Chapter 2

The pain finally disappeared the moment my soul left my body.

I hovered above the scene, staring at the mangled car smoking in the rain. The driver’s seat was crushed beyond recognition, and the body slumped inside was twisted and broken in every way imaginable.

Today was supposed to mark our fifth wedding anniversary. Ironically, it was also the day Lucas asked for a divorce for the hundredth time.

Over the years, I had tried to ignore the cracks in our fragile relationship, hoping that somehow, we’d make it work. But this time, I finally agreed to let go.

Five years is a long time, even if most of it was marked by distance and tension. Regardless of how things were, we’d spent a significant part of our lives together.

But everything changed a month ago when Evelyn returned from abroad, her health deteriorating.

From that moment on, Lucas never came home. He stayed at the hospital, tirelessly caring for her.

Everyone knew he had married me out of anger and heartbreak after Evelyn rejected him.

But I had loved him for years, long before he even knew my name. So, even when I found out the truth, I stayed. Loving him was as natural as breathing, no matter how much it hurt.

My thoughts returned to the present as I watched the ambulance from St. Mercy’s Hospital load my broken body into the back.

I followed instinctively.

Lucas worked at St. Mercy’s, where he was a legendary cardiologist. Patients and staff worshipped him. Yet, as his wife, I couldn’t even go to him for a cold.

On our wedding day, he had made it clear: “I don’t want to see you at my workplace.” “And don’t bother me over trivial things.”

That’s why I never told him I was pregnant.

As I floated above the ambulance, my hand drifted to my stomach. The life I had carried, the one I had dreamed of for years, was gone now—just like me.

Tears streamed down my face, silent and endless, as an ache settled deep in my chest.

That child was supposed to be my miracle, my hope after five long years.

My body wasn’t taken to the morgue. Instead, it was wheeled into the operating room on the fifth floor.

The door to the operating room opened, and two figures stepped inside.

“Dr. Ryan, this isn’t legal without the family’s consent…”

The voice belonged to Mason, Lucas’s protégé. I knew him well; over the years, he had eaten countless meals I’d brought for Lucas.

Evelyn scoffed and crossed her arms as she walked toward my lifeless body. She glanced at me before quickly turning her head, unable to hide the disgust in her eyes.

“I’ve waited far too long for a compatible heart. I’m not about to let this opportunity slip away,” she said coldly.

Then, without hesitation, she turned to Mason. “Call Lucas. Tell him to come back and perform the surgery himself.”

Mason hesitated, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. He opened his mouth as if to protest but said nothing.

Evelyn pulled out a card from her purse and handed it to him.

“There’s fifty grand on this card. This stays between us. No one has to know.”

Mason stared at the card, torn between guilt and greed. Finally, after a long pause, he took it and dialed Lucas.

The phone rang a few times before Lucas’s voice filled the room.

“What is it?” he asked, sounding impatient.

Mason glanced at Evelyn before answering softly.

“Dr. Ryan, we found a suitable donor for Evelyn. The body is in the operating room. You should come back.”

The indifference in Lucas’s voice evaporated, replaced by palpable excitement.

“Are you serious?! I’ll be there right away!”

“Eve won’t have to worry about this anymore…”

His voice was jubilant, overflowing with relief and joy.

Each word felt like a dagger to my chest. My tears blurred everything as I looked at the operating table where my body lay.

If Lucas knew it was my heart he was about to take, would he still sound so happy?