After waking from a five-year coma, the first thing I did was divorce Michael, the man who donated his kidney to me.

Everyone called me an ungrateful person, saying I’d forgotten his kindness.

Five years ago, I was captured and tortured by enemies. My kidneys were damaged and I lost my child.

My parents couldn’t handle the shock. My mother had a heart attack and passed away and my father fell seriously ill and was hospitalized.

Michael risked his life to save me, injuring his leg in the process and donating one of his kidneys.

For five years, Michael never left my side. He even moved his entire business into the hospital room, managing the Barkworth family business daily and personally caring for me by night.

He cleaned me, massaged me and helped with my rehab every day for years without missing a single night.

What they didn’t know was that I was conscious in my coma.

Over the past five years, the well-dressed Mr. Cordero called “Mom” 520 times late at night to an online adult streamer.

He slept with my caregiver, a woman over ten years older than him.

He and his mistress even plotted beside my bed to steal my family’s wealth.

“Hang on a bit longer. Just two more doses of medicine, that old bastard from the Barkworth family dies and then the Barkworth Group will be ours.”

“Who would’ve thought that kidnapping was planned by Mr. Cordero himself, the man who claimed to love his wife?”

Would someone selfish really donate a kidney to me? Wiping my tears, I pulled out my phone to call my best friend overseas.

“Karina, I want a divorce,can you help me?”

——

I rarely ask for help, so Karina Grillard immediately knew something was wrong.

“Nichole, you just woke up. Please stay calm and tell me slowly.”

Remembering the words I’d overheard while unconscious, my heart ached.

Forcing my voice to stay steady, I said, “Help me leave the country and cancel all my documents too.”

“Nichole, why are you canceling your documents? Are you trying to abandon me? Don’t forget I donated my kidney to you. How can you leave me?”

Michael burst through the door. His face reddened with anger. I hung up and turned off my phone screen.

My expression was still calm as I replied, “Expired documents need to be renewed.”

Michael still didn’t believe me. He walked over and grabbed my phone to check, but found nothing suspicious.

My face was expressionless and I said, “Michael, let’s get a divorce.”

Hearing that, Michael gave back my phone, his tone nearly pleading. “Nichole, I don’t doubt you. I just care about you. I love you so much.”

“You’re my lost-and-found treasure. Promise you’ll never leave me, no matter what, okay?”

“And please don’t mention divorce so easily. It really can damage our relationship.”

Then he pulled me into his arms, as if I really were his lost treasure.

A bitter smile crossed my lips. I might never have seen Michael’s truth if I hadn’t been briefly unconscious.

“Michael, did I come at a bad time?” Olivia said at the door, holding a lunchbox and looking awkwardly at Michael.

Michael let go of me, his gaze softening as he turned to her. “Olivia, you’re just in the right time. Let me introduce you, she is my wife, Nichole Backworth.”

“Nichole, this is Olivia Navarro, the caregiver I hired for you. She’s cared for you while I manage the company during the day.”

I looked down, not wanting to talk. After Michael started the meal, he got an urgent call, leaving only Olivia and me in the room.

She crossed her arms and looked at me with contempt. “You are a useless woman. I never thought you would survive and wake up.”

I stayed silent and ignored her. Enraged, Olivia flipped my table and spilt food all over the floor.

Michael rushed in at the noise. “What’s going on?”

Olivia’s eyes were red. “Michael, I only wanted to serve Nichole her meal. I never imagined she’d looked down on me for being a poor girl and threw everything I touched.”

I watched her act quietly, saying nothing to defend myself.

Michael frowned deeply. “Nichole, how could you say to Olivia like that? She’s taken care of you. Even if you’re not grateful, don’t be so rude!”

“Apologize to Olivia immediately, or I’ll suspend your father’s medical payments.”

Hearing this, I stared at Michael in shock. Though I’d seen his true colours during my coma, I never imagined he still managed to sink lower than I expected.

My lips cracked and peeled as I denied, “I didn’t flip it. It was clearly her...”

Before I could finish, Olivia interrupted, “Michael, if Nichole says I did it, let’s just say it was me.”

“I have no status, no connections, no power or position. I’ve faced this kind of injustice so often that I’m used to it.”

The truth was twisted. Michael shouted angrily, “Nichole, I’ll say it again, you must apologize to Olivia.”

I gripped the bedsheet and noticed the arrogant and defiant look in Olivia’s eyes.

Seeing Michael defend Olivia without question, I suddenly remembered our first meeting. Back then, when I was falsely accused, he had firmly defended me, too.

He had said, “Even if the whole world doesn’t believe you, I, Michael Cordero, will always believe every word you say. I will never betray you.”

