My brother-in-law had a sudden heart attack. The doctor said only my wife could perform the specific surgery he needed.

It was a critical situation. By the time I finally managed to get through to her, her childhood sweetheart answered the phone.

"We're just about to head out camping," he said casually. "We won't be coming back tonight."

My heart sank. "Ryan had a heart attack. He needs surgery immediately. Tell her to come back to the hospital—now."

Instead, my wife's irritated voice cut through. "Are you done? How dare you make up a lie like that and curse my brother!"

Before I could explain, she hung up.

When I tried calling back, her phone was already off.

In the end, my brother-in-law died because the window for surgery closed.

And my wife lost her mind.

I had just arrived at the office when I received a call from one of my wife's colleagues.

"Mr. Brooks, we haven't been able to reach Dr. Lawson at all," he said urgently. "Her younger brother has suffered a sudden heart attack and needs immediate cardiac surgery. Can you get in touch with her?"

The moment I heard something had happened to my brother-in-law, I forgot all about work and rushed straight to the hospital. On the way, I kept calling my wife again and again, but she never answered.

By the time I arrived, I heard Dr. Derek Parker sigh and shake his head.

"This surgery can only be performed by Dr. Lawson," he said. "Hurry and get her back here."

My brother-in-law was born with a heart condition. My wife had chosen to study medicine for his sake. As a chief cardiac surgeon, she had spent years researching and refining surgical techniques for complex heart operations.

Seeing how critical his condition was, I tried once more to reach her.

After dozens of calls, the line finally connected.

But the voice on the other end was not hers—it was Chase Donovan, her childhood friend.

"Noah, what's the matter?" he asked. "We're about to go camping. We won't be coming back tonight."

Ignoring the provocation in his tone, I spoke urgently into the phone. "Ryan has had a heart attack. He needs surgery immediately. Tell her to come back to the hospital—now!"

Instead, my wife's irritated voice came through the line.

"Are you done yet? Ryan is perfectly fine. How dare you curse him like that?"

This wasn't the time to argue, so I forced myself to stay calm and tried to explain.

"Rebecca, come back right now. Ryan really needs you to do the surgery—"

Before I could finish, the line went dead.

When I tried calling again, all I got was the automated message saying her phone was turned off.

Nearby, Ryan Lawson's fiancée had already broken down, sobbing uncontrollably as someone held her up.

"Noah, what are we going to do?" she pleaded. "Please, get Rebecca back here to operate on Ryan!"

Tomorrow was supposed to be their engagement party. No one could have imagined something like this would happen today.

I had always thought of Ryan as my own little brother. As long as there was even the slightest hope, I wasn't going to give up.

Pushing down my own grief, I spoke to her gently. "Rebecca is his sister. She won't abandon him. I'll go find her. If anything happens, call me right away."

…

I knew exactly where Rebecca and the others usually went camping, so I drove there at once.

When I arrived, I saw Rebecca and Chase standing at the foot of the mountain.

They were carrying their gear, chatting and laughing as they prepared to hike up and set up camp.

This was nothing like the cold, distant woman she was with me.

At that moment, Rebecca looked vivid and alive, her face softened by a tenderness I had never seen before.

I did not hesitate. I hurried over and called out to her, "Rebecca."

The moment she saw me, her expression darkened, and her tone turned sharp.

"Noah, what are you doing here? Can't you give me some personal space?"

The warmth she had just shown Chase vanished without a trace, leaving only impatience toward me.

I said urgently, "Ryan needs you to perform heart surgery. Come back to the hospital with me—now!"

The moment Rebecca heard this, her face darkened completely, and her voice dripped with disgust.

"He was perfectly fine when I saw him off this morning," she said. "You'd really go so far as to curse him with a heart attack just to make me come back?"

Convinced I was lying, Rebecca turned to leave with Chase.

I rushed to block her path. "Ryan really is in trouble. I'm not lying to you!"

I held out my phone. On the screen was a video of Ryan lying in a hospital bed. I had recorded it before leaving, just to prove I was telling the truth.

"I'm begging you—come back with me and operate on him!"

But the next second, Rebecca slapped the phone out of my hand.

It hit the ground with a loud crack. The screen shattered.

"That's enough, Noah! If you keep joking about Ryan's life, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

After their parents died, Rebecca and her younger brother had only had each other. Now that I kept insisting something had happened to him, she had reached her limit.

In the past, I would have gone quiet at times like this and apologized just to keep the peace.

But this was a matter of life and death. I forced myself to speak again.

"It's true. If you don't believe me, call the hospital and ask!"

Seeing how insistent I was, hesitation finally flickered across Rebecca's face.

Just then, Chase spoke up from the side. "Ryan just texted me about tomorrow's engagement party. And here you are, his own brother-in-law, cursing him."

He took her arm and coaxed her gently. "There's a once-in-a-lifetime meteor shower tonight. Let's hurry. If we're late, we won't get a good spot to watch it."

