Everest Quentin, my commander husband, has fallen in love with his dead comrade's widow, Selene Brooks.

When I find out about it, I don't bother kicking up a ruckus. Instead, I just turn in my resignation letter at my workplace and trick Everest into signing a divorce agreement.

After Everest drops his signature, he falls silent for a very long time. Finally, he speaks up in an extraordinarily warm tone.

"If you truly intend to quit your job, can you write a recommendation letter for Selene to work at your school instead?

"You know that Selene's husband has sacrificed his life in the war. Life will be very difficult for her if she doesn't secure a job to make ends meet."

I nod without turning Everest's request down.

Previously, I've donated my own heart to him, only to find out that he has it transplanted into Selene's chest instead.

I only have three days to live, so I have nothing else in this life.

That's why I've tricked Everest into signing the divorce agreement on the first day.

On the second day, my resignation letter officially goes into effect. My position is now Selene's.

On the third day, I die right in front of my parents' graves. Unfortunately, that also means I never get to attend the banquet Everest has thrown for Selene.

The banquet is so boisterous that one would think it's a wedding instead. Everest scans his surroundings, only to realize that I'm absent.

He frowns immediately before admonishing me for throwing a tantrum on Selene's big day. The next thing he knows, a soldier rushes over and announces my death right in front of the guests.

For once, Everest, who has always prided himself on being cool-headed all the time, actually drops the wine glass he's holding in his hand.

As the anesthesia kicked in, I heard the lead surgeon ask Everest Quentin. "Colonel Quentin, are you absolutely sure about transplanting Aurora Lane's heart into Selene Brooks?"

Everest's expression darkened. "I am. Aurora lost her womb, so changing her heart won't make much of a difference now."

"But Colonel, you were the one who staged that car accident on purpose to take her womb, just because you didn't want her to get pregnant and upset Selene.

"Aurora still doesn't know she was three months pregnant then. She doesn't know her baby's placenta was used as a supplement for Selene's treatment."

At this point, the lead surgeon could barely even go on. He hesitated, then continued, "With Aurora's current condition, what if…"

The operating room went deadly silent.

Everest walked over to me and stroked my face. His voice was tinged with a trace of regret as he said, "What's the big deal about a heart transplant? She's getting Selene's heart in return, isn't she?"

Uncontrollable tears slipped and soaked into my pillow, drowning my thoughts.

It turned out that the love I had anticipated for so long was nothing but a nightmare.

The accident on Mother's Day that sent me to the ICU and stripped me of my chance to be a mother was no accident at all. It was orchestrated by my husband, the man I had loved for seven years.

In the next second, the anesthesia surged through my veins.

My consciousness started to blur. The instruments were freezing as they cut deep into my flesh. My bloody heart was ripped out whole, only to be replaced by Selene's diseased one.

In the final moment before I faded out, a burning tear streaked across my face like a jagged blade.

…

When I woke up again, Everest was by my bedside, looking at me with worry written all over his face.

"Honey, you're finally awake. You were out for days; do you have any idea how worried I was?"

He pressed my hand against his cheek and asked in concern, "How do you feel? Does it hurt anywhere?

"Tell me if the pain is too much to bear. I'll have the doctor give you anesthesia for it."

His eyes were filled with concern and worry for me, but the sharp, stabbing pain in my chest reminded me that this wasn't a hallucination.

"I'm fine."

I shoved his hand away. My chest felt pierced by a sharp weapon.

I couldn't understand how he treated me with such kindness while plotting against me for another woman. Just because I told him I wanted a baby, he staged a car accident, had my womb removed, and even fed our unborn baby to Selene as medicine.

On our long-awaited wedding anniversary, Everest ditched me countless times, just to set off fireworks with Selene and her son, Jace Madden.

That was when I finally understood. It wasn't that Everest didn't like kids, but he didn't want the two of us to have a baby together.

"By the way, honey. Since you're still weak after just having your surgery, I submitted your resignation for you. The position is vacant anyway, so why don't you write Selene a recommendation letter?

"You know her husband died in the line of duty. Life is going to be really tough for her if she doesn't have a job," Everest said.

I watched in silence as he pulled a pre-written recommendation letter from his pocket and eagerly waited for my signature with a face full of hope.

"Sure."

Ignoring the pain from the stitches, I signed my name with a trembling hand under his expectant gaze.

He seemed surprised that I agreed so easily and instinctively tried to soothe me. "Don't overthink it. It's just a job, and once you're feeling better, I'll find you a new one."

At that moment, it felt like grains of sand had gotten into my eyes, making them sting. I didn't say a word and just nodded.

He excitedly pulled me in for a hug. "I know you'd understand. You've always wanted a child, haven't you? We'll adopt one of our own once you're better."

He had made this promise countless times, but this time, I felt nothing.

On his wrist, he still wore the red fertility bracelet I had once knelt 9,999 steps to pray for.

My eyes stung, and when I reached up to wipe them, my hand came away wet.

Maybe I did get what I once wanted, but in the end, I was left with nothing but a bloody mess.

I yanked the red bracelet off his wrist and reminded myself that it was time to leave. I had a few days left, and for once, I was going to live for myself.

