In the autumn rain of Seattle, I slipped and fell from a cliff. My boyfriend, Asher, chose to save his childhood sweetheart, Cassandra, first.
Just as I was succumbing to despair, his brother, Justin—the legendary musical prodigy—dived in and pulled me from the brink.
Later, he proposed with a cello piece he composed, "The Stars," its deep, resonant melody a vow to protect me for the rest of his life.
I married him. I became his one and only muse. Until a car accident, when, drifting in and out of consciousness, I heard his icy voice speaking to his brother.
"The miscarriage is a complication, but the marrow is still a match. The doctor said she’s strong—she can have the transplant as soon as she’s stable. Cassandra can’t wait any longer."
Asher asked him if he was insane.
He replied, "It's just a child. As long as she's mine, Kayla will always be mine."
In that moment, every kiss he had ever given me felt like a brand, searing his lies into my skin.
I realized my love story was just a meticulously orchestrated symphony, and I was nothing more than a tool for someone else's salvation. A cold resolve settled over me. If this was their game, I refused to be a pawn.
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1
Lying on the cold hospital bed, I pressed my hands against my flat abdomen. The pain of losing my child washed over me, a tidal wave threatening to pull me under.
My husband, Justin Thorne, stood beside me, his forehead beaded with sweat as he spoke urgently to the doctor. "Doctor, how is she? Does the miscarriage affect the donation? Please, whatever it takes. Cost, risks—I don't care. I'll sign anything."
His words hit me like a physical blow. So, for the perfect, flawless Cassandra Vance, he would sacrifice everything—including me and our unborn child. The reality of it shattered my heart into a million pieces.
Even my stoic ex-boyfriend, Asher Thorne, had a flicker of pity in his eyes, though he still spoke up for his fiancée. "Doctor, I'm begging you. She’s in the VIP ward, and her condition is worsening. She desperately needs this transplant."
The doctor’s grim expression fell upon me, still bleeding from the procedure. "She's lost a significant amount of blood. Rest is her priority. The transplant is off the table until she's made a full recovery."
Tears welled in Justin's eyes. He grabbed the doctor's sleeve, his voice ragged. "I need a definite timeline! When can she do it? Cassandra is running out of time!"
Asher came over and put a hand on his brother's shoulder, his voice strained. "Justin, get a grip. Kayla needs you. You can't fall apart on her now."
At his brother's words, Justin slowly turned toward me. His calloused thumb gently traced my chapped lips. Then, a single, cold tear landed on my cheek.
His voice was laced with a chilling counterfeit of pain. "Three years ago, I confessed my love to Cassandra with 'The Stars,' a piece I wrote for her. But she told me she loved Asher."
"I told myself, if I couldn't have her, I could at least clear the obstacles from her path. I found out you were the only perfect match, the only one who could save her. So I married you. I convinced you to have my child so that, if this day ever came, you'd be trapped. No escape."
Asher looked sickened, staggering out of the room without another word.
Justin leaned down, placing a deep, searching kiss on my forehead. His tone had never been so gentle. "Don't be afraid, darling. Even without this child, I will cherish you for the rest of my life."
He paused, then turned to the doctor, his voice firm. "Do whatever it takes to get her well enough for the surgery. As soon as possible."
The doctor, seeing he couldn't be swayed, simply nodded. "Understood."
As the nurse wheeled me back to my ward, a tear escaped the corner of my eye. I would have rather bled out on that cold operating table than ever face his suffocating, counterfeit affection again.
But fate denied my wish. I lost my baby at seven months, but I survived.
In a daze, I heard a nurse whisper, "I know the baby is gone, but you have family who loves you. You have to keep fighting, for them!"
The nurse's words were a shard of glass in my heart. She didn't know. My parents were gone. Justin was my only anchor in this world. He had been my everything.
But his promise of eternal love had been a lie. It had always, only, been for Cassandra.
