Chapter 3

Fear crawled all over my heart. I clutched my chest, the pain so intense that a layer of cold sweat seeped from my back.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I smashed the food container in my hand and roared.

“Are you trying to kill me?!”

The pain of betrayal from two lifetimes combined, tears filled my eyes. I looked mournfully at the few people who were supposed to be the closest in the world to me, choking back sobs as I demanded an answer.

“Dad, Mom, I’m your daughter, aren’t I? Why are you doing this to me?”

My sudden outburst of smashing things startled Ethan. He flinched, then cried even louder.

“Bad mom! You don’t hurt at all, why are you still trying to steal Chloe’s heart?”

“I don’t want a selfish mom! I only want Chloe!”

“Don’t hurt?”

I mumbled, chewing on those words as if they were shards of glass I couldn’t swallow.

Looking at this son I had nearly died giving birth to, all my affection for him dissipated like smoke.

It was precisely because I was in so much pain during my episodes—my face pale, expression twisted, black hair matted with cold sweat clinging to my cheeks—that I looked so ugly and terrifying. I always worried about scaring my little one.

So I never let him see me during an episode. Ethan would sometimes notice something was off.

He’d cautiously ask me.

“Mom, does your heart hurt?”

I would force a smile and reassure him.

“No, I don’t hurt, Ethan. Don’t worry, okay?”

I told the lie so many times that Ethan actually believed it. And just because I lied about not hurting, he wanted me to give my heart to Chloe.

It was utterly ridiculous.

I hunched my back, trying to alleviate the pain, and couldn’t help but let out a short, self-deprecating laugh.

“Ethan.”

I stared straight at him, my voice raspy.

“If I told you I hurt too, would you still want me to give my heart to Chloe?”

My heart condition wasn't always this severe. But while waiting for a donor, I unexpectedly found myself pregnant.

It was already difficult for me to conceive. The doctor told me that if I aborted this child, I might never have another one.

She pointed to the beating heart on the ultrasound for me to see.

“He’s very healthy.”

I looked at the screen, many thoughts flashing through my mind, yet feeling as if nothing had.

But in the end, I touched that beating heart and decided to keep the child.

My pregnancy was incredibly difficult. I couldn't move much, and my morning sickness was severe.

By the time I carried Ethan to term and gave birth, it had almost killed me. My attending physician immediately came to me, looking serious.

“Evelyn, you’re insane! Because of this child, your heart’s lifespan has been shortened by almost three years!”

But looking at the small, soft infant in my arms, I shook my head firmly.

“Doctor, I don’t regret it.”

At least, not before I died in my previous life.

Ethan’s tears paused. He bit his lip.

“Yes, I want Mom to give her heart to Chloe.”

All my strength seemed to drain away in an instant. I almost lost my balance.

I wiped the tears from my face and spoke coldly to the menacing group.

“You want me to give up my donor heart? Impossible.”

The atmosphere completely froze. Mom, Eleanor, her face grim, spoke with disappointment.

“Evelyn, ever since you came back to the George family, Chloe has always yielded to you. Haven’t you bullied her enough these years?”

“You won’t even give up a heart for Chloe. You’re truly a greedy person.”

Noah chimed in.

“You still have three years to live, but Chloe is in so much pain that she can’t sleep at night. She’s so frail a gust of wind could blow her away.”

“How can your heart be so cruel, watching your sister suffer?”

But because I gave birth to Ethan, those three years I had left were long gone.

If I didn't get a heart transplant now, I might die next month, or even tomorrow.

My mouth was full of bitterness, but I had no strength left to explain any of this to them.

I just closed my eyes and told them to leave.

“Chloe doesn’t deserve to be my sister. If you think I’m heartless, then after the surgery, I can leave the George family and never bother you again.”

Countless insults immediately erupted, but I didn’t take a single word to heart. I called security.