Chloe Miller hadn’t always been part of our lives.

She appeared only two years ago, when Daniel Brooks suddenly brought her into our home, saying he needed to take care of her.

He told me Chloe was his distant cousin who had been tricked into marriage by some shady guy a few years back and had finally managed to escape.

She was young and wanted to try her luck in the big city.

Here, Daniel was her only family, so he had no choice but to look after her.

I wasn’t blind to the special treatment he gave Chloe, but every time I brought it up, Daniel’s face would turn cold instantly.

He would ask me to cut fruit for her, to let her use the new cosmetics I’d just bought.

If I showed even the slightest displeasure, he would give me an icy, judgmental stare.

“Chloe is my sister. If you can’t even accept me taking care of my sister, then we might as well get divorced early.”

He was certain I couldn’t live without him—and that I would never willingly become a divorced woman.

So I endured it for seven years.

But this time, I wasn’t going to endure it any longer.

When I was wheeled back to the hospital room, there was no one to take care of Margaret Brooks.

I had to push through my own pain, holding my IV pole in one hand while using saline to wipe the corners of her lips.

My surgical wound split open over and over, and the doctor had to come in again and again.

By dawn the next day, Margaret finally woke up.

Her gaze swept over the empty room, and her tone was tinged with disappointment.

“Daniel didn’t come? He must be so busy with work…”

I took a deep breath, unable to hide my exhaustion.

“He’s with his distant cousin. The money for a caregiver was used to buy Chloe a gift, so I’ve been the one taking care of you.”

Margaret’s eyes widened in shock.

“What cousin? How come I’ve never heard of him having a cousin? We barely have any relatives left back in our hometown.”

In that moment, my breath caught. I didn’t know if it was the pain from my incision or the stabbing ache in my heart.

From my expression, Margaret seemed to realize something. She forced a smile and said gently:

“Emma, don’t be upset. Let me ask him—maybe there’s been some misunderstanding. You’ve always been the one in his heart. The worst thing for a couple is to let suspicion take root.”

I’m not even sure how I pulled out my phone, intending to contact Daniel and clarify things, but before I could, I saw a notification:

The two million I had saved for raising a child had been completely transferred out.

At the same time, Chloe posted a new update—a photo of a pink Porsche 911.

The caption read:

“Got bitten by a mad dog, so he bought me a car to cheer me up!”

“It’s my first time meeting a man like this. My heart’s fluttering—should I just make him mine?”

In the photo, the driver’s seat clearly showed the silhouette of a man.

His hand rested on the steering wheel, his wedding ring faintly visible.

That two million was the money I’d saved to give our future child a good life.

After years of marriage without a pregnancy, I had wavered at times, thinking about dipping into the funds for emergencies.

But the moment I mentioned it, Daniel shut me down immediately:

“It’s hard enough to save that money—if you take it out, who’s going to replace it? You’re the one who wants the kid to have a good life. When the time comes and there’s no money, don’t come to me—I won’t have any for you.”

My heart sank to the bottom.

By now, I’d have to be a fool not to see that their relationship was far from innocent.

Two days later, the doctor finally managed to reach Daniel.

His first action wasn’t to come to the hospital to take care of me—it was to call and demand:

“Why didn’t you tell me Mom was having surgery? If something had gone wrong on the operating table, who would’ve taken responsibility? You really think marrying me makes you part of the Brooks family? Who gave you the right to make decisions on your own?”

I clutched at my still-healing incision, the pain in my chest tearing through every nerve.

“The hospital has already issued three critical condition notices. I sent you messages, but you never replied.”

“Mom’s fine. The doctor said she’s recovering quickly. You don’t need to take it out on me.”

“Daniel, I mean it—if being with me just makes the both of us miserable, maybe we should—”

Before I could finish, Daniel’s tone softened.

“Sorry, I was just anxious earlier. I spoke too harshly.”

“Don’t do that again. She’s my mom—if you don’t feel for her, I do.”

“I’ll come to the hospital to pick you both up. The doctor says you can be discharged.”

After hanging up, I stared at the dark phone screen, lost in thought.

Over the past two days, I’d scrolled through nearly every one of Chloe Miller’s updates.

Since the last incident, she and Daniel had been getting bolder and bolder.

The Porsche was no longer enough for her to flaunt—her latest photo was of the two of them lying on a king-sized bed in a hotel’s presidential suite.

The caption read:

“Thanks for the advice, everyone—this good man is mine now!”

“When we get married, drinks are on me!”

The post already had over ten thousand likes. I stared at that number, unable to look away.

Margaret Brooks seemed to notice something and sighed heavier with each passing day.

When Daniel went to handle the discharge paperwork, she quietly slipped a bank card into my hand, pressing a finger to her lips to signal “shh.”

“This is the money Daniel gave me for my retirement. I know my son has wronged you. If you decide to divorce him, let this be my compensation to you.”

I hurried to give it back.

“Mom, we’re all family. You don’t need to say that.”

“Emma, you saved my life. This money is yours by right. No matter what happens between you and Daniel, I just hope you’ll be happy in the future.”

Margaret tossed the card into my lap and quickly left the room.

