Phil's POV

The moment Hazel saw me, she looked overwhelmed with emotion. Then, she rushed toward me, ignoring her bruised knees.

"Phil! Why are you here? I’m so sorry for making you worry—"

"Where’s the lucky charm?" I cut her off.

Her eyes flickered with hesitation. "I... I lost it by accident. But I’ve already sent people to look for it. If we can’t find it, I’ll just get you an even better one."

Lost? What a reason.

I’d seen it earlier, hanging around Glenn’s neck when I passed by his VIP hospital room.

Yet, I didn’t call her out on it. Instead, I pulled out the last page of the divorce agreement and handed it to her.

"Just forget it. I’ve had my eye on a house—you can just buy it for me as a gift."

"Of course!" she quickly agreed and signed without a second thought.

Frowning, I asked, "Aren’t you going to at least check? What if… what if it’s ridiculously expensive?"

"As long as you like it, I don’t care how much it costs," she answered. Her gaze was bright and sincere, without a trace of doubt or pretense.

I couldn't help but think—so this was what it looked like to truly love someone.

Too bad the one she loved wasn’t me.

I tucked the divorce papers into my bag, ready to head home. But Hazel, worried about my safety, insisted on escorting me.

Just as we reached the door, her assistant whispered something in her ear.

Her expression changed instantly. Without warning, she grabbed my arm and pulled me in the opposite direction.

The next thing I knew, we were inside a room, and she was shoving me down onto a chair.

"He has a negative blood type. You can draw his blood," she announced.

Before I could react, a sharp needle pierced my skin. They didn’t stop until they had drained 600 milliliters from my veins.

After that, I was so dizzy and weak that I could barely lift my head. I could just barely register the doctor reassuring her, "Don’t worry, Miss Trivett. Mr. Robson will be fine."

Only then did Hazel finally relax. But noticing my gaze, she awkwardly explained, "Phil, I did this to bring you good karma. Even if it weren’t Glenn, we couldn’t just stand by and do nothing, right?"

I was too drained to argue. Too numb to care.

I just nodded. "I get it. It’s fine. Stay here and take care of him. I want to go home and rest."

"Don’t be silly. You’re my husband—I should be with you," she insisted and gently blew on the tiny puncture wound on my arm as if that could make up for what she had just done.

Afterward, she helped me up and led me out.

Halfway home, we ran into Glenn.

"Phil," he said warmly, "thank you for donating blood for me. Let me take everyone out to dinner as a token of my gratitude."

I didn’t even get the chance to refuse. Before I could say a word, Hazel had already eagerly accepted the invitation.

At the restaurant, she ordered with ease, knowing exactly what to get.

Then, without thinking, she placed a glass of pineapple juice in front of me.

"Glenn doesn’t like this," she said casually. "You can drink it instead—it’s good for you."

I let out a quiet laugh.

She knew everything about Glenn’s preferences and had completely forgotten that I was allergic to pineapple.

Love—or the absence of it—always reveals itself in the smallest details.

While she was in the restroom, Glenn ‘accidentally’ let his lucky charm slip into view.

Then he smirked at me and mockingly asked, "Phil, they say getting fooled once is just bad luck. But getting fooled twice? What do you call that?"

"What I call it has nothing to do with you," I replied, uninterested in playing his game.

But he wasn’t done.

With a sudden, dramatic motion, he ripped the lucky charm from his neck and smashed it onto the floor.

Then, without hesitation, he slapped himself—hard—twice.

"Hazel," he choked out, tears streaming down his face as he threw himself into her arms. "Phil still won’t forgive me! He even accused me of trying to steal you away! He… he said he was going to scar my face."

Seeing his pitiful state and hearing his words, Hazel turned and shoved me to the ground without hesitation.

Phil's POV

“Phil, how could you be so cruel? How could you do this to someone who’s already sick?”

A sharp ringing filled my head, mixing with the pain coursing through my body. It dragged me back to that hellish week.

In a foreign street engulfed in gunfire, I was like a rootless weed, drifting between life and death.

And the woman who once pulled me from the flames, the one who promised to love me for a lifetime—she was now shoving me back into the abyss, all for Glenn.

As the past and the present collided, I couldn’t stop myself from shaking. Tears started to stream down my face.

Seeing my tears, Hazel seemed to realize her actions and hurriedly explained, “Phil, don’t cry. I didn’t mean to, I just… I lost control for a moment.”

Beside her, Glenn suddenly started to cry as well.

“It’s all my fault,” he murmured guiltily. “I shouldn’t have shown up. Phil, I know I wronged you before, but I’m married now. I just want to be with my wife and live a good life.”

