Chapter 3
Hazel had just left when a young nurse entered the ward with an injection. She inserted it into my skin, and any regained strength vanished. Beside me, Fiona’s voice was clear, comforting me.
“Nolan, it’s okay, it’ll be over soon.”
“I’ll be waiting outside; you have to hang in there.”
Then, I seemed to be wheeled into a surgery room.
Fiona once tried to comfort me, saying, “Don’t worry, we’ll think about kids in the future.”
But the truth was, she never wanted children.
Hazel had just stepped out for a moment.
A young nurse entered the ward with a syringe.
She injected it into my arm.
The small strength I had mustered drained away.
Next to me, I could clearly hear Fiona’s voice trying to reassure me.
“Nolan, it’s alright, it’ll be over soon.”
“I’ll be waiting outside; you have to hang on.”
Then I felt like I was wheeled into an operating room.
Several people in white lab coats wielded cold surgical scalpels.
I could vividly feel my skin being cut and my kidney being removed, yet I was utterly helpless.
Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.
I have no idea how long I was in the operating room.
When I woke again, Fiona’s beautiful face was in front of me.
In the past, that face brought me immense joy, but now it only brought a chilling coldness.
Seeing me awake, she seemed genuinely happy, embracing me tightly.
“Nolan, you’re finally awake! You have no idea how worried I’ve been about you.”
“If the heir status is gone, it’s gone. I just want you to be okay.”
Seeing her eyes red with tears made my heart ache.
Fiona, I could have been fine, but isn’t it all thanks to you that I’m like this now?
Instinctively, I glanced at my legs, amputated below the knees.
The 20-centimeter scar on my abdomen still ached.
I didn’t need to guess to know the surgery was to remove my kidney.
Fiona, do you really not care about me at all? Do you have to be so heartless?
Seeing my indifferent expression, she hesitantly asked,
“Nolan, do you remember what happened back then?”
I shook my head without speaking, but everything from that day was etched into my bones.
Hearing my response, she softened her tone and feigned concern.
“Nolan, that day you lost your heir status, you were so heartbroken you drank heavily and got into a serious car accident… Your legs were amputated, and one kidney was damaged, which is why it was removed.”
“Don’t worry, no matter what you become, I’ll be by your side. I don’t care about any heir status; I only want you.”
She had the audacity to say this, probably because she gave me memory-altering drugs, allowing her to distort the facts.
Listening to her lies felt like a giant hand was squeezing my heart, making it hard to breathe.
She didn’t suspect my lack of enthusiasm at all.
She probably thought I was not yet recovering from the car accident.
She busied herself around my hospital bed, playing the role of a devoted wife.
After a while, someone brought a wheelchair.
She quickly set aside the fruit she was cutting for me.
Diligently, she pushed the wheelchair in front of me.
“Nolan, try it out. I had it custom-made just for you. I believe it’ll make things much easier for you in the future.”
Her eyes, like peach blossoms, looked at me with innocence and hope.
Thinking about spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair made me resent her.
But I also loved her so much that I couldn’t bring myself to say a harsh word.
I was about to ask, Fiona, why are you so cruel to me?
I even kept convincing myself that she still loved me.
Telling myself the things I had heard were mere hallucinations.
But the words got swallowed back down, turning into a single word. “Okay.”
Maybe I really needed to adapt to it.
She pushed me outside to enjoy the sun, just like our old promise.
When we grow old, we’ll push each other to walk in the sunset.
The early autumn wind carried a chill, making me cough uncontrollably.
She immediately stopped, squatted down, and asked,
“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well? Should I call a doctor?”
She quickly stood up, but I grabbed her hand.
“No need, it’s just an old cough that comes with the changing seasons.”
She patted my head, giving me a gentle kiss on my forehead.
“Nolan, you don’t have to act strong in front of me. I know everything that’s happened lately has been hard on you.”
“From the moment it happened, you haven’t shed a single tear. If you want to cry, just cry. Keeping it bottled up will only hurt you.”
Her words showed no pretense, only concern.
We’ve been together for five years, and I’ve never doubted her.
But how did two people so in love end up with her as the demon pulling me into an abyss?
I tried to suppress my inner pain, calmly saying,
“I want to go home.”
She hesitated, trying to reason with me.
“Nolan, you just had surgery. I’m really worried about your health if you go home now.”
“How about we wait until you’re a bit better before going home?”
Of course, I needed to go back; Jasper Corporation’s product launch event was in a couple of days.
I wanted to give them a big surprise.
I forced a smile, even though bitterness lingered at the corners of my mouth.
“Don’t worry, didn’t you say you’d always be with me? You’re my best medicine; nothing will happen with you around.”
“Besides, I really can’t stand the smell of the hospital’s disinfectant.”
After my repeated insistence, Fiona finally agreed.
Once we reached an agreement, she pushed me back to the ward.
The phone in my pocket suddenly rang.
Jasper’s voice came through the receiver.
She deliberately stepped away to answer the call, and soon rushed back to me.
“Nolan, I’m sorry, I have an urgent matter to attend to.”
“Try to get used to the wheelchair and head back to the ward yourself, okay?”
Without hesitation, she let go of my hand, leaving me in the empty hallway.
As she turned away, my heart felt like it was bleeding.
Suddenly, I remembered all those times she took calls and left abruptly over the years.
It dawned on me.
She left to see Jasper every time.
After Fiona left, I awkwardly maneuvered the wheelchair to hail a cab home.
I carefully observed the home we had shared for five years.
Everywhere bore the marks of our love, but now it all seemed so ironic.
I went to the study room, intending to retrieve the Certificate of Bravery I received for saving her.
Instead, I found a diary in a nearby drawer.
Opening the front page, it was filled with her handwriting.
“October 2020, someone braved the flames to save me. He is the light of my life. He gave me life, and one day, I will marry him.”
“July 2016, I finally found the person I owed my life to. He was as handsome and gentle as I remembered. I needed to find the right moment to let him know how I felt.”
“October 2016, I had to bury that love deep inside. Due to a family arrangement, I ended up marrying his brother, but it’s always been him I truly loved.”