deliberately displayed bloodstained palms, which made it unclear who he was trying to guilt-trip.

Jade clutched Henry's hand, her eyes turning even colder as she looked at me. "Luke, how can you and Henry be so different? If you're angry, take it out on me, but you have no right to lay a finger on him. You owe him an apology, and you're going to do it today!"

Jade, who normally fainted at the sight of blood, repeatedly stared at the blood in Henry's palm, gently blowing on it.

True love really does conquer everything.

Faced with her beloved's blood, Jade didn't feel the least bit faint.

In the past, she couldn't even stay with me for a blood test. Just a drop of blood on a cotton swab would send her running for the door. Jade didn't mention divorce again. I agreed to it, and she backed down.

To be honest, I felt disappointed.

A sharp pain suddenly shot through my abdomen again, and it hit me that I hadn't gone for a follow-up check-up since my gallbladder surgery two months ago. A sinking feeling settled in my stomach. I had zero energy left to deal with the jerk and the unfaithful woman standing in front of me, so I went straight back to the emergency room. I just needed to find out if my condition was acting up again.

Before entering the elevator, I saw Jade walking away hand in hand with Henry. I quickly registered for a CT scan. The wait was excruciating, and when the results came back, I couldn't believe it.

The doctor's mouth moved, but the only words that stuck with me were 'remove the gallbladder.' I couldn't absorb anything else. He had to call my name several times.

"Mr. Clark, your condition requires immediate surgery. If you delay, it could be life-threatening."

'Surgery?'

After being admitted and completing the preoperative tests, they told me a family member needed to sign the consent form. That's when I felt a bit lost. Without thinking, I instinctively dialed Jade's number.

One ring after another.

Finally, Jade picked up, and her anger came through the phone like a tidal wave.

"Luke! It's too late to realize you were wrong! Even if you die this time, I won't forgive you easily!"

I ran my fingers over the scar from my last surgery, feeling a brief pang in my chest. But it passed quickly.

I took a deep breath, then turned to the doctor and said, "I don't have any family. I'll sign the consent form myself."