…

After packing my bags, I ignored the nurses' protests and checked myself out of the hospital.

The moment I got home, I ran into Everest. He saw me and immediately took off his military coat to drape it over my shoulders. His voice was a mix of reproach and concern.

"Honey, you're still not well. I told you to stay in the hospital a couple more days, didn't I? Why did you come back?"

His coat carried the scent of Selene's perfume. His acting was flawless, and I couldn't bother to call him out.

Not noticing anything different about me, he continued, "Honey, Selene is moving and has nowhere to stay for a couple of days. You wouldn't mind if she and Jace stayed here with us for a while, would you?"

I forced a calm smile. "I don't mind. Bring them over."

Startled by my composure, he asked, "Aren't you… mad?"

"No. She's lost her support system, so it's only right that you help her."

Everest beamed with joy and gave me a tight hug. "I'm sorry to put you through this, honey. I'll make it up to you once they move out."

I nodded and stayed silent.

I didn't want the compensation anymore, and I didn't want him either.

Everest noticed my silence and assumed I was upset. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an emerald bracelet, sliding it onto my wrist.

Then, he lied and told me it was a family heirloom. But at a single glance, I recognized it as the bracelet Selene had dumped last month.

At that moment, everything suddenly clicked. It turned out that I was never his first choice; I was just his backup plan and the compromise.

"Oh, and honey, I remember you have a gold safety pendant. You usually don't wear it, so why don't we give it to Jace?"

I looked up at him. He seemed to have forgotten that the pendant was the final keepsake Dad had entrusted to him before he died.

When Everest delivered the pendant to me, he had proposed through tears. "Your family died because of me, so from now on, I'm taking care of you."

But Everest didn't seem to remember any of the vows he had once made.

Fighting back my tears and disappointment, I said, "Alright."

Everest froze, like he couldn't believe I had agreed so easily. Just as he turned to head back to grab the pendant, I stopped him and handed him the medical bill folder from the hospital, with the divorce papers I had prepared tucked between the pages.

"These are the hospital bills. Take a look and sign if everything's fine."

"Sure!"

Without even glancing at the documents, he grabbed a pen and hurriedly scrawled his name.

My heart felt cold as I watched him leave. I couldn't believe Dad and my older brother, Archer Lane, had sacrificed their lives to save a man like him.

Seven years ago, during an overseas operation, Dad took a bullet meant for Everest and died in the mud just to get him out of an enemy encirclement. To cover Everest's retreat, Archer was captured and hung from a city tower, exposed to the scorching sun for three days and nights.

They even threatened him with Dad's body to make him talk, but he chose to bite off his tongue and die rather than give up Everest's location.

As for my younger sister, Seraphina Lane, she was kidnapped as revenge against Everest and died on her 15th birthday.

When they found her, her body was stripped bare, and there wasn't a single unbroken patch of skin. Every bone in her hands and feet was crushed.

When I received the news, I lost all will to lie and nearly took my life. It was Everest who knelt before me and begged me to stay alive. Under the Unit's arrangements, he gave me a grand wedding and promised to treat me well for the rest of my life.

But I never imagined that seven years of love and devotion wouldn't stand a chance against two months of Selene. The difference between love and apathy was as clear as day.

As the thought crossed my mind, I forced down the metallic taste rising in my throat and pulled out the divorce papers under the recommendation letter Everest had just left.

All he had to do was flip just one page further, and he would have seen our divorce papers. The ink was still fresh with his signature.

I recalled what the nurse had hesitantly said in the hospital.

"Ms. Lane, your body is aggressively rejecting the transplanted heart. If we don't intervene immediately, you likely won't make it past the next three days."

I ran my fingers over the paper and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"What a relief, Everest. I'll finally be free of you in just three days."

…

Before leaving, I distributed all the vegetables I had grown in my yard to my neighbors. Then, I carried my basket to the local shop.

My eyes swept past the window and landed on a red coat displayed, and I paused.

In seven years of marriage, I had never been able to justify spending that much money on myself.

Before I could speak, the shop assistant, Monica Rhodes, teased me warmly, "Colonel Quentin bought a coat and perfume here just a couple of days ago, and now he's asked me to set aside the latest arrival. You're really lucky, Ms. Lane."

My hands holding the basket froze.

I had always been frugal, and Everest had never bought me such an expensive gift.

The scent of that perfume was familiar, which was the same scent I had smelled on his coat. I realized then that he had bought those for Selene.

As his wife, I had spent seven years painstakingly caring for all his needs, yet I hadn't earned so much as a bottle of perfume or a new coat. Selene did nothing, yet she got everything so easily.

I wasn't sure if I felt more heartbroken or disappointed. When I looked up and met Monica's envious eyes, I said, "Give me a bottle of perfume and the red coat. I'm buying them for myself."

Now that I was at the end of my life, I wanted to be kinder to myself.

When I got home, Everest was nowhere to be found. Instead, I saw a photo of my parents on the table, and my heart gave a sharp, uncontrollable throb.

I was a sickly child, and Mom had always brewed chicken soup for me.

"You're the most precious girl in the world, deserving of love, Aurora," she used to say. "You have to stay healthy so you can grow up strong!"