Chapter 1

Chapter 1

My husband is a high-powered attorney, and he actually dragged me to court. All because I refused to donate my liver to his high school sweetheart.

I tried to explain the situation to him. I told him I had stage three liver cancer and the jaundice was already setting in. If I gave up part of my liver, I would die.

Xavier just screamed in my face. "Stop faking it! You're just acting out because you're jealous of Nia! How did I end up marrying such a selfish, pathetic bitch?"

In the end, I lost the case. They harvested my liver against my will.

Between the cancer and the surgical complications, I died alone in a cold, forgotten corner of the hospital.

......

I was dead.

My life ended on that freezing operating table.

When my spirit drifted back to Xavier's side, he was holding Nia's hand with a tenderness I'd never seen. She had just received the transplant.

I had never seen him look so soft. Because of his job, he was always stern and cold, especially toward me.

Maybe my obsession was too deep, or maybe I just couldn't rest in peace. Either way, my soul lingered in the living world.

Nia opened her eyes weakly. When she saw Xavier, her eyes immediately filled with tears.

"Xavier, I thought I'd never see you again. Where's Sera? Is she still mad at me for taking the transplant? Is that why she didn't come?"

Hearing my name made my non-existent heart tighten.

Xavier hadn't even checked on me since I died. While I was taking my last breath in agony, he must have been pacing the hallway, praying for Nia's success.

In a hospital, someone lives while someone else dies. It's the cycle of the world.

But between his wife and his first love, it was clear who mattered more.

At the mention of my name, Xavier's calm expression shattered. His face twisted with pure disgust, and his voice turned ice-cold.

"Don't talk about her. That selfish woman makes me sick. Even with a life on the line, she was still playing petty jealousy games."

My heart sank into a void.

He's sickened by me?

Right. When Xavier found out Nia needed a liver, he dragged me to the hospital for testing without a second thought.

I was already in the middle of a cancer battle then. The pain in my abdomen was so sharp I could barely stand.

I begged him to let me rest, to listen to me. But Xavier just gripped his jaw, his eyes hard and unyielding. His words felt like a bucket of ice water over my head.

"You're still playing the victim? You think a simple test is going to kill you? If anything happens to Nia, I'll never forgive you!"

He spoke as if Nia's illness was somehow my fault.

In his eyes, it was. He believed I had pushed Nia during a fight, causing the internal bleeding that led to her liver failure.

If Xavier had bothered to look at me for even a second, he would have noticed my skin turning a sickly yellow over the last six months. Anyone with basic medical knowledge knows that's jaundice.

When they drew my blood, I bit my lip until it bled, terrified. Xavier didn't notice the sweat soaking my back; his eyes were fixed on Nia's room.

When the doctor said I was a perfect match, Xavier looked happier than he did on our wedding day.

I tried to tell him my body couldn't handle the surgery. He tried to manipulate me with logic, then with emotion. When I wouldn't budge, he filed a lawsuit.

Xavier is the best international litigator in the business, with a zero-loss record. His silver tongue painted me as a cold-blooded monster who would watch someone die out of spite.

The whole court cheered for him. Even the judge looked at me with loathing when he ruled against me.

I just smiled, a bitter, broken smile.

I wasn't some evil criminal. I was… Xavier's wife.