My wife made me take the fall for her first love
She burst into my old apartment with a forged agreement, only to find nothing but dust covering everything.
In her panic, she grabbed Daniel Lynch, the convenience store owner downstairs, demanding to know where I was.
But Daniel told her: "Everett? He died five Christmases ago. I heard the family from that medical malpractice case wouldn't let it go—they cornered him in the alley at midnight and stabbed him over a dozen times."
Wynona didn't believe it, convinced that Daniel must have taken my money to lie for me.
She rolled her eyes and snorted coldly: "So I suspended him for two Christmases and now he's really mad at me? Tell him if he doesn't show up within three days, I'll stop paying for his sister's cancer treatment!"
With that, she stormed out, cursing under her breath.
Daniel watched her retreating figure and shook his head with a sigh: "What sister? His sister died long ago because there was no money for treatment."
*****
In the hallway, the security door rattled as keys turned in the lock.
I floated near the ceiling, watching Wynona clutch the forged agreement as she burst into my old apartment.
She covered her nose, waving away the dust, her high heels clicking urgently across the floor.
"Everett, get out here!" she shouted. "Gavin's about to lose his license and you're still hiding?"
I smirked bitterly behind her.
After that medical malpractice incident five Christmases ago, Wynona and I had lost all contact. I never imagined that when she came looking for me again, it would be to make me take the fall for her first love once more. I had to admire how devoted she and Gavin truly were to each other.
Wynona circled the room twice, her gaze sweeping over the dust-covered sofa and cobweb-laden windowsill, her tone growing more disdainful: "What's this disappearing act? Where could someone kicked out of the hospital possibly hide? Gavin just texted that the police have started investigating. Do you want him to go to prison? I'm counting to ten—get out here now!"
Watching her impatient face, I thought that after five Christmases, she still had that same entitled attitude.
But no matter how high she counted, I would never appear before her like an obedient dog as I had in the past.
Because I was already dead.
Wynona continued shouting: "Everett! Do you hear me? I'm just asking for a small favor—why are you being so petty?"
She suddenly spun around and kicked the bedroom door, the wood making a dull thud. But inside remained empty.
Wynona sighed impatiently, searched the room fruitlessly, and finally realized no one was really there.
Muttering under her breath, she slammed the door and left.
The convenience store door was yanked open violently.
Wynona grabbed Daniel and asked: "Have you seen Everett? The guy who lives on the third floor."
Daniel paused, wiping the grease from his hands: "Everett? He died five Christmases ago."
Wynona's movements froze for a moment, then she let out a cold laugh: "Who are you trying to fool? How could someone like him possibly be dead?"
"I'm not lying." Daniel pointed toward the alley entrance. "Five Christmases ago, the family from that medical malpractice case cornered him in the alley and stabbed him over a dozen times. He died on the way to the hospital. What's your relationship to him?"
The fluency of his answer made a flicker of confusion cross Wynona's eyes.
She frowned slightly, her expression showing a trace of pain I couldn't understand.
But then her phone buzzed, drawing her attention.
It was a text from Gavin: [Forget it, Everett must still be angry with me and will just make excuses. Don't trouble yourself for my sake. I'll go to prison. Without me, you need to take care of yourself.]
That single message convinced Wynona that my death was just an excuse to refuse them.
Her fingers trembled as she replied: [What right does he have to refuse? I gave him such a large sum of money back then—when I need him, he has to show up!]
[Don't worry, I'll definitely drag him back to take the fall for you. I absolutely won't let anything happen to you!]
The message sent successfully. Wynona looked up and glared at Daniel: "Stop acting! He's definitely hiding somewhere. Did he pay you off?"
Daniel sighed: "Would I joke about something like this? It was even on the news."
"Since when can news reports be trusted?" Wynona unconsciously raised her voice.
She stepped closer, her eyes full of threat: "Tell him—if he doesn't show up within three days, I'll stop paying for his sister's cancer treatment!"
Daniel opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but she cut him off with a sharp wave: "Don't waste my time! Either make him come out, or get ready to collect his sister's body!"
With that, Wynona turned and walked away in her high heels.
The convenience store door slammed shut with a bang. Daniel watched her retreating figure, shook his head, and sighed to the empty air: "What sister? His sister died long ago because there was no money for treatment."
I floated nearby, looking at the water bottle that had been kicked aside on the ground, my soul feeling soaked through by that icy liquid.
That money never reached my hands. While my sister Emily Gibson lay in her hospital bed waiting for money to save her life, Gavin was using it to buy imported equipment.
And while I was stabbed and bleeding out in that alley, Wynona was accompanying Gavin to a medical conference.
Now she was using a dead man's name to threaten another person who was long gone.
My soul seemed to be crucified beside Wynona like a Christian martyr, forced to follow her back home.
The moment the door opened, Gavin rushed forward eagerly, his eyes filled with anticipation. "Wynona, how did it go? Did you find Everett?"
Wynona shook her head, looking dazed. "No. And they said Everett is already dead."
