Chapter 1

To celebrate her childhood friend Julian Thorne’s birthday, Chloe Miller didn't want me around. So, with one phone call, she tricked my daughter and me into going to a ski resort thirty miles away.

A fierce blizzard trapped us there, and that’s where my life ended.

It wasn't until the day she regained her sight that she finally remembered me, the one she’d tricked into that ski resort.

“Still holding a grudge against me? What a big man, so petty.”

Later, when Julian got into a car accident and desperately needed RH-negative blood, she frantically searched for me. She even went as far as draining our daughter’s blood to save her childhood friend.

But our weak daughter held her hand, crying:

“Mommy, Daddy died a long time ago. Your corneas? He donated them!”

“Daddy, please don’t die. I’ll call Mommy to save you right now.”

Facing my tear-streaked Lily, I reached out to wipe away her tears, using my last ounce of strength to tell her, “You have to live well. After Daddy’s gone, donate my eyes to Mommy.”

My daughter clutched my phone, dialing Chloe Miller’s number again and again.

In this icy wilderness, my heart completely died too.

The moment my consciousness completely faded, my soul detached from my body and drifted back to where Chloe Miller was.

“Happy birthday, Julian.” She was holding a cake. “I wish you peace and happiness every year from now on, forever joyful.”

Only then did I understand. She was celebrating Julian’s birthday, that’s why she wasn’t answering my calls.

Julian held her hand, and together they blew out the candles. “You spending my birthday with me like this… Marcus Hayes won’t mind, will he?”

Chloe Miller smiled. “Don’t worry. I deliberately sent him to a ski resort thirty miles away, just to make sure he couldn’t mess things up. And my phone is off, so he can’t find us.”

Watching them so happy, my eyes instantly welled up.

Chloe and I used to be the most promising pair in the world of figure skating.

Five years ago, during an accident, she was drugged, and we ended up having a reckless night together.

Afterward, she became convinced that I had planned it all to get her.

Under immense public pressure, she had no choice but to marry me and gave birth to Lily.

Since then, she rarely came home, dedicating all her attention to her childhood friend, Julian Thorne.

At this moment, the TV was broadcasting the news: “According to reports, at 5 PM this afternoon, an avalanche occurred at a suburban ski resort, resulting in three deaths and one serious injury…”

…

A year ago, while Chloe was cooking for Julian at home, a faulty stove malfunctioned, costing her sight.

In the past year, unable to find suitable corneas, her personality changed drastically. She unleashed all her fury on Lily and me.

Naturally, she couldn’t see the news report.

Seeing this, Julian quickly turned off the TV.

Chloe took Julian’s hand and asked, “Did you make a wish?”

“I did. I wished you’d find a matching cornea soon and regain your sight.”

That’s good. His wish was about to come true.

The next day, the hospital informed Chloe Miller that a suitable cornea donor had been found.

“Julian, this is wonderful! The heavens must have heard your wish!” Chloe embraced Julian tightly. “Thank you, Julian.”

Witnessing this, a sharp pang of bitterness pierced my heart.

I didn’t know if it was Julian’s wish coming true, or my donated corneas, that made her so happy.

The corneal transplant surgery went smoothly.

The day Chloe regained her sight, she sat in her hospital room, waiting for the doctor to remove the bandages from her eyes.

When she saw Julian in front of her, a flicker of disappointment crossed her face.

It was at that exact moment that Chloe finally remembered me.

She checked her phone and saw forty-eight missed calls.

Chloe scoffed, “He really wanted to bother us. Good thing I turned my phone off earlier.”

Julian tried to comfort her, “Go tell Marcus the good news!”

She nodded, then dialed my number.

“The number you have dialed is currently switched off.”

After dialing three times in a row, Chloe Miller’s patience ran out.

“He’s such a big man, yet so petty! Still sulking over something so trivial!”

“I’d like to see how long he can keep this up.”

As she said these words, the smile on Julian’s face grew more pronounced.

“Marcus just cares about you too much. It’s just his way of playing hard to get.”

Chloe snorted in response. “His ‘love’ absolutely sickened me. If he hadn’t drugged me, I should have been standing on a world-class stage today, winning international glory.”

The two of them laughed and talked, but a vague sense of unease rose in Chloe’s heart, as if something important was slipping away from her life.

At the hospital corner, her steps suddenly halted, her gaze fixed on a small, thin figure walking alone to pick up medicine.

She rushed forward, grabbing Lily’s arm. “Where’s your dad?”