Chapter 1 · The Widow In My Marriage

Chapter 1

My husband's comrade-in-arms died in a car accident while trying to save him.

This made him feel deeply guilty, and ever since, he has cared for Evelyn Wright and her child.

He even took on the role of the child's father.

To honor his friend's dying wish, he accompanied Evelyn Wright up the mountain to scatter the ashes.

But they encountered a landslide along the way.

I rushed anxiously to the hospital, only to be mistaken by his disoriented self as a rescue volunteer.

He gripped my hand tightly, using all his remaining strength to leave his last words.

"If I die, every asset I own will pass to Evelyn and her son."

I looked pale as I stared at the man I'd been married to for seven years, listening to his final words as he teetered on the edge of death.

At that moment, the first person he thought of was Evelyn Wright, the widow of his comrade, not me or our five-year-old son.

The doctor, looking puzzled, interrupted my daze. "Who among you is the family of Mr. Rodolfo Stuart?"

I numbly replied, "I am."

Once confirmed, the doctor continued, "The patient's injuries are very serious, and he must be taken to the emergency room immediately. Here are his phone and camera. Please keep these valuables safe."

After Rodolfo was moved into the operating room, I opened the camera.

Inside was a video showing him and Evelyn leaning on each other during the landslide.

Rodolfo protected Evelyn tightly, as if she were his most precious treasure.

I heard Rodolfo softly pray, "If possible, I am willing to sacrifice my life so that Evelyn may survive. She still has a young son, and he's so small. He cannot grow up without his mother."

At that moment, my tears fell uncontrollably.

Faced with death, what he thought of was someone else's child, not our own son, who was just five years old.

It felt as though my chest were tearing open, the pain so sharp I could hardly breathe.

Ever since Rodolfo's comrade passed away and entrusted his wife and son to him, he had completely changed.

He promised to take our son to the science museum, but chose to go shopping with Evelyn and her son instead.

When I was hospitalized with illness, he went to help Evelyn assemble her furniture.

Our family had planned a picnic, but when Evelyn and her son got lost in the park, he abandoned me and our son to be with them.

For the sake of our son, I endured all of this.

But what I couldn't accept was that, before he died, he wanted to leave all his inheritance to Evelyn and her son.

How could he do this?

Half of our savings were earned through my hard work. How could he just give my money away?

By the time Rodolfo was wheeled out of the emergency room, I was already preparing for the worst.

The doctor said it was fortunate Rodolfo was brought in on time. Although his life was saved, he still needed to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation.

I gently touched Rodolfo's forehead.

He woke up startled from his coma, and his first words were, "Where's Evelyn? Is she alright?"

I looked at his anxious face and replied quietly, "You protected her in your arms. She's doing much better than you, so don't worry."

Maybe surviving that ordeal made him more tolerant. Even though my tone wasn't friendly, he actually laughed softly.

"Hollie, why do you always get jealous over these little things? It was an emergency, and I had no choice but to act that way."

I didn't respond, but just stared directly into his eyes.

Rodolfo seemed a bit guilty under my gaze and smiled awkwardly.

Then he held my hand, just like when we first started dating, and he patiently soothed my little moods.

"Hollie, don't overthink it. Evelyn is the wife of my comrade Karsen Norton. I just feel sorry for them. She and her child are on their own. This trip to the mountains was to fulfill Karsen's last wish and help his wife scatter the ashes on the mountain. I never expected a landslide…

"Don't be sad. I wasn't seriously hurt. It's just Evelyn..."

Before he could finish, Evelyn limped in with the nurse's help.

Her injury was much lighter than Rodolfo's—just a hurt leg, so walking was still difficult.

When she saw Rodolfo lying in bed, Evelyn broke free from the nurse and fell right into his arms, making me, his actual wife sitting nearby, feel somewhat unnecessary.

"Rodolfo, I'm sorry! It was my stubbornness—insisting on scattering the ashes in the mountains—that nearly cost us our lives. You know what? The moment I woke up, all I could think was: if anything had happened to you, I wouldn't want to go on living either."

"Evelyn, calm down."

Rodolfo helplessly tried to push Evelyn away, but when he couldn't, he just let her cry in his arms.

Chapter 1

My husband's comrade-in-arms died in a car accident while trying to save him.

This made him feel deeply guilty, and ever since, he has cared for Evelyn Wright and her child.

He even took on the role of the child's father.

To honor his friend's dying wish, he accompanied Evelyn Wright up the mountain to scatter the ashes.

But they encountered a landslide along the way.

I rushed anxiously to the hospital, only to be mistaken by his disoriented self as a rescue volunteer.

He gripped my hand tightly, using all his remaining strength to leave his last words.

"If I die, every asset I own will pass to Evelyn and her son."

I looked pale as I stared at the man I'd been married to for seven years, listening to his final words as he teetered on the edge of death.

At that moment, the first person he thought of was Evelyn Wright, the widow of his comrade, not me or our five-year-old son.

The doctor, looking puzzled, interrupted my daze. "Who among you is the family of Mr. Rodolfo Stuart?"

I numbly replied, "I am."

After Rodolfo was moved into the operating room, I opened the camera.

Inside was a video showing him and Evelyn leaning on each other during the landslide.

Rodolfo protected Evelyn tightly, as if she were his most precious treasure.

I heard Rodolfo softly pray, "If possible, I am willing to sacrifice my life so that Evelyn may survive. She still has a young son, and he's so small. He cannot grow up without his mother."

At that moment, my tears fell uncontrollably.

Faced with death, what he thought of was someone else's child, not our own son, who was just five years old.

It felt as though my chest were tearing open, the pain so sharp I could hardly breathe.

Ever since Rodolfo's comrade passed away and entrusted his wife and son to him, he had completely changed.

He promised to take our son to the science museum, but chose to go shopping with Evelyn and her son instead.

When I was hospitalized with illness, he went to help Evelyn assemble her furniture.

Our family had planned a picnic, but when Evelyn and her son got lost in the park, he abandoned me and our son to be with them.

For the sake of our son, I endured all of this.

But what I couldn't accept was that, before he died, he wanted to leave all his inheritance to Evelyn and her son.

How could he do this?

Half of our savings were earned through my hard work. How could he just give my money away?

By the time Rodolfo was wheeled out of the emergency room, I was already preparing for the worst.

The doctor said it was fortunate Rodolfo was brought in on time. Although his life was saved, he still needed to stay in the hospital for a few days for observation.

I gently touched Rodolfo's forehead.

He woke up startled from his coma, and his first words were, "Where's Evelyn? Is she alright?"

I looked at his anxious face and replied quietly, "You protected her in your arms. She's doing much better than you, so don't worry."

Maybe surviving that ordeal made him more tolerant. Even though my tone wasn't friendly, he actually laughed softly.

"Hollie, why do you always get jealous over these little things? It was an emergency, and I had no choice but to act that way."

I didn't respond, but just stared directly into his eyes.

Rodolfo seemed a bit guilty under my gaze and smiled awkwardly.

Then he held my hand, just like when we first started dating, and he patiently soothed my little moods.

"Don't be sad. I wasn't seriously hurt. It's just Evelyn..."

Before he could finish, Evelyn limped in with the nurse's help.

Her injury was much lighter than Rodolfo's—just a hurt leg, so walking was still difficult.

When she saw Rodolfo lying in bed, Evelyn broke free from the nurse and fell right into his arms, making me, his actual wife sitting nearby, feel somewhat unnecessary.

"Evelyn, calm down."

Rodolfo helplessly tried to push Evelyn away, but when he couldn't, he just let her cry in his arms.