My Lover Died. Now They Pay.

Everyone knew Ethan and I loved each other to our very core.

To save me, he'd given me the only bottle of antitoxin, ready to die himself.

To protect him, I'd used my body to shield him from a kidnapper's knife, taking a fatal blow for him.

Everyone thought we'd be together forever.

But the day after he proposed, I dumped him cold-turkey and married Liam, who had been pursuing me for ages.

Even after my betrayal, Ethan held no grudge. He still loved me like before.

Later, when my daughter had a car accident, he even sacrificed his leg to save her.

Even Liam, who despised Ethan to his very core, was eventually moved by Ethan's unwavering love for me and became his good friend.

When Ethan was unexpectedly diagnosed with a terminal illness, Liam even insisted on donating a kidney to him.

But when I heard the news, I acted completely out of character. I gave Liam the cold shoulder.

I insisted, "Liam, if you insist on giving a kidney to that Ethan, then we're getting a divorce immediately!"

Liam tried to reassure me, telling me not to worry about him. My daughter, Lily, also cried, begging me to save her Uncle Ethan.

But I stared into Ethan's deep, loving eyes, gave a cold laugh, and my voice was absolutely resolute.

"Who's worried about you? What I want is for Ethan to die a miserable death!"

"If you dare to give him even half a kidney, I'll divorce you completely, even if it means losing custody of Lily!"

"Save him or choose me. You decide!"

The hospital room fell silent.

Liam stared blankly at Ethan, then at me, pleading, "Summer, now's not the time for games."

"I know you're afraid I'll misunderstand our relationship. I admit I used to think the worst."

"But he broke a leg to save our daughter. It would be heartless to just let him die!"

Grandma Betty, who was sharing the room with Ethan, also nodded, looking at me with some reproach. "Exactly."

"Summer, we all saw how good Ethan was to you."

"Even if you married someone else and don't like him, there's no need to be so cruel and doom him to die."

After delivering my harsh words in the hospital room, I drove straight home.

The moment I walked in, I saw my parents, David and Brenda, and Liam's parents, Robert and Carol, sitting in the living room, their expressions extremely serious.

Brenda was about to speak when Carol stopped her.

She sighed, looking at me with a touch of helplessness, and said calmly, "Summer, we know about Ethan's situation."

"My dear, are you still worried that we'll think something's going on between you and Ethan, which is why you won't let Liam help him?"

"If that's the reason, please don't overthink it."

"After all, we've watched Ethan grow up since he was a child. Even if you two were together before, we wouldn't misunderstand."

"Besides, Liam doesn't mind, so why are you so set against it?"

Seeing Carol's understanding expression, I didn't say a word and turned to leave.

But Brenda rushed over and grabbed my arm, her face thunderous.

"Summer, how did you become so cold-blooded?"

"You broke up with Ethan cold-turkey back then, and less than a month after dumping him, you married Liam. Any other man would have hated you to death!"

"But Ethan not only didn't hate you, he's been so good to you and Liam all these years. Where can you find a good man like that?"

"Do you know that both your kidney and Liam's are a match for Ethan, but he absolutely refused to use yours!"

"Even if you don't like him anymore, considering his feelings for you all these years, you shouldn't doom him to die!"

I coldly pushed Brenda's hand away, glanced at her anxious expression, and smiled slightly. "So what? Did I force him to be good to me?"

"All these years, because of him, Liam and I have argued countless times. He knows that better than anyone!"

"A menace like him, if he dies, good riddance! I can finally live a quiet life then!"

"You want me to save him? Dream on!"

The moment my words fell, I received a harsh slap from Brenda.

Her eyes red-rimmed, she pointed at me, trembling and yelling, "You beast, you're an animal!"

"How did I give birth to such a callous and ungrateful wretch! Instead of appreciating others' kindness, you want to kill your benefactor!"

I clutched my face, suppressing the sting in my nose, and was about to retort when Carol, who had come to mediate, pulled me aside.

She sighed, comforting Brenda while trying to persuade me. "Summer, I watched you grow up and I know you're a good child."

"Tell me honestly, do you have some unspoken difficulty? Or did Ethan hurt you by being with another woman, making you so ruthless?"

I glanced at Carol and sneered, "Other things I can't say, but when Ethan was with me, he absolutely never dated another woman."

Carol looked puzzled. "Then why do you hate him so much? Even after he broke a leg to save Lily, you still won't forgive him?"

I suppressed the emotions surging within me and said calmly, "Forget breaking a leg. Even if he died for Lily, it would be what he deserved!"

"As for the kidney donation, my stance has always been clear."

"If Liam donates to him, I will divorce him."

"If any of you find a suitable kidney donor for Ethan, I will retaliate to the end!"

"If you don't mind being my enemy, then try me!"

With that, I stormed out.

After all, I run the family business now. No matter how much my parents objected, they wouldn't dare completely fall out with me.

As for Liam's family, I control several key businesses, so they wouldn't dare cross me.

But as I got into the car, Sarah, my assistant, who had been following me, couldn't help but ask, "Summer, I'm really curious, why are you so determined?"

"Because before, I thought you and Mr. Ethan had a great relationship, and Mr. Liam doesn't even mind, so why are you so"

I looked at Sarah and said, word for word, "Precisely because I once truly and deeply loved Ethan, I now have to watch him die!"

Sarah looked bewildered. "Did Mr. Ethan do something to wrong you in the past?"

