When my wife, Rosalie Wood, had her first meal after she regained consciousness, the attending doctor, Ethan Joeman, took my seat. He cut the steak while he pointed at her rosy face and looked at me with open defiance.

“Do you know how medical miracles happen? It is not because of your constant presence. It is because of my in‑depth treatment.”

My fingers that held the knife and fork turned pale.

Ethan grew even more brazen. His feet rubbed against my wife's calves under the table.

“A person in a vegetative state can still feel things. Every night after you left, I did awakening therapy for her. She said her body could not move, yet the sense of being conquered made her feel as though her soul left her body. She woke up because she wanted to feel it again. Last night, she said she wanted to thank her savior and asked me to check her firmness after recovery. She did not disappoint me.”

I looked at Rosalie, who stared at the doctor with admiration, and my chest tightened.

To pay for her treatment, I sold my house and car. I slept on a folding bed in this hospital for three years. I bathed her and turned her over every day.

It turned out that my three years of round‑the‑clock care meant nothing compared to a few acts of harassment committed while she was vulnerable.

I took a drug from my bag and smiled as I poured Ethan a glass of wine. I thought, ‘You went through a lot, yet her awakening was only a brief moment of clarity before death. She has super‑drug‑resistant syphilis. Congratulations. You caught it too.’

“Dr. Joeman, this piece of meat is overcooked. I do not want it.” Rosalie Wood frowned and pushed the plate away in a playful manner. Her gaze lingered on Ethan Joeman, who sat across from her.

Ethan understood her hint and set down his knife and fork. He cut a small piece of tender, blood‑streaked meat from his plate, dipped it in the sauce, and held it directly to Rosalie’s mouth.

“Here, Rosie, open your mouth. I ordered this for you. It is medium rare and very nourishing. You just woke up, so you need something that gives you energy.”

Rosalie opened her mouth and took the piece of meat. Her tongue brushed against Ethan’s fingertip on purpose.

“Hmm… It is so delicious. Dr. Joeman, you treat me well.”

Ethan let out a pleased chuckle as his hand slid down to the backrest of her chair. His fingertips glided lightly over her back.

“As long as you obey and cooperate with my rehabilitation training, you will have plenty of delicious food in the future.”

I sat across from them. The veins on the back of my hand bulged, and my knuckles turned white. I slammed my glass on the table.

“We are in public. Do you mind showing some discretion?”

Rosalie’s seductive smile vanished. Her gaze turned cold and resentful as she looked at me. She studied me from head to toe, her eyes stopping on the worn collar of my shirt. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“Leo Leighton, stop ruining the mood. Dr. Joeman is checking my muscle sensitivity. This is part of the treatment. An uncultured simpleton like you knows nothing about it.”

Ethan lifted his wine glass and swirled the liquid inside it. He looked at me as though I were insignificant.

“Mr. Leighton, you do not understand medical matters. The reconnection of nerves after recovery from a vegetative state is crucial. I am helping Rosie stimulate her cerebral cortex through touch. You should be grateful.”

His hand grew even more audacious. It slid from her back to her breasts, and he pinched them through the fabric.

Rosalie let out a soft, playful sound and leaned closer to Ethan. She pointed at me with a mocking smile.

“Look at you. You smell like disinfectant mixed with sweat. It is awful. Why can you not learn from Dr. Joeman? He has a PhD from abroad, and every gesture shows sophistication. Sitting at the same table with you ruins my appetite.”

My heart sank, and a cold feeling spread through my chest.

It turned out I had been kept in the dark for years.

For three years, I had sold everything I owned to keep her alive.

I slept on a creaky folding bed beside her hospital bed. I woke up every two hours to turn her over and clean her, even when I could barely stay awake.

I used my hands to catch her excrement and removed hardened stool piece by piece, all so she would not develop bedsores and her skin could remain as fair and smooth as it was now.

However, what did I receive in return?

My tireless protection became, in her eyes, a sign of incompetence and poverty. Ethan’s repeated acts of harassment while she was vulnerable had somehow become, in her words, a treatment that reached deep into her soul.

Five years of deep love, and I had been deceived until I had nothing left. Since that was the case, she should not blame me for being ruthless.

I took a slow breath and forced down the violent anger rising in my chest.

There was no point in losing my temper now. I wanted to watch them rise to great heights, then collapse and rot in the mud. I loosened my clenched fist and forced a smile.

“Rosie is right. I was immature and incompetent. It is all thanks to Dr. Joeman for taking care of you these past few years.”

I picked up the decanter and stood to pour wine into their glasses.

“This meal is my thank‑you gift to Dr. Joeman and a celebration of Rosie’s recovery.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow, surprised that I backed down so quickly after showing such resentment.

He enjoyed the thrill of stepping on another man’s dignity. He waved his hand in a generous manner.

“It is good that you understand. Some things require talent and ability.”

Rosalie snorted, already used to what she believed was my cowardice.

“Glad you came to your senses.”

I sat back down and pulled a small white pillbox from my pocket. I poured out two pills, tossed them into my mouth, tilted my head back, and swallowed them with water.

“What is that?” Rosalie asked.

I kept my expression calm.

“Vitamins. I stayed up too late these past few years, so I am weak. I need supplements. Otherwise, how will I have the energy to make money for your rehabilitation?”

In reality, it was a high‑potency suppressant I had obtained through a friend.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and turned to Ethan with a bright smile.

“Dr. Joeman, let us drink.”

Ethan raised his glass, his arm slipping through hers. The two of them drank from crossed cups in front of me, their eyes filled with longing.

The next day, I went to the hospital to collect my remaining personal belongings.

Before I reached the ward, I heard strained voices and the loud rattle of the bed frame from inside.

