“Katie, if you give up on this kidney transplant, then you’re giving up on your life. You know the truth. Without it… you may only have a month left.”

Her eyes softened, her hand resting briefly on my chart. “You’ve been waiting for this for years. The donor is ready. Don’t waste this chance.”

I lowered my gaze to my trembling hands. Thin, pale, veins that once carried vitality now felt heavy with fatigue. I swallowed hard before forcing the words out. “No, doctor. It’s okay. There’s no reason for me to live anymore. Please… give it to someone else. Someone who still wants to live.”

“Katie—” the doctor’s tone cracked with urgency, but I couldn’t bear to hear more.

I stood before she could argue further, bowing faintly as if that would shield me from her disappointment, and slipped out of her office.

My legs barely carried me down the hallway. I collapsed onto one of the cold benches outside, my body trembling, every breath jagged.

If this were any other day, I would have fought. I would have clung to life with everything I had, desperate to fulfill the promise I once made to Victor—that one day, we’d raise a child together, laugh at family dinners, celebrate milestones hand in hand. For him, I would have endured.

But that promise was dust now.

I stared at the sterile hospital floor, memories clawing their way back.

Five years ago, I married the love of my life, Victor. To the outside world, we were the perfect couple—high school sweethearts bound by affection and sealed by family legacy. Everyone said it was inevitable that we would marry. What no one knew was that love alone wasn’t what bound me to him.

Five years ago, my family fell apart.

Our company collapsed after my best friend—my so-called sister Felicia—embezzled everything. She didn’t have any job after graduating due to her poor background, so I offered her to work under our finance department even though my parents disagree.

I trusted her but she drained every last coin and vanished, leaving us ruined. My father, unable to bear the humiliation, took his own life.

My mother, broken by grief, grew ill and frail, living only because I fought to keep her alive.

And Victor stepped in, the hero everyone praised. He married me when no one else would. His powerful family stabilized ours, and with him, my mother had treatment, medication, and a roof to live under.

I thought it was love. I wanted to believe he still loved me, the way he had in high school, when he swore he would never let go.

But just a week ago, I learned the truth.

It was our fifth anniversary. We were supposed to celebrate, but at the last moment, Victor called. “I’m busy. Cancel the reservation.”

No apology. No explanation. Just the silence of a man who no longer cared.

I should have ignored it, stayed home, pretended it was fine. Instead, I drove to the port, to the yacht we owned, thinking maybe being near the sea would ease the ache of my loneliness.

But fate is cruel.

When I climbed aboard, I froze. Voices echoed across the quiet deck.

Felicia’s voice. “Are you sure you should be here, Victor? Today’s your anniversary with Katie.”

“So what?” Victor’s voice. “You know I only married her because of what everyone thought, and that's what my family wanted because of the kindness of their family to us when they were rich. I agree because you left me five years ago.”

Felicia’s words broke with remorse. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I didn’t mean to make it happen. I swear, I was also a fool for believing those men. I thought I was doing the right thing for their company because I also owed her.”

“Yes, that is why I was mad because she wanted to kill you due to that when she can just forgive you,” Victor answered sharply. “She’s the reason why you lost your life. Don’t worry. Sooner or later, we’ll dispose of her. Then we can finally be together. With our son.”

I staggered back, my hands covering my mouth, biting down the sob that wanted to escape. The world blurred, every sound muffled except for the truth ringing in my ears. Victor had been hiding Felicia all these years and I had no idea.

I couldn’t breathe. My knees nearly buckled, but I forced myself to flee before they could see me.

The pain hadn’t left me since.

“Katie?”

The nurse’s voice yanked me back to the present. “Something happened to your mother. Come—quickly.”

My heart plummeted. I ran, stumbling through the corridors.

When I burst into the room, chaos surrounded me. The beeping machines screamed alarms, doctors swarmed around her fragile body. They were reviving her. I stood frozen by the door, unable to move, whispering, “Mom…”

The minutes stretched endlessly, every second scraping my soul raw.

And then—silence.

The flatline pierced through everything. One by one, the doctors stepped back. The lead physician looked at me, his face etched with regret. “I’m sorry. We did everything we could.”

The world collapsed around me.

My legs gave out, and I fell beside her bed, clutching her cold hand. Tears gushed uncontrollably, my sobs shaking the sterile air. “No… please, no… Don’t leave me too…”

My mother. My last reason to endure. Gone.

I pressed my forehead against her still hand, choking on grief so sharp it nearly stopped my own heart.

There was nothing left.

Only me. And a death sentence that suddenly felt like mercy.

With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone. I needed Victor. My husband. The man who should have been here. The line rang, once, twice, then—someone picked up.

But it wasn’t him.

A woman’s voice filled my ear, breathless, broken by laughter. “Mmm… Victor—ah—don’t stop…”

I dropped the call immediately, my hands shaking so hard I nearly flung the phone across the room. The sound still rang in my ears. I didn’t need to see her face to know who it was. Felicia.

While I was clutching my dead mother’s hand, Felicia was clutching my husband. While I drowned in condolences, they drowned in pleasure.

