Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English
Synopsis
- 我（苏景林） -> Julian Vance
- 韩若若 -> Scarlett Harris
- 吴瀚思 -> Hans Parker
- 林可可 -> Chloe Miller
- 新妻子 -> Elena
---
When I went bankrupt, my fiancée ran off with the last scraps of my savings and married Hans Parker.
Backed into a corner by loan sharks, my childhood friend, Scarlett Harris, appeared before me with red eyes. She proposed and handed over her entire fortune of ten million dollars to clear my debts.
My debts were paid, but the stress had wrecked my health. Scarlett ran around endlessly, bringing in top surgeons to operate on me.
After the surgery, my body was covered in puncture marks, and my bones became as brittle as glass.
Still, Scarlett stayed by my side. She nursed me, swore never to leave me, and guided me through the darkest days of my life.
Touched by her devotion, I married her.
Yet three years later, standing outside her study, I accidentally overheard her talking with her best friend, who was also my doctor.
"Scarlett, three years ago you lied to Julian, telling him he had a chronic illness just so you could secretly harvest most of his bone marrow stem cells. Aren't you afraid the truth will come out and he'll send you to prison?"
"As long as it saved Hans, what difference would a few more extractions make? Besides, I've stayed by Julian's side all these years, dedicating the rest of my life to compensating him. Isn't that enough?"
I looked at my haggard, skeletal reflection in the mirror, an overwhelming chill settling in my chest.
Only then did I realize that all the happiness in our three-year marriage had been a carefully staged performance.
The only man she ever loved was her true obsession—Hans Parker.
If that was the case, I didn't want her anymore either.
Inside the study, Scarlett was still giving instructions to her doctor friend, Chloe Miller.
"Prep the surgical equipment. Hans can't go through that agony again. We need to extract more stem cells from Julian as a backup, just like we did three years ago."
Chloe sounded hesitant. "Scarlett, you stole most of his bone marrow back then and told him his weakness was just lingering fallout from his breakdown. How are you going to explain it this time?"
"It's different now. I'm his wife. I have legal power of attorney to authorize the transplant. I'll tell him it's a revolutionary stem cell therapy to help his body recover."
"The risks this time are catastrophic. Julian's body is already falling apart. Another extraction could paralyze him—or kill him."
Scarlett fell silent for a moment before answering in a strained voice. "No matter what happens to him, I'll take care of him for the rest of his life. I have more than enough money to give him absolute luxury. Besides, it's just some stem cells. As long as Hans recovers, it's worth it."
Listening outside the door, I felt as if a thousand knives were carving through my heart.
The truth finally hit me. Her sudden appearance three years ago wasn't an act of love—it was a calculated trap from the start.
When I was cornered by creditors, Scarlett showed up like an angel saving my life.
She rushed me to the hospital not to save me, but to harvest my bone marrow for Hans.
She kept me around like livestock, fattening me up just to trade my life for her first love's health.
And for three whole years, I had bragged to the world about how lucky and loved I was.
What a pathetic joke.
Clutching my aching chest, I backed away, but my foot slipped on the top step. I tumbled violently down the staircase.
The loud thud startled Scarlett.
She bolted out of the study. The moment she saw me drenched in blood at the bottom of the stairs, all color drained from her face.
"Julian! What happened?! Where does it hurt? Hang on, I'm taking you to the ER right now!"
She rushed to my side, frantic with panic.
I subtly pulled away from her reaching hands and struggled to my feet. "I missed a step. Just scraped up. It's fine."
Seeing the blood, her voice grew even more hysterical. "It is not fine! Did you forget what the doctors said three years ago? Your body is far more fragile than a normal person's. Your immune system is shot. A simple scrape could trigger septic shock!"
"We have to go to the hospital right now! I won't rest until a specialist clears you!"
She supported me toward the front door, then sprinted to the garage to pull the car around.
She had always been this attentive.
For three years, I had basked in her care, believing it was proof of her love.
Now, watching her anxious face, all I felt was a piercing ache in my eyes.
She cared because my marrow kept her golden boy alive.
It was horrifying to realize how far someone would go for the one they truly loved.
Tears blurred my vision. My trembling fingers pulled out my phone, and I booked a faked-death escape service scheduled for two days from now.
Two days. That would be enough time to say goodbye to these three agonizing years.On the drive to the hospital, I sat in the passenger seat and took a long look around the car.
Everything had changed.
Sitting right on the center console was an intimate photo of Scarlett leaning closely against Hans, both beaming with genuine smiles.
Even the passenger seat I was sitting in had been adjusted differently, pushed unusually far back.
A suffocating weight settled on my chest, choking the breath right out of me.
Scarlett noticed where my eyes had landed.
Panic flickered in her eyes, and she scrambled to explain. "Babe, my firm has a few joint ventures with Hans's company. That photo was just PR material from a charity gala. Don't read into it."
