Chapter 1

On my way home from work, a luxury car hit me, fracturing my arm. The driver then falsely accused me of trying to extort money.

Halfway through my emergency surgery, the male driver forcefully dragged me to court.

“Do you know how much the car My wife bought me cost? Five million! My wife is the best lawyer in the entire country; you'll be bankrupt by the time this is over!”

From the defendant's stand, my vision kept blurring. The pain was beyond anything I had ever felt.

The next second, a female lawyer rushed in, shielding the man behind her:

“Your Honor, my husband would never intentionally hit someone. This must be an attempt at fraud, and it deserves severe punishment.”

Watching that familiar back, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

The elite lawyer, impeccably dressed in a suit, was none other than Lester, my wife, who had told me she was on a business trip in Europe.

With her soothing words, the man, Cedric, looked even more aggrieved as he pointed behind her.

“It's him! He got blood all over the new car you gave me. It's disgusting!”

Lester turned her head in the direction he pointed. One glance, and the anger in her eyes turned to shock.

But three seconds later, she quickly composed herself, her expression so cold it made her a stranger to me.

“I am Mr. Cedric's defense attorney. Please direct all your questions to me.”

My wife, with whom I had shared a bed for five years, was suddenly speaking with such detachment.

All my questions instantly choked in my throat, leaving me unable to breathe.

A while ago, she called to say her company had transferred her to a neighboring city for a business trip, with a doubled salary.

My calls often went unanswered, and my messages unreturned.

Even when I was sick, I went to the hospital alone, running up and down the floors five or six times.

It turned out she was building a family with another man.

The thought sent a sharp pang through my wound, and I couldn't help but hunch over.

Lester finally noticed my horrific injury.

“This is…”

Cedric abruptly cut her off.

“Anyway, a good-for-nothing like him wouldn't be affected by a broken arm.”

“But my car cost five million, Lester. He has to pay for the damages!”

I clenched my fists, my heart pounding painfully against my ribs.

Lester had told me her family was deep in debt and had lost everything, and that I'd have to make sacrifices for a while.

I had been frugal, and the thought of having children in the future made me so anxious I relied on medication to cope.

Now, it seemed my efforts were nothing short of a clown act compared to that five-million-dollar luxury car.

“Lester, I want him to compensate me and apologize.”

The man confidently wrapped his arm around Lester's waist.

And I stood by, my heart in my throat.

Lester looked conflicted, as if she wanted to stop him, but seeing his insistence, she forced a doting yet helpless smile.

Lester looked at me, her eyes filled with a warning.

“Just apologize.”

I froze, my limbs turning cold.

I had lost an arm, yet she was telling me to apologize to the person who had maimed me.

At the judge's urging, I stiffly bowed.

“Mr. Cedric, I'm sorry.”

The man ignored me, instead affectionately wrapping his arm around Lester's slender waist.

“You couldn't pay for the car repairs even if you gave your life. Three hundred thousand. Consider it a lesson learned.”

Hearing the exorbitant sum, my heart froze completely.

Lester watched him dotingly, not sparing me another glance.

She seemed to have forgotten that I once sold off all my assets to gather medical funds for my mother, and even then, I couldn't come up with three hundred thousand.

Clutching the fine, I walked out of the courtroom alone.

It wasn't until a Maybach sped past me that I snapped back to reality.

A SnapChat message popped up from Lester:

“We'll talk properly when I get home. Don't let him find out.”

Tears silently streamed down my face.

The endless nights working overtime until dawn, the five years of tirelessly nurturing our home, had all become a cruel joke.