I stood by the window, watching her get into the car with Daniel and drive away.

A message from him popped up on my phone:

“I’m taking Mom back to her hometown. Wait for me at the hospital entrance.”

I stood outside in the cold wind for four hours, but Daniel never showed up.

When my body could no longer take it, I hailed a cab home—only for Daniel to walk in right after I arrived.

He tossed his car keys beside me and yelled:

“Why did you leave without telling me? Do you know how long I was waiting for you at the hospital?”

I looked up at him, baffled.

I had waited four hours and he never appeared—yet now he was accusing me of not waiting?

“If you wanted me to tell you, shouldn’t you first take me off your blocked list?”

“Daniel, I’ve been taking care of your mom all this time, and when I come back, you don’t even say thank you. Is this your idea of being a husband?”

The anger on his face vanished instantly, his lips pressed into a tight line.

“That’s not what I meant. I was just… worried about you.”

Worried I’d have an accident—or worried I wouldn’t?

Then he pulled a bag from behind his back and handed it to me.

“I went out of my way to stop for this on the way back. I remember you like this cake. Come on, let’s not drag this out—anger just makes women age faster.”

I stared at the brand name on the bag for a long time without speaking.

Yes, this shop was indeed out of the way—but more importantly, it was right outside Chloe Miller’s apartment complex.

And I’d stopped eating sweets after I turned twenty-five.

Even so, I opened the bag, trying to give us both a shred of dignity.

That was, until I saw that the fruit on top of the cake had been deliberately scooped out.

A surge of anger flared inside me.

I shoved the cake straight into the trash and said coldly:

“Forget it. I’m too old, my metabolism’s slow—I’m not fit to eat the desserts young girls like.”

I turned to head upstairs, and that’s when Daniel completely exploded.

“What is your problem? I already bought you something to apologize—what more do you want?”

“Yes, you worked hard taking care of my mom, but that was your choice. When did I ever beg you to do it? Even without you, I could’ve found another matching kidney. Don’t think that saving my mom once makes you some kind of saint I have to worship.”

I let out a cold laugh, staring him straight in the eye.

“You think I took care of your mom to tie you to me? Don’t flatter yourself. Yes, it was my choice—and even if you weren’t her son, I still would have done it.”

“Daniel, stop putting yourself on a pedestal. To others, you might be a prize, but to me, you’re just an irresponsible, inadequate husband.”

I lifted my foot to head upstairs, but Daniel grabbed my wrist.

“So all of this is because you’re mad I bought Chloe a dress? Emma, you’re already twenty-eight—not some young girl anymore. There are plenty of young, beautiful women out there. How long are you going to keep getting jealous over them?”

“I’ve told you a hundred times—Chloe is my sister. We’re completely innocent. If you insist on misunderstanding, then think what you want. I’ve explained all I can.”

I nodded numbly and shook his hand off.

“Right, you’ve explained, and I’ve listened. Now can I go?”

Daniel looked like he was about to lose his mind, raking both hands through his hair in frustration.

“Emma, what do you even want? You insulted Chloe first, so I bought her a gift to make amends. If you weren’t going to pay for it, who was?

I know you’ve worked hard looking after my mom, but did I ever tell you to apologize to Chloe in person? No, right? I’ve already done more than enough—groveling out there for you, then coming home to your cold face. What do I owe you?”

I was about to say the word “divorce” when his phone suddenly rang.

The ringtone was a love song—Chloe’s custom ringtone.

The girlishly sweet voice was cloying.

The anger on Daniel’s face disappeared instantly.

Glancing at the screen, he didn’t even look at me as he said:

“Something came up at work. I won’t be back tonight. Cool off by yourself.

If you keep being this stubborn, the only thing left for us to talk about is divorce.”

I remembered he had handled my discharge from the hospital but hadn’t picked up my medication.

So I put on my coat to go get it myself.

Just as I was changing shoes, he stopped in his tracks, irritation written all over his face.

“You’re going to follow me to work now? Can you stop being so controlling? Do you know how suffocating you are right now?

Why don’t you just buy a dog leash and chain me up at home?”

With that, he tossed his keys down.

“Fine, you go. I’m not going anymore. I won’t work either. I’ll just stay home—you can support me.”

In the past, whenever he went out at night, I would remind him over and over to be careful.

But now, I didn’t even care about this marriage—much less this so-called husband.

I looked at him coldly.

“I’m just going to the pharmacy around the corner.”

A flash of embarrassment crossed his face.

“You should’ve said so earlier. I’ll take you—it’s on the way.”

The atmosphere in the car was stifling.

When we passed by a pharmacy, I told him to stop.

Daniel visibly relaxed, still putting on an act of concern.

“Be careful.”

As I got out, Chloe Miller’s video call popped up on his phone.

Her playful voice rang out:

“Let me see—since you didn’t reply to my messages earlier, is it because there’s another woman in the car?”

I turned my head and caught his gaze.

Flustered, he quickly muted it.

“Just watching some videos.”

Not bothering to argue, I turned and walked straight into the pharmacy.

Behind me, I heard the roar of his engine as his car sped away—every rev a testament to his urgency.