Listening to her pathetic excuse, I merely gave a quiet nod. "Yeah, I get it. Just business."
A bitter, self-deprecating smile pulled at the corner of my lips.
She had always told me my health was too delicate to handle work. She wanted me safe at home while she provided.
For three years, I became a househusband, cooking, cleaning, and revolving my entire existence around her.
If it weren't for hearing her conversation today, I would have died in the dark.
"I knew you'd understand," she breathed, relaxing. "I love you so much."
She sped to the hospital. The ER doctor confirmed I had suffered no broken bones, but Scarlett insisted on checking me into an inpatient suite for observation.
"Babe, I have an amazing surprise for you," she whispered, leaning over my bed. "The hospital found a perfect bone marrow match for you!"
"Your body is so weak, but this transplant will finally fix your immune system. You'll be normal again."
"Aren't you happy? I'm signing the consent forms tomorrow morning."
Looking at her beaming smile, I couldn't utter a single word.
To save her beloved Hans, she was ready to drill into my bones again, completely indifferent to whether I lived or died.
Only this time, she wouldn't get what she wanted.
Seeing my silence, she assumed I was simply overwhelmed with joy.
"Once you recover, we'll travel the world together, Julian!"
She clasped my hand, staying by my bedside through the night with simulated devotion.
When I opened my eyes the next morning, she was gone.
Needing some air, I walked down the hall toward the restroom. A familiar voice drifted out from an VIP suite down the corridor.
I peered through the glass.
Scarlett was sitting beside Hans Parker's bed, gently blowing on a spoonful of soup before feeding him, looking every bit like a devoted wife.
"Scarlett, you've gone to so much trouble for me. But... Julian won't find out, will he?"
Scarlett gripped Hans's hand tightly, her expression fierce and determined. "Don't worry about Julian. It'll be just like three years ago. All you need to do is rest, get through the surgery, and live a long, healthy life."
"Thank you, Scarlett. My wife has been searching abroad for a match, but now she can finally rest. Once I'm healed, I'm going to take her on a cruise around the world."
Scarlett forced a tight smile, though her voice dripped with unspoken longing. "Is that so? She's a very lucky woman."
A cold scoff formed in my throat.
Every ounce of kindness Scarlett had ever shown me was merely an overflow of her obsession with Hans.
If my bone marrow hadn't been a match for him, she wouldn't have looked at me twice.
As Scarlett turned to wipe a stray tear from her cheek, her eyes collided with mine through the doorway.
Her pupils shrank instantly. Her tender smile vanished, replaced by sheer, naked terror.
"Julian?! What are you doing out of bed? It's—it's not what you think! Hans just happened to be admitted here, so I stopped by to check on him as a friend!"
Hans, reclining against his pillows, shot me a mocking smirk. "Small world, Julian. What a coincidence."
I clenched my fists, swallowing down the bitter bile rising in my throat.
"I just came out for some fresh air. Don't let me interrupt."
I turned to walk away, but Scarlett abandoned Hans and sprinted after me, grabbing my sleeve in a panic.
"Julian... how long were you standing there?"
She wasn't worried about my feelings. She was terrified that I had heard the truth and would run, leaving Hans without his donor.
"Just got here," I lied evenly. "You saw me the second I walked up."
A visible wave of relief washed over her features.
"Good. The prep for your procedure starts soon. You need to rest in bed."
She escorted me back to my private room and glued herself to my side.
When lunchtime came, she stepped out to pick up a specialized meal for me.
Through the window, I noticed she ordered a security guard and a nurse to stand guard outside my room. She was terrified I would slip away.
I stared at her retreating back, dead inside, and pulled out my phone.
There was only one day left until my faked death.
*Goodbye forever, Scarlett.*The air in the hospital room felt suffocating. I slipped past the guard while he was on a phone call and went up to the rooftop terrace.
To my surprise, Hans was already leaning against the railing.
Seeing me, he sneered. "Tracking me down, Julian?"
"You heard everything in my room earlier, didn't you? Yet you're still lingering around like a stray dog. You must really worship Scarlett to let her carve you up again."
Looking at his smug face, knowing my marrow was slated to be pumped into his veins, a wave of disgust hit me.
"I'm not donating anything to you."
Hans laughed out loud, mockingly shaking his head. "You dragged your weak ass all the way up here just to tell me that?"
"Do you honestly think you have a say in this?"
"Never forget: even though I'm married to another woman, Scarlett is still wrapped around my finger. Whatever I want, she serves it to me on a silver platter."
I turned to leave, but his sharp words cut through the air.
"By the way, thanks for the bone marrow three years ago. Gave me a whole new lease on life."
"Make sure you eat well. This won't be the last time. My body might reject it down the road, and I'll need another refill from you."
