My newlywed husband forces me, a late-stage liver cancer patient, to drink hard liquor just to please his secretary.

When the secretary later stages a setup, pretending to take a knife for him, she loses too much blood. In a panic, he demands that I give her a blood transfusion.

I name my price—ten million dollars.

He sneers. "Your blood really is worth its weight in gold, huh?"

Of course it is. A liver cancer patient's blood doesn't come cheap.

Later, when his precious secretary crashes into my car, he mocks me again. "You caused the accident on purpose, didn't you? Stop pretending—you just want more money. Wendy Yaeger, you disgust me."

I'm done. All I want now is to get that divorce certificate before I die, but he looks down at me with disdain. "Don't use such pathetic tricks to get my attention. You're not even qualified to negotiate with me."

Fine. Once I'm dead, the marriage will end on its own.

I hesitantly stood at the door of the private room. The piece of paper in my hand was crumpled and wrinkled.

The bar was bustling with noise, and I didn't dare take another step forward.

Luke hadn't been home for an entire month.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a man stepped out with his phone. He looked at me in surprise. "Wendy? What brings you here?"

His voice was loud enough for everyone inside to hear. In an instant, all eyes were on me.

In the center of the room, Luke was seated on a couch and had his hand casually resting on a woman's waist. My heart ached like it had been stabbed with a needle.

"Come over," he coldly ordered.

I found it hard to breathe and clutched the paper even tighter.

"Wendy's here. Come on, have a seat." The sharp-eyed person beside him made space for me, but I didn't budge. Instead, I held the paper out toward him. "Sign it. I'm in a hurry."

For a moment, the entire room fell silent. Perhaps they hadn't expected me to be so firm—after all, I was a pathetic loser that had clung onto Luke like a parasite.

With a snort, Luke set his glass down. "If you're here to ask for money, at least act like it." He glanced at the paper in my hand. "What illness did you make up at the hospital this time?"

The color drained from my face, and I trembled slightly.

Indeed, I had gone to the hospital back then, but I hadn't faked anything. The truth was that my condition had worsened, and I was dying soon.

Luke snatched the paper from my hand, and his expression went cold the moment he saw what it was. He slammed the paper on the table as his eyes blazed with fury. "Wendy Yaeger, are you asking for a divorce? Is this what you were 'in a hurry' for?"

I nodded. "Sign it. You don't love me, and I don't love you either. I don't want to be tied to you for life."

As soon as I finished speaking, the sound of sharp inhales filled the room. Even the air seemed to grow colder by the second.

Luke gritted his teeth."Sure. I'll sign it if you finish this bottle of wine."

My lips went pale as I looked at him. Then, one of his lap dogs beside him quickly poured a glass for me.

I had liver cancer, and I couldn't drink. He basically wanted me dead.

"I… I'm not feeling well…" I said.

"What now? Changed your mind?

"Wendy, stop playing games. If you want something, just say it. Don't pull schemes to threaten me like this. You'll only disgust me," Luke exclaimed.

I felt like someone had ripped a piece of my heart out, and the pain made my entire body tremble.

Quickly, I grabbed a bottle of wine from the desk and downed it. Like flames, the alcohol burned its way from my throat to my stomach, igniting my failing organs.

As I put the empty bottle back down, Luke stared at me and suddenly chuckled. "Turns out you can drink. That makes sense—after so many years overseas, who knows how many people you've toasted? One bottle must be nothing to you now."

I coughed a few times, trying to suppress my churning stomach. "Just sign it. I'll move out after you've signed it."

Yet, Luke only grinned wider. "How is one bottle enough?" He patted the woman beside him. "Go get more and open them all."

So, I ended up chugging one bottle after another.

…

I didn't even remember when I'd lost consciousness. When the pain in my stomach woke me up, I got up from the floor and stumbled toward the restroom.

I threw up until the world spun. Then, I washed my face, propped myself up, and looked at my reflection in the mirror.

