My wife's childhood friend, a gambling addict she had known since childhood, returned to Dryana. To help him pay off his debts, she stole and sold my medical patent.

Before it happened, I confronted her. I tried to stop her. I even threatened to call the police.

Amanda Carroll looked at me as if I had disappointed her beyond repair. "Enough, Cedric Lunsford. You're a grown man. Can you stop nitpicking over every little thing?

"Don isn't like you. He's in trouble right now. You make that much money. What's wrong with giving him a little? I'm already your wife. Are you seriously going to tell me where my heart is allowed to be?"

I gathered the evidence and headed to the police station. Halfway there, my brakes failed. The car slammed into the guardrail. Metal crumpled and glass shattered. I was pinned in the driver's seat, drenched in blood, forcing out my last breath as I called for help.

Amanda's voice on the line was flat, almost bored. "Stop yelling. Don can't stand bloody scenes. Don't make him sick. Your insurance payout is enough for him to start over. Consider it the last duty you perform as a husband."

At that moment, I understood. Even at the end, she chose his gambling debt. She chose murder and an insurance payout.

The vehicle exploded. Nothing remained of me.

Then I opened my eyes again. I was back on the day her "childhood sweetheart" returned.

This time, I did not stop her from going to the airport. I picked up my phone and called my senior overseas.

"I'll sell you the patent. And the position you mentioned, I'm in. See you in three days."

Noise came from the entryway.

Amanda Carroll walked in with Donovan White.

He had thrown on an expensive silk shirt, the kind Amanda wore when she went out. The first three buttons hung open, exposing the hard line of his chest.

I sat on the sofa and watched him notice me.

He did not even pretend to tidy himself up. He leaned against the foyer wall as if he owned the place with a lazy smile.

"Cedric," he said. "My luggage got lost at the airport. Manda was worried I'd catch a chill, so she let me wear one of her shirts. You're a man. You're not going to mind, right?"

He spoke as he walked over, as though my answer did not matter.

With every step, the collar gaped wider. Faint red marks flashed along his collarbone and climbed the side of his neck. There were too many of them, and they were too deliberately placed to be accidental.

In my previous life, that sight had set me off. I had exploded and made a scene. I had called Donovan shameless to his face.

Amanda had shattered a glass and sneered that my mind was filthy, so I saw filth everywhere. Then she had led him into the guest room in front of me. Neither of them had come out all night.

This time, I only flicked my eyes over him.

"If your luggage is lost, buy new clothes," I said. "Amanda doesn't lack money."

I let the silence sharpen, then added, "But Mr. White, you're a grown man. You can't even put your clothes on properly. Someone who doesn't know you might think you just crawled out of some club, smiling for tips."

Donovan's face dropped at once. He let out a cold snort.

Amanda's temper flared. "Cedric, don't say that."

I saw it rise in her shoulders, ready to snap at me. Then something shifted behind her eyes, as if she remembered a line she preferred better.

Her voice softened into weary patience. "Ced, say less. Don worked alone overseas and has suffered a lot. He finally came back, and you cannot be a little more generous?"

She walked over and reached for my arm.

I shifted away.

Her hand hung in the air for a beat. Then she pulled it back awkwardly and continued as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, right. Don ran into trouble this time. He tried to do business abroad and someone set him up. His cash flow collapsed, and he owes a lot of debt now. The collectors are vicious. If he can't pay, they will cripple him." Her tone stayed calm and practical, as if she were describing a supply issue.

"Ced, you have that patent project," she said. "A few pharma companies have contacted you lately, right? Transfer it, sell it, and use the money to help Don cover the hole first."

She spoke with complete confidence, as if it belonged to her. As if it were not something I had dragged out of countless sleepless nights.

My nails pressed into my palm. I forced my breathing to stay steady.

In my previous life, I had refused. She had hated me for it, calling me cold-blooded. In the end, she arranged the crash that killed me.

Now I looked into her eyes, full of calculation and certainty, and I smiled.

"Fine." I kept my voice clear and simple, with no argument for her to latch onto. "I'm organizing the patent materials anyway. I was still debating whether to sell. If Mr. White needs cash that badly, I'll sell it."

I glanced at him. "If the transfer goes smoothly, it should cover part of what he owes."

