‘Irwin, I don’t owe you anything. As for what you owe me—forget it.’

By the time Irwin got home, Sue had already collapsed on the floor from exhaustion.

The entire house was a mess. For a moment, Irwin thought they’d been robbed and was about to call the cops when Mavy’s name flashed on his screen.

“Dude, I think I fucked up.”

“You mean you got drunk last night, grabbed some random stranger, and spilled everything about what happened five years ago?”

“Y-Yeah… I-It was a blind spot for the security cameras. I-I- have no idea who that shit was!” Mavy sounded panicked.

If this got out, both of them were screwed.

Irwin frowned. “Check who was at the bar last night.”

“Will do, but the security system’s been down for repairs lately. No guarantees we’ll find anything.

“Irwin, we need to be prepared for the worst.”

Irwin cursed under his breath and threw his phone aside. A strange sense of unease settled in his chest.

The person in his arms stirred like she was having a bad dream.

“M-Mom… don’t…”

Sue jolted awake, tears pooling in her eyes. She stared at Irwin in a daze, only snapping back to reality when she felt the warmth of his body. Her expression immediately turned cold.

Her mom… She looked so tormented in the dream, her cries so gut-wrenching…

“Miss her?”

Irwin gazed at her with concern, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her eye.

Sue glanced at the calendar on the wall.

Two more days.

Just two more days, and she’d be free of this place.

But before that…

“Can you come with me to visit my mom’s grave?” she suddenly asked.

“Of course, but you need to take care of yourself first. Otherwise, she won’t be able to rest easy up there.”

Irwin then turned to head to the kitchen to make her breakfast.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Ava barged in, dragging a suitcase behind her.

“Irwin! Sue! My ex-husband’s been harassing me again! Can I crash at your place for a few days?”

She kicked off her shoes, shrugged off her coat, and made herself comfortable on the couch like she owned the place.

The next second, she caught a whiff of something delicious from the kitchen, her eyes lighting up as she rushed over.

“Irwin! This smells amazing! Ugh, Sue, I’m so jealous. You’re so lucky to have such a great husband.

“Not like my ex—fucking deadbeat loser.”

She whined about her ex, laughing and joking with Irwin as they fed each other bites of breakfast.

Standing at the top of the stairs, Sue watched them for a long moment.

And suddenly, she felt… out of place.

She turned around, locked herself in her room, and forced herself to focus on dry legal texts.

It was one of her ways to cope.

She got so lost in it that she didn’t realize how hungry she was until her stomach started aching.

She headed downstairs to eat—only to find that Irwin and Ava had already left.

The only thing left on the dining table was a bowl of cold soup and some half-eaten pastries.

But the chair was still warm.

Sue turned on the dash cam.

The screen filled with scenes so disgusting she almost laughed. Right outside their house, right under her nose.

“Do you fuck Sue this hard too?” Ava gasped, flushed.

Irwin panted. “She’s not half as fun as you in bed.”

Sue took a slow, deep breath and shut the dash cam off, her face expressionless.

She dumped the dirty dishes into the trash, made herself a quick bowl of instant baked mac, and headed back upstairs to pack.

Not that there was much to pack—just a few clothes and stacks of thick books.

Everything else Irwin bought for her—based on Ava’s taste—Sue donated.

Consider it her little contribution to society.

Irwin didn’t come home last night, but Sue’s Facebook feed was filled with him.

All from Ava’s posts.

Backlit photos of them watching the sea, the stars, the sunrise together.

It was captioned: [Every season is sweet with you. Here’s to forever!]

Ava even changed her profile picture to a photo of them holding hands.

On Irwin’s left hand, his ring finger bore a clear indent—a mark left by a ring that had been there for a long time.

One that had only recently been removed.

Sue silently liked all of Ava’s posts.

A second later, Ava messaged her.

[Sue, did you see my posts? That’s my new boyfriend. Don’t we look perfect together?]

[If we get married, you’d give us your blessing, right?]

Sue didn’t reply for a long time.

Ava then started to crack.

[Sue, you’re smart. You must’ve recognized that the guy in the photos is Irwin, right?]

[I’ll be honest. Irwin and I have been together for a year. He never loved you.]

[Forced love never works. Let him go. I’ll love him for you.]

Tears dripped onto Sue’s screen.

Her trembling fingers hovered over the keyboard, unable to type.

But Ava wasn’t done.

More photos flooded in—a hotel room. A car. A swimming pool.

Even her own bed.

Traces of their love stained every image.

Sue wiped her tears, hands shaking as she finally typed one line.

[Where is my mom’s heart?]

Ava replied instantly.

