Chapter 1

To save my daughter from late-stage kidney failure, I gave her my kidney without a second thought.

But just before she was fully recovered, my wife did the unthinkable. She jumped from the hospital rooftop without a single word of explanation.

The medical bills for both of them were astronomical. I had no choice but to work multiple grueling jobs while my own body was still reeling from the surgery.

As they slowly got better, I was the one fading away from post-op complications.

Right before I drew my last breath, strange translucent comments started floating in front of my eyes.

【This side character is way too pathetic. The female lead only faked that jump to squeeze more money out of him. She even took out a massive life insurance policy on him when she saw he was dying.】

【Oh my god, he's dying without knowing the truth. His daughter isn't even his. She's the love child of the female lead and her secret high school sweetheart.】

【Sigh, he loved her so much, but she spent her whole life playing him. She even made him give up a prestigious fellowship abroad. He wasted his entire life on a lie.】

I reached out, trembling, wanting to scream at the woman and child standing by my bed. But my strength failed, and I choked on my final breath.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the past. It was the exact day I received the notification for my fellowship in California.

I looked at my wife standing in the distance, pretending to comfort our daughter. I spoke into the phone to my professor.

"No problem, Professor. I'll be there by Friday to start my fellowship."

01

The moment I finished the call, the floating comments went into a frenzy.

【Wait, did the side character actually grow a brain this time? He agreed to go abroad? That means he won't see the female lead for years!】

【No way. Just wait. Once she brings the kid over, he'll fold. Everyone knows he'd rip his own heart out for her.】

I watched the comments, my heart turning to ice.

In my past life, I didn't just ruin my career for her. I took the dirtiest, most dangerous jobs just to give her a life of luxury.

And what did I get? She complained I was a loser who couldn't make real money. She looked with disgust at my hands―hands that should have been used for research―because they were covered in scars and callouses.

If it weren't for these floating texts, I would have never known that to Brianna White, I was nothing but a human ATM.

Even the daughter I cherished with all my soul was the spawn of her and her 'White Moonlight,' Lucas.

Brianna walked toward me, gently tugging at my sleeve. Her eyes were swimming with tears.

"Zach, please… don't leave us…"

Her voice broke into a sob. She turned her head away, wiping a tear as if she didn't want me to see her pain.

"No… I shouldn't be so selfish. Staying here will ruin your future."

She looked so fragile, so heartbreakingly beautiful.

【Here it is! The peak manipulative performance. Two sentences and a little pout, and he's back on the hook. She gets rid of his competition and secures a free babysitter in one go.】

I dug my nails into my palms. The mental pain was like a hammer hitting the back of my skull.

I used to believe she truly loved me and was just trying to be noble.

That's why I stayed, even knowing I was throwing my future away.

But now I saw it clearly. Our 'love' was just a plot to clear the path for Lucas to succeed while I stayed behind to pay the bills.

I looked at her coldly, ready to shut her down. Suddenly, a little girl rushed out and bit my thigh hard.

"You're a bad man! I won't let you hurt Mommy!"

Even though Brianna quickly pulled the child away and covered her mouth, my leg was already bleeding through my jeans.

"I'm so sorry, Zach… Nellie was just trying to protect me…"

Brianna held Nellie, whispering comforts, while giving me a tired, pale smile.

Four years ago, Brianna handed me a positive pregnancy test. She told me it happened during a drunken night at our graduation party.

I had been so wasted that night I couldn't remember a thing. But I trusted her because I thought she was a good woman.

I raised Nellie as my own flesh and blood. Even when Nellie told me she wished I would die every single birthday, I loved her.

I was stupid enough to think it was my fault for not being a better father. I felt guilty for over a decade.

To give her the best life, I sold my late parents' house to put her in an elite private school.

When she supposedly had kidney failure, I didn't hesitate to cut myself open for her.

But right before I died, I learned her illness was a total sham. It was just an excuse to keep me from leaving the country. To Nellie, who knew the truth all along, I was just a villain blocking her real family's reunion.

I reached down and pulled the fabric of my jeans away from the wound.

Brianna finally noticed the blood soaking through my pants and the grim look on my face.

She hid Nellie behind her back, pretending to be concerned. She reached out to touch the wound but pulled back, unable to hide the disgust in her eyes.

"Zach, let's go to the clinic. We need to get that bandaged."

The next second, a sharp ringtone broke her performance. It was a call from Lucas. He said only one thing.

"I'm in a bad mood. Get over here."

Brianna's face changed instantly.

She looked at me urgently. "Zach, Nellie is so vulnerable. If you leave, we'll have nobody. You're a good man. You won't abandon us, right?"

I peeled her fingers off my arm one by one and stepped back. I gave her a mocking smile.

"Sure. Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Brianna bit her lip. She looked at the caller ID on her phone, hesitated for two seconds, and then dumped Nellie on me before rushing off.

【She's going to her secret lover again. This guy is such a pushover. One touch and he's already regretting his choice.】

I did regret it.

I just regretted that I didn't wake up sooner in my last life.