Chapter 2

The massive sea creature finally revealed itself before my eyes. It was a giant octopus!

Its eight enormous tentacles swayed as it glided past me, not even sparing me a glance.

The octopus' slimy secretions splashed onto my skin, releasing a nauseating stench of decay.

I tried to console myself with the small mercy that octopuses weren't known to eat humans, though it felt like cold comfort in my despair.

I let my body go limp as the seawater flooded into my lungs.

As death approached, my most bitter memory played over and over in my mind.

It had been an ordinary evening, with me lying anxiously on the cold operating table.

Ruby lay unconscious on the bed next to mine.

During this surgery, one of my lungs would be transplanted into Ruby.

Noah had promised that if I saved his cousin, he would get a vasectomy and commit to our child-free lifestyle.

Though he had agreed to this before marriage, he only backed out because of pressure from his parents.

On the operating table, I naively thought that I should make some sacrifice for Noah, even if I didn't want kids.

I spoke up, "Doctor, I have a low tolerance for anesthesia. Noah must have told you about this."

The lead surgeon, a middle-aged man in his fifties, just frowned and silently signaled the anesthesiologist to increase the dosage.

I froze. Hadn't Noah mentioned it?

As the anesthesia started to kick in, I drifted in and out of consciousness. However, I could still hear the clinking of surgical instruments.

The harsh fluorescent lights above were blinding, and through the haze, I felt them cutting into my stomach.

Sharp, stinging pain shot through my nerves, making me cry out.

I heard the medical staff whispering among themselves.

"What's going on? Why is she still conscious?" a female nurse asked.

The lead surgeon lowered his voice, "Her husband never said she was this resistant to anesthesia! We shouldn't even be doing this surgery!"

"What do we do now? We've already cut her open!"

"Keep going. Actually... her husband slipped me some cash and said his wife had a high pain tolerance."

An eerie silence fell over the operating room after those words.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I felt the cold surgical instruments moving through my organs.

The pain was unbearable, with every cell in my body screaming in agony.

My limbs twitched helplessly as I lay there, unable to speak.

At this point, I had no choice but to let the doctors finish the surgery.

It was either that or die.

The torture-like procedure seemed endless, and in my hazy state, I watched as they removed my blood-soaked lungs.

Finally, it was over, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

By the time they started stitching, I must have been too numb to feel anything anymore.

"Can we start closing her up now?" asked the squeamish nurse, her voice trembling.

"Yes, we'll do the IUD insertion after the sutures."

IUD? Wasn't that for sterilization? He promised he would get a vasectomy instead!

My heart sank, and the tears I'd held back streamed uncontrollably down my face.

My body started to move slightly in protest.

No! Please stop! I told him about my uterine fibroids! An IUD was dangerous for me!

The two doctors forcefully spread my legs and inserted the IUD through my body into my uterus.

The combination of rage and unbearable pain made me pass out.

When I regained consciousness, it was dawn.

I struggled to open my eyes, feeling like every bone in my body was broken, consumed by pain.

In the morning light, the man I had loved for years was leaning over the adjacent bed, his arms braced on either side.

He placed a tender, lingering kiss on Ruby's forehead.

Ruby's sleeping profile suddenly matched the lock screen I had glimpsed on Noah's phone.

It wasn't just some random picture from the internet! The girl on Noah's phone was Ruby all along!