Chapter 1

On April Fools’ Day, I texted my wife and told her I was terminally ill. I told her that I had no more than a month left to live.

I thought that if I made her cry, I would make it up to her with a villa.

But as soon as I reached the front door, I heard her complaining inside. “Terminally ill? He’s already dying. Don’t tell me he’s going to waste money on treatment.

“That money will be ours sooner or later. Why should he spend it on himself?

“No. When he gets home, I’ll tell him I’m pregnant.

“He loves me so much. He’ll definitely give up treatment for the baby and me.”

Before I could process her words, I heard my best friend’s voice right after. “It’s no wonder you always say he’s up to no good. Every time you finish with him, you come to me so I can satisfy you.

“I thought you were just greedy. It turns out he’s really that pathetic!

“What do you think will happen if he finds out you’re carrying my baby? Do you think he’ll die even sooner?”

Only then did I realize that my wife and my best friend had been having an affair for a long time.

I laughed bitterly.

Then, I turned around and called my assistant. “Don’t transfer the deed to the Bayhaven villa yet. Draft a divorce agreement instead.”

She cheated on me and still thought she could take my money! She could keep dreaming.

Chapter 1

The laughter inside the house continued, but my head was buzzing.

Just moments ago, I was wondering if my wife, Julia Sullivan, would panic after finding out I was terminally ill.

That was why I came home early. I wanted to comfort her and calm her down.

But instead, I heard all of this.

Julia continued, “It’s such a shame about our child. They’ll have to take his last name, Johnson. Just thinking about it makes me sick.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she laughed. “Don’t worry. After he dies, I’ll take everything he leaves behind and marry you.”

I held onto the doorframe and almost laughed.

I had noticed a month ago that Julia would occasionally feel nauseous.

She told me her stomach was just upset and told me not to overreact.

Looking back, she must have already been pregnant with Caleb Zimmerman’s child at the time.

I was about to push the door open and demand an explanation when Caleb’s voice sounded again. “Tristan’s such an idiot. He doesn’t seriously think I introduced you two because I was looking out for him, does he?

“With a brain like his, it’s a good thing the child isn’t his.”

Julia’s voice immediately sounded aggrieved. “Don’t say that…

“If it weren’t for his money, I never would’ve accepted his confession. I never would’ve left you and stayed away from you for so long…

“Thankfully, fate’s finally on our side. We can finally be together.”

She paused and said excitedly, “Tristan’s the only son of the Johnson family. After he dies, our child will inherit Johnson Corp!

“This is just his way of making it up to us.”

The more I listened, the angrier I felt.

Caleb really was the one who had introduced Julia to me.

Back then, he kept trying to set us up. He arranged for us to meet every few days and constantly praised her in front of me. That was how I slowly fell in love with her.

I spent a lot of money trying to win her over.

I had always been grateful to Caleb because of that.

When he said he wanted to start a business, I gave him two million without a second thought.

When he said he wanted to buy a house, I helped him with the down payment.

Last month, I even gave him a Porsche for his birthday.

Only today did I realize that the two of them had planned everything.

I was just a pawn in their game.

Before I could recover from the shock, I heard heavy breathing from inside the house. Julia said in a sweet voice, “Didn’t we just finish? You want more?”

Caleb laughed. “Don’t worry. The doctor said the baby will be fine as long as we’re careful.

“Besides, Tristan can never compare to me.”

Just then, I heard footsteps from the elevator.

I panicked and quickly hid in the stairwell.

Through the crack in the door, I saw my mother-in-law, Helen Parker, walk into the house with a smile on her face.

Helen used to live in the countryside. Three years ago, I suggested bringing her here to live with us.

I bought her a villa and hired several housekeepers to take care of her.

Over the past three years, I treated her even better than I treated my own mother.

I thought that after she found out about Caleb and Julia, she would defend me.

I heard Helen’s slightly disapproving voice. “Caleb, you really need to be more careful. How could you be so careless?

“Last time, you left your underwear in the bathroom. If I hadn’t put it away for you, Tristan would’ve found out.”

I leaned against the wall in the stairwell. My hands and feet turned numb.

Helen had known about their affair all along.

Were all those times she praised me for being a good son-in-law just an act?

Julia said in a sweet voice, “Mom, don’t blame Caleb. He just misses me so much.”

Helen sighed. “You two really need to be more careful. If you can’t help yourselves, go to a hotel. Why risk doing it at home?

“What if Tristan comes back early one day and catches you?”