I suddenly froze, as if struck by something, an aching emptiness in my chest.

After a long while, I lowered my head and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"No, Ethan truly loved me deeply and never betrayed me."

"When I accepted his proposal before, I was genuinely sincere, wanting to spend my life with him."

But now, everything has changed.

Now, I only want Ethan.

To die.

It wasn't until late at night that I returned home alone.

But the moment I entered the bedroom, the smile on my face froze.

Liam was sitting on the bed, staring at me intently.

Everything in the room had been changed.

Books Ethan liked to read were on the desk, and the flowers in the vase had been replaced with Ethan's favorite roses.

In front of Liam was an empty medicine bottle.

I remained silent, but Liam didn't give me a chance to ignore everything.

He slowly said, "Summer, have you truly forgotten these things?"

"Even if you've forgotten everything else, you can't have forgotten this, right?"

He tapped the medicine bottle, sighed, and said with a solemn expression, "I really hated Ethan before, especially right after we got married."

"It sounds ridiculous, but I wrongly thought you two were still seeing each other and even confronted him."

"But no matter how much I hit him, he didn't fight back, and finally he showed me this."

"That's when I found out that when you two went on that expedition into the Amazonian rainforest, both of you were bitten by venomous snakes, but there was only one bottle of antitoxin."

"He gave the only bottle to you, and almost died from the snake venom himself"

"After that, I understood. He truly loves you. I can never compare to him."

"But I also know that without him, you wouldn't be who you are today, so now, I truly see him as a benefactor."

As he spoke, he stood up and wrapped his arms around my waist, sighing into my ear, "Summer, I don't know why you broke up with him cold-turkey back then, but believe me, I'm genuinely willing to save him."

"I swear, I won't tamper with the surgery to harm him."

"You don't have to worry about our marriage being ruined by him, nor do you have to worry about me doing anything to him."

"Let's help him together, okay?"

Liam's words were so sincere that I was almost moved.

But I remained silent, just staring intently at that small medicine bottle, almost in tears.

I never forgot how much love and pain I felt when I thought I was going to die and saw Ethan give me the chance at survival.

So I didn't hide my feelings. "Liam, I admit, even today, I haven't completely forgotten Ethan."

"His kindness to me, every moment we shared in the past, I still remember."

"I can even say that I still love him."

But the next second, I fiercely pushed Liam away and said coldly, "But precisely because of that, I *must* send him to his death!"

"Only when he's dead can my life return to normal, and our marriage can continue!"

Liam looked at me with a complicated expression.

After a long while, he slowly said, "Summer, to hide your guilt, you'd actually want someone who loves you to die."

"I've lived with you for five or six years, why did I never realize how malicious you are?"

"Will you treat me the same way if I ever get in your way?"

I couldn't be bothered with him and was about to leave.

But four-year-old Lily suddenly pushed open the door, her eyes red, and sobbed as she rushed into my arms, asking in a baby voice, "Mommy, please save Uncle Ethan, okay?"

"Uncle Ethan got so badly hurt saving Lily. Lily doesn't want Uncle Ethan to die!"

I stared at my once beloved daughter, my smile icy cold. "Oh really?"

"Well, too bad. Your Uncle Ethan is going to hell very soon."

I turned to leave, but accidentally bumped into Lily as I walked past her.

My daughter fell to the floor, instantly crying out in pain.

Liam immediately picked up Lily, glaring fiercely at me. "Summer, Lily is just a child, why would you say such cruel things to her!"

"Ethan and I must have been blind back then, to have fallen for a woman like you!"

"You don't deserve to be Lily's mother!"

Lily huddled in Liam's arms, crying her heart out.

Her eyes, looking at me, also became filled with rejection and disgust, and she cried out, "Mommy's bad! Lily doesn't want a bad mommy!"

"Uncle Ethan is a million times better than Mommy! Lily wants to go find Uncle Ethan!"

Listening to the child's shrill, piercing voice, all my previous annoyance suddenly surged up.

I simply turned my head and said fiercely to Lily, "Fine, you can go find him now."

"Once I freeze all your bank cards, you and your Uncle Ethan can starve together!"

Lily immediately fell silent, but her red eyes still glared at me fiercely.

Liam looked utterly disappointed. "Summer, do you have any humanity left?"

"Even to your own daughter, you're this cruel?"

I gave a cold smile, completely unfazed. "I told you, anyone who stands with Ethan is my enemy, and Lily is no exception."

"Liam, are you that eager to play the cuckold? To the point where you'd fall out with your own wife just to save a man who used to pursue her?"

"Or do you have some unspeakable (secret fetish)?"

Liam's face instantly changed, and a flicker of guilt passed through Lily's eyes.

I didn't bother with them anymore and simply went to a hotel.

On the way, Sarah told me that the last bit of Ethan's family assets had also been completely devoured by my company, Su Group.

Seeing my triumphant smile, she still looked puzzled. "Summer, do you really have no feelings left for Ethan?"

I shook my head. "No. From beginning to end, the only person I loved was Ethan."

Sarah looked even more confused. "Then why are you so against Mr. Liam donating a kidney to Ethan?"

"After all, it's Mr. Liam's body that's being harmed, not yours. Why do you care so much?"

My eyes suddenly turned sharp and ruthless, and I sneered, "My love for Ethan doesn't conflict with my desire for him to die."

"Now that all of Ethan's family assets are in my name."

"It's time to unveil this grand scheme."