I seemed dishevelled, and my skin was unusually yellow.

I lowered my head and bitterly laughed. God still wasn't ready to let me go just yet.

With how pathetic I looked now, I might as well have died overseas back then.

"Are you okay, Wendy?" Someone handed me a tissue.

I looked back into the room, but it was empty. Meanwhile, the divorce agreement lay on the table, completely soaked in wine. Luke's signature was nowhere to be found.

I frowned. "Where's Luke?"

"He left because Ms. Kingston had a fever…"

So, he'd left. The man who'd used to panic over a scratch on my hand now couldn't care less that I'd passed out.

Instead, he was now particularly attentive to Cassidy Kingston, his new mistress. She looked a lot like me—of course, not the person I was now, but who I had been in high school.

I wiped the stains off my clothes with the tissue and staggered out of the room. With every step I took, my body ached, and so did my heart.

Back when I had left the country, Luke had cried his heart out, saying, "If you go, don't ever come back!"

Yet, I didn't listen.

Now that I was back, this was the ending I got.

Luke was a poor student I sponsored back in high school. With his excellent grades, he stood out from the rest. I liked him, but he was so poor that he couldn't even afford a proper meal.

Once, some bullies picked on him just because someone gave him a love letter. They cornered him in the bathroom and purposely soaked his shoes with urine.

That day, the model student ended up in a fight. When he returned to class, his face was bruised and swollen. His bare feet were red from the freezing weather too.

My heart ached for him, so I immediately asked my driver to bring a pair of shoes and socks over.

That was the first time I spoke to him. My throat was tight as I handed him the items and said, "These are for you, Luke."

Luke looked up at me, his eyes more red than before.

…

When the phone's ringtone woke me up, I was still in a trance. Getting something and then losing it was a different kind of pain.

It was Luke's assistant who called. At first, I didn't want to answer, but the relentless calls kept coming.

Exhausted, I sat up and popped a painkiller. Just as I answered the phone, a worried voice came through, "Mr. Chester was stabbed! You need to come over now!"

My head went blank as I felt the room spin. Was Luke going to die?

There was no time to think further. I hurriedly threw on some clothes and rushed to the Chesters' private hospital.

When I arrived, I saw Luke stiffly standing outside the operating room. The sleeve of his suit was stained with blood, but he simply stared blankly ahead, seemingly nervous and worried.

I recalled the time I had surgery for appendicitis. Luke was so worried that he'd nearly broken down in tears. Fearing that I might be in pain, he had stayed up all night. He even slapped himself out of guilt and blamed himself for letting me eat unhealthily.

My steps gradually came to a halt. When Luke finally noticed me, he walked over. He raised his hand, but then, he stopped himself. With reddened eyes, he roared, "Wendy, why did you do this? You sent them, didn't you?"

I stared at him, completely stunned. There was not a single trace of warmth in his eyes—only pure hatred.

My chest felt so tight that I could barely breathe. I lowered my head to hide my emotions, trying not to bawl. "I don't know what you're talking about… It wasn't me."

"Cut the act!" Luke gritted his teeth and glared at me. His chest heaved in rage, and he even had his hands clenched into fists. "They all said it was you."

At that moment, it felt like something had been ripped straight from my heart. I had taken painkillers before coming, so why did it still hurt so much?

Luke's voice was hoarse as he said, "The blood bank's running low. You and Cassie are both Rh-negative. Since this was your doing, you should donate your blood to her!"

I stared at him, refusing to believe what I was hearing.

The Luke I once knew would gently cover my eyes when I had to get my blood drawn during my checkup.

My gaze might have been too intense because Luke avoided my eyes and turned to the doctor. Then, he shouted, "Take her away and draw her blood!"

Who knew one could also laugh when completely heartbroken? I tugged the corner of my lips and said, "Sign the divorce papers, and I'll go."

"Stop messing around, Wendy." Luke looked tired of me. "Malicious assault is a criminal offense. You could go to jail."

