My daughter's birthday wish was for the whole family to travel together. My husband immediately suggested hiking up a mountain.

I happily agreed, but on the day of the hike, they left me behind halfway up the mountain.

Sudden rain poured down, the terrain was steep and when my trekking pole broke, I fell off a cliff.

While lying unconscious in the hospital, I overheard my husband and daughter's conversation, "If Mom really becomes a vegetative state, Aunt Kourtney will be saved! We can give Mom's kidney to Aunt Kourtney! Dad, then you can finally be with Aunt Kourtney!"

My husband's laughter was filled with anticipation, "Yes, finally."

I silently shed tears with my eyes closed, continuing to pretend I was unconscious.

Very soon, they were eager to make the decision on my behalf, agreeing to donate my kidney.

The moment anesthetic was injected into my body, just as Kourtney was being wheeled into the operating room, I opened my eyes and said, "Sorry, I don't agree."

——

After being wheeled out of the operating room, the doctor immediately marveled to Simon, "It's a miracle! Your wife actually woke up."

I squinted slightly and saw the stiff, pale expression on Simon's face. I asked softly, "Honey, aren't you happy that I woke up?"

He shook his head hastily, "No, of course not!" He leaned over to stroke my cheek, "Honey, I'm really glad you woke up."

But my daughter's face showed more disappointment. She hid behind Simon and mumbled, "Mom, why did you wake up? Dad, if she's awake, what happens to Aunt Kourtney?"

I turned my head to look at her, "Who is Aunt Kourtney?"

Simon immediately interrupted, "No, Vivian didn't say anything. She's just too happy you woke up."

Vivian quickly plastered on a smile, "Yes, Mom, it's great that you woke up! I thought I was going to lose you!"

Even though I knew they were both pretending, my heart still ached unbearably. Over the years, I had poured my heart and soul into them, yet I hadn't expected them to resent me so much.

In the following days, as I recovered, I overheard bits of their conversations in the hospital room.

The doctor came to confirm the decision on the kidney donation, "Mr. Webster, given your wife's current condition, we can't guarantee she'll survive the operation. Are you sure you want to proceed with Miss Simpson's surgery?"

Simon's voice was resolute, "Yes."

Under the blanket, my hands clenched tighter, my nails digging deep into my palms as I struggled to control my emotions.

Suddenly, the nurse shouted, "Dr. Llyod, something's wrong! Her heart rate is skyrocketing and her blood pressure is spiking!"

The doctor and nurses rushed over to check on me. After a round of observations, my emotions gradually stabilized and my blood pressure and heart rate returned to normal.

Dr. Llyod again asked for confirmation from Simon. "Mr. Webster, your wife's condition is extremely unstable, as you just witnessed. Are you sure you still want to proceed with the surgery?"

The quiet hospital room was filled only with the beeping of medical equipment. As the doctor waited for his reply, I also held my breath, hoping for a different answer.

"Maybe …" Just as Simon began to speak, a woman's voice suddenly came from the doorway, "Simon …"

"Kourtney, why are you here!" Simon's tone was full of nervousness.

Kourtney spoke in a weak voice, "I was worried about you staying at the hospital alone with Adriana. I was afraid you'd be too exhausted. Let me take care of her instead … cough cough …" Before finishing her sentence, Kourtney began coughing uncontrollably.

Anxiously, Simon patted her back and comforted her, "Kourtney, are you okay? How did you end up coughing blood?"

"No, your illness can't be delayed any longer." He firmly told Dr. Llyod, "I agree to the surgery. It must be arranged as soon as possible!"

My clenched hands tightened and loosened repeatedly, my heart feeling like it was filled to the brim with tears.

I had been married to Simon Webster for so many years. And yet, it had all come to this.

After coming out of the operating room, I asked Simon, "The doctor just told me they want me to donate a kidney?"

Simon nodded absentmindedly, then quickly changed the topic, "Adriana, are you hungry? I'll go get you something to eat." With that, he turned and grabbed our daughter to leave.

But my daughter resisted, "Dad, why won't you tell Mom the truth? Dad, do you really want to watch Aunt Kourtney suffer like this?"

Simon held her hand and walked off, "Don't talk nonsense. I'm not."

I got out of bed and followed them. I discovered they didn't go downstairs to buy food for me but instead headed straight to Kourtney's ward.

From inside the room came the sound of their conversation. My daughter said, "Dad, Mom won't die just because she loses a kidney. It's just a kidney. Why won't she agree? Dad, I don't want to see Aunt Kourtney suffer like this. Anyway, Mom's so easy to fool. Just trick her again."

Simon didn't object, "I know. Don't worry. I want Kourtney to get better too. Vivian, relax. Once we go back to her room, I'll talk to your mom."

Kourtney coughed lightly for a while before gasping, "Vivian, don't make things hard for your mom for my sake. Simon, I know I'm a burden to you both. Living like this is meaningless. I'd rather just die ..."

Simon responded immediately, "What nonsense are you saying? Don't talk like that. You're going to live."