She paused, then lowered her voice. “By the way, Julia, are you sure Tristan’s terminally ill?”

Julia nodded. “He showed me the medical report. How could it be fake?

“We’ve been married for three years. He’ll give me everything he has. There’s no way he’d lie to me.

“So, don’t worry. It’s definitely real.

“What does it matter even if he caught us? Will he divorce me?

“He’s a dying man! Who else would want him if he leaves me?”

I smiled. Then, I pushed open the door. “Julia, let’s get a divorce.”

Chapter 2

Everyone froze when they saw me.

Julia was the first to compose herself. She blinked and cautiously asked, “Honey, when did you get back?”

I stared at her. I wanted to see just how low she could stoop.

“Just now,” I said without any emotion.

Hearing that, she let out a sigh of relief. Then, her eyes immediately filled with tears. “Honey, are you asking for a divorce because you think you’ll drag me down with you?

“I don’t care about that.

“The reason I invited Caleb here today was that I wanted him to convince you not to do anything stupid…”

Caleb quickly stood up. He walked over to me and patted my shoulder. He said with a faint smile, “Tristan, don’t think too much about it.

“Don’t worry. From now on, I’ll treat your wife and child like they’re my own.”

His words made me sick. I looked up and stared at him. “If you like taking care of other people’s wives so much, why don’t you go find yourself a sugar mommy?”

Julia’s face immediately darkened.

She pulled away from me and said angrily, “Honey, the moment Caleb found out you were terminally ill, he came here without hesitation!

“He was only trying to help. How can you talk to him like that?”

Helen finally recovered from her shock and quickly chimed in, “Exactly! They’ve known each other for years. If there was really something going on between them, wouldn’t it have happened long ago?

“Are you saying all this because your illness has affected your judgment?”

Julia seemed to notice that something was wrong with me.

She bit her lip, then suddenly grabbed my hand and placed it on her stomach. “Honey, there’s something I wanted to tell you today…”

She looked up at me in excitement. “I’m pregnant! I’m three months along.”

She thought I would be happy.

But I only looked at her in disgust. “Get an abortion.”

“What?” Julia froze. She stared at me in disbelief. “W-What did you say?”

I pulled my hand away and stared straight at Caleb. “I said, get an abortion.

“I don’t want my child to be born and lose its father right away.”

Caleb’s face turned red from anger.

He jumped to his feet and pointed at me. “Tristan, are you even a man?!

“Julia knew you were dying, but she still wanted to have your child! You really want her to get an abortion?!”

Julia panicked. She quickly grabbed my arm. She said in a voice choked with tears, “Honey, are you acting like this because you’re dying?

“I won’t give up on you!

“I want to have our child even more since you’re terminally ill. I want our child to carry on the Johnson family name!”

‘Carry on the Johnson family name?’ I thought.

I looked at her and said, “Is that so?”

She clearly did not understand what I meant. She quickly nodded. “Yes! I even went to a private hospital for a checkup. It’s a boy!

“Honey, you can’t be so heartless. How can you not want your own son?”

Helen felt sorry for her and hugged her. She said, “These days, there aren’t many women who are willing to have a child for a man who is about to die.

“Honestly, if you really care about Julia, why don’t you stop treatment?

“Leave that money for Julia and the child. That way, the child can still feel your presence.

“When the child grows up and asks about you, we can tell him that his father gave up treatment for him. You’ll be a great example to him.”

Julia wiped away her tears. “I heard that chemotherapy is very painful. I don’t want you to suffer…

“Honey, please don’t put yourself through that. Think about it for the baby and me.

“Anyway, I’ll stay with you for the rest of your life…”

She sounded so sincere and pitiful. It almost seemed like she truly cared about me.

But all I felt was disgust.

I pulled my arm away from her again and sneered. “What I meant was, do you really think you deserve to have my child?

“Julia, I’ll say it one more time. I don’t want this child.”

Julia stared at me in disbelief. Then, she took out her phone and called someone.

“Honey, you’ve gone crazy because of your illness!” Her voice suddenly turned sharp. “The child in my belly is the only heir of the Johnson family!

“I’m calling your mother right now. Once she finds out about this, she’ll never let me get rid of the child!”

She pressed the call button.

She did not know that, just moments ago, I had sent my mother the entire recording of their conversation.

My mother divorced my father because he cheated on her.

The thing she hated most in her life was betrayal.

Sure enough, after hearing Julia’s words, my mother’s voice on the other end of the phone turned cold. “How dare he treat the Johnson family’s bloodline like a joke? He really doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into.”

