Replaced While Still Alive

"No—" Elias started, about to argue.

Then, Zoey's voice drifted through the phone, so close she sounded like she was pressed right against him. "Elias, these matching rings are so pretty..."

"Done. I'd burn the whole auction house down if I had to. They're yours." Then, his tone changed when he spoke to me. "Celia, you're an adult. Take care of yourself."

The warmth vanished from his voice, replaced with casual indifference. He brushed me off with a couple of perfunctory words and hung up.

Before Zoey came along, things had been different.

There had been a time after I landed in the hospital with stomach bleeding from too many business dinners, the doctor warned Elias that my rare blood type made any complication dangerous.

He didn't sleep for days. He cried and begged me not to leave him. After that, he barely left my side. If I got so much as a paper cut, he'd panic.

Now I had lost a kidney, and all I got was an absent-minded dismissal.

Although I had chosen to let things go, that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, and I blocked his number.

The first thing I did that day was hire a deep-cleaning crew to strip the house of everything that belonged to me.

The handmade couple figurines. Twenty thousand photos from seven years together. Even the villa keys. I burned it all to ash with my own hands.

…

The next day, I hired a mortuary service and made arrangements for after my death, specifically what they should do to my corpse.

On the third day, I dragged my friends from one party to the next.

When I lost a dare and ended up linking arms to drink with a ridiculously handsome guy, one of my friends went pale.

"If your man sees this, he'll kill me."

Under the flashing lights and pounding music, I smiled without a trace of hesitation. "I don't care."

That night, Elias finally snapped.

He sent me a grainy photo of me and the guy drinking together in the dim club lighting. 'Celia, get home and get on your knees to explain yourself.'

On the fourth day, I finally went home. I didn't do it because I was afraid of him. I returned because my delivery had arrived.

The housekeeper, Mary, opened the door and lowered her voice. "Ms. Starling, please, don't argue with Mr. Thatcher. Just admit you were wrong, and this will blow over."

I walked inside and immediately saw Elias sitting on the couch, comforting a sobbing Zoey.

Zoey was wearing pajamas. There, clutched in her hands, was a pale pink outfit I'd bought for my own funeral.

The matching women's ring on her finger caught the light.

I was still trying to make sense of it when she saw me and started crying harder.

"Celia, I know you look down on me and don't want me living here, but did you really have to curse me by sending me funeral clothes?"

So, she already moved into my house when I wasn't around. I didn't even know that.

Elias frowned. "Celia, I never expected this from you. You act generous to my face, but behind my back, you're this petty? You stormed out, went partying, acted like a lunatic, and I didn't even fight with you over it. I only let Zoey stay here so I could take care of her, and yet you—"

I took the funeral clothes straight out of Zoey's hands. "Who said they were for her?"

I unfolded them and slipped them on. "They're for me."

I even turned toward the floor-length mirror and checked the fit.

It was perfect.

I used to be terrified of dying. I was terrified that if I left Elias, he wouldn't survive it.

But when death was actually standing at my door, I realized how I'd dramatically overestimated my own importance.

Elias' expression darkened. He shot to his feet and reached for the buttons of the funeral outfit. "Celia, have you lost your mind? Take that off right now!"

I stepped aside, avoiding him.

His expression hardened. "If you do something wrong, you own it. Stop dodging the issue and apologize to Zoey."

Before I could say anything, he unclenched his fist, let out a sigh, and pulled out several documents.

"You checked yourself out of the hospital just to throw a tantrum and go have fun. Zoey, on the other hand, got discharged and came straight back to work. She's been pulling overtime for days because she actually cares about the company."

He held the papers out toward me.

"She says she's grateful you donated your kidney and wants to help lighten your burden. Hand over your vice president position to Zoey. It'll make things easier when she takes over your responsibilities."

Signed Away

So this had been Elias' plan all along. He wanted to make me hand my vice president position over to his new lover.

I let out a bitter laugh. "Fine. I have no objections."

I was dying, so arguing felt utterly pointless. What did any of these worldly possessions matter now? I sat down without another word and took the pen he handed me.

Every document had already been opened to the signature page.

I was meticulous by nature. Whenever I signed any documents, I always made sure the cover page matched the contents.

The first document was my vice president's termination agreement. I signed it without hesitation.

Elias and Zoey exchanged a surprised look.

The second document was a property transfer agreement.

That house had been bought with the first real money Elias and I ever made. It was also the only property in my name.

Maybe afraid I'd refuse, Elias hurried to explain, "Zoey's family needs a place to stay while they're in the city for treatment. You don't live there anyway."

If they just needed a place to stay, why bother with the transfer of ownership? I couldn't be bothered calling him out.

I initialled the page.

When I reached for the third document, Elias stopped me. "Cece, I'm not trying to hurt you. Just sign it."

I looked up to find both Elias and Zoey watching me closely.

I flipped it open anyway.

It was a stock transfer agreement.

This was the twenty percent stake Elias had given me when he publicly announced our relationship.

Back then, everyone at the company knew I was Elias' woman, and they all looked at me with envy.

Elias drew in a sharp breath. "Let me explain..."

I didn't even pause before filling in my signature.

After the final stroke of my signature, I looked at him. "Anything else?"

Elias stared at me like he couldn't believe it. But wasn't this exactly what he wanted? For me to hand everything over to Zoey? He should've been thrilled.

Zoey was practically ecstatic. However, she wore her usual fake sweetness like a glove. "Celia, don't worry. I'm just holding onto these things for you. Once you recover, I'll give everything back."

