Chapter 1

On the 30th day my wife, Sonia Child, gave me the cold shoulder; she suddenly suggested that we go on a trip to reconcile our relationship. However, the moment we landed, she cut up my identification document and smashed my phone, leaving me to fend for myself on a remote island.

Someone asked if she had gone too far, but Sonia caressed her belly and said with disdain, "It's his fault for being so petty. All I wanted to do was give Eddie a test-tube baby, yet he started making a fuss about getting a divorce.

"The baby will be born in eight months. Henry won't go hungry on the island when water and food have been provided. He'll just suffer a little."

Eight months later, my happy wife held her son in her arms while asking her assistant, Robert Larkin, "It's been so long. Why hasn't he made a fuss about coming home?"

Sonia had no idea that I had died on the island on the very first day I was there.

Chapter 1

When I opened my eyes again, my soul had appeared in one of my wife, Sonia Child's, houses. She looked pale as she gently cradled the baby in her arms, looking at him lovingly.

Her childhood crush, Eddie Moore, wiped away the sweat from her forehead and thanked her. "Thank you, Sonia. We finally have a son together."

I was in a slight daze. I had no idea that I had been dead so long that even her baby with Eddie had been born.

When Sonia was wheeled out of the hospital room, a group of people surrounded her to celebrate the birth of her son, and they showered her with gifts and blessings. "Your son is so cute, Sonia. He's the perfect embodiment of you and Eddie! He'll grow up to be a handsome boy!"

These people used to know me as Sonia's loving husband, and they were even mad at Sonia and Eddie on my behalf when they decided to have a test-tube baby together. I guess they were only trying to get in my good graces because I was Sonia's husband.

Sonia smiled, but kept glancing at the end of the corridor. She looked distracted when she picked up her phone to check for messages. She frowned and asked her assistant, Robert Larkin, "Didn't I tell you to get him a new phone? Why hasn't he contacted me in the last few months? He didn't even make a fuss about coming home."

Robert lied right to her face. "Mr. Jacobs is always hurling verbal abuse at you and Mr. Moore, and says that he doesn't want to talk to you at all."

Sonia's brows furrowed deeper. "What a stubborn man. He's just too obstinate. Tell him that I've already had the baby, and that my mission has been accomplished. If he calls me to apologize sincerely, I'm still willing to let him be the baby's godfather and bring him back home."

I laughed self-deprecatingly. She still had no idea that I was already dead.

Nine months ago, Sonia gave up the baby I had with her to make room in her uterus for the test- tube baby she was having with Eddie. She said that Eddie did not have long to live and that she wanted to give him a child.

I was devastated by her decision and asked her for a divorce.

Sonia gave me the cold shoulder for a month because of this, and I was surprised when she reached out after that to invite me on a trip to repair our relationship. She even promised to abort the test-tube baby when we returned home after the trip.

I believed her, but she ended up trapping me on a remote island where I died.

When I snapped out of my reverie, I heard Eddie say pitifully, "Sonia, will Henry beat me up again when he returns? He can hurt me, but he can't hurt our son!"

He made sure to lower his head at an angle where it would reveal the tiny scar on his temple. That scar happened after I found out about their test-tube baby, and Eddie purposely knocked his head against the wall after provoking me.

It was also the reason Sonia hated me. She thought that I was malicious enough to bully a dying man.

The thought pained Sonia, and she said angrily, "I'll make sure he never makes it back if he dares touch a hair on either of you!"

Everyone laughed. "You're still as protective of Eddie as you've always been, Sonia, and now you've even had a baby with him. I remember that both of you have been engaged since you were born. It's only right that you're together now."

Chapter 2

"He's right, Sonia. Your son needs the complete love of his parents. Henry is petty and extreme in nature. I'm really worried that he'll hurt your baby."

Sonia did not respond, but clenched her fingers before looking up at Robert to ask, "Have you sent the text? What did he reply?"

