Even without my heart, my chest still ached so much that I coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Wendy?"

Heinry appeared out of nowhere. The moment he saw me vomiting blood again, he rushed to my side, carried me to the bed and wiped the blood from my mouth with an expression of deep distress.

"I'm sorry, Wendy. I didn’t take good care of you. Don’t worry, I’ve arranged for the best artificial heart and it’ll be replaced in a few days,"

The red rings under his eyes seemed to shimmer with guilt, his reaction so familiar. It was exactly the same as every other time he had seen me in pain over the years.

Back then, I thought he truly felt sorry for me. I had always pretended to be strong, reassuring him that everything was fine.

Looking back now, I could not believe how foolish I was.

"Heinry, I’ve been in so much pain all these years. Can I stop using the artificial heart?"

Hadn’t you already prepared several backup heart sources for Yvonne? Couldn’t you… give me my heart back?

He froze for only a moment before regaining his composure. Smiling, he reached out to stroke my head and said, "Wendy, don’t say such silly things. There’s no suitable heart for you. Without the artificial heart, you wouldn’t survive. Do you want me to stand by and watch you die? If that’s the case, you might as well kill me first."

No?

But the heart beating in Yvonne’s chest was mine.

A chilling numbness spread through my body as I forced a smile. "You're right. I was being silly."

That night, I filled the bathtub for him, adding an entire bottle of sleep-aid essential oil under the guise of helping him relax.

When he returned, he soon fell into a deep sleep.

Perhaps in his dreams, he saw the person he longed for most because he murmured her name.

"Yvonne… I’ll protect you, no matter the cost… even if it kills me."

I stood there, staring at the man I had loved for seven long years. At last, the tears I had been holding back began to fall.

I called my best friend, a doctor who had just returned to this country after years of working in Africa.

"I want to ask you to perform a heart surgery on me."

"Yes, I’m sure. See you in three days."

What was so frightening about death?

After all, death was the ultimate release from pain.

After hanging up the phone, I quietly took Heinry’s phone and went into the study.

Sure enough, today was Yvonne’s birthday.

I had never known that Heinry had a hidden Instagram account until now.

He probably forgot to switch to his main account back. His avatar was a minimalist design with one stylized word. Aiyan.

So straightforward. So shameless.

Curious, I tapped into his feed. It was a shrine to Yvonne and every post was a declaration of his obsession and flamboyant devotion.

[The first day I arrived at the Spencer Family house, I met Yvonne Spencer and suddenly understood what a heartbeat feels like.]

[Yvonne got married and I went mad with jealousy. I wanted to keep her with me, hidden inside my body, mine alone.]

[I kept thinking about Yvonne today. I know Wendy’s body is fragile, but I couldn’t help myself. I missed her so much that I kept calling her name in my heart, over and over, as though wishing I could change the person under me into her…]

In addition, he gave Yvonne Spencer various luxury jewelry and designer handbags.

He had even purchased a heart-shaped private island abroad in her name.

And all these years, the only thing Heinry had ever given me was this artificial heart that brought me a constant source of suffering and endless torment.

While I grieved the loss of my mother and endured the agony of coughing up blood, Yvonne was lounging on the soft sands of her island paradise, basking in the sun.

My hands trembled as I held the phone. Rage and nausea twisted through me. I stumbled back and retched.

As I leaned against the bookshelf for support, my hand brushed against something and a book fell to the floor.

But when I picked it up, I realized it it was actually a box, disguised with a book’s cover.

Inside, I found several certificates for “voluntary heart donation” and stacks of remittance receipts.

Heinry sent large sums of money to the families of heart donors every month.

There was only one condition. The donors were forbidden from giving their hearts to anyone else. If Yvonne needed it, they were obligated to donate immediately.

The last certificate in the box was mine. But the recipient of the donation had been changed from my mother to Yvonne.

I recalled the day Heinry handed me a stack of documents to sign, insisting they were required for the surgery preparations. Desperate to save my mother, I barely glanced at them before signing.

This certificate must have been slipped in among them and my mother’s original document was most likely destroyed long ago.

Heinry, you truly went to great lengths for Yvonne.

Later, I printed out the divorce agreement and sat on the sofa, a wave of loneliness engulfing me. The grief weighed so heavily on my chest that sleep was impossible.

The next morning, Heinry was oblivious to my turmoil and assumed I had simply risen early.

Perhaps guilt from seeing me cough up blood the previous night spurred him on, so he prepared a meticulously balanced breakfast, every dish rich with nutrients.

When I remained still at the table, his voice tinged with concern.

"Wendy, why aren’t you eating? Are you in a bad mood?"

"It's nothing. I just miss my mother."

He sighed.

"Wendy, you’re not the only one. I think of her all the time, too. She was such a kind, selfless person... but because of me, I couldn’t save her when it mattered. I still remember her holding my hand, asking us to promise to live a happy life together."

If my mother had had even an ounce of strength left to lift her hand, it would have been to strangle him to death.

Looking at the practiced sorrow on his face, I could not help but feel a bitter wave of sarcasm.

I was about to bring up the divorce, but Heinry spoke first casually as if he were making a passing suggestion.

"Wendy, you’ve been feeling down for a while now. Yvonne is coming back to China today and it’s her birthday. There’s a family dinner at the old house. Why don’t we go? It might cheer you up a bit."

"I know you haven’t wanted to see her since... what happened with Mom. But so many years have passed. Yvonne didn’t mean for any of that to happen. After all, we’re family. She’s always been sensitive. If we don’t go, I’m afraid she’ll be hurt…"

So this was his real purpose today. All that pretense of care was just a way to see his beloved.

