"Of course," Winona replied smoothly. "Think about it, they like Yvonne. Knowing she’s struggling, they’ll definitely agree. Besides, we won’t be taking advantage of them for free, right?"Her words ignited a spark of hope in Joe. After finding an excuse to send Winona away, he made his way to Yvonne’s hospital room.The moment Yvonne saw him, she stiffened in alarm. "What are you doing here? I don’t want to see you. Leave now, or I’ll jump out the window."Joe paused, not daring to move further. He stood at the doorway, his gaze steady. "I’ve found a potential kidney donor for you. Also, I recovered your missing paintings. Just say the word, and I’ll arrange for them to be hung in the exhibit.""There’s no need. I won’t be using them, and I don’t need you to worry about my affairs," Yvonne replied coldly, her tone even more distant than before.Joe’s last shred of hope crumbled into disappointment. After a long silence, he quietly took out a piece of paper and wrote down the cont
As soon as he walked in, Nigel spoke up, "The note is real. We’re going there now."Yvonne looked at him like he was talking nonsense. How could a kidney transplant be that simple? She had already started accepting the reality of her illness and didn’t want to make any more effort to change it.Ignoring her, Nigel picked her up and carried her out."What are you doing? Put me down!" she protested, embarrassed as nurses and patients stared at them. Her face turned red, wishing she could disappear.Nigel didn’t seem to care about the attention and continued carrying her, placing her in the car. Furious, Yvonne demanded, "Do you think this will make me feel grateful or something?"Nigel started the engine. "You’ve got it wrong. I just want you to live. There’s finally hope now, and I don’t want to miss it." He sped up the car, running several red lights as they raced toward the address in the southern part of the city.When they arrived at the location written on the note, they we
Once they were seated, Shelly brought out tea and placed it in front of Yvonne and Nigel. While they were served in nicer cups, Shelly and David used chipped porcelain cups for themselves.Nigel silently observed the scene, watching as the couple continued their act. David began reminiscing about the past, but seeing Yvonne’s confused expression only made Nigel more certain that these two were fakes. They clearly were not the ones selling a kidney, but their true motives remained unclear. "Miss Yvonne, I understand if you don’t remember, but that’s okay. As long as we keep it in our hearts. Go ahead and drink, cold tea is no good," David urged, his eyes misty, performing his role flawlessly.Unaware of the deception, Yvonne raised the cup to drink, but Nigel stopped her, whispering not to drink the tea.David smiled slightly, trying to reassure her. "It’s just a small sip, it won’t hurt you. Besides, would I really harm my own benefactor?"Yvonne, trusting him, took a sip. Sati
Nigel lunged forward and shoved Yvonne out of the way just as the beam crashed down. A sharp scream of pain echoed through the room. It had landed directly on his legs."Nigel!" Yvonne cried out, terrified. She tried to crawl over to him, but before she could reach him, a piece of wood knocked her unconscious.When Yvonne came to, she was back in her hospital bed. A bandage was wrapped around her head and the dull ache reminded her of the injury. The first thing that came to mind was Nigel. She immediately tried to get out of bed to find him.Just as she swung her legs off the bed, Nina walked in. Seeing her trying to get up, she rushed over, gently pushing Yvonne back onto the bed. "What are you doing? You need to rest.""I need to find Nigel. How is he? Please tell me he's still alive," Yvonne begged, clutching Nina's hands. Tears were streaming down her face, soaking the sheets beneath her.Nina wiped her tears and soothed her, "He's alive. But seriously, what were you both thi
Yvonne scolded sharply, "What are you doing? Haven't you caused us enough harm already?"Her words froze Joe in place. He stared at her, stunned, as if he couldn’t process what she had said.Nigel, adding fuel to the fire, pretended to wince in pain. "Ow, it hurts, like a needle stabbing me. Yvonne, can you check if something's wrong with my legs?"Joe immediately pulled the blanket over Nigel’s legs and scoffed, "Nigel, let me call a doctor. Yvonne doesn’t know about these things.""None of your business," Yvonne snapped, not giving Joe any kindness. She stood up and began to carefully examine Nigel's legs, as if handling something precious.Watching her tender care, Joe felt a crushing pain inside, like his heart was being twisted apart. His anger turned to Nigel, who was looking at him smugly, clearly enjoying the moment.Joe clenched his fists but knew he couldn’t lose control. If he did, he would only make Yvonne hate him more.After a long pause, he managed to calm himself
Joe knew that Yvonne's words earlier were mostly to stop him from bothering her, but Nigel wanted to take advantage of the situation. Seeing Yvonne look down without a word, Nigel refused to give up and asked again, "If marrying me would get rid of Joe for good, would you do it?"Yvonne lifted her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "That wouldn’t be fair to you."Nigel let out a bitter laugh. "Fairness doesn’t matter to me. I can see you don’t feel that way about him. Since that’s the case, I like you, and if being your shield is what it takes, so be it."Yvonne choked up, unable to find the right words. And just like that, they agreed to a marriage, a decision that should have been made with more caution.The next morning, when Yvonne told Nina about it, Nina was shocked. She stared at Yvonne in disbelief for a long time before Yvonne gave a bitter smile, and Nina began to understand.Nina took Yvonne's hand and gently urged, "Before this goes public, you should explain things
Late into the night, as Winona was frantically calling around looking for Joe, she received a text message from an unknown number asking for her email, claiming to have some "explosive news."Still fuming, Winona rolled her eyes.Soon after, she received a photo. It was of Joe kissing a woman in a car.Without a second thought, she sent her email to the stranger.A few minutes later, a video appeared in her inbox. It was a clear, high-quality recording of Joe and Yvonne in the car, locked in an intimate kiss. The angles were so precise that if Winona did not know them, she could have mistaken it for some kind of inappropriate film.Furious, Winona grabbed the nearest vase and hurled it to the floor. Still unsatisfied, she began destroying anything within reach, leaving the room in complete disarray.Once her anger was somewhat vented, a new plan sparked in her mind. She picked up her phone and dialed a number. "Is Nigel and Yvonne's wedding tomorrow? Where's it being held? Alri
Yvonne quickly shook her head in refusal. Today was her wedding day, and as long as she made it through this day, she could finally accept all of Nigel’s love without any hesitation. She didn't want anything to cause a delay.Their ride had arrived. Nash came over to inform them.As the makeup artist finished the final touches, Nina and Orion accompanied Yvonne downstairs.The wedding venue was lively, filled with many distinguished guests. It was clear that even though the Gibson family might not have been thrilled about Yvonne, they had spared no expense for the occasion.Nina helped her out of the car, whispering, "Remember, the Gibson family is showing you a lot of respect today. You should keep this in mind. If there are ever any issues with your in-laws, just think about today’s wedding and how much effort they’ve put in."Yvonne wasn’t naïve. She nodded and reassured Nina she would do her best to get along with them."Yvonne," Nigel said, staring at her in awe.Nina tease