That was when Sonia's phone rang. Her eyes lit up, thinking that it was a call from me, and she answered the call haughtily, "Henry, you're finally…"

However, the voice on the other end took her by surprise. "Hello, are you Henry Jacobs' wife? We're calling for you to pick up a guardian angel pendant from Serenity Chapel."

Sonia asked, "What guardian angel pendant?"

The person on the phone answered with a sigh. "A year ago, Mr. Jacobs visited our chapel and prayed the entire day for his sick wife to be safe and sound. After that, he returned to give a prayer of thanks, saying that his wife had recuperated and was pregnant.

"Our chaplain said it was a blessing from heaven, and he blessed the pendant and prayed that his baby would grow up safe and healthy. However, we haven't been able to contact him for several months."

Sonia was diagnosed with advanced heart failure, and I did everything I could to seek treatment for her. I even begged the heavens to show pity on her and knelt in prayer until my knees bled. I was overjoyed when she got well, and I returned to the chapel to give a prayer of thanks, thinking that the worst was over and good days would follow.

However, I lost everything in the end.

I clutched my chest as a sharp pain shot through my heart, then I laughed to myself. I had no idea that an artificial heart could hurt so badly.

Everyone was taken aback when they heard about the pendant. "I had no idea that Henry was such a sentimental man. When you were suffering from your heart problems, we thought he ran off because he was afraid of taking responsibility for you. It looks like we were wrong about Henry…"

Sonia suddenly clutched her chest and bit her rosy lip. After the aching passed, she said through clenched teeth, "That's the difference between Henry and Eddie. Henry only takes superficial action, but Eddie risked his life to save me. I would have died if Eddie hadn't given me his heart in that transplant.

"Eddie doesn't have long to live, yet all Henry does is get jealous about Eddie. He even asked for a divorce over a small matter."

There was a bitter taste in my mouth. I was the one who gave my heart to Sonia. The doctors informed me that I could only live two years at most, even if I paid handsomely for an artificial heart to be transplanted inside me and took pills every day to maintain my condition.

I did not regret my decision, and even felt lucky that I still had time, but when I woke up from my coma, I saw Sonia thanking Eddie tearfully for his sacrifice. I had no idea how to explain the situation, and I was accused of copying Eddie.

Our relationship improved slightly when Sonia found out that she was pregnant, but when Eddie came to visit her, he clutched his chest and said dejectedly, "It’s too bad I don't have long to live. I will never have a child of my own and I won't be able to meet your baby, Sonia."

Sonia did not even hesitate to give Eddie a baby, which resulted in tragedy.

The atmosphere became tense as everyone listened to Sonia's accusation, and they gave each other looks. They tried to cut the tension by joking around, so they turned on the television. "You shouldn't get so worked up after just giving birth, Sonia. You should relax."

That was when a news report was heard on television. "While patrolling, the drone discovered the skeleton of a man on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. The drone's technology…"

Sonia's head jerked up, and her eyes widened. "Which island is that?"

Someone replied weakly, "I heard that it's the island you visited with Henry, Sonia. I think it's around those coordinates…"

Chapter 3

Sonia frowned deeply, while a look flashed across Eddie's eyes as he caressed Sonia on the back. "There are plenty of similar islands in that area, and that skeleton looks pretty intact, almost like it's a model skeleton from the hospital."

She snapped out of it and sniggered. "Hah! Henry used to pretend that he had heart problems, and now he's using a skeleton model to scare me. I can't believe he has so much time on his hands to plan all this. I must have really spoiled him!"

Sonia turned to Robert and instructed, "From now on, you're not allowed to give in to any of Henry's ridiculous demands! I've said before to give him basic survival supplies. How could you indulge him?"

Robert was sweating buckets as he kept nodding at Sonia.

I knew why he was feeling nervous. After leaving me on the island, Sonia left on a helicopter without hesitation. I was exhausted mentally and physically, and my artificial heart could not take the pressure. I was about to take some medication when Robert kicked away the bottle of pills that was supposed to sustain my life, and it rolled into the sea.