“Dr. Joeman… It feels sore there…”

“That is correct. This area has the densest nerve endings. I am helping you activate them.”

The voice was painfully familiar.

For three years, she had only made faint, unconscious sounds when I wiped her down. Now, her high‑pitched cry carried desire and enjoyment.

I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The ward was a complete mess.

Ethan lay on top of Rosalie. His white coat hung open, and his clothes were in disarray.

When I entered, neither of them showed panic or even the slightest intention to separate.

Ethan paused and shot me an irritated look.

“Mr. Leighton, do you not know how to knock? It is basic courtesy.”

I stared at the scene and let out a cold laugh.

“Is this your idea of courtesy, Dr. Joeman? Doing this to my wife right after she woke up in her ward?”

Ethan spoke with a self‑righteous tone.

“What does an illiterate person like you know? This is the latest pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation training. Rosie was bedridden for three years. Her muscles are weak and atrophied. Without high‑intensity stimulation, she will not regain full function.”

He shifted his weight in a deliberate manner, as if to prove his point.

“You see? Only I can help her achieve deep muscle contraction. This is medical treatment and serious science.”

My fists tightened, and my nails dug into my palms.

Disguising misconduct as treatment and speaking about it so proudly was shameless.

I looked at Rosalie on the bed.

“You also think this is treatment?”

Rosalie snapped out of her earlier daze. She pulled at her loose hospital gown with clear impatience. “Leo, why are you looking at me like that? Dr. Joeman is saving me.”

She pushed herself up and wiped the corner of her mouth.

“You caught us, so I will not pretend anymore. Get out and stop getting in the way. Dr. Joeman’s skills are far better than anything a useless wimp like you could offer.”

She humiliated me without hesitation.

“Dr. Joeman trained overseas. He knows exactly how to help me. It is something a coward like you could never understand.”

Ethan wrapped an arm around her shoulder and lifted his chin at me.

“Did you hear that, Mr. Leighton? Some things require expertise. Rosie came back to life. That proves you were never enough.”

A sharp, unpleasant smell filled the room.

I looked at the shameless pair and the red marks on Rosalie’s neck.

Those were her proud signs of affection, and she was also the ungrateful person I had sacrificed everything to save.

Humiliation pounded in my head, yet I calmed myself because the dead were not worth dwelling on.

I loosened my fists, and the anger in my eyes faded.

“Very well. Since Dr. Joeman’s medical skills are so impressive, you should continue this deep treatment a few more times.”

I did not look at them again. I turned and walked out of the ward.

Their mocking laughter echoed behind me.

“Forget that loser, Dr. Joeman. Let us continue…”

Not long after I left the ward, I returned with the divorce agreement.

Since all pretenses had been dropped, there was no point in dragging it out. It was better to end everything at once.

I tossed the agreement onto the messy bedside table.

“Sign it. The house and the car were already sold to pay for your treatment. All that remains are these debt lists.”

Rosalie sat in Ethan’s arms, feeding him grapes with her mouth. She looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

“Leo, have you gone crazy?”

She waved her hand, scattering the papers across the floor.

“You sold the house and the car on your own. What does that have to do with me? You are penniless now, and you still want to talk about dividing assets? What assets do you even have?”

She pointed at the pile of IOUs.

“These debts add up to more than three million. Your signature is on them, so you can figure out how to pay them back. Do not try to push them onto me. I just woke up and need money for recovery. I will not take on a single penny of debt.”

Ethan adjusted his glasses and spoke in a cold, business‑like tone.

“Mr. Leighton, have a conscience. Rosie may be awake, yet her long‑term rehabilitation is expensive. Since you have no money, do not hold her back from pursuing a better life. You should bear this debt yourself.”

I looked at the two people who would strip someone to the bone without hesitation, and disgust rose in my chest.

Most of the debt came from the high‑interest loan I took to buy the unapproved miracle drug Ethan recommended.

It turned out they only saw me as a fool who would pay the bill.

Rosalie mistook my silence for resentment. She suddenly exposed my weaknesses to please Ethan.

“Leo, I know what you are upset about. You have been holding a grudge because I never let you touch me during our five years of marriage, right?”

She linked her arm through Ethan’s and rubbed her head against his shoulder with pride.

“I lied about not feeling well because I wanted to be a car model. I could not risk any marks on my body. You are big and strong, and you are also rough. I was afraid you would leave bruises on me and ruin my appearance on camera.”

She glanced at me with open disdain, her voice dripping with contempt.

“I am even embarrassed to mention your size. You are nothing like Dr. Joeman, who is gentle and skillful.”

I let out a short laugh and looked at her exposed thighs. They were covered in the dark pinch marks Ethan had left earlier.

“You think I am too rough and would leave bruises?” I pointed at her legs.

“Then what are those? Rotten grape skins?”

Rosalie followed my gaze without any shame. She even touched the marks with pride, her eyes dreamy.

“What do you know? This is proof of Dr. Joeman’s love for me. A blockhead like you will never understand this kind of excitement.”

I almost laughed at her foolish expression.

I had always been careful with her because of her fragile health. I held back out of concern, yet she mistook restraint for weakness and tenderness for roughness.

Ethan’s harmful behavior had become, in her mind, gentleness and a badge of honor.

“Fine.” I nodded, picked up the agreement from the floor, and signed my name without emotion.

“I will pay, while he gets the girl. Since you like badges so much, I hope you are covered in them from now on.”

I tossed the pen aside and turned to leave.

Behind me, Rosalie’s triumphant voice rang out. “Idiot. We finally got rid of that peasant. Dr. Joeman, let us celebrate…”

I retorted inwardly, 'Idiot, party hard.'