Now, he has broken his promise. My heart was hurt.

Meeting Michael’s unfamiliar gaze, I whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Olivia smirked. “It’s fine, Nichole. Just be more careful next time. Please, don’t be so reckless.”

Seeing my apology, Michael’s expression softened.

He reached out to ruffle my hair and said gently, “That’s better. Since you’re being so obedient, I’ll take you shopping tomorrow.”

I didn’t refuse or agree. Early the next morning, Michael took me to check out of the hospital.

I instinctively opened the passenger door and saw Olivia sitting inside, entirely made up.

She gave me a teasing smile. “Sorry, Nichole. I’m used to sitting in the front.”

Michael opened the back door and said gently, “Nichole, please sit in the back. Olivia gets carsick, so give her some space.”

I stayed silent and went to the back seat. After arriving at the mall and browsing for a while, I finally spotted a handbag that caught my eye.

Seeing how much I loved it, Michael immediately took out his card. “Buy it.”

“Nichole, I like that bag too. Why don’t you let me have it?” Olivia said, reaching out to grab the bag.

I stayed calm and answered, “I saw it first.”

Olivia’s eyes turned red, then she said tearfully, “Nichole, you’ve had every bag you wanted since you were a kid. Why fight me over this one?”

Michael, who had just returned from paying, frowned upon hearing this. “If Olivia likes it, let her have the bag, Nicole.”

Then he took my hand and said kindly, “You can take another one. I’ll buy you ten of them, okay?”

I pushed his hand away, my face cold. “No way.”

If it wasn’t the one I loved at first sight, buying more later wouldn’t matter. Just like people, if we didn’t see them clearly from the start, we were already wounded beyond repair by the time we discovered the truth.

I wouldn’t have him since Michael never truly belonged to me.

On the way back, I sat in the backseat, staring out the window. At an intersection, the car suddenly jerked violently.

At that moment, I saw Michael pull the steering wheel and protect Olivia with his body.

The accident happened suddenly. When I regained consciousness, my legs were numb and I was trapped in the narrow space.

Screams and cries for help mixed with the sounds of ambulances and police sirens.

Half-conscious after being rescued, I heard Michael shout at the medical staff, “Hurry and save Olivia first! Can’t you see her arm’s all scraped?”

The medic hesitated. “But the woman in the backseat is more severely injured. Without quick treatment, she could become paralyzed.”

Michael’s eyes were reddened with anger “I’m her husband. I order you not to treat her. Save Olivia first!”

“As long as Olivia is in critical condition, she can’t get treatment.”

My heart ached so much it felt hard to breathe. Silent tears ran down my face, erasing my last feelings for Michael.

When I opened my eyes again, Michael was sitting beside my bed.

His voice trembled when he saw me awake, “Nichole, I almost lost you again.”

“The doctors said your injuries were serious. You were almost paralyzed, so I immediately called and gathered the best doctors to treat you.”

“How do you feel? Is there any pain?”

As I opened my mouth to speak, my throat burned fiercely, as if torn apart.

Michael picked up a glass of water beside him and handed it to me. “Drink some water first to ease your throat. Don’t rush.”

After drinking the water, I felt much better.

Michael handed me some apple slices. “I prepared this for you earlier, but my skills aren’t great, so the pieces are a bit weird.”

I stayed silent. My eyes kept seeing Michael, badly injured. He demanded that the doctors save Olivia rather than himself, who only had minor wounds.

Michael seemed about to say more when the phone suddenly rang.

From the corner of my eye, I saw his contact’s name was “Via”. In less than a second, I knew it was Olivia.

As I expected, after the call, Michael looked sorry for me. “Nichole, I can’t stay with you. There’s a new project that needs my attention. Rest well and recover. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”

Then he walked away without hesitation. Shortly after he left, a friend request popped up on my phone. It was from Olivia.

After I accepted, she sent a message and a photo. The photo of a carved rabbit-shaped apple.

[A useless woman like you only deserves what I threw away.]

I gripped my phone tightly, seeing the plate of uneven apple pieces. Then a cold laugh escaped me. So, she’d only given me her leftovers.

Ignoring Olivia’s message, I tapped lightly to open another app. There was a message from Karina.

[What’s going on? Are you okay?]

[I’ve cancelled it for you, but it’ll take seven days to finish.]

[Come to the airport. I’ll send someone to pick you up.]

After replying with a simple “Got it,” I called Mr. Orseolo from the Barkworth Law Firm.

He answered quickly. I then said, “Uncle Peter, prepare a divorce agreement and get Michael to sign it without him finding out.”