Chapter 2

"Christy? What are you doing here?"

Alex was lying in the hospital bed, his left leg in a cast. When he saw me, a flicker of panic crossed his eyes before he quickly hid it.

"I came to see you." I set down the insulated food jar. Inside was the slow-cooked oxtail soup he loved most. I had simmered it for four hours.

"It’s just a minor injury. You didn't have to trouble yourself." He tried to sit up, but the movement winced his wound, making him gasp.

I walked over, adjusted the bed head, and placed a pillow behind his back.

"Is the office busy? Where is Betty?" he asked.

"The office is fine. I dropped Betty off at my mom's place."

I pulled my hands back, opened the container, ladled a bowl of soup, and handed it to him. "The doctor said you have a minor bone fracture. You need bed rest for three months."

"Three months?" He frowned. "What about the company? We have a crucial project launching right now."

"Your health comes first," I said quietly, watching him take sip after sip of the soup.

After a few mouthfuls, he seemed to remember something and put the bowl down. "By the way, did the insurance company call you?"

"Yes."

"What did they say?" His eyes darted away.

"Nothing much. Just verifying some basic details." I lowered my gaze, staring at the cast on his leg.

"Alex, when I was organizing the claim files today, I saw your accidental life insurance policy."

His hand shook, almost imperceptibly.

"Oh... that one. I bought it years ago."

He pretended to be casual, picking up his spoon to stir the soup.

"The beneficiary is Aurora," I said, looking him dead in the eye. "Who is she?"

Alex's face turned instantly pale.

His hand froze mid-air. A drop of soup dripped from the spoon, staining the white bedsheet with a greasy spot.

"Christy, I..." He opened his mouth, trying to find a plausible excuse.

"Who is she?" I repeated.

The air in the room seemed to freeze.

He avoided my gaze and remained silent for a long time. It was so long that I thought he wouldn't answer at all.

"...She's a... friend of mine," he finally spoke, his voice raspy.

"A friend?" I laughed. The sound was sharp and mocking in the quiet room.

"What kind of friend is worth you keeping secrets, spending fifty thousand dollars a year to buy her a five-million-dollar safety net?"

I took a step closer. I slammed the lid of the food jar onto the nightstand, making a sharp clattering sound.

"Alex, we've been married for five years. How did I not know you had a friend you'd trust with your life and death?"

He didn't dare look at me anymore. His eyes fixed on the greasy stain on the bedsheet as if it held his saving grace.

"Christy, it's not what you think," he muttered weakly.

"Aurora has a bad heart. She was born with congenital heart disease. I just wanted to leave her some security."

"Congenital heart disease?" I repeated, finding it utterly ridiculous.

"Alex, do you actually believe that lie yourself?"

"It's true!" He looked up quickly, trying to grab my hand, but I stepped back to avoid him.

"She’s the daughter of my college mentor. Years ago, he died in an accident while saving my life."

"On his deathbed, he entrusted Aurora to me. I promised him I would take care of her for the rest of her life."

He spoke with such passion, his eyes even turning red.

What a touching story.

A heroic mentor, a frail orphan girl, and a loyal student.

If the beneficiary of that policy weren't Aurora instead of me, I would have clapped for my husband's "noble character."

"Your mentor? How come I've never heard you mention him?"

I looked at him coldly.

"I went to your college graduation. Your mentor, Professor Johnson, just retired this year. He actually emailed us baby pictures of his grandson last month."