When I saw the mocking smirk on his lips, I lost it.

"Shut up! What matters more—someone's life or your camping trip?"

I never expected Rebecca to slap me across the face.

That slap was her answer: camping mattered more.

She shouted furiously, "I'm so sick of you! After Ryan gets married, we're getting a divorce!"

With that, she grabbed Chase's hand and walked away without looking back.

…

The slap left me stunned. By the time I snapped out of it and tried to go after them, the phone with the shattered screen on the ground started ringing.

It was Ryan's fiancée.

"Noah, did you find Rebecca?" she sobbed. "The doctor says Ryan isn't going to make it. Come back quick!"

As I heard that, my legs gave out and I collapsed to the ground.

If only Rebecca had come back with me, Ryan would still have had a chance. But she had walked away without a second thought.

Mustering every bit of strength I had left, I shouted after her disappearing figure, "Rebecca! If you don't go to the hospital today, you'll regret this for the rest of your life!"

Still nothing. No response.

All I could do was drive back to the hospital.

In the room, Ryan's face was pale as paper. He reached out to me with trembling hands.

"Noah... where's Rebecca?"

I grabbed his hand, my voice catching in my throat. "I'm sorry, Ryan. I couldn't bring your sister back..."

Ryan managed a weak smile. "It's not your fault, Noah. My sister doesn't know how to appreciate what she has... You've put up with a lot all these years."

At those words, I finally lost it and broke down, clutching him as I wept.

He patted me gently. His voice grew softer and softer in my ears.

"There's something I left for you... in my phone... Noah, if you want a divorce... I support you..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ryan stopped breathing.

"Ryan!"

Ryan's fiancée had already collapsed in grief. She fainted from crying and was helped away by the nurses.

Dr. Parker and several nurses came in to comfort me, offering their condolences.

I sat alone in the ward, helpless and broken, completely submerged in sorrow.

Just yesterday, Ryan had been telling me how nervous he was about the engagement party. We had even made plans to take the whole family on a trip this weekend.

I couldn't bring myself to accept that he was gone.

It was only after a long while, when a nurse called my name, that I forced myself to pull together what little strength I had left.

I had meant to call Rebecca to discuss Ryan's funeral arrangements. But instead, I saw a post Chase had made on social media half an hour earlier.

In the photo, the two of them were leaning close together, admiring the scenery. They looked intimate and carefree.

At that moment, my heart turned completely cold toward Rebecca.

I stood there numbly, watching as the nurses wheeled Ryan's body away, silently wishing him a long life in his next life.

Then I sent Rebecca a single message: [We're getting a divorce.]

…

There was no reply.

Not until the next morning did her message finally arrive.

[Agreed.]

The indifference was exactly what I expected, yet it was still bitterly ironic.

Ryan's body was still in the morgue, and Rebecca was his only legal next of kin.

I was about to message her to ask how to handle the arrangements when her call came through first.

"Is Ryan with you?" she asked. "Today is his engagement party. Don't be late."

Her tone was firm and unquestioning, as if nothing had happened yesterday. She probably couldn't get through to Ryan this morning and only then remembered to call me.

Even after I sent her the notice of death, she refused to believe a word I said.

Thinking of that, I suddenly felt exhausted to the core.

Just as I was about to hang up, Rebecca added, "I won't be down the mountain so soon. You go to the party first and help receive the guests."

The engagement party had originally been scheduled for three in the afternoon.

She had taken the day off work, yet she still wanted to stay out camping longer—so much so that she was willing to be late even for her own brother's engagement party.

I said nothing and listened in silence.

"Are you even listening?" she snapped impatiently. "Remember to remind Ryan. He hasn't been answering my calls—don't tell me he overslept."

I hadn't eaten in over a day and night. My throat was so hoarse I could barely speak. My body and mind were completely drained.

With what little strength I had left, I replied, "Come to the hospital and tell him yourself."

Then I sent her the location and turned off my phone.

After resting briefly, I began sorting through Ryan's belongings in the ward.

Inside his backpack were the engagement rings and the speech he had prepared for the party.

A day that should have been filled with joy had turned into a tragedy.

Ryan was three years younger than Rebecca. The two of them had relied on each other since childhood.

When their parents died in a car accident, it was Ryan who shielded Rebecca with his body and took the fatal blow meant for her.

That year was the darkest time of Rebecca's life—both parents gone, her younger brother gravely injured and unconscious.

Later, Ryan barely survived.

From then on, she decided to study medicine so she could give him the best treatment possible.

And yet now, for the sake of camping with Chase, she refused to believe that anything had happened to her own brother—and personally destroyed his last chance to live.

The thought made me break down in tears once more.

I mourned the unfairness of Ryan's short life, and I felt chilled to the bone by Rebecca's cruelty.

My gaze fell on the phone Ryan had left on the table.

Remembering what he had said before he died, I picked it up and unlocked it.