Amanda froze. She clearly had not expected me to fold. Then joy flooded her face so quickly it almost looked obscene. She wrapped an arm around my shoulders without asking, her voice turning soft and sweet.

"Ced, I knew you were the most reasonable.

"Don't worry. Once Don's situation is settled, we'll go to Irisal, the place you always wanted.

"I'll set the company aside for a while. We'll try for a baby properly. I'll give you a child. The three of us will live well."

I pulled my mouth into a smile. "Sure. I also want to go somewhere nobody knows us and start over."

In my head, I finished, "Start over, alone."

Amanda did not catch it. She grabbed Donovan's bag and headed toward the bedroom. "Ced, Don just got back. He's still adjusting to the time zone. I've known him since we were kids, so I'll stay in the master bedroom tonight and talk business with him. You can sleep in the guest room."

Donovan shot me a look of pure challenge, then swaggered after her into my bedroom as if it had always been his.

At the same moment, my phone vibrated. The screen lit with a text alert from an overseas bank.

[Your account ending in 8888 received USD 20,000,000.00 at 20:30 today.]

My senior's 20,000,000 dollars had arrived.

I opened the online contract and signed it on the spot.

Early the next morning, I went to the hospital and submitted my resignation. The director, Ted Johnson, read my letter with clear regret and tried several times to talk me out of it.

I stood firm. I only said that I wanted some time off.

I had just finished packing my things when the clinic door burst open.

Amanda rushed in while half supporting Donovan. Worry tightened her face. "Ced, good. You're here. Hurry and take a look at Don. He says his chest feels tight. Something feels wrong with his heart."

I frowned and started to explain that I had already resigned.

Donovan slumped into a chair and cut me off with a pained expression, "Cedric, I've lived abroad too long. I don't trust the skill level of other doctors here. Manda said you're the best doctor in this hospital. I booked your consultation. Hurry and check me. My heart really hurts."

In my previous life, Donovan had pulled the same stunt. He had faked an illness and insisted that I prescribe something.

I had followed the symptoms he described and had given him a painkiller. That afternoon, he had shown up in the ER and claimed the medication caused complications. I had lost my job because of it.

Now I stayed where I was.

"You can go to the ER," I said. "I'm not qualified to practice here anymore. I've resigned—"

"Cedric!" Amanda snapped and cut me off. "Can you stop being so petty? Don is in this much pain and you're still putting on airs. Where are your medical ethics? Did a dog eat them?"

The shouting drew people into the hallway, and a small crowd gathered.

The hospital director hurried over when he heard the commotion. He took one look at the scene and sighed. Then he pulled me aside and lowered his voice. "Cedric, you did submit your resignation, but the paperwork isn't finished yet. And this is a friend your family brought here. If this turns into a scene, it won't help your reputation. Just treat it as doing someone a favor. Take a look at him."

A cold laugh rose in my chest.

Fine. He wanted an exam.

"Come in," I said flatly.

I turned and walked back into the clinic.

Donovan followed.

I picked up my stethoscope and leaned closer.

Donovan casually tugged open his collar. His neck, which had been half hidden before, came fully into view. Fresh kiss marks covered it. They were dense and dark, worse than what I had seen last night.

He met my eyes and spoke with lazy pride. "Cedric, Manda went a little crazy last night. She kept dragging me around half the night. Almost broke these old bones.

"She said you're too stiff in bed. Said these past years felt like living with a priest. Things got a little loud. We didn't keep you awake, did we?"

My hand paused on the stethoscope. I already knew what kind of person Amanda was. Even so, something pricked my chest like a needle.

It was really annoying.

"Is that so?" I said, my voice calm with a trace of mockery. "Then be more careful next time. Only men who are all show and no substance need to prove themselves that way."

Donovan's face froze, and his expression darkened.

I finished the examination in silence. His heartbeat was strong and his breathing steady. Aside from the bruised love bites, the man was healthy enough to step into a boxing ring.

"No major problem," I said. "Just a little too much indulgence."

I printed a prescription and handed it to him. "Pick it up at the pharmacy."

The paper listed nothing more than a bottle of ordinary vitamin B.

Donovan took the prescription without even glancing at it. He stepped out of the clinic and said to Amanda, "Manda, Cedric really is skilled. I already feel much better after that checkup."

