Joanne and I met through an arranged matchmaking. Back then, she was radiant and beautiful, and I fell for her at first sight.
She didn't like me, yet she still agreed to be with me.
I knew I wasn't worthy of her, so after we got married, I poured all my effort into being the husband she deserved.
No matter how cold she was toward me, I kept believing that she would be moved and truly fall in love with me one day.
Then, Steven appeared. That was when I learned that Joanne had agreed to marry me only because she couldn't withstand her family's pressure.
He kept showing up around Joanne, and one day, my patience finally snapped. I wanted to warn him to stay away from my wife.
But Steven always managed to injure himself on purpose right before Joanne appeared, framing me every time.
Joanne wouldn't even spare me a glance. She had eyes only for Steven as she walked straight to his side, soothing him softly.
She would turn cold, glaring at me as if I were her enemy. "Charles, I never thought someone who appears so upright could be this twisted deep down. If I hadn't arrived in time, were you planning to kill him?"
I stared at the wound on my hand in shock and tried to explain. "I didn't do anything. He fell on his own…"
Besides, Steven wouldn't be injured at all. I was always the one who got hurt.
But Joanne couldn't be bothered to listen.
In her eyes, Steven was kind and harmless. He couldn't possibly frame me.
Naturally, all the blame fell on me.
She slapped me in anger and roared, "How could you blame someone else after doing wrong? Charles, you've really shown me who you are. Marrying someone as petty and vicious as you was pure damnation! Hurry up and apologize to him!"
I didn't want to apologize. And I wanted even less for Steven to ruin the fragile relationship I had painstakingly built with Joanne.
I never expected that apologizing would only make Steven more relentless.
Every day, he put on the same show, pretending I'd somehow hurt him. Bit by bit, he destroyed everything I had struggled to build with Joanne.
She completely lost trust in me and even warned me outright, "Stay out of my business with Steven. If you dare interfere again, I'll divorce you."
Later, when I discovered the truth behind Steven getting close to Joanne, he stabbed me with a knife.
It was the same routine.
When Joanne arrived, Steven shoved the knife into my hand and dragged it lightly across his own body a few times.
She couldn't see the gaping wounds in my body or the blood pouring out of me.
She held Steven in despair, helping him stop the bleeding while calling for an ambulance.
It was the medical staff who noticed me and tried to rush me into surgery, only to be stopped by Joanne.
"He tried to murder someone! Why bother saving him?" she yelled.
Fortunately, passersby also called for an ambulance.
That was how I ended up being taken to the hospital.
When Joanne saw me being wheeled toward the emergency room, she immediately stopped them. "What are you doing? He's hurt Steven so badly! He's only lost a little blood, so why bother treating him? Get over here! If anything bad happens to Steven, I'll hold all of you accountable!"
The doctors hesitated. "But…"
Joanne kicked my gurney into the corner and said, "I'm his wife. I know he's faking it. Hurry up and treat Steven. If you waste time and delay treating him, I'll report you to the hospital director!"
As she turned to leave, I used my last bit of consciousness to beg her, "I'm not faking it… Save me…"
She only cast me a cold glance and walked away.
All I could do was wait for death in despair.