Robert looked at me in disgust and said, "Miss Child was right. You're a drama queen. Look at you, still insisting on pretending that you have a heart condition. You should just end your life here on this island. Miss Child won't be bringing you home when she's about to have a baby with Mr. Moore."

After that, he led everyone off the island with a look of repulsion.

I scratched the ground in pain. My fingers ended up badly mutilated from my scratching, and my heart stopped, leaving me to suffer a tragic death in a foreign land. My corpse was left exposed to the wind and rain, and wild beasts tore at my flesh. Thinking back about it gave me flashbacks of my heart tightening in my chest.

For some reason, Sonia started to get into a horrible mood. Her expression turned cold as she flipped over in bed to hide under the covers, and she asked everyone to leave. "You should all go. I'm getting tired."

Everyone looked at each other and walked out of the hospital room. Eddie was the only one who stayed behind to comfort the baby. One of Sonia's hands was exposed because it was connected to the IV drip, and Eddie held it gently.

As Sonia had a smooth delivery, she was discharged from the hospital within two days.

Eddie followed Sonia home, and he looked at her pitifully while holding the baby in his arms. "Sonia, I know you hired a nanny to take care of the baby, but I'm his father, after all, and I have a responsibility toward both of you."

He was afraid she would reject him, so he quickly added, "I know my place here, and I won't touch anything in this house. I won't let Henry find out that I've been to your house."

Sonia's knuckles turned white while holding onto the strap of her bag. She was hesitant, but Eddie suddenly clutched his chest and said weakly, with tears in his eyes, "Sonia, I don't have long to live, and I don't have much time for you and the baby. Can you give me this chance to be with both of you?"

It took a long time for Sonia to finally nod slowly, and a gleeful look flashed across Eddie's face.

I lowered my head to laugh bitterly.

Sonia promised me a long time ago that she would never bring outsiders into our home no matter what, yet she had allowed Eddie inside. She always made an exception for him.

When Sonia opened the door, our dog came running to welcome her home. When he detected a stranger had entered the house, he immediately barked out in warning and stood protectively in front of Sonia.

The baby started crying from the sudden barking, and Sonia frowned. "Be good, Peanut!"

Eddie smiled warmly, but his eyes were cold. "It's okay, Sonia. I like dogs too."

He crouched to pet Peanut's head. Peanut had always been tame, and barking was his way of scaring people off, which was why he did not bite Eddie's hand.

Sonia could not help but say, "You've always been a kind person, Eddie."

Chapter 4

I was the only one who could clearly see Eddie's hand suddenly grabbing and pulling on Peanut's white and golden fur. How painful it must be for Peanut.

Sonia's expression darkened when Peanut yelped in pain, and she got mad. "This dog is just like his owner! They're both ingrates!"

She pulled Eddie along with her and left, carrying the baby in her arms, leaving Peanut behind at the door, looking sad. He bit on a rubber ball I used to play with him, and looked like he was waiting for me.

It made me want to cry.

Peanut might be a small mongrel, but Sonia and I saved him when we were still dating. He had been abandoned at birth, and Sonia and I spent sleepless nights feeding him milk and bringing him up. He was just like a child to us.

He had no idea that his daddy would not be coming home.

Sonia handed the baby over to the nanny upstairs and called the housekeeper to give him instructions. "Conroy, Eddie doesn't take spicy food. Tell the kitchen to avoid onions, ginger and garlic in his diet. Also, he only uses silk for his bedspread, or he'll end up with rashes…"

She kept going on about what to pay attention to with Eddie, clearly having remembered all his likes and dislikes, as if they had been living together for a long time. I had always been jealous of them growing up together, but it looked like I should have paid more attention to their relationship then.

Eddie had no idea all this was going on because he made an excuse to visit the bathroom, but had snuck into our bedroom instead.

Peanut's head tilted when he saw a stranger enter his mommy and daddy's room, and he followed Eddie upstairs.

