Chapter 1

Married for five years, I loved Cassidy to the marrow of my bones.

When she fell severely ill, I drained my entire fortune just praying for her recovery.

But it turned out to be nothing but her lie, a sick charade she orchestrated with my illegitimate half-brother.

On a night of heavy rain, I was beaten to a bloody pulp and thrown off a cliff.

Cassidy just stood there watching coldly, even complaining that my mangled body was too disgusting and scared her.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Cassidy cried and told me she had a terminal illness, begging for a divorce.

This time, I agreed to it without a moment of hesitation, leaving Cassidy completely dumbfounded.

01

"Hubby, I have a terminal illness and I can't keep dragging you down, so we should get a divorce!"

Hearing these familiar words ring in my ears, I couldn't react for a moment.

I was certain I had already died, yet somehow I was hearing my wife's voice, and a second later, her soft sobbing pulled me back to reality.

I stared blankly at my crying wife and the signed divorce papers on the table.

The lingering phantom pain of my brutal death made me frown, as this was exactly what Cassidy said when she claimed to be sick before.

Am I dreaming?

Seeing me in a daze and frowning with displeasure, a flash of smugness crossed Cassidy's eyes before she immediately cried even more pitifully to persuade me.

"Hubby, I love you, but I don't want to be your burden since there's no cure for this rare disease."

"Forget me after the divorce, live a good life, and marry someone who truly loves you, for that is my final wish!"

Listening to Cassidy's pretentious bullshit, I grabbed the divorce agreement on the table and signed it without hesitation.

I looked at her solemnly and said, "Don't worry, honey, I will definitely fulfill your last wish, and we can go do the paperwork today."

Feeling the realistic texture of the pen as I signed, I suddenly realized I might have been reborn.

This time, I wouldn't let that cheating bitch and that bastard get away with anything.

Watching my crisp signature and firm promise, Cassidy's face froze instantly, leaving her speechless.

However, she adjusted her emotions very quickly and returned to her previous act.

Tears welled up in her eyes and slowly rolled down her cheeks, making her look entirely helpless and broken.

But I didn't miss the fleeting flash of confusion and pure malice deep in her eyes.

"Declan, it means so much that you agreed..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Cassidy fainted and collapsed onto the floor.

I didn't reach out to pick her up.

Instead, I called the maids and had them help her back to her room to rest.

Once there was no one else in the study, I leaned back in my chair and thought about my current situation.

Cassidy and I had been in love for two years and married for five, and I always thought we were a match made in heaven.

I never expected her to be screwing my illegitimate brother behind my back while faking her death to plot against me.

They left me penniless before having me beaten to death.

This time, I had returned to a point where the worst had yet to happen, so we would see who could outplay who.

A sudden knock on the door pulled me back to reality, and a gentle-looking young man pushed the door open to casually sit on the sofa.

It was none other than my illegitimate half-brother, Rowan.

He looked at me with a face full of concern and asked, "Bro, what happened? Why did my sister-in-law faint suddenly?"

I closed my eyes and forcefully suppressed the raging fury in my heart, simply motioning for him to look at the medical report on the table.

After Rowan read it, he looked uncomfortable and said, "So you know, bro."

"She just loved you too much, which is why she secretly got treatment at my clinic without telling you."

"I came to see you to talk about this as well, since it's in the terminal stage now and we can't hide it anymore."

I watched him put on his little performance in silence.

After all, he was the one who forged this very medical report.

In my past life, I was deeply moved when I learned about her illness and her desire to divorce.

Thinking she truly loved me, I tore the divorce papers to pieces and held her, promising to cure her.

She achieved her goal back then, so Rowan never had to put on this act.

Obviously, my unexpected reaction caught them off guard, and now Rowan was just testing the waters.

If it was just acting, two could play at that game.

I took a deep breath, letting my eyes turn red with forced tears.

As if unable to bear the immense blow, I choked up and said, "It's already in the late stages, so no amount of treatment will help now."

"Divorcing me is her final wish, so I'll just grant it to her!"

Hearing my words, a trace of shock flashed across Rowan's face.

After all, according to their script, my next move should have been squandering my fortune to treat Cassidy's illness.

Divorcing her so neatly went completely against my usual personality.

Rowan opened his mouth to say something but quickly swallowed his words.

Seeing this, I rubbed my temples and impatiently dismissed him.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I want to rest. You have to go to the company tomorrow, so get some good sleep tonight."

Realizing there was nothing more to say, Rowan had no choice but to leave, and I let out a cold sneer.

This bastard brother of mine was never the obedient type.

He had disguised himself quite well over the years.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have managed to fool me so thoroughly in my previous life.