Chapter 3

Julia froze for a moment, but she quickly put down her phone and turned to look at me.

She stared at me smugly. “Honey, you heard that, right? Your mother will never let you do something so reckless.

“If you really dare to make me get rid of this child, she’ll be the first one to stop you!”

I ignored her. I walked past her and sat on the couch.

She thought I had given in. She let out a sigh of relief, sat down beside me, and started crying. “Honey, I really don’t mind becoming a widow.

“What I’m worried about is seeing you suffer during this last month…

“How about this? I know the director of a private hospital. They offer home hospice care. Why don’t—”

I interrupted her coldly. “Are you trying to get me to choose euthanasia?”

She nodded, and her eyes turned teary again. “Yes. I just can’t bear to watch you suffer…

“Honey, think about it. Instead of staying in the hospital with tubes in your body and suffering for a month, wouldn’t it be better to leave this world with dignity?

“That is better for you. It’s also better for the baby and me…”

When Caleb heard this, a vicious smile appeared on his face.

He immediately picked up his phone and pretended to be helpful. “Tristan, Julia’s right. I’ll make an appointment for you.

“I’ve heard of that hospital too. It’s nearby, and their service is excellent. I promise you won’t feel any pain.”

Helen pretended to pout. “Julia, how can you say something like that?

“Do you know how hurtful those words are?”

Even though she said that, she had no intention of stopping Julia. Instead, she looked at Caleb in anticipation.

I watched the three of them put on their performance and suddenly laughed. “Don’t bother. I’m not going to die.”

Julia froze for a moment. Then, she jumped up and shouted, “Honey, do you really think money can cure a terminal illness?!”

“I looked up on the illness that you sent me! It has a 100% mortality rate. There’s no cure!

“Even if you spend money on treatment, it’ll only extend your life by another month or two. It’ll only make you suffer even more!

“Wake up! Stop trying to fight something you can’t win!”

Caleb was furious too. He pointed at me and shouted, “Tristan, how can you be so selfish?!

“You know this will hurt Julia. You know she’s pregnant, yet you want her to watch you suffer every day!

“Don’t you feel sorry for her?”

Before I could say anything, a group of people in white coats suddenly walked in.

The moment Julia saw them, she immediately pointed at me. “Doctors, it’s him!

“Please, make sure he doesn’t suffer too much!”

My heart sank. I quickly stepped back. “I’m not sick! If you try to do anything to me, you’re breaking the law!”

The people in white coats looked at each other. They seemed hesitant.

Helen suddenly sat down on the floor and started crying. “Oh, my poor son-in-law!

“He has a terminal illness. It’s normal that he can’t accept it right away!

“Doctors, please be kind to him. He’s just too scared…”

Julia took out the fake medical report I had sent her earlier. “Look!

“My husband really is terminally ill!”

After that, she snatched the hospice care agreement from one of them and signed it without even thinking.

The people looked at the report and the signed agreement. Then, they exchanged glances and walked toward me. “The whole process will take no more than thirty minutes. It’ll be over soon.”

That was when I finally realized they were serious.

I thought Julia and Caleb were only after my money. I thought they planned to take my assets after I died.

I never thought that they could not even wait for a month for me to die.

I took a deep breath. Just as I was about to walk toward the door, Caleb grabbed my shoulder. “Tristan, we’ve been friends for so long. This is the least I can do for you.”

Then, he leaned close to my ear and laughed. “I have to admit, Julia really does have a great body.

“You were lucky to have her all these years.

“From now on, everything you have will be mine. Your money, your company, your wife…

“Oh, right… your son too.”

After that, he forced me down onto the couch. He looked at the people in white coats and said, “You can start.”

I struggled as hard as I could and shouted, “My mom will be here soon! Aren’t you worried about her finding out about what you did to me?!”

Julia sneered. “Don’t worry.

“I’ll tell her that you didn’t want to see me suffer, so you chose to give up treatment yourself.

“She won’t blame me.”

Before I could say anything else, Caleb wrapped tape tightly over my mouth.

He smiled and said, “I’m just worried that if you scream too loudly, you’ll scare the baby in Julia’s stomach.

“Tristan, just go peacefully.”

One of the people in white coats had taken out a syringe and was walking toward me.

Just as the needle was about to go into my arm, the front door was flung open. A group of people rushed in.

My mother was at the front. Her face was filled with shock and anger. “Get them! Don’t let a single one of them get away!”