"Dead?" Gavin's eyes widened in shock as he stepped back half a pace, instinctively grabbing Wynona's arm. "How is that possible? Is he deliberately hiding from us and made up an excuse to fool you?"
Wynona frowned in silence.
Seeing this, Gavin forced a bitter smile. "That must be it! Everett is definitely still angry about what happened five years ago and doesn't want to help me, so he's telling this lie. Wynona, maybe we should just forget it? Stop pressuring him. At worst, I'll turn myself in."
After a moment of silence, Wynona finally nodded. "You're right, he must be hiding somewhere. But we can't let this go. Even if I have to turn the entire city upside down, I'll find him and clear your name!"
Gavin was so moved that his eyes reddened, his voice choking with emotion. "Wynona, you're so good to me."
"However," Wynona suddenly interrupted him, her tone hesitant, "if Everett can come up with such an excuse, he must be truly angry. Gavin, this is the last time I'll help you. Once he takes the blame for you and gets out of prison, we should go our separate ways."
Standing nearby, I was so shocked I almost forgot I was already dead.
Wynona was actually suggesting she wanted to cut ties with Gavin?
I still remembered how she had fought with me tooth and nail over this man five years ago. We'd been married less than a year when Gavin returned to the country and specifically transferred to our hospital. From then on, they constantly flirted right in front of me. Whenever I questioned it, she'd accuse me of being paranoid.
But now, she was actually suggesting ending it all?
A flash of stiffness crossed Gavin's face, but Wynona missed it.
She turned away, her tone softening. "I need to return to my family eventually. I gave him money last time, and I've really neglected him these past few years. To be honest, I feel quite guilty about it."
Gavin looked at her in disbelief. "You don't want me anymore?"
"I don't know." Her eyes darted away, her frown deepening. "It's just that ever since leaving Everett's place, I've felt uneasy, like something terrible is about to happen."
She paused, then her tone became resolute again. "But I will definitely see this through for you. I won't stand by and watch you go to prison. I'm going to find him right now. Wait for my news."
With that, she turned and left, her retreating figure radiating determination and resolve.
Gavin remained standing there, motionless.
The pitiful, vulnerable act from moments before had completely vanished.
I could clearly see his eyes had turned cold as a poisoned blade.
And what escaped through his clenched teeth was actually my name.
Wynona was clearly desperate to find me, and her first instinct was to look for me at Emily's place.
I followed her car all the way to the hospital.
This route was painfully familiar to me—during that period, my life revolved around just two points: the hospital and home. So many years had passed, yet nothing had changed.
I watched as Wynona floored the gas pedal, her brow furrowed with worry from the moment she got in the car. Without a doubt, she was fretting over Gavin again.
She didn't even wait for the car to come to a complete stop before rushing into the inpatient ward, grabbing a nurse at the station: "Help me look up Emily's room number."
"Oh, sure." The nurse looked startled for a moment, then bent down to search through the records.
Suddenly, a cold laugh came from nearby: "Well, well, if it isn't Dr. Stewart. What brings you to slum it in a place like this?"
Wynona turned around, her expression instantly darkening.
It was Leah Roberts, a doctor who used to work in the same department as her. As far as I knew, the two had never gotten along. For some reason, after my medical malpractice incident, Leah had also resigned and left that hospital.
Now, seeing each other again, neither could hide their mutual disdain.
Wynona looked her up and down, her tone icy: "Where I go is none of your business."
Leah crossed her arms, a mocking smile playing on her lips: "You're absolutely right, it's not my business. I'm just curious—how can you be so cold-hearted? You didn't come when they were critical, and now that they're gone, you suddenly remember to look for them?"
"Critical?" Wynona frowned. "What do you mean, critical?"
She looked genuinely confused, as if she couldn't understand what the other woman was talking about.
But I knew exactly what Leah meant—she was referring to Emily and me. When I was stabbed multiple times in that alley and loaded into the ambulance, I was already hanging by a thread. The hospital contacted my family, hoping they could come see me one last time. But Wynona was with Gavin at the time and didn't want me disturbing them, so she hung up without even answering. Later, she blocked my number entirely.
Emily had faced the same situation. When she couldn't receive treatment due to insufficient medical funds and was issued a critical condition notice, I tried to contact Wynona, but she was out traveling with Gavin. In the end, Emily died completely alone, with no one by her side as she left this world.
Seeing Wynona's bewildered expression, Leah suddenly let out a derisive laugh: "You're quite the actress. Whatever. I really don't know what's so special about you that made him sacrifice so much for you."
Leah didn't say anything more, leaving only that cryptic remark before turning and walking into the office.
Wynona stood frozen in place, her fingers slowly and unconsciously tightening around her purse strap. This was her nervous habit when she was anxious or afraid. But what could she possibly be afraid of?
"Dr. Stewart?" The nurse's voice pulled her back to reality. "The patient you're looking for..."
The nurse hesitated for a moment before continuing: "Emily passed away three days ago."
The moment she heard those words, Wynona's eyes went wide, and she seemed to freeze completely in place.
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