My knuckles cracked as my hands balled into fists. Because of him, I had spent three years living like glass, terrified of catching a cold or fracturing a bone from a minor stumble.
"You really are pathetic," Hans sneered, stepping closer. "Did you actually believe Scarlett loved you? Your miserable life only has value because it keeps me breathing."
The rage I had suppressed exploded. I swung my fist at his face.
"A cripple trying to fight?" he scoffed, dodging effortlessly and landing a hard punch right across my jaw.
I stumbled back, my ears ringing with pain.
Before he could throw another punch, Hans suddenly let out a dramatic, terrified yelp and threw himself backward onto the concrete floor.
Before I could process what was happening, a figure burst through the rooftop door and shoved me violently backward.
"Julian! What the hell are you doing?! Have you lost your mind?!"
Scarlett glared at me, her eyes ablaze with fury. "Why did you drag Hans up here and attack him?!"
I hit the rough ground hard, pain flaring through my joints. Her blind accusation left me completely speechless.
Scarlett knelt down, tenderly cradling Hans as he acted like a battered victim.
"It's my fault, Scarlett," Hans whimpered, his eyes welling with crocodile tears. "I shouldn't have defended myself. I hurt his face by accident..."
He cowered toward me. "Julian, I'm sorry! Just please don't hit me again!"
Scarlett trembled with rage, her voice ice-cold. "Just because I brought him soup, you cornered him to beat him up? How can a grown man be this petty and vindictive?!"
She completely ignored that my body had been ruined three years ago. I was barely functioning.
How could I possibly overpower a healthy, six-foot-tall man?
Yet with a single word from Hans, she convicted me without a second thought.
I looked at her with utter disillusionment, a chilling smile touching my lips. "I beat him up? Look at him, Scarlett. Do you really think I have the strength to lay a finger on him?"
Scarlett froze for a fraction of a second, her tone softening slightly. "Fine. Stop throwing a tantrum, Julian. Come back inside and wait for your transplant."
"And if I refuse?"
She frowned, panic creeping back into her voice. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to secure this matching marrow for you?! Stop acting like a child! We need to fix your health first—everything else can wait!"
The hypocrisy was sickening.
On the surface, she pretended to care about my life, while beneath it all, every breath she took was dedicated to saving her first love.
"Do you really think I don't know what you're planning?" I asked quietly.
Scarlett's eyes flashed with brief panic before she snapped, raising her voice to drown out her guilt. "What is there to know?! Stop talking nonsense and get back to your room!"
She grabbed my arm to drag me forward.
I wrenched my arm away from her grip, my voice cutting through the wind. "I said, I'm not doing the surgery!"
"Now get out of my way."
Rage overtook her face. She gritted her teeth. "Julian Vance, you don't get a choice today. You are having this procedure whether you want it or not!"
She turned toward the stairwell and shouted, "What are you standing there for?! Get over here and bring him to the prep room!"
At her command, a team of medical staff swarmed onto the roof, tackling me to the ground.
"Scarlett Harris! This is assault and medical malpractice! You'll go to prison!"
The nurses hesitated, but Scarlett yelled coldly, "I signed the consent forms as his legal guardian and spouse! I take full responsibility!"
She flicked her hand dismissively, treating me like an annoying fly, ordering them to drag me away.
Then, without looking back once, she hurried to help Hans down the stairs, as though a minor scrape on his knee might end his life.
She didn't spare me a single glance.
I should have known. Why had I ever held onto hope?
"Sedate him. Get him prepped for marrow aspiration."
As the harsh voice rang in my ears, the cold needle pierced my skin, and the world faded to black.
When I woke up, agony ripped through every nerve in my body. Every tiny twitch of my fingers felt like being stabbed with hot needles.
I looked down under my hospital gown. Puncture wounds covered my pelvis and spine, angry and bruised.
Just like three years ago. Except this time, the room was dead silent.
I grabbed my phone from the bedside table. It was time. The agent from the identity relocation service was calling.
"Mr. Vance, what scenario would you like for your departure?"
I let out a weak, lifeless laugh. "Stage a fatal postoperative complication. Make it look like my body gave out."
"Understood."
Shortly after hanging up, several suited operatives silently entered the room to carry out the extraction of my life.
Looking at them, all lingering attachments in my heart vanished.
*Goodbye, Scarlett.*
For the next twenty-four hours, my wife never once checked on me. She stayed entirely focused on nursing Hans Parker back to health after his successful transplant.
She sat by his bed, using forks to feed him fresh fruit.
Chloe Miller watched from the doorway and sighed. "Scarlett, is this really right? Julian is in critical condition after the extraction, and you're here babying Hans."
"Julian has loved you with everything he has for three years. Did you really never feel anything for him?"
Chapters (3)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Watch & Promotions
- Search this code in the NovelMaster app:
539190Open NovelMaster → Search code → Find the title