"Are you signing or not?" I coldly asked.

Luke turned as pale as a sheet. Then—like someone who had lost a negotiation—he gave in. "How much do you want this time?"

The heartache made it hard to breathe. Nevertheless, I coldly chuckled. "Ten million." It was enough for me to die in peace.

Luke sarcastically jeered, "Your blood must be made of gold."

My liver was covered in tumors—how could my blood not be priceless?

I ended up donating around 17 ounces of blood. My head spun so badly I couldn't even stand.

Luke coldly stared at me. "Cut the act. Is this another trick for more money?" He flung a bank card at me, which hit my chest lightly before falling to the ground.

My eyes welled up. Even at my worst, I had never humiliated him like this. I glared daggers at him as tears slid down my cheeks.

There was a flicker of regret in his expression. Hurriedly, he snapped, "I'll deal with you after I get home!"

I looked down at the card on the floor and realized how stupid I had been to come all the way here. Luke didn't deserve my concern at all.

I wiped my tears, stepped over the card, and walked away.

After that, his assistant picked the card up and handed it back to him.

Behind me, I heard him say, "You're only doing all this to get my attention. Since you donated Cassie your blood, I'll come home for our anniversary."

Just as I stepped out of the hospital, the dizziness hit me again. Fortunately, Someone caught me before I could fall. I was about to thank the person when I heard a familiar voice say, "Wendy, what are you doing here?"

I smiled weakly. "Matt."

Then, the fever hit me hard. My body seemed to be on fire, and my vision became blurry.

…

Everything felt hazy. When I could finally see clearly, I reached up to touch my head. However, it was only to grab a fistful of fallen hair.

I stared at it in my palm as tears streamed down my face. Was I going to die? The fear of dying spread uncontrollably within my heart, as if it were going to devour me.

When Matt walked in, my face was a mess of tears, and the bed was covered with my fallen hair. He sighed and said, "Wendy, don't be stubborn. Stay in the hospital."

I held out the clumps of hair to him. "Matt, take me to a salon."

"Okay." Matt's eyes seemed to be filled with tears too.

There were many cheap salons outside the hospital, and they sold plenty of wigs too.

I picked a trendy blonde one and bought a cute hat. Then, I looked in the mirror and asked, "How do I look?"

Matt nodded in approval. "You're the prettiest."

I happily spun around.

Just then, a voice said, "Wendy?"

I turned and saw Cassidy, and instantly, my face fell.

She said, "You dyed your hair blonde? That just makes your skin look worse! You witch! No wonder Lukey dumped you.

"Who's this? Your boy toy? Oh my, he's a doctor too. Are you dressing like a patient to fake your illness again and steal Lukey away from me?"

For the past few years that I had been sick, Matt had always done his best to look after me. I would never let anyone insult him like that.

I stepped in front of him and yelled, "Watch your mouth!"

Unexpectedly, Cassidy staggered back and fell to the ground. Instantly, the color drained from her face. She weakly clutched her chest, seemingly shivering in pain.

Just then, Luke rushed out of a nearby store and hurried to help her up. "Did you tear your wound?"

With her lips pressed into a pitiful pout, Cassidy shook her head.

Luke's eyes darkened as anger filled his face. "Wendy Yaeger, why the hell did you push her? Don't you know how serious her injuries already are?"

Unable to stay silent any longer, Matt stepped in and said, "Wendy didn't push her. She fell on her own!"

"Don't blame Wendy. I shouldn't have asked her about what was going on between her and the doctor. It was me and my big mouth," Cassidy pitifully said.

Luke's expression turned even more sour as he glared daggers at me. Suddenly, he sneered and said, "You're such a bitch, Wendy. Just a few days without me, and you're already out seducing other men?

"I hate people tainting what's mine. Stay away from him, or we're done for good."

His harsh words left my ears numb and ringing.

"Yeah, let's divorce," I said.