My mother-in-law, Claire Rogers, had taken a turn for the worse with her leukemia and slipped into a coma. The doctors said she needed a bone marrow transplant urgently.

I called my husband, Martin Hughes, the hospital director who had access to the bone marrow registry. All he had to do was sign off on the match, and she would be saved.

Martin answered right away and drove straight to the hospital without a second thought. However, halfway there, he got a mysterious call and vanished without a trace.

I watched Claire Roger's heart monitor grow weaker and weaker, frantically dialing Martin's number 99 times.

On the 100th call, he finally picked up.

My voice was shaking, panic bleeding through every word. "Martin, Mom needs the bone marrow transplant. You're the only one who can authorize the match. Please, come back!"

All I heard was his quiet breathing on the other end.

Before he could say anything, Waverly Tucker's voice cut through the silence."Darling, thank you so much for doing my bone marrow transplant surgery! How about I repay you with my body?"

My phone slipped from my hands and crashed to the floor.

So, that was where he had been all this time, performing surgery on Waverly. While I desperately needed him, he had abandoned his family to be with another woman.

The lights above the ER suddenly went dark, and my heart sank right along with them into complete darkness.

The doctor looked at me with regret written all over his face, shaking his head with a heavy sigh. "Without Dr. Hughes' signature, there's nothing we can do."

The doctors all wore the same pitying expressions. They knew exactly where Martin Hughes, the only person who could authorize the bone marrow transplant, was.

He was off keeping Waverly Tucker company.

On the hospital bed, Claire Rogers lay pale and still, her brow furrowed in pain. However, I knew she was no longer hurting.

My whole body trembled as I wiped away my tears and picked up my phone to call Martin again. Yet, all I got was that endless busy signal,

As I stared at Claire, the woman who had raised me since I was a child, I could not hold back the sobs that tore through me. A sharp cramp twisted through my stomach, and I doubled over in agony on the floor.

Through my blurred vision, I spotted the dark green antique locket clutched in Claire's hand.

It had been the family heirloom given to me when I married into their family, and it had always been her favorite piece of jewelry.

Two days had passed by the time I finished arranging Claire's funeral, and now I held her small urn in my arms. The cold surface carried none of her warmth, and it hurt more than I could bear.

The moment I got home, Martin finally called.

"Stella Sterne, what the hell have you been doing these past few days? Are you seriously giving me the silent treatment just because I didn't answer your calls?"

I ran my fingers over the antique locket, my lips so dry and cracked that I could not form a single word. The verbal abuse from the other end of the line went on and on, and only after he had vented all his anger did his tone turn cold.

"Waverly's been sick these past few days, so I've been taking care of her. I'll head back soon. Just keep an eye on Mom for now, okay?"

But Claire was already gone.

My heart felt like it was being stabbed with, yet my phone kept lighting up with taunting messages from Waverly. News of Martin saving Waverly's life in a critical moment was trending at the top of every social media platform, with people praising him endlessly for sacrificing his personal life for the greater good.

The photos of him and Waverly together had the internet going wild.

One comment read: [You two look perfect together! Have you considered making it official?]

[Did you see how they kept sneaking glances at each other during the interview? They're such a perfect match!]

The fact that Martin had liked these comments made my numb heart ache all over again. Everyone thought Martin and Waverly were the perfect match, while I was just some distant relative who happened to live with the Hughes family.

In truth, I was his wife; I was the one Claire had raised since I was a child.

Just then, a gust of wind blew through the room and lifted the edge of an envelope among Claire's belongings.

[Dearest Stella, I raised you from the time you were little, and our family has failed you. My final wish is that you find true happiness.]

I clutched the antique locket tightly as tears streamed down my face once more. Even in her final moments, Claire had been worried about me.

With that thought, I sent Martin a direct message.[Martin, I want a divorce.]

I contacted a lawyer immediately to draft the divorce papers, then started throwing away everything from our past together. Looking at that small urn, I broke down crying all over again.

Claire, who had raised me from childhood, had taught me the heaviest lesson of all with her own life.

My body could not take any more, and I collapsed onto the couch, falling into a deep sleep.

In my dreams, I saw scenes from when Martin and I were children. Back then, we had been inseparable, and he used to say constantly that he could not wait to grow up so he could marry me.

Claire watched us play with warm pride, her happiness shining through her smile. I held her tightly, tears falling without end. Even though it was just a dream, I wanted to see her a little longer.

Suddenly, her hair turned white, and her expression twisted in agony. The happy moment vanished, replaced by the sharp smell of disinfectant from the morgue.

"Mom!" I jolted awake from the nightmare, my face already covered in tears.

Outside the door, I heard footsteps approaching.