Vivian chimed in loudly, "Exactly, Aunt Kourtney! Don't say such things. You're going to live a long, long life! If all else fails, Dad and I will just trick Mom into going hiking again! My mom is so stupid. She'll definitely be super happy to agree."

Kourtney laughed out loud, her laughter crisp and carefree.

I leaned against the wall, barely able to stay on my feet. So, it was all a deliberate setup. My fall off the cliff wasn't an accident, it was their plan all along. The husband and daughter I had poured my heart into actually wanted me dead.

Suddenly, the hospital room door swung open. I looked up and met Simon's stunned gaze.

He was utterly shocked, "Adriana, why are you here?" The laughter inside came to an abrupt halt.

My daughter helped Kourtney out of the room. Kourtney forced a gentle smile, "Adriana, you've just woken up. You should rest more."

My daughter didn't say a word, but her gaze clearly expressed her annoyance, as if my presence had interrupted their joyful moment.

Simon quickly added, "Yes, Adriana, you need rest. I'll take you back."

He reached out to support me and turned to walk me away, but we hadn't gone far when my daughter cried out in panic, "Aunt Kourtney, what's wrong?"

Hearing this, Simon immediately let go of me and turned back toward Kourtney. He rushed to catch her as she almost collapsed, "Kourtney, what's wrong? Don't scare me."

Kourtney leaned weakly against him. "I ... I'm fine ..." Her face turned deathly pale and she began coughing violently.

Without hesitation, Simon scooped her up and carried her back into the room. My daughter suddenly became very considerate, "I'll go call the doctor!"

The three of them disappeared from my sight, leaving me completely forgotten.

I stood in the hallway. Out of nowhere, a gust of wind blew past, sending chills through my entire body.

I turned around and returned to my ward, then took the initiative to request discharge procedures.

The doctor repeatedly reminded me, "Mrs. Webster, even though you've regained consciousness, you must take care of your health. If anything happens suddenly, you need to come to the hospital immediately."

I nodded in agreement. My body hadn't fully recovered yet. As soon as I got home, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep.

In a daze, I was abruptly woken by the loud sound of the door being flung open.

Simon entered, looking worried, "Adriana, why did you come home alone? How could you be so reckless as to get discharged right after waking up?"

He reached out to touch my forehead, "Are you feeling okay? I called you so many times and tried waking you up, but you didn't respond. Do you know how worried I was about you?"

His anxiety and concern made me momentarily dazed. For a second, it felt like the old days. The Simon who used to put me first in everything seemed to have returned.

When we first got together, even though he was just starting his business and extremely busy, he always had me on his mind.

Because of his dedication, I willingly gave him all the money I earned to support his product development.

Later, when we had our daughter, I was overwhelmed with responsibilities both at home and outside. To ease his burden, I quit my job at the law firm and devoted myself to taking care of him and our child. Looking back now, not all sacrifices are rewarded.

I shook my head and avoided his hand, "I'm fine."

His hand froze in mid-air. My cold attitude suddenly made him angry.

Simon frowned tightly, "Is this how you treat me after I've searched for you for so long? Do you even realize that while you were unconscious, I put aside all my work to stay by your side in the hospital every single day? I've poured my heart and soul into this and all I get is your cold face?"

He continued, "You didn't even tell me before getting discharged. I was worried sick, running around in circles and here you are, just sleeping soundly at home?"

I sneered internally. Staying by my side in the hospital every day?

If I hadn't woken up early, I wouldn't have known that my hospitalization simply made it convenient for him to spend time with Kourtney every day. It was all just pretty words.

I looked up at him and said, "Oh? Then who's going to keep Kourtney company?"

He froze for a moment, then his temper flared, "Adriana, what are you insinuating?"

He stood up abruptly, "You're becoming more and more unreasonable. I have nothing to say to you. Vivian still has to go to her tutoring class. I'll take her there." He turned and left without hesitation.

The sound of the door slamming brought me back to my senses and tears once again rolled down my face. Somehow, I drifted off to sleep again. When I woke up, the house was pitch black.

I picked up my phone and saw Kourtney's latest update: [One big, one small, they're both so clingy.] The photo attached showed Simon and my daughter leaning on either side of Kourtney.

In the picture, the three of them wore warm, happy smiles and the sunset cast a golden glow on their faces. They looked so much like a perfect family.

I wiped away my tears, put down my phone and went to the bathroom to freshen up. As soon as I entered, I tripped over something.

Looking down, I saw it was the hiking pole I had used during the climb. I crouched down to pick it up, only to find visible scratches on the broken section. So, they had tampered with my hiking pole in advance to trick me into climbing.

My husband and daughter wanted me dead to save Kourtney. My tears dried on my face.

Clutching the hiking pole tightly, I got up, went to the living room and grabbed my phone to call my best friend, "Divorce cases are your specialty. If a husband attempts to murder his wife but fails, what's the charge?"

My best friend, Jemima Kirks, was startled, "What husband trying to kill his wife? Adriana, what are you talking about?"