Chapter 1

My groin suddenly exploded with agonizing pain.

Testicular torsion.

If I didn't get surgery within an hour, the tissue would die.

I would lose my ability to have kids forever.

Drenched in cold sweat and shaking uncontrollably, I begged my fiancée, Chloe, to take me to the ER.

But Chloe was taking her sweet time, hand-washing a pair of boxers.

And they weren't mine. They belonged to my "best friend," Logan.

"Can't you just wait three more minutes?" Chloe snapped without looking up. "Even if it dies, so what? I don't want kids anyway."

I turned my head, staring at Logan, who was lounging on our sofa, casually sipping a glass of bourbon.

"Logan," I gasped, my voice trembling from the pain. "Are you really just going to watch me die here? When you lost your job, I lent you money. When you said you wanted to visit this city, I let you stay in my apartment. Is this how you repay me?"

Logan set his glass down, completely unbothered.

"Chill, Ethan. Let me finish this drink, change my clothes, and then I'll drive you. Stop making a scene."

Looking at the two of them—completely cold, completely indifferent—a sudden wave of clarity hit me.

I pulled out my phone with shaking fingers and dialed Harper, the girl who had chased me for years.

"Harper," I wheezed into the phone. "You said you always wanted to be my wife. Do you still mean it? Because I'm ready to marry you."

Harper replied almost instantly.

"Are you serious, Ethan? If you're playing with me, you're dead."

Over on the couch, Logan didn't change his clothes. Instead, he stretched and headed straight for the bathroom.

"I'm gonna take a quick shower first," he called out.

While Logan was in the shower, Chloe started carefully ironing his designer suit.

Our housekeeper, Martha, couldn't take it anymore. She rushed over, helping me lie flat on the sofa, her face pale with worry.

"Chloe, Ethan is in terrible pain! You need to take him to the hospital right now. What if something goes seriously wrong?"

But Chloe didn't even look up. She kept running the iron smoothly over Logan's jacket.

"Logan is a neat freak, Martha. He's just taking a quick shower."

Then, she chuckled, looking at me like I was being dramatic.

"Don't worry, Ethan, it's not going to kill you to wait a few minutes. Worst case scenario, they cut it off. I don't want kids anyway, so it's not like we'll need it."

I stared at her, my voice shaking with pure rage and pain.

"This is not a joke, Chloe. I could be permanently mutilated. Do you even understand what you're saying?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Chloe drifted her gaze back toward the bathroom door, completely tuning me out. She was clearly waiting for Logan.

I took a deep breath, summoned what little strength I had left, and slammed my fist onto the coffee table.

"I said, I am about to lose a part of my body! I need to go to the hospital right now! Did you hear me?!"

Chloe jumped, startled by my outburst. Her eyes instantly filled with annoyance.

"Why are you yelling at me? We aren't even married yet, and you're already showing your true, abusive colors? Logan is just taking a quick shower and you can't even wait? You're the one who invited him to stay here in the first place. You're ruining the mood."

The noise in the living room drew Logan out. He walked out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist, water dripping down his bare chest.

"Hey, don't fight because of me," Logan said, putting on a fake, apologetic smile. "Ethan, you're the one who said we should hang out more after graduation. I'm staying at your place and eating your food—of course I'll take you to the hospital. Just give me a second to get ready."

My back was completely soaked in cold sweat. I looked at them with ice-cold eyes.

As Logan dropped his dirty boxers on the floor, Chloe immediately picked them up to wash them.

"I like keeping things tidy," Chloe said softly. "Leaving dirty laundry out smells."

Watching her patiently scrub another man's underwear made my stomach turn.

Sometimes, when I worked late and was too exhausted to do laundry, Chloe would throw a fit. She would lock me out of the bedroom, complaining that my dirty clothes were disgusting. But now, she was happily washing Logan's underwear.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit me, accompanied by a sharp pain in my bladder. I staggered to the bathroom, clutching the wall. When I finished, I was so weak I couldn't even press the flush button.

Martha walked in after me and gasped in horror.

"Oh my god! Ethan, you're peeing blood! We cannot wait anymore!"

The sound of a hairdryer started buzzing in the hallway. Chloe was now blow-drying Logan's hair.

Martha marched over and violently ripped the plug out of the wall.

"Stop this madness! Take Ethan to the hospital right now!"

Logan looked at Chloe with a face full of pity.

"Wow, Chloe. I didn't realize this was how you lived. Even a housekeeper can yell at you in your own home?"

Chloe sneered, glaring at Martha.

"My future mother-in-law hired her. She probably brought her here to spy on me and make sure I don't 'abuse' her precious son. I have to put up with it."

She plugged the hairdryer back in. Neither of them cared about my bleeding. Instead, they started complaining about my mother.

At that moment, my phone rang. It was the hospital.

"It's already 10:20 PM," the nurse said urgently. "Where is the patient? The emergency surgeon is ready. You must be here before 11:00 PM. Do not delay!"

The hairdryer buzzed loudly again. This time, I walked over and ripped the plug out myself. I was gasping for air, clutching my stomach.

"It's 10:30. I have to be at the hospital by 11:00."