I cut him off coldly, "Whatever."

Heinry smiled, relieved.

"I knew my Wendy was the most understanding."

As soon as we entered the old house, the sight before me was almost nauseating. Yvonne Spencer, dressed like a noble princess, clung to my mother-in-law’s arm, acting coquettishly.

My mother-in-law beamed with delight, indulging her every whim, even feeding her slices of fresh fruit into her mouth.

She was adored and spoiled in every possible way.

Yvonne spotted me immediately. She turned to my mother-in-law and said it with a tone that was laced with malice.

"Grandma, you’ve fattened me up with all your treats! Now that Aunt Wendy is here, why don’t you give her the leftovers? I don’t like it and she doesn’t have a mother, so…"

My mother-in-law followed her gaze and noticed me for the first time. Her eyes swept over my plain clothes and a sneer curled on her lips.

"Who invited you, a sickly wretch, to come here? Do you want to bring your bad luck and poverty into our lives?"

"Our Spencer Family is a distinguished family of doctors, yet you walk around looking like a beggar. Do you have any idea how much shame you’ve brought to my son? Married for years and can’t even give him a child. Useless and brainless, just like your damn mother. Did she never teach you how to behave?"

Heinry was not even a biological member of their family. He was the child his stepmother brought into the marriage.

Perhaps out of insecurity, she had always insisted that he marry a woman from a strong family to ensure his place in the household.

Years later, after Yvonne’s father died in a car accident, Heinry proved himself. He earned fame as the “golden scalpel” and won over my father-in-law, who entrusted him with the family business.

Only then did my mother-in-law grudgingly agree to our marriage.

Because my physical condition made pregnancy impossible, my mother-in-law, who had been desperate for a grandchild, grew increasingly dissatisfied with me.

In the past, Heinry would at least defend me, offering a few placating words to smooth things over. But now, his eyes were constantly drawn to Yvonne, brimming with an unmistakable longing he no longer bothered to hide.

Yvonne bounded over to him, latching onto his arm with practiced affection as she said coquettishly, "Uncle, did you bring me a gift?"

Heinry pinched her cheek affectionately. "Of course."

Twenty-eight luxurious and high-end designer dresses were wheeled in, each paired with an equally extravagant set of jewelry.

The twenty-eighth was Yvonne's age on this birthday.

Overjoyed, Yvonne planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Wow! Uncle, you really love me the most. These are all limited editions! But Uncle, you’re spending so much on me... What if some people get upset?"

Only then did Heinry seem to remember my presence. His gaze shifted awkwardly toward me and the shabby clothes I wore seemed even more glaring amidst the dazzling display of wealth.

In all our years together, Heinry had never once remembered my birthday. He had certainly never given me anything extravagant as these dresses and jewelry.

He looked at me awkwardly and reached out to take my hand, his tone full of hesitation, "Wendy, don’t think too much. I’m Yvonne’s uncle and I just…"

Before he could finish, Yvonne clutched her chest dramatically and frowned.

"Uncle, I feel... strange. My heart... My chest feels tight. Could it be... my heart condition acting up again?"

At once, Heinry dropped my hand as if it burned him. He turned to Yvonne, his expression etched with panic as he pulled her into his arms.

"What’s wrong? Why are you feeling like this all of a sudden? Does it hurt? No, I can’t take any risks. I need to check you immediately."

After finishing his words, Heinry lifted Yvonne into his arms in front of all the guests, carrying her upstairs without so much as a backward glance.

The relatives’ gazes filled with scorn as they turned their attention to me.

"No wonder Heinry would rather shower Yvonne with dresses and jewelry than spare even a single gift for her. A woman of such lowly origins doesn’t deserve to be the Spencer Family’s daughter-in-law, let alone enjoy fine things."

"If it weren’t for the fact that Heinry is her uncle by marriage, do you think he would’ve ever married her? Maybe she used her mother’s death to blackmail him into it. Shameless! She probably stepped on her own mother’s grave just to climb into wealth!"

The murmurs grew louder. My mother-in-law was clearly embarrassed and she did not hesitate to berate me.

"You’re such a disgrace! Why are you still standing there like an idiot? Get out of here! Haven’t you humiliated our family enough already?"

"It’s a miracle my son even agreed to operate on your good-for-nothing mother! She died because she wasn’t strong enough and now you dare to act ungrateful? Worse, you have the audacity to blackmail him? Shameless. Mark my words! Karma will catch up with you someday!"

My fists clenched tightly beneath my sleeves, but I forced a weak smile. Yes, meeting Heinry Spencer was my greatest punishment.

The thought of the divorce agreement tucked safely in my bag strengthened my resolve. Without a word, I turned and headed upstairs to find Heinry.

But on the second-floor balcony, there they were. Heinry and Yvonne were locked in an intimate embrace.

Yvonne leaned casually against the railing, her arms looped around his neck.

"Heinry, listen carefully. Does my heart still feel tight? Hmm?"

"Yvonne, we can’t..."

Heinry’s voice was strained, but his perfectly tailored trousers had already shown his true desire.

Yvonne took the initiative, her lips brushing his as she spoke seductively, "Don’t you want me? I know you do. I know your heart belongs only to me and mine to you. Even if you married someone else because of what society expects, your body is still mine. So let’s stop pretending... just this once…"

Heinry’s restraint crumbled. He seized Yvonne by the back of her head and kissed her hungrily.

The air filled with the sound of ripping fabric and an unbearable moan of ecstasy.