Eddie looked mockingly at our wedding picture, and he picked up a marker from the table to doodle on my face. That was when he realized that Peanut had bitten the leg of his pants, which gave him a scare, and a vicious look appeared on his face as he kicked Peanut.

Peanut was a small dog that weighed only about 10 pounds, so the kick sent him flying into the air, and then into the wall before falling to the ground. His limbs twitched and blood dripped from his mouth as he whimpered.

I was furious. I lunged toward Peanut, but I went through his body no matter how hard I tried to touch him.

Eddie's pale and haggard face lit up with wild delight. He laughed mockingly and said, "You're a loyal dog, aren't you? I should send you to your owner's side in heaven!"

I was stunned. Eddie knew that I was dead.

Could Robert be working for him? I recalled how Robert had always treated me with disgust, and he always enjoyed bad-mouthing me. I clenched my fists at the thought.

That was when Sonia walked into the room after hearing the commotion. She immediately saw Peanut twitching at the bottom of the wall.

Eddie immediately pretended to cry and said, "I'm so sorry, Sonia. That dog bit me, and I accidentally kicked it because my heart was hurting. It's my fault for being so careless. Will the dog be okay?"

Sonia pressed her lips together and looked away from Peanut with difficulty. "The most important thing is that you're okay. Are you all right? Where did he bite you? Pets are covered in germs, and that isn't good for the baby. I've been planning to send the dog away, and you've been a big help in getting that done today."

With that, she got Conroy to send Peanut to the vet with a look of disdain.

Eddie looked like he was not happy with the outcome, and he scowled, but he quickly wiped it off his face and tugged at Sonia's sleeve. "It's a relief that the dog is fine. If Henry found out what happened, he would probably skin me alive. I won't be able to make it up to him even if I died."

He made it sound like I had bullied him horribly before, and Sonia looked at him sympathetically while comforting him.

Chapter 5

"If he ever does anything like that, I'll make him regret ever being alive."

Eddie paused a second before asking carefully, "Sonia, my parents would like to spend some time with little Bobby. Can you accompany me to my parents' house tomorrow?"

Sonia nodded. "Of course. Your parents will be the ones taking care of the baby in the future."

Eddie started breathing heavily, and he reached out to grab Sonia's hand and said coquettishly, "Why are you making it sound like we're strangers, Sonia? We…"

Sonia moved away from him and said a little coldly, "The guest room has been prepared for you. You should go ahead and get some sleep. Bobby has been fussing the last few days and you haven't been getting enough rest."

However, it was Sonia who had trouble sleeping that night. She would look at her phone from time to time to check if I had messaged her, but our last text was eight months ago, when she invited me on an overseas trip, and I had replied 'all right'. Sonia found herself feeling unsettled.

I was worried about how Peanut was doing, but my soul could not leave Sonia too far away. All I could do was stare blankly at Peanut's dog food and toys.

Sonia suddenly came next to me, and my heart skipped a beat. She crouched and opened up a tin of Peanut's favorite canned food. After that, she texted me. [Henry, I've done everything that needs to be done. Come home. Peanut misses you a lot.]

For once, Sonia gave in to me, but I did not reply right away. I could no longer reply to any of her texts.

That was when Conroy returned. Sonia noticed his empty hands and asked, "Where's the dog?"

Conroy replied carefully, "Six of his rib bones were broken, and one of them pierced his heart. He did not make it to the hospital. Do you want to have him cremated, Miss Child?"

The news hurt me so much. When we first named Peanut, Sonia had said softly, "We have to name him Peanut. We're his parents, the closest family he has in his little world. We need to protect our Peanut forever!"

Poor Peanut. We did not keep our promise to protect him forever.

Sonia was shocked, and her fingers started trembling slightly. It took her a while to find her voice. "All right. Can you help find a dog that looks just like Peanut? If Henry doesn't see Peanut when he comes home, he'll make a huge fuss again."

