The day before my wedding, my mother discovered my fiancé spending time with his niece. Furious, her heart disease flared up, leading to an emergency transplant.
Fortunately, I had already been matched as a donor for her. Without hesitation, I chose to give her my heart and rely on an artificial one for myself.
Faced with the staggering cost of the surgery, I turned to my fiancé for help. He claimed he did not have enough cash and left to arrange the marriage certificate with Yvonne instead.
In my desperation, Heinry appeared again. This time, he not only covered all the expenses but also performed the surgery himself.
When I woke up, Heinry broke the devastating news. He told me that my mother had suffered a rejection during the transplant. The surgery had failed and she was gone forever.
Tears streamed down my face as he held me in his arms. With a tenderness I did not expect, he confessed his love for me and begged me to stay by my side for the rest of my life.
Seven years into our marriage, I overheard a conversation between Heinry and his friend.
"So you were the one who gave Wendy’s heart to Yvonne while her mother was still alive? That’s beyond cruel."
"I had no choice. Who else’s heart would have matched Yvonne’s so perfectly?"
"But we’d already found a suitable donor back then! Yvonne only needed to wait another half a day. Why the rush?"
Heinry let out a heavy sigh. "I couldn’t stand to see Yvonne suffer. Even a second of discomfort was too much for me."
***
In the study room across the door, Heinry blew out a smoke ring and then spoke with a calm tinged with a complexity voice.
"If the rules of this world forbid me from marrying her, then I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure Yvonne’s safety for the rest of her life."
His friend Zach’s tone was heavy with guilt and unease.
"But Wendy’s blood type is rare. Finding a matching heart for her has always been difficult. Over the years, she’s endured so much. She keeps coughing up blood, suffers constant chest pain, even it was difficult for her to have children."
"And don’t forget, her artificial heart has only one month left. It must be replaced with a new one soon. Do you want her to endure the agony of surgery for the rest of her life? Wendy loves you deeply. You have to give her back her heart! You’ve already secured several backups for Yvonne."
Heinry refused without even thinking about it. "No! The more backup hearts we have for Yvonne, the better her safety is ensured. I will never gamble with her health."
Zach’s frustration flared. "And what about Wendy? I can still see the way her mother died with blood, tears and hatred in her eyes. Aren't you afraid Wendy will come after you with everything she has once she finds out the truth?"
For a moment, Heinry was silent. Then, with a self-deprecating laugh, he said, "If she wants my life, she can have it. I’ve been prepared to dedicate my life to her care anyway. As long as Yvonne is happy, I’ll die without regrets."
The veins on the back of my hand bulged as I gripped the study door handle, my entire body trembling uncontrollably.
I recorded everything on my phone. Before Heinry could sense my presence, I fled back to the bedroom in despair and collapsed onto the floor.
My body, weakened by the artificial heart, struggled to adjust. Frequent bouts of coughing up blood and searing chest pain had become my reality.
Heinry had once told me that heart transplants required living donors. Since my mother had passed away, replacing my heart was no longer an option.
At the time, I accepted it. At least, my heart could always would always remain with my mother.
No wonder, when I begged to see my mother one last time, Heinry took charge of her funeral arrangements, claiming I was too frail to leave my bed after the surgery.
But now, the cruel truth shattered me. His so-called redemption and affection were nothing but façades, raised by a devil in disguise. He had never performed any surgery on my mother at all!
Neither I nor my mother were anything more than sacrifices on Heinry’s altar for the woman he loved!
To preserve his lies, he even had the audacity to push my mother into the operating room first, forcing her to watch with her own eyes as her daughter’s heart was removed and given to someone else until she died in tears, powerless to do anything!
