In the seventh year of my marriage, my husband's first love came back—with a child in tow.
I finally accepted the truth: my husband didn't love me, and he didn't love our six-year-old daughter either.
I asked Thaddeus Abbott for a divorce and moved out with our daughter.
But on the way, Marilyn James and I were in a terrible car accident.
The crash cost me my heart. It cost Marilyn a kidney.
When I woke up, Thaddeus was kneeling at my bedside, slapping himself across the face, heaping every ounce of blame onto his own shoulders.
I pressed my hand to the artificial heart humming beneath my ribs, and Marilyn and I decided together: we'd give him one more chance. Thirty days—the mandatory cooling-off period before a divorce could be finalized. That was his window.
On the twenty-ninth day, I overheard a conversation between my husband and his secretary.
"Mr. Abbott, you gave your wife's heart to Miss Mason, and you gave Miss James's kidney to Miss Mason's daughter."
"Even if you don't love your wife, Miss James is your biological daughter. Do you truly have no regrets?"
Thaddeus gazed tenderly at a wooden box sitting on his desk.
"She's the one who insisted on taking the child and leaving. If she hadn't done that, there wouldn't have been an accident. She should be grateful her heart was still useful."
"As for Marilyn—she still has one kidney, doesn't she? What's the problem?"
"I promised I'd be a good husband and a good father going forward. That should be enough."
——
I fought to keep my body from trembling, terrified that the people in the study would hear me.
The conversation continued behind the closed door.
"The artificial heart inside Alberta Jenner is the best model available. It won't cause any issues."
"And Marilyn—I looked into it. A person can live a perfectly normal life with one kidney. I'll take care of her for the rest of her life. That's more than fair."
Nathan Abbott's voice carried a note of reluctance.
"The technology behind artificial hearts still isn't mature. Rejection reactions are common."
"And Miss James is so young. Because she only has one kidney left, she can barely manage to urinate on her own..."
Thaddeus cut his secretary off with a flash of impatience.
"So what are you saying? That I should have stood by and watched Monica and her daughter die?"
"Alberta and Marilyn saving Monica and her child—isn't that earning good karma for themselves?"
I was afraid that if I stayed a second longer, I'd burst through that door and scream the truth into his face. So I stumbled away on unsteady legs.
Back in my room, my strength gave out completely. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the floor.
So that was it. This whole month, Thaddeus hadn't been good to us because he wanted to make our marriage work. He'd done it to ease his own guilt.
My heart and Marilyn's kidney—we hadn't lost them in the accident. Thaddeus had taken them to save Monica Mason and her daughter.
What I'd believed was redemption was just another abyss.
A month ago, on the way to the airport with Marilyn, our car had been in a devastating crash.
The driver died on impact. Marilyn and I were both critically injured.
After I woke up, the guilt nearly destroyed me. I blamed myself for insisting on the divorce, for insisting on leaving Thaddeus.
Most of all, I blamed myself for ruining Marilyn's life—for the kidney she would never get back.
Thaddeus had knelt in front of me then, pulling my shaking body into his arms.
"This is all my fault. I didn't pay enough attention to you and Marilyn. I didn't take care of you the way I should have."
"I promise, Alberta—from now on, I'll take care of you both. I can't lose you again."
Six-year-old Marilyn had fought through her own pain to comfort me.
"Mommy, it doesn't hurt. Don't blame Daddy."
"If giving up one kidney means Mommy and Daddy can be happy, then Marilyn thinks it's worth it."