What she said chilled me to the bone. She might be wealthy enough to find a dog that looked like Peanut, but nothing could replace the bond we had.

The next day, Sonia was a little distracted while on her way to Eddie's house. Even when the baby started bawling, all she did was pat him absent-mindedly. She pressed her lips tightly as she texted Conroy, [Have you found the dog? Be quick about it.]

When she looked up and noticed how Eddie's house was decorated, Sonia was stunned.

I looked around his house and wanted to laugh.

Everywhere was covered with ribbons, and a red carpet was spread out on the ground. A Bluetooth stereo was playing the song 'Love Story', but the most eye-catching thing was the huge banner above the door that read, [Please marry me, Sonia!]

The house was filled with Sonia and Eddie's friends and family, who were looking at them excitedly. Sonia hugged the baby tighter, and he started crying as he tried to struggle from her grip.

Eddie's father said with a smile, "Sonia, Eddie and you have been engaged since you were born, and Henry is from a small family that comes from a different world from you. Now that you both have a baby, it's about time you and Eddie got married."

That was when Eddie went on one knee. He took out a shiny diamond ring and said to Sonia lovingly, "Sonia, I know I don't have long to live, but I still want to give our baby all the love in the world. I want him to know that he was a child born out of love, and not an illegitimate child with nothing to his name."

Chapter 6

"Please marry me. I'd like to take care of you and our baby until the end of my life."

Everyone started shouting, "Say yes! Marry him!"

It was a bitter feeling to see them finally arrive at this day. However, Sonia's expression darkened, and she slapped the diamond ring Eddie was holding away. "Are you crazy, Eddie?"

After that, she shoved the baby into Eddie's parents' arms and left in a huff. The atmosphere turned awkward, and Eddie looked stunned. He quickly chased after Sonia and grabbed her by the arm as tears started brimming in his eyes.

"Why won't you marry me, Sonia? I rejected you all those years ago because I was too proud. Didn't you get into a relationship with Henry just to provoke me? What's going on with you?"

Sonia pushed him away and said with conviction in her eyes, "Henry will be mad if he found out about this. He gets jealous easily, and is petty and stubborn. He's already furious that I had a test-tube baby with you. If he finds out that I agreed to marry you, he will never forgive me!"

I was surprised to hear her reply.

Eddie clenched his teeth and took a deep breath. The next second, he clutched his chest and said with difficulty, "But, Sonia, what if this becomes a regret in my life? I don't have long to live, and all I can do is beg you to agree to at least have a wedding with me. You can be with Henry after I die. I won't take up too much of your time."

Sonia struggled to come to a decision, and she wanted to comfort Eddie, but when she was about to touch Eddie's chest, she suddenly snapped out of it. "I'm sorry, Eddie. I can't do it, even if it's going to be one of your regrets. I know that I owe you my life, but I've made it up to you by giving you a baby. I hope you won't cross the line between us."

She turned away and left after that.

On her way home, she kept staring at the text that she sent, which still had no reply. Sonia questioned Robert, who was behind her. "Are you sure that Henry's phone is connected to the internet? Why hasn't he responded to my text?"

Robert continued lying. "Oh, the patrolman on the island told me that Mr. Jacobs is fine. He's just ignoring you on purpose."

Sonia was furious. "You can't do anything right! Get me a flight ticket there right now!"

Robert started to panic, and he tried his best to stop Sonia. "But you're still in confinement after giving birth. Maybe you should discuss this with Mr. Moore first."

Sonia scrutinized him as she replied coldly, "What does this have to do with him? Which one of us is your boss?"

She quickly got onto the plane, and when she arrived at the island in a huff, my skeleton was still left on the beach. My clothes were torn up from being exposed to the sea breeze. Sonia walked toward the wooden house on the island.

There was a crack as she stepped on my tibia and broke it. It did not bother her until something flashed in front of her. She turned back slowly in disbelief and saw a silver ring on the skeleton's ring finger.