Chapter 3

A week later, there was a city-wide medical conference that Lily and I both had to attend.

I intentionally left early, pretending I’d forgotten my Patek Philippe, and asked her to bring it to me at the venue.

When I arrived, she very naturally handed me the watch.

I looked down, fastened it on, and said nothing.

The hall was crowded. Lucas was there too.

He was smiling and chatting with others, and on his wrist was that same watch, identical to mine.

I nudged Lily.

"Look, his watch is just like mine."

She feigned surprise.

"Oh, my goodness, it really is! But it looks much better on you than on him."

I didn’t respond, just glanced at her.

I’d already noticed. The watch on my wrist was fake.

She had given my real watch to Lucas and bought me a fake one.

She was treating me like an idiot.

The hospital director droned on from the stage. I lowered my head and scrolled through Ins.

Lucas had posted many updates.

A picture from three months ago showed a close-up of a wrist. The watch face was clear – my real watch.

The caption read: **[Thanks, sis, for the affirmation. You’ve given me a goal to strive for.]**

A photo from ten days ago showed a partial view of a dining table, with a slender hand picking up food.

I recognized that hand. It was Lily's.

The caption: **[Wish time could just stop here.]**

Yesterday's post was a back shot: a woman in a white coat, hair loose, brightly lit by the sun.

The caption: **[Waiting for sis to get off work.]**

I scrolled through them, one by one.

None of them were directly explicit, but every single one bore Lily's undeniable mark.

Lucas was usually a social butterfly, with dozens of likes on his photos. But not on these.

Because he’d set up a private group – these posts were only visible to *me*.

He was doing this on purpose.

He was telling me: *Your watch is mine, and so is your wife.*

Someone at the conference called my name for a speech. I stood up and walked to the stage.

I saw Lucas turn his head to look at Lily. Their eyes met.

But I pretended not to see anything.

In the days that followed, I continued to live normally with Lily.

I kept writing my paper, and I silently watched them copy it.

Soon, the day of the surgery arrived.

That morning, I went to the garage to get my car as usual.

As soon as I started the engine, the tire pressure warning light came on.

The left rear tire had been punctured. All the air had leaked out.

I feigned panic and called Lily:

"Honey, what do I do? My tire's flat!"

She paused for two seconds, then her voice became even more frantic than mine:

"Oh no! What are we going to do? Today's surgery is so important, you won't make it!"

"Well, someone else will just have to take over for you."

Like someone pushed to despair, I said, "Then let someone else take over."

I hailed a cab, but not long after we set off, the car was rear-ended.

*Heh.*

I sneered.

They were being incredibly thorough.

Ten minutes later, Lucas sent a message.

**[You're finished.]**

I slowly typed back four words:

**[No, *you* are.]**

My divorce lawyer picked me up, and we drove straight to the hospital.

But I deliberately avoided the surgical area, letting them believe I was still stranded on the road, fixing my car.

I had already arranged for someone to give me real-time updates on their movements.

Lily was helping Lucas adjust his mask and gloves:

"This is a golden opportunity today. Do a great job."

"When the time comes, just say you wrote that paper and Dr. Miller plagiarized you."

"His surgical steps are written out clearly. There'll be no problem!"

Lucas wrapped his arm around her neck and kissed her forehead forcefully.

The surgery began.

It was then that I unhurriedly walked to the entrance.

A few nurses were whispering at the door:

"Dr. Hayes is set this time. Dr. Peterson and Dr. Evans are really pushing for him."

"With so many people watching, if this goes well, he'll be famous."

"It's such a shame for Dr. Miller."

Minutes ticked by.

Initially, he performed smoothly.

But twenty minutes later, panic broke out inside.

The monitor's alarm blared suddenly.

A nurse shouted, "Patient is hemorrhaging heavily!"

Lucas’s voice was laced with panic:

"Pressure, more gauze... How do we stop the bleeding?"

Dr. Peterson snapped, "Replace him! Quick, replace him!"

Lily frantically interjected:

"Lucas is on the operating table for the first time! Replacing him now would crush his confidence!"

"Besides, the patient isn't in critical condition, it's just a little extra blood. If no one gives interns a chance, how will they ever grow?"

I chuckled softly.

"Are you sure?"

"Why don't you check the patient's name?"

Lily looked at the patient's chart, and her face instantly turned ashen.