Chapter 1My Wife Stole My Mom's Life Savings to See Her Boy Band

My mom was seriously ill and needed money for surgery, but my wife blew it all on scalped tickets to a boy band concert.

I frantically called her, but she just sounded annoyed.

"You can always make more money! Mom's illness can wait, but this is their farewell tour! I can't miss it!"

Hearing that, my heart sank.

Luckily, I managed to scrape together the surgery money.

She finally came home, but all that awaited her was a divorce agreement.

...

Before I could even ask where the rest of the ticket money went, the line went dead.

When I called again, her phone was off.

The nurse started pressuring me, "Mr. Johnson, have you paid? Hospital policy requires payment before surgery can proceed."

Mom's surgery had been delayed too long already. I'd finally scraped together the money, but now it was gone. I could get more money, but Mom couldn't wait.

I pleaded, "Nurse, please, can't you make an exception? I'll get the money as soon as I can! Please, just do the surgery!"

I was about to drop to my knees when a voice cut in, "Ethan?"

The nurse immediately bowed her head, "Dr. Evans."

I looked up. It was Sarah Evans, my high school lab partner.

She'd always wanted to be a doctor. What a coincidence to run into her here.

Sarah came over and said, "I saw your mom's name on the patient list. I was hoping it was you. What are the odds? "

She saw how anxious I was and patted my shoulder. "I'll take care of it. Don't worry about your mom."

She turned to the nurse and said, "Schedule the surgery right away."

The nurse started to protest, but Sarah cut her off. "Deduct the cost from my personal account."

It wasn't until Mom was wheeled into surgery that I realized what had happened.

The nurse said the lead surgeon for this surgery was brought in from another hospital. Turns out, it was Sarah.

Back in high school, I used to tease her that by the time I saw her again, she'd be balding. Turns out she was even more beautiful than she was in high school.

I felt ashamed. I owed her big time.

I waited anxiously outside the operating room.

My phone pinged with a notification.

Someone wearing a wedding dress at a concert had gone viral.

I recognized her immediately: my wife, Ashley.

The concert screens had captured her elaborate makeup and her slightly stiff, overly excited face.

The singer asked her, "Are you single?"

She nodded enthusiastically, grabbing the mic. "I wore this wedding dress here tonight because I wanted to feel like I married you, even if it's just for tonight!"

The crowd went wild.

I smirked and turned off my phone.

How messed up was that? My mom was in surgery, and my wife was in a wedding dress at a concert, saying she wanted to marry some pop star.

For five years, I'd been telling myself that even if she thought and dreamed about other men, I was her husband. She must love me, right?

So, whenever she blew all our savings chasing her favorite band, I never said a word.

But now, I couldn't lie to myself anymore.

Three hours later, Sarah came out of surgery.

Seeing the faint smile in her eyes, I felt the tension leave my body.

We had that unspoken connection from being lab partners in high school.

Sure enough, she pulled down her mask and said, "Surgery went great. She'll be ready for visitors in about an hour."

I smiled genuinely.

I was about to thank her when she raised her hand to stop me. "Save the thanks for when your mom's discharged. I'm starving."

I laughed. "Got it. What do you want? My treat."

"You know my appetite. Same as always."

She shrugged and headed for her office.

In high school, I was a day student and she lived on campus. She always made me bring her food. I knew what she liked.

I bought the food and headed back, but the nurse stopped me as I was about to knock.

"Don't disturb Dr. Evans. She had two surgeries yesterday. Then she drove out here to do this one. She's been awake for over 24 hours."

I was surprised how hard she worked.

More than that, I was grateful. The nurse said she could've refused the surgery or postponed it. Even the head of the hospital told her to rest. But she insisted on coming.

She said her patient's health was more important than her rest.

I quietly pushed open the door. She was fast asleep at her desk.

Maybe it was because all three surgeries went well, but she had a little smile on her face. She looked innocent, but still with that stubborn streak.

I didn't want to wake her. I put the food on the desk and left.