I carried my mother’s ashes myself. No one helped me. No one stood beside me. Not Victor, not a single person from his family. Alone, I lowered the urn into the ground, tears blinding me until I could no longer see the soil I shoveled with my own hands.

It felt like burying the last fragment of myself.

The stress of it all—the grief, the betrayal, the emptiness—broke me. My body collapsed under the weight, and I fainted right there at the graveside.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the hospital. Again. Two days passed in that bed, and not once did Victor call. Not even a message. Not even a single word to ask if I was alive.

And yet, as I lay staring at the pale ceiling, my mind betrayed me, dragging me back into the past.

The first time I met Victor was when I fainted in class during high school. My anemia had acted up again, and before anyone else could react, Victor was there. He carried me to the clinic himself.

I remembered the way he held my hand as I lay on the cot, whispering, “You scared me, Katie. Don’t ever do that again. I’ll always take care of you, okay? Forever.”

It was the beginning of everything—our love, our promises, our dreams. He courted me with the kind of patience that turned heads, the golden boy of the school choosing me, the quiet girl who only had books and Felicia as her world.

And Felicia. God, how blind I had been. I let them be close. I told myself they were just friends. I defended them when people whispered behind my back. I thought I was lucky—my best friend and my lover getting along so well. I never realized it was betrayal. That they had been stabbing me in the back for years, wearing masks of loyalty while they devoured me piece by piece.

I blinked away my tears, anger bubbling beneath the surface, sharper than the grief that had nearly killed me. No more. I wouldn’t let them hurt me anymore.

I picked up the phone with trembling hands and called my lawyer.

“I want a divorce,” I said flatly.

There was a long pause. Then his voice, cautious. “A divorce? Katie, you know the prenup you signed. If you file, Victor can cut you off completely. No financial support. Nothing for your mother’s treatment. Nothing for—”

“My mother is dead,” I cut in, my voice cracking but firm. “And soon, I’ll be gone too. Just file it. I’ll make him sign.”

I ended the call before he could argue further. My chest rose and fell heavily as I shoved the phone aside.

That was when the notification chimed.

Victor’s email. He had forgotten to log out on my phone the other day. With a frown, I tapped it open, and my heart froze.

An ultrasound photo. A baby. Not mine. Not ours.

Attached was a ticket to the Persian Sea—the dream destination I had begged him for, for years. He always said it was too much trouble, a waste of time, that he was too busy. And yet here it was, tickets for two, hotel reservations, everything perfectly planned—For Felicia.

The screen blurred as my tears spilled faster than I could wipe them away. My chest caved in with a sob. How long had they been laughing at me behind my back?

I didn’t hear the door open until Victor’s voice filled the room. “Katie!”

I snapped my head toward him. He was panting, eyes wide, feigning panic. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t know you were here, I just—”

I laughed bitterly, my voice raw. “You didn’t know I was here or you didn’t care to check what happened to me because you never loved me anymore?”

He froze, his face hardening before softening again with fake concern. “I’m sorry. Truly. And no, of course not. I love you. Please, don’t say that, I was just busy with business. This is for us. You’re weak, you shouldn’t stress yourself. Let’s… let’s just focus on your transplant, okay? That’s what matters now. Your health.”

I glared at him, bile rising in my throat. “Really? Or are you feeling guilty because you’re cheating on me?”

His eyes flickered, but he forced a smile. “Don’t talk nonsense. Why would I do that? Come on. Let me discharge you. We’ll go home. Together.”

Too tired to fight, I let him help me into the car. I stared out the window, the rain beginning to fall in soft sheets, my reflection a stranger’s face.

Then his phone rang.

He picked up immediately, and though he tried to keep his voice steady, I could hear everything.

“Victor,” a woman whimpered, breathless. “My tummy hurts. Please help me. I think something’s wrong with the baby.”

Felicia. I stiffened, every muscle in my body locking in place.

Victor slammed the brakes, pulling the car to the side of the road.

“Get out,” he said curtly.

My head snapped toward him. “What?”

“I need to go. Business. I can’t take you home right now. Take a taxi.”

“Victor, are you insane? It’s raining, I just got discharged—”

“GET OUT!” His voice cracked like a whip, his hand shoving at my arm.

I stumbled out, the door slamming shut behind me. My knees hit the gravel as the rain poured harder, drenching me instantly.

The taillights of his car blurred through my tears as he drove away, leaving me sprawled in the mud like discarded trash.

My arms wrapped around myself, shivering, my body weak.

Victor had once sworn to carry me forever. Now he couldn’t even spare me a ride home.

And there, in the downpour, I realized—I wasn’t his wife anymore. I was nothing.

When I opened my eyes, I was in my bed at the estate. For a moment, confusion clouded me.

The last thing I remembered was the rain pouring on me, my body weak and shivering, the ground cold beneath me as Victor’s car disappeared into the night.

“Madam, you should rest,” the maid said softly, adjusting the blanket over me.

I pushed myself up despite the heaviness in my chest. “How did I get here?” My voice trembled. “Who brought me home?”

For a foolish second, I thought maybe it had been Victor. Maybe guilt had finally gnawed at him enough to make him come back for me.

But the maid shook her head gently. “It wasn’t the master. A man—he said he was a stranger