Back then, Nicholas would have changed his view of me. He didn't break up with me, and he even got himself busy on my behalf, helping me with everything.

I had felt secretly delighted when he'd helped me during that period.

However, at some point, everything suddenly changed. Nicholas began speaking very coldly and sarcastically to me, and everything he said felt like a knife slicing my heart into pieces.

"You're only dating me because you want me to pay for all your dad's medical expenses. What else would you do for money, Victoria Rosewood?"

I shut my eyes in helplessness.

I should have woken up sooner. Nicholas was no longer the same person who still treated me like I was his world ten years ago.

I felt my heart turning cold with despair. Soon, I made a decision. Once I had performed the surgery for Oswald as payment for what I owed him for saving my dad, I would end things with him.

The hospital called me again and told me that Oswald wasn't doing well and that he had to undergo the heart procedure as soon as possible.

I was anxious and immediately rushed to the hospital at once. However, when I arrived at Oswald's ward, I suddenly overheard his conversation with Nicholas inside.

"Luckily, you stopped all treatment for Victoria's dad back then. Otherwise, we would have racked up even more bills and wasted more money on him."

"It didn't cost much to keep her dad in the hospital. I was just sick and tired of paying for her. I didn't want to waste any more time and effort on her."

Suddenly, I felt a cold chill running down my back.

I never thought that my husband was actually the direct cause of my own father's death!

How ironic was that?

And yet, I had been blind to the fact and still continued loving Nicholas for ten more years.

Something snapped in me. I lost all control and rushed into the ward, grabbing Nicholas by the collar and yelling at him, "Nicholas Leyton! Why did you do that? Why?

"I'd nearly completed my training back then! I could have obtained the certificate to operate on my dad! Dad could have still survived! How could you be such a heartless person, Nicholas? You're a monster!"

Nicholas slapped me hard, and I fell to the ground at once. His facial features were all twisted up in an angry sneer as he glared at me with bloodshot eyes.

"What the hell, Victoria? How could you call that 'intensive training' again? If you were really busy with training, then would you still have the time to make flirty eyes at Evie's first love?

"Why don't you find another excuse for yourself? You keep using the same excuse of going for training and going overseas every time. Would you die if you didn't have his thing in your body the entire time?

"I was the one spending money on your dad's treatment, but you were having fun rolling in the sheets with some other bastard in the meantime! Your dad deserved to die! He was nothing but a liability! He brought the sickness to us! He's the main reason why my dad now has a heart condition!"

I only understood now why Evelyn seemed to hate me so much and kept framing me for no reason. As it turned out, Dean had been her first love!

However, it was too late now.

Nicholas kept inching closer and closer to me. Then, he stomped on my right hand and kept stomping on it with all his might.

The pain was so great that I couldn't even make a sound anymore.

Tears flooded my eyes at once. Nicholas' figure turned blurry in my vision. Now, he looked even more like a monster to me.

I tried to pull my hand back, but it was to no avail. I felt terror spreading through my chest.

My hand!

Suddenly, there was a blood-curdling crack.

Nicholas had broken my hand. I immediately let out an ear-piercing scream.

A nurse heard my scream and came in to check. She was shocked when she saw what was happening and quickly ran in to push Nicholas aside before helping me up.

"Calm down, sir. Let's not solve things with violence."

I looked at my hand, which was stuck out at a weird angle and dangling numbly from my wrist. I couldn't even speak anymore because of the pain.

I was a heart surgeon, which meant my hand was more precious than my life!

Nicholas had completely destroyed me!

Just then, Oswald's heart doctor, Jacob Einstein, walked into the ward with a serious look on his face.

"Mr. Leyton? Your father's heart condition has just worsened. If he doesn't undergo surgery immediately, there's an extremely high risk of him getting a heart attack soon after. And his surgery is going to be a very difficult and complicated one. Currently, there haven't been any cases of successful surgeries in this country as of yet."

Oswald got anxious at once. He tugged at Jacob and asked, "Then, what am I supposed to do? Wait for death like a sitting duck?"

Jacob smiled. "No. Actually, I'm here to deliver some good news to you."

Oswald and Nicholas spoke at the same time. "What good news?"

"The good news is that one of our heart surgeons, Dr. Victoria Rosewood, just attended an intensive training course overseas three months ago, and she also successfully operated on three other patients who were in far worse shape than you.

"The three patients had very successful surgeries and have been steadily recovering ever since. Dr. Rosewood managed to save their lives.

"And Mr. Leyton Senior, since Dr. Rosewood is also your daughter-in-law, you can rest assured that you will definitely recover from your condition with her as your surgeon."