"Oh, you're too good to me. I'm really not that sick, yet you're actually bringing me here so you can personally take care of me. But you haven't told Stella yet... What if she finds out I'm staying here and gets upset?"

"Don't worry about it, silly girl. I'll handle her. You can stay in my mom's bedroom for now. You're still recovering from your illness, so she won't make a fuss about it."

The affection in Martin's voice made my blood run cold. I never could have imagined that while Claire's body was barely cold, he would still have the mind to flirt with Waverly.

Claire must have known he had changed, which was probably why she was willing to let me go.

I stood in the doorway with my hair disheveled, blocking Martin and Waverly from entering. "Martin! What do you think you're doing? That's Mom's bedroom!"

The moment he saw me, Martin quickly released Waverly's hand, which had been intertwined with his.

Waverly looked at me with a smile plastered across her face."Oh! Isn't Mrs. Hughes Senior in the hospital? How did you still find time to nap at home?"

Martin's expression immediately darkened."Stella, look at how pathetic your lies are! You used Mom as an excuse just to get me to come back. She raised you for nothing!"

The fact that those words came out of Martin's mouth was something I could barely believe. He would rather believe I was lying to him than accept that Claire had actually been critically ill.

Looking at Waverly standing beside him, I covered my face and let out a bitter laugh.

Perhaps noticing my bloodshot eyes, Martin's tone softened somewhat. "Look, I know I've been too busy lately and haven't given you much attention. You've seen me now, so you can go to the hospital. As for Mom... I'm planning to move her to a nursing home soon anyway. The room will be empty, so we might as well let Waverly stay there for a while."

My voice choked with tears as I spoke for Claire's sake. "Martin, get out. Don't let Waverly dirty Mom's room. Is she staying here? Not in your wildest dreams!"

Waverly's eyes held a mocking glint, though her tone pretended to be pitiful. "If Stella doesn't like me, then forget it. She's probably still mad that you didn't rush back when Mrs. Hughes Senior was hospitalized the other day! I'm so sorry, Stella... It's all my fault. I shouldn't have gotten sick, then Martin could have made it back in time."

As she spoke, she lifted her chin like some kind of victor.

Martin immediately jumped to her defense. "Waverly doesn't know anyone in this city except me. If I don't help her out as a fellow hometown friend, what's she supposed to do? Can you stop being so petty? Besides, we're just colleagues. I'm the director, and she's an intern nurse. What could possibly happen between us?"

I knew Martin had always been sentimental about old connections, and I had even told him I would not get jealous if he helped her out. Whenever I had time, I even helped him take care of Waverly myself.

However, Martin had taken my generosity for granted. Once he realized I would not get jealous, he started pushing the boundaries even further.

Everyone at the hospital knew that Martin and Waverly were practically inseparable, like a couple.

After he stayed out all night because of Waverly yet again, I decided to have a serious talk with him. Yet, he had exploded like a cornered animal, lashing out in defensive anger.

"Stella, come on. You see dirt in everything because your own head's full of it. We grew up together, and you know me. Waverly's like a little sister to me, nothing more."

Back then, tears had filled my eyes. I had never seen any "little sister" hold hands going to and from work, let alone sleep in the same bed.

I could not help but fire back sarcastically. "I don't care if you're her big brother or her lover. It has nothing to do with me. But right now, neither of you is touching anything in Mom's room!"

At those words, the anger in Martin's voice became impossible to suppress. "Stella, so I didn't make it to the hospital on time. What are you yelling about? Can you stop acting like some crazy woman spouting nonsense? There's nothing between us! I only see her as a sister. You're the one who's narrow-minded and paranoid! If you keep making a scene over nothing, I'm going to have to consider divorcing you!"

If this had been before, I would have backed down immediately. But now, all I had left was blazing anger and bitter amusement.

I laughed coldly. "You don't need to say it. I already took back the family heirloom from our marriage, so just wait to sign the divorce papers."

Martin's eyes flashed with panic when he saw the antique locket in my hand, but that quickly turned to anger. "Stella! Using Mom to trick me wasn't enough; now you're trying to threaten me with divorce?"

The warm touch of the antique locket felt just like Claire holding my hand, making my eyes well up with tears. "Martin, do you still think I'm lying to you even now? In seven years of marriage, have I ever neglected Mom once? But ever since Waverly came back, you stopped caring about anything at home.

"Am I the one lying? You were the one who begged to marry me back then, and now you think I'm threatening you with our marriage? Everyone can see how close you and Waverly have gotten. I don't believe you haven't heard the gossip. Forget it... I'm exhausted. Just go. I want to spend some time with Mom."

Martin's face went pale, and his eyes filled with nervous tension as he looked at me. "Stella, you need to tell me. What happened to Mom?"

