Chapter 3

In addition to my regular job, I also deliver food after work to supplement our household income.

All the burdens of life have fallen on my shoulders, yet in Vivienne's eyes, I've become a useless man.

Suddenly, it feels like all these years of effort, and the wife and daughter who supposedly motivated me to persevere through thick and thin, have become a joke.

Looking at her, my lips quivered.

But in the end, I said nothing.

Vivienne, loving you has truly exhausted me, heart and soul.

As we stood in this stalemate, her phone pinged.

ChatGPT was sending a new message.

"Darling Vivienne, why aren't you responding? Are you with that scumbag Tom?"

"Tonight, shall we try some roleplay~"

"You on top, me on the bottom~"

I watched as a smile spread across her lips, and she typed out a reply:

[Stop it, Tom is right next to me...]

I clenched my fists, unable to describe the anger boiling inside me.

But right now, our daughter's surgery is the most important thing.

Her worsening condition doesn't allow me to waste time arguing with Vivienne.

I didn't say another word, turning instead to contact friends to raise money.

Fortunately, I've maintained good relationships, and when they heard I was in trouble, everyone dug into their own pockets to help.This moved me deeply, yet I found it utterly ridiculous at the same time.

In the crucial moment, it was my friends who came to my aid.

While my wedded wife remained deaf to the situation.

Tears blurred my vision.

I scrambled to raise funds while running food deliveries through rain and shine.

Even at three or four in the morning, I refused to rest.

Sometimes, with too many orders on hand, I'd miss a restaurant's mistake and get cussed out by customers, who'd point at my name tag.

"Are you blind? This isn't my order."

"You delivery guys have such low IQs."

After a few days, I finally scraped together two hundred grand.

"Sunshine, Daddy's coming to see you at the hospital soon."

That evening, I sat at the entrance of the delivery shop and video called my daughter during a lull.

On the screen, my daughter's tiny face looked incredibly frail, like a flower on the verge of wilting.

She was only six, supposedly at the most innocent age.

Yet she neither fussed nor cried, showing a maturity that broke one's heart.

"Daddy, I miss you so much."

She forced a smile for the camera.

Choking up, I said, "Sunshine, we can get the surgery done real soon."

"After the surgery, when you're better, Daddy will take you to the beach to collect seashells."

But Sunshine shook her head and solemnly told me,

"Daddy, I only have one wish."Take my daughter home, I miss Mom so much."

Seeing how mature she was, I couldn't hold back my tears any longer.

Gently stroking my daughter's face on the screen.

"Alright, Daddy promises you."

As I delivered my last order of the night, my vision began to blur.

Suddenly, a violent itch erupted in my throat.

"Cough, cough—"

Before I could react, a mouthful of bright red blood spurted from my lips.

It bloomed like a flower on the white wall of the hallway.

The customer was stunned, quickly taking small steps toward me.

"Hey man, are you okay?"

"Are you sick? Let me take you to the hospital."

I waved my hand weakly, saying, "I might have caught a cold a few days ago. It's not completely gone yet, but it's nothing."

"That won't do. Coughing up blood is no small matter. You really should go to the hospital for a check-up."

How much would a hospital visit cost? I knew better than anyone.

I shook my head, forcing a smile, "Thank you for your kindness."