[You already know? Well, if you agree to divorce Irwin, I’ll tell you.]

Sue didn’t hesitate.

[Fine.]

[It’s in Irwin’s office. Behind the bookshelf, there’s a hidden space. You’ll find what you’re looking for there.]

Without a second thought, Sue hailed a cab straight to B. Global.

Just as Ava said, there was a secret basement behind the bookshelf in his office.

The moment Sue stepped in, a chilling air enveloped her.

Her skin prickled with goosebumps.

A giant whiteboard hung on the wall, filled with countless plans.

[Plan 1: Backup Heart Donor]

[Plan 2: Artificial Heart]

[Plan 3: Conservative Treatment]

Every single plan—a path Irwin paved for Ava’s survival.

Sue finally understood.

Five years ago, Irwin had already collected multiple backup hearts for Ava.

But he couldn’t wait for a donor to arrive by air.

So instead, he forcibly took Sue’s mom’s heart—and gave it to Ava.

For the past five years, Ava had gone through countless artificial hearts.

Each heart’s data, every rejection her body experienced—meticulously recorded.

All for the sake of giving Ava more time.

And her mom’s heart?

It had been preserved.

Sealed in this dark, hidden basement.

For five whole years!

A sharp pain stabbed through Sue’s chest.

Her legs buckled beneath her, sending her crashing to the floor.

Just then, her phone alarm rang.

It was a reminder—the countdown she had set. To leave.

Sue swallowed the lump in her throat, carefully cradled her mom’s heart, and made her way to the cemetery.

She buried it.

Kneeling before the tombstone, she gazed at her mom’s photo, eyes red and swollen.

Then, she kissed the tomb—three times.

Once upon a time, she didn’t like crowds.

Didn’t like socializing.

She shut herself away, buried in her studies.

Her life had been dull.

People always said Sue would read herself silly, that she’d turned into a total bookworm.

But her mom would proudly tell anyone who’d listen, “My daughter’s going to be a top lawyer, maybe even a judge one day!”

Sue got into the best law school, aced the bar exam, and graduated with straight A’s. Every prestigious law firm she’d only seen on TV came knocking, offering her a job.

Everyone congratulated her, flattered her. But her mom? She just quietly made her a bowl of pasta and said with a loving sigh, “My dear Sue, happy birthday. You’ve worked so hard.”

Because she couldn’t bear to leave her mom, Sue didn’t take the high-paying offers. Instead, she stayed in a small local law firm, handling trivial everyday cases.

She’d planned to live a simple life—follow the usual path, get married, have kids, and take care of her mom.

But life never goes as planned. The tree wants to be still, but the wind won’t stop blowing. A child wants to care for her mother, but time waits for no one.

“Mom… I’ve failed you. I spent five years sharing a bed with your killer. Worse, I fell for him!

“I won’t stay by his side any longer. I’ll chase the dream you were so proud of, for both of us.”

Sue couldn’t hold back her sobs, her voice breaking the silence of the cemetery.

A gentle breeze brushed past. A yellow butterfly landed on her shoulder—her mom’s favorite color.

She froze.

‘Mom… have you been with me all along?’

The flight was in two hours, and Sue was still waiting.

But Irwin never came to the cemetery.

Instead, she kept seeing updates from Ava’s Facebook. Each new post chipped away at Sue’s heart.

Half an hour passed. She couldn’t wait any longer.

And finally—finally—Irwin made a move.

Not by coming to see Sue. Not even by calling.

He liked every single one of Ava’s posts. And then, he made his own.

[Time and love with you are both so sweet. No regrets, no doubts.]

The attached photo? Ava’s profile picture.

Sue’s heart turned ice-cold. ‘So this was it? Not even pretending anymore?’

She hit the like button on his post. Then she left for the airport without looking back.

By the time she refreshed the page again, she was already blocked from seeing his post.

Her phone kept lighting up with missed calls—over ten of them.

When didn’t answer a single one, Irwin started spamming her with messages.

[Sue, don’t misunderstand! My mom took my phone and posted that!]

[You know how much she loves Ava. Now that she’s divorced, Mom just feels bad for her.]

[Please, believe me?]

[Pick up, Sue! I’m really worried, don’t ignore me, okay?]

His panic was obvious.

But Sue just sat in the departure lounge, surrounded by the quiet hum of people walking by, the soft clatter of luggage wheels against the floor.

For the first time in a long time, she felt at peace.

Her restless, shattered heart was finally still.

‘Life is just one grand journey, isn’t it?’

Right before boarding, she sent Irwin one last message.

[If you have time, go pay your respects to my mom.]

That was where she set up his trial.

Whether he was forgiven or not—that was up to her mom.