Chapter 1

The day I was diagnosed with kidney failure, my wife, Lydia, was celebrating the release of her first love, Asher Williams, from prison.

And on the day I passed away, Lydia and Asher jetted off to a tropical island together.

She often hurled insults at me, saying, "You filthy pig farmer, go die somewhere far away."

Yet when I actually died, she lost her mind and cut off Asher's hand, screaming, "Give me back my husband's healthy body!"

How ironic.

She had never once called me her husband before.

Love that arrives too late is truly pitiful.

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After two grueling days at the farm, I received a call from the doctor. His voice was somber, confirming what I had already suspected.

Leaning against the fold-out bed in the break room, I caught a glimpse of myself in the window's reflection. My shirt was drenched in sweat, and my face was swollen, almost unrecognizable.

Wes, my colleague, came in with a pot of water. He hesitated before speaking, "Brother Michael, why don't you head home to rest? Your absence for days might worry your wife, Lydia."

Would Lydia really be concerned?

I mulled over his words, a bitter smile crossing my lips. If I vanished, she might just relish her newfound freedom.

I checked my phone: three ads for loans, two scam warnings, and a missed call from my mother.

I called her back. She asked about my health check-up. In simple terms: death was knocking at my door.

One kidney was already gone, and the remaining one was failing. The doctor insisted I needed immediate dialysis. But I didn't tell her the truth.

Five years ago, after being stabbed, losing a kidney, my mother couldn't sleep, her hair turning gray almost overnight as she searched for a kidney for me.

What was Lydia doing then? She cried every day at the hospital, pleading leniency for the man who stabbed me—her first love, Asher Williams.

She claimed the Williams family wanted to settle privately, urging me to let it go. Five million.

That was the price for my half-year hospital stay, two brushes with death, and a lost kidney. Back then, it felt like a fortune.

I still remember Lydia's expression when I refused to settle. She looked at me like I was the one who had been stabbed, glaring at her enemy.

Finally, she spoke with humiliation, "What good does it do to oppose Asher Williams? His family is powerful; can you compete? Since you like me, let's get married, and you take the settlement."

In the end, I seemed like the villain bullying a girl, while Asher was her childhood sweetheart.

Yet back then, I was overjoyed. I even thought trading a kidney for love was worth it.

But reality was harsh. Lydia quickly married me, and I took the settlement money. Still, Asher Williams was sentenced to five years.

When Lydia found out, she called me shameless. I didn't argue. It was already a light sentence.

But she blamed it all on me. If I hadn't pandered to her, she wouldn't have stayed with someone as shameless as me.

I was drowning in bitter memories when a bank alert woke me up.

[Your account 8174 spent 678 RMB on a travel website on August 25 at 7:25 AM...]

I frowned. This was Lydia's card; she frequently used it for travel. The date made me uneasy.

I called her, and after a long wait, she answered. I heard a taxi driver's voice in the background. My heart sank, "Where are you going?"

"Why do you care?" she replied, her tone impatient.

"I'm your husband!" I shouted, for the first time raising my voice at her. "Are you going to see Asher Williams? He nearly killed me, and you still can't let him go?"

My words struck a nerve, triggering an explosive reaction in Lydia.

She sneered, "You deceitful scoundrel, what right do you have to meddle in my affairs with him?"

My vision blurred, my temples pounding, "I'll work hard to give you a better life, just don't go to him... I'm not feeling well..."

"You filthy pig farmer, go die somewhere far away."

The call ended abruptly.

Wes hurried over, calling my name.

As I fainted, one thought lingered.

If I truly died, would Lydia be sad?

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