After Died for Justice, He Lost Himself

I never thought the scene where I saw Michael Jacobs again would be so mortifying. Dressed in a white coat, he was calmly coordinating the emergency response. I lay in the ambulance, my face deathly pale, blood continuously oozing from the wounds on my body. When Michael passed by me, he grabbed my wrist hard. "How did this happen?" I smiled. "I was the other woman, and the guy's girlfriend found out. What's wrong, Dr. Jacobs? Won't you save a woman of questionable morals?" ***** As soon as the words left my mouth, there was a beat of dead silence. Michael withdrew his gaze coldly and instructed the nurses. "Wheel her to the operating room. No need for anesthetic. Just clean the wound and suture it directly." My smile froze on my face. "Michael, do you really hate me that much?" He ignored me, turned around expressionlessly, and went back to coordinating care for his other patients. I subconsciously lifted my upper torso to try to stop him, but I tore at my wounds in the process. The searing pain was so intense that I passed out right away. When I woke up again, I was already lying in a hospital ward, all my wounds treated. The nurse who came to change my IV drip saw that I was awake and explained with a smile. "Ma'am, please don't get the wrong idea. Dr. Jacobs said skipping the anesthetic was for your own good, because one of your wounds is too close to your heart. He might seem cold on the surface, but he's actually a very kind person." I gave a thin, faint smile, but a bitter ache settled in my chest. Yeah, I know that Michael is a wonderful person. The nurse spoke again and asked curiously, "By the way, what's your relationship with Dr. Jacobs? I don't think I've ever seen you here before." I lowered my eyes and fell silent, only opening my mouth after a long moment. But before I could say anything, Michael's cool, clear voice suddenly rang out. "We have no relationship whatsoever." The nurse quickly excused herself and hurried out of the ward. Michael flipped open my medical record, his tone devoid of any warmth. "Ms. Ziegler, you have a total of thirteen knife wounds on your body; the longest one measures 14 centimeters. Please explain clearly how exactly this happened. If the explanation is unclear, the hospital can report the incident to the police." I froze, my hands clenched reflexively. After forcefully suppressing the turmoil in my heart, I forced a smile. "It's just what I said earlier. I was caught being a mistress. Anyone who finds out their partner is cheating would act on impulse. Not everyone is like you, Dr. Jacobs, who can leave with dignity even after finding out they've been cheated on." Michael's face turned gloomy in an instant, wearing the exact same expression he had the day we broke up when he burst into the hotel room and saw me lying in bed with another man. That was the third year we had been together. Seeing that, Michael said nothing. There was no questioning, no signs of anger or disappointment. He just turned and left coldly, and we didn't see each other again for three years after that. But Michael had no idea how bitterly I cried as I watched his back that day. The night before, my father's colleague had brought me to the hospital to see my eldest brother, who had been working as an undercover agent, for the last time. Before he died, my eldest brother gripped my hand tightly. "Luna, three generations of our family have been police officers who have served and died for our country. I don't have much time left now, and all I want is for you to live a safe and peaceful life." After my eldest brother's body was covered with the national flag, the first thing I did was decide to take his place and continue carrying out the undercover mission. But the image of my eldest brother in his final moments kept replaying in my mind. I couldn't let Michael go through the same thing. I had to stage a fake scene to make Michael believe that I had cheated and betrayed him. At the mention of that old memory, Michael put down the medical record and turned to leave silently. By then, I could no longer tell whether the pain was coming from the wounds on my body or the scars in my heart. As the pain intensified, I drifted off into a drowsy sleep. I don't know how much time passed before I suddenly caught a faint whiff of blood lingering in the air. The instinctive sense of vigilance etched into my brain made me snap my eyes open. "Who's there?" A dark figure was sitting by the hospital bed, unhurriedly peeling an orange in his hand. "Are your wounds still hurting?" I made out the visitor's face in the moonlight and slowly sat up. "What are you doing here?" Zack Stephens, the crime syndicate's erratic heir, and my mission target. I had been working to get close to him for the past three years. Zack smiled, reached out, and stroked my face in a playful manner. "Luna, I really never expected that you'd take so many cuts and risk your life to protect me. I'm very pleased. Now I'm starting to believe your feelings for me are real." I froze, and my heart began to pound uncontrollably in my chest. "Really? Then I..." "Do one more thing for me, and I'll marry you." Zack cut me off, then raised an eyebrow and jerked his chin subtly toward his lap. The implication was all too clear. My heart clenched. The hand I had hidden under the covers was digging so hard into my palm that I was almost breaking the skin. But in the end, I had no choice. For the mission, for the oath I had sworn, for avenging my father and my brother... I slowly bent down, my hand reaching for Zack's belt. Just then, however, a shadow appeared outside the door. I glanced over, and my gaze met Michael's cold eyes directly.