I stood, expression blank. I'd only come back to pick up the package containing my funeral clothes. I had what I came for, so there was no reason for me to linger.

As I turned to leave, Elias called after me.

His brow furrowed. "Cece... you've lost weight. A lot of weight."

I touched my hollow cheek and shrugged. "It's fine. I'm not dying today."

Something twisted painfully in Elias' chest. For once, his voice turned unexpectedly gentle. "Have you eaten? I can heat the leftovers from lunch. I made them myself."

Elias was a neat freak, so he hated the kitchens. He had never cooked a single meal for me, even at the peak of his love for me, but that changed after Zoey mentioned her stomach hurt.

After that, he taught himself to cook, even blistering his fingers with hot oil.

I'd once envied that. I wanted to try his food just once

He refused, saying it was exclusively for Zoey.

I was about to decline, but Elias had already headed into the kitchen without waiting for an answer.

Soon, only Zoey and I were left in the living room.

The look she gave me was full of malice. Then, she suddenly pulled out an emerald bracelet from behind her back and smiled. "Celia, I really like this bracelet. I want to give it to my mom. Can I have it?"

Elias had always kept that bracelet for me, locked in the safe.

"You can have anything else, but not that."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Zoey clicked her tongue. Then, she suddenly slammed the bracelet onto the floor.

"Then, you can have it back."

Time seemed to slow. I watched as the bracelet shattered on impact, breaking into four pieces.

She had always been two-faced. Polite and respectful in public. Cruel and arrogant in private.

Every time I tried telling Elias how she treated me, he accused me of targeting Zoey on purpose. Said I was being unreasonable.

I'd told myself not to waste energy fighting with her. Not when I was already so close to death.

Still, something inside me snapped as I stared at that shattered bracelet. A nameless fury burned away every last shred of reason.

Three Days Left

Why had every compromise I made only made Zoey bolder? I couldn't understand it. I couldn't understand why the more I backed down, the more shameless Zoey became.

I didn't hesitate to slap her.

She made no move to dodge.

Instead, she let the slap land and collapsed dramatically to the floor.

At the same time, I heard Elias' horrified shout ring out. "Stop!"

He charged out of the kitchen and kicked me away. The painkillers in my pocket spilled across the floor.

His heel came down directly on the wound near my waist. The pain exploded through me so violently that I couldn't even get up.

The doctor had warned me that my wounds would heal poorly due to my leukemia.

Blood quickly seeped through the fabric at my waist.

He looked down at me in disgust.

"Celia, I thought you'd changed. It turns out that this was just another one of your games. I'm the one who asked you to sign those agreements. If you're upset, take it out on me. There was no need to hit Zoey."

I forced the words through the pain. "She smashed the bracelet!"

Elias froze for a second, then scoffed. "It was just a bracelet. It's just some cheap junk from a street stall. How could you hit someone over that?"

My eyes burned red. "That was my mother's keepsake!"

He went still. Then, he looked at Zoey, who only looked at him pitifully.

He didn't even bother asking me what had happened. Instead, he immediately started blaming me. "So what if it was a keepsake? I'll have someone fix it. You're a grown woman. Was it really worth fighting with someone you owe over a bracelet?"

Someone I owed. Again with that debt! But what did I supposedly owe Zoey for?

I finally lost control. "What exactly do I owe her?"

Elias frowned. "When you were in that car accident, Zoey volunteered to donate blood for you. Isn't that enough?"

A hollow laugh caught in my throat. "She gave less than half an ounce before you made them stop. Was it because she had a cold, or because you couldn't bear seeing her uncomfortable?"

Elias slapped me hard across the face.

"Celia, how can you think something like that? Everything I've done has been for you. Yes, Zoey is a match for you, but that doesn't mean we use her every time you have some minor issue. She's not an object. She's a living person."

He cared about Zoey, but he had never once cared that I'd given Zoey one of my kidneys.

I pressed a hand to my cheek and let out a broken laugh.

…

Then, I crouched on the floor, trembling as I gathered the shattered pieces of the bracelet.

"Mom... I have nothing left."

Before she died, my mother had thanked Elias again and again. She had thanked God someone would love me in her place. But now, even that promise felt like a complete joke. A terrible one, but a joke nonetheless.

Elias watched me laugh as tears rolled down my cheeks. There was an unsettled look on his face. "Cece... you still have me."

And then, right in front of him, I collapsed.

…

When I woke up, I was back in the hospital.

The doctor looked at me with open sympathy. "Ms. Starling, your condition has worsened again. You have three days left."

"Three days until what?" Elias had walked in just in time to hear that.

I answered smoothly, "Three more days until I'm discharged."

He didn't doubt me for a second.

He set my pain medication on the table. "Don't forget to take your medicine. I already sent someone to repair your mom's bracelet. Zoey took it without permission, so I punished her."

I said nothing.

He smiled faintly. "I told her she's not allowed to talk to me for a whole day and to reflect on her mistakes."

He had never once cared to ask just what medicine I was taking.

Apparently, a day without speaking to him counted as punishment.

"Cheer up, Cece. Guess what surprise I brought you?"

The next second, he revealed what he'd been hiding behind his back. It was a wedding proposal book.

He held it out to me. "To keep you from overthinking, I've decided to marry you. The wedding's in three days. Once we're married, I'll take care of you. I won't let you suffer ever again."

My hands clenched into fists. I didn't take it.

He didn't push. Instead, he softened his tone. "Promise me something. Stop fighting with Zoey, okay? You know I'm only good to her for your sake."