He then paused before adding, “Since you hate me so much… Maybe I should just disappear forever.”

Without another word, he bolted toward the busy street.

At this critical moment, Hazel hesitated, glancing at me uncertainly. But then, with only the briefest pause, she ran after him.

I clenched my teeth against the ache in my chest, wiped my face dry, and stood up under the weight of countless stares.

On my way home, my phone buzzed with a message from Hazel.

[Phil, don’t be mad. Glenn is an important client of our company. I only gave him the lucky charm for business purposes. I didn’t mean to push you. I'm sorry. As you know, Glenn’s health isn’t great. So, please don’t hold a grudge against a sick man. I’ll make it up to you when I get home.]

Lies. Careless, empty words.

It was obvious she didn’t think twice about the hurt she had caused me. She was so sure I’d keep loving her, that I’d believe anything she said without question.

But how could a heart that had turned to ashes still love?

Mandy’s betrayal had already left me physically and emotionally wrecked. And now, Hazel’s deception crushed whatever remained.

I didn’t even have the strength to cry anymore. I just stared at the passing scenery outside the window and let out a silent sigh.

Hazel, I hoped when you found my “body” tomorrow, you’d be just as indifferent as you were now.

When I got home, I gathered every gift Hazel had ever given me.

Once, they had touched me deeply. Now, looking at them again, I realized they were just meaningless purchases—nothing more than bonus items she got while buying things for Glenn.

Then there were the photos.

In every picture, she was holding my hand.

But her eyes were never on me. It was as if she was looking through the lens, longing for someone else.

Ignoring the sharp ache in my chest, I threw everything into the trash—along with the last remnants of Hazel’s so-called love.

By the time I finished, daylight was breaking. Yet, she still hadn’t come home. Instead, she sent her assistant with a pile of gifts.

The assistant smiled awkwardly. “Miss Trivett really cares about you. She’s swamped with work but still made time to send you presents.”

Despite his sugar-coated words, I said nothing.

After he left, I opened my phone and found a string of messages from Glenn.

A video of Hazel accompanying him to the hospital.

A photo of her massaging his feet.

And the latest one—a picture of the two of them at a church.

Suddenly, I remembered the time Hazel had saved me and brought me home.

Back then, I was too afraid to sleep, so she had searched everywhere to find incense that would help me rest.

And just like when we were kids, she had stayed by my side, night after night.

Phil's POV

For the sake of our past, I decided to give her one last chance. I called Hazel on a video chat.

After declining three times, she finally picked up.

“Phil, I know you’re still mad at me,” she said with guilt. “I didn’t know what else to do, so I came to the church where we first met to pray for your safety. Look, I even lit a candle for you here.”

She then showed the candle with a note stuck on it, saying, [Wishing Phil health and safety.]

Ignoring it, I said, “I don’t feel well. Can you come home now?”

“What’s wrong? Are you sick? I’ll have my assistant take you to the hospital,” she said quickly. “I have an important meeting soon… I really can’t step away.”

As expected.

But her answer didn’t hurt me at all. I simply hung up, calm and unaffected, and moved forward with my plan.

On the way to the airport, my phone kept buzzing with messages from Glenn.

[Don’t even think about taking Hazel away from me. Because you can't. Every woman in your life only loves me.]

[While I was sick, Hazel went to every church she could find, praying for me. She even donated millions to them in exchange for my recovery. She never once thought about you.]

After reading his messages, I clicked on the video he sent.

The screen was then filled with rows of lit candles with notes of heartfelt wishes for him.

Every word carried love. Deep, unwavering devotion.

Then, their voices came through the recording.

Glenn sounded weak and hesitant as he said, “Hazel, I’m scared. I heard that having a blood transfusion from a donor can lower surgical risks. But Phil had just come out of surgery back then… What if something happened to him—”

“Don’t worry,” Hazel interrupted. “I’ll sign the consent forms for him when the time comes. Life and death are fate. If he makes it, great. If not… that’s his problem.”

After a brief pause, she then added as if convincing herself, “He survived a war. Losing a kidney and some blood is nothing. He’ll be fine.”

But before the recording ended, her confession to him was captured.

“Glenn, I gave up my happiness for you. I gave Phil a title, a life he could call ‘happy.’ All just for you. So if there’s a next life, I hope you’ll choose me.”

Her love sounded so deep, so desperate.

If I weren’t the one being sacrificed, I might’ve been touched, too.

But since it wasn't, I shut off my phone and boarded my flight without a second thought.

At the same time, a shocking headline took over the internet.

[Hazelt Travitt’s beloved husband dies in a car accident—suspected to have crashed while chasing after his cheating wife.]