Chapter 4

The next day, Chloe went to her office for a meeting, and I followed her.

The company sign outside was clean and professional.

Employees walked in and out normally.

The receptionist greeted her respectfully.

"Good morning, Ms. Miller."

I froze.

How could a bankrupt company still be fully operational?

In the conference room, the CFO handed her a folder.

"Ms. Miller, the offshore accounts have been verified."

"The last liability under Ethan Cole's name has been cleared."

"Once the court finishes processing, you won't be linked to any of it."

Chloe flipped through the documents, her finger lingering on my name.

"Now that he's dead, will they still investigate?"

The CFO lowered his voice.

"As long as his mother doesn't make a scene, they won't."

"Besides, Ethan signed all those guarantees voluntarily over the years."

"Even if they investigate, we can just say it was a failed investment on his part."

Chloe remained silent.

Marcus leaned back in his chair, smiling easily.

"See? I told you."

"Dead men tell no tales."

Chloe suddenly glared at him.

"Can you stop using the word 'dead'?"

Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"Feeling guilty?"

Chloe said coldly, "I'm just annoyed."

"I don't want any loose ends."

The CFO added, "There is one more thing."

"It seems Ethan saved his clinical trial records on a cloud drive before he died."

"We're not sure if there are any debt-related documents in there."

Chloe’s face shifted.

"What's the password?"

"We don't know yet."

Marcus laughed.

"I do."

Chloe looked at him.

Marcus boasted, "How complicated could a guy like him make a password?"

"It’s either your birthday or your wedding anniversary."

Chloe dazed.

Marcus opened his laptop and tried a few times.

First, Chloe's birthday. Error.

Second, the day they reunited. Error.

Third, the day Chloe and I got married. Still an error.

Marcus’s smile faltered.

"The idiot actually got smart."

Chloe suddenly whispered, "Try his mother's birthday."

Marcus typed it in.

Access granted.

Chloe's face drained of color.

I stood behind her, watching coldly.

Did she finally realize?

In my final years, the only person I truly cared about was my mother.

The drive opened.

Inside, it wasn't the debt documents they expected.

Instead, it was a series of video files.

The first video was recorded during my very first clinical drug trial.

In the video, I sat in the hospital hallway, my face still looking relatively healthy. I smiled at the camera.

"Mom, don't worry. It's just a routine trial."

"Chloe needs the money urgently. I'll be home soon."

The second video was recorded after I threw up blood.

I clutched my abdomen, my voice trembling.

"I got eighteen hundred dollars today."

"Chloe said the debt collectors are pressing her again."

"I can't stop."

The third video was taken when I was hospitalized.

I was emaciated beyond recognition.

"The doctor said I can't do this anymore."

"But there's one last payment."

"Once this one is paid off, Chloe won't have to be scared anymore."

Chloe’s hands began to shake violently.

Marcus impatiently clicked to close the video.

"Stop watching this useless garbage. Find the files."

But in his haste, he accidentally opened an audio file.

Chloe’s voice echoed through the room.

It was from four years ago.

She was crying at home, begging me.

"Ethan, please just sign it."

"It’s just a formality."

"The company is going under."

"I have no one else to turn to."

Then came my voice.

"If I sign this, will you be okay?"

Chloe sobbed, "Yes, I promise."

"Once I clear the debts, I’ll be a good wife to you."

When the recording finished playing, the conference room fell into a dead silence.

The CFO's face was completely pale.

"Ms. Miller, if this gets leaked..."

Marcus slammed the laptop shut.

"Delete it!"

But Chloe pressed his hand down.

"Don't touch it."

Marcus snapped, "Are you crazy?"

"Do you want the whole world to know?"

Chloe looked up, her eyes bloodshot.

"Marcus."

"He actually believed me."

Marcus sneered, "So what?"

"Are you going to mourn him now?"

Chloe gritted her teeth. "Shut up."

Marcus slammed the files onto the table.

"Chloe, let's not forget."

"You're the one who approved this scheme."

"You're the one who said he loved you and was the easiest to trick."

"You're the one who said letting him shoulder the debt was the safest bet."

"Now that he's dead, why are you pretending to have a conscience?"

I stood there, feeling a chill run deep into my soul.

So, from the very beginning.

She knew everything.

She wasn't used by Marcus.

She was the one who personally pushed me into the abyss.