Chapter 4

I moved into a long-term rental apartment near the hospital.

Three days later, I contacted a real estate agent and handed over all the records showing I paid the vast majority of the down payment to my lawyer.

That apartment had to be sold immediately. I wouldn't leave Ethan a single dime.

While at work, I pulled up Lily’s medical records from that day.

She had only picked up one course of antibiotics and some topical creams.

That dosage wouldn't cure her; it wouldn't even manage the pain.

What I found even more amusing was that she had used Ethan’s credit card on the hospital’s payment system.

In other words, Lily was spending Ethan’s money to buy STD medications every single day.

And that idiot Ethan probably thought she was just buying some supplements.

During my afternoon rounds, my phone rang.

It was Ethan.

He had been calling me every day. His tone had shifted from furious insults to a softer, pleading demeanor.

I walked to the end of the hall and picked up.

"Chloe, where are you?"

His voice sounded incredibly exhausted.

"You've been throwing this tantrum for days. Isn't it time to cool off? Come home tonight. Lily said she wants to cook dinner to apologize to you."

I stared at the traffic outside the window, my voice flat.

"Ethan, you should have received my lawyer's letter. I'm not throwing a tantrum."

"If you don't sign the property division agreement, I'll see you in court."

There was a silence on the other end, followed by a sudden roar.

"Chloe, are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Just because Lily is staying here for a few days, you want to sell the apartment? Does our three-year relationship mean absolutely nothing to you?!"

He panted heavily, trying to suppress his rage.

"Lily suddenly got a massive rash all over her body yesterday. She's running a fever so bad her face is pale."

"She refuses to go to the hospital because she's terrified you'll give her attitude again."

"As a doctor, can you put your petty jealousy aside for once and come take a look at her?"

Hearing this, I almost burst out laughing.

A massive rash?

That was a textbook secondary syphilis rash. Combined with her drug abuse, her immune system was utterly collapsing.

Lily didn't dare go to a real hospital because she knew she would be exposed instantly.

"If she won't come to the hospital, how can I treat her?" I replied coldly.

"I don't have time for house calls. If she's that sick, she needs to see a doctor properly."

"You—"

Ethan choked on his words, completely powerless.

"Fine, Chloe. You're heartless."

"I'll take her to a private clinic myself. We don't need your fake sympathy!"

He slammed the phone down.

Looking at the dark screen, I put his number on do-not-disturb.

A private clinic?

Perfect.

Those shady, uncertified private clinics loved using heavy steroids to temporarily suppress visible symptoms.

It would only make Lily's condition deteriorate faster.

After work, I stopped by the real estate agency.

The agent told me there were several interested buyers, but because Ethan lived there and refused to open the door, they couldn't do any showings.

"Dr. Vance, if the co-owner refuses to cooperate, it's going to be very hard to sell this place at market value."

I tapped my fingers on the desk, an idea forming in my mind.

"Bring the buyers tomorrow afternoon," I said, handing a spare key to the agent.

"He won't be home then. There's only a female guest staying there. Just ignore her."

The next afternoon.

Using the excuse of picking up the rest of my belongings, I went back to the apartment early.

As I approached the door, before I could even pull out my key, a series of breathless, gasping sounds echoed from inside.

"Ethan... gentler... what if Chloe suddenly comes back..."

Lily's sweet, whiny voice drifted through the thin door.

"Don't mention that buzzkill of a woman," Ethan panted, his voice dripping with lust.

"She’s practically frigid anyway."

"You’re much better, my sweet Lily. Let me show you how much I love you."

I stood outside, my hand holding the key without a single tremble.

In my past life, they had hooked up behind my back, and I had stupidly confronted them, only to be turned into the villain.

This time, I felt that even getting angry was a waste of energy.

I pulled out my phone, turned on the voice recorder, and quietly leaned against the wall for ten minutes.

Right on cue, I heard the elevator ding.

The agent walked out with a middle-aged couple.

"Oh, Dr. Vance, you're here! Great, great," the agent greeted me warmly.

I made a shushing gesture, then turned the key and opened the door.

*Click.*

The door swung open.

The living room was a disaster zone, clothes scattered everywhere.

The two bodies tangled on the sofa froze instantly, as if struck by lightning.

"Ah—!"

Lily let out a blood-curdling shriek, frantically grabbing clothes from the floor to cover herself.

In that split second, I clearly saw the dense, red rashes covering her back and thighs.

They looked like rotting spots on decaying meat, making the heavy air in the room turn nauseatingly repulsive.

Ethan, completely naked, scrambled to grab his pants, his face filled with sheer panic.

The couple behind me gasped, covering their mouths in horror.

"This... this is the apartment you wanted to show us?"

The woman stepped back in absolute disgust.

"This is filthy! It’s bad luck. We're leaving!"

With that, she dragged her husband away.

The agent stood there, completely dumbfounded and mortified.

I walked in, pulled a sanitizing wipe from my bag, and slowly wiped my hands.

"Ethan."

I thoroughly enjoyed his pathetic state.

"Didn't you say she was so pure she'd never even held a guy’s hand?"

"What's this? Did you two fall in love while treating her illness?"

Ethan's face turned the color of a bruised plum.

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