Martin grabbed me roughly by the collar. His eyes were bloodshot with rage.

"Stella, Mom has treated you better than her own flesh and blood all these years. If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll rip your mouth apart!"

Looking at Claire's belongings scattered across the living room, my heart filled with sorrow. Even now, Martin still had not realized she was dead.

I wanted to tell Martin that Claire died because of him. Yet, before I could speak, he violently snatched the locket from my hand and roared furiously.

"I'll teach you to run your mouth! You want a divorce? Fine, I'll give you one!"

With that, he slammed the antique locket onto the floor, smashing it to pieces. The shards from the shattered locket grazed my cheek and cut through my already broken heart.

I frantically dropped to my knees, carefully picking up the fragments from the floor.

Waverly hid behind him with a gloating expression, though her words came out in a pitiful tone. "Martin, this is all my fault. If only I hadn't come to you, none of this would have happened. Stella, please calm down. I'm not the kind of person who destroys families. Since you don't like me, I'll leave right now!"

With every word she spoke, Martin's gaze grew colder. "Leave? You didn't do anything wrong in the first place. She's the one at fault! Stella, I'm giving you one last chance. Apologize to Waverly!"

My palms were covered in blood from the fragments cutting into my skin. Red drops bloomed across my skin, but they were nothing compared to the pain in my chest.

"Me? Apologize? Why should I apologize? Isn't it true that Mom died because you insisted on taking care of Waverly instead..."

Before I could finish, Waverly bit her lip, putting on her innocent act. "Stella, I'll leave right now. You don't need to be so passive-aggressive."

Martin grabbed her wrist and bellowed, "Stella, don't force me to divorce you!"

At those words, I slapped Martin hard across the face. "You think you have the right to bring up divorce? I already sent you the papers. I'm the one divorcing you!"

Martin clutched his reddening cheek, his eyes watching me warily as he quietly positioned Waverly behind him for protection. "Stella, calm down! Waverly just recovered from a serious illness. If you scare her, I won't let you get away with it!"

I cut him off coldly. "She's got you, the hospital director who sacrifices his own family for the greater good. When someone has a man who'll defend her even when his own mother is dying, how would I dare provoke her?"

Martin realized I was talking about the interview that had gone viral, and he relaxed a bit. "Stella, if you're jealous, just say so. There's no need to make such a scene. I know I've been neglecting you lately, so let me..."

He knew perfectly well that what bothered me was not just his ambiguous relationship with Waverly, but also his dismissive attitude toward Claire. Yet, he was deliberately downplaying it.

He always did this, avoiding the real issues.

Before, I had held back for Claire's sake, not wanting to see her hurt. But now, Claire's dying wish was for me to be happy and not to stay trapped in this marriage.

With that thought, I shook my head and interrupted him. "You two can get married and have kids for all I care. It's got nothing to do with me anymore. But this room belonged to Mom, and if you dare touch it, I'll fight you both to the death!"

For the first time, Martin saw clear disgust in my eyes, and he backed down, lowering his stance. "Stella, you've worked hard taking care of Mom lately. Let's go visit her together."

My eyes immediately burned hot with tears.

Claire was right here in the living room. Where else did he think we would go?

"Mom is right..."

I shook my head and was about to reach for the urn when Waverly let out a sudden cry. "Martin, I forgot I have a shift at the hospital today! Can you drive me there?"

Martin instinctively pulled her into his arms, his tone intimate. "Oh my, I forgot too! Let's get going!"

His peripheral vision caught my ashen face, and Martin released his hold, his eyes darting away. "I know Mom's condition better than anyone. Once I finish with my other patients, I'll arrange for her bone marrow transplant."

Watching his retreating back, a bitter smile twisted my lips as tears streamed down my face. Claire's death certificate was sitting in his office, but with his eyes full of nothing but Waverly, how could he possibly notice it?

I mumbled, "Martin, you missed your last chance to say goodbye to her..."

In a daze, I seemed to see Claire's kind, gentle eyes again. It was as if she were still comforting me.

Knowing Martin only had eyes for Waverly, I had no choice but to arrange Claire's funeral myself. Once I finished this final task, I would carry out her dying wish and live my life well.

The next day, after I had purchased the funeral supplies, I came home to find the front door broken open. The baby shoes Claire had prepared were carelessly thrown on the floor, and her belongings had been torn apart and scattered everywhere.

Waverly stood in the living room directing construction workers to remove everything from Claire's room.

My blood ran cold with fury as I rushed forward. "Stop! What are you doing? Stop this right now!"

Waverly's eyes held an air of indifference, and she smiled with smug confidence. "Stella, Martin told me to decorate according to my own taste. He said I could do whatever I wanted."