Amanda finally relaxed. She patted his shoulder, then set a box on my desk. "Ced, Don brought you a gift from overseas. He wanted to thank you."

It was a box of imported macadamia nuts.

Donovan stood beside her and adjusted his collar. He looked at me with bored indifference.

Amanda turned back to him. "All right, all done. Let's go. I'll take you to that Sayorese place you love."

I stared at the box of nuts on my desk.

The irony was almost funny. We had dated for six years. We had been married for three.

Amanda still did not know that I was severely allergic to nuts. Yet she remembered perfectly that Donovan, who had lived overseas for five years, loved Sayorese food.

"Take it away." I pushed the box of macadamia nuts back across the desk. "I'm allergic to nuts."

Amanda froze. Panic flashed across her face. "Allergic? Why have you never said that before?"

Donovan frowned. Impatience crept into his voice. "Cedric, I had someone track those down for me. They're top quality. If you don't appreciate it, fine. But do you really need to make up excuses just to kill the mood?"

The trace of guilt on Amanda's face vanished at once.

"Enough, Cedric!" she snapped. "Don meant well. He didn't know you were allergic. If you don't want to eat them, just leave them there. Why make a scene in front of everyone? Do you only feel satisfied when you ruin the atmosphere?"

She grabbed Donovan's arm and stormed out, her expression cold.

I watched them disappear down the hallway. Then I tore the carbon copy from the prescription pad and slipped it into the medical file.

…

That afternoon, I had barely reached the hospital entrance when I received a complaint notice from the medical affairs office.

The office door slammed open.

Amanda rushed in, her face dark with fury.

Donovan followed behind her. A rash had broken out across his neck and arms, and he scratched at it irritably.

"Cedric! What the hell did you prescribe for him?" Her eyes were bloodshot. She grabbed my collar with both hands. "Don's covered in rashes now. Did you do this on purpose? Did you?"

Donovan clenched his teeth. His stare turned vicious. "Cedric, I always thought you were a decent man. I didn't expect you to play dirty behind people's backs under the excuse of your job.

"If you don't like me, we can settle it outside. But secretly prescribing the wrong medication? What kind of man does that?"

His accusation ignited Amanda's anger. "Cedric! What do you have to say for yourself?"

I pried her hands off my collar.

"I prescribed vitamins," I said coldly. "How exactly do vitamins cause an allergic reaction? Use your brain."

"Vitamins? Who are you trying to fool?" Amanda roared. The veins in her temples bulged. "The proof is right in front of us. Am I blind? If anything happens to Don, I'll make you pay for it."

She suddenly grabbed the box of macadamia nuts that still sat on my desk.

Before I could react, she tore open the package and marched toward me with a twisted expression. "If you enjoy hurting people so much, then you can find out what an allergic reaction feels like."

She pinned my shoulder with one hand and shoved a fistful of nuts toward my mouth with the other.

"Amanda! Are you insane? Let go!"

I struggled, but several crushed pieces forced their way down my throat. My airway swelled almost instantly, and my vision blurred.

Just before I blacked out, I saw Donovan standing nearby, watching with cold satisfaction.

…

When I woke, the hospital director stood beside the bed. An IV line hung from my hand. The swelling had eased, and my breathing felt clearer.

Amanda stood nearby. The moment she saw my eyes open, she turned to the director and spoke with sharp indignation. "Dr. Johnson, this man is narrow-minded. He deliberately prescribed the wrong medication to harm my friend. I hope the hospital handles this fairly."

Ted's face darkened as he looked at me. "Dr. Lunsford, what exactly happened?"

I turned toward the nurse standing nearby. "Pull today's prescription record."

The nurse quickly printed it and handed it to the director.

He glanced at the sheet, then slapped it down in front of Amanda. "Dr. Lunsford prescribed Vitamin B tablets. How could that possibly cause such a severe allergic reaction?"

Amanda froze and stared at the paper. It clearly read: Vitamin B.

Donovan's irritated expression stiffened for a split second. Panic flickered across his eyes.

He coughed and quickly stepped back. "Manda, maybe I ate some bad seafood at lunch. I told you it might not be the medicine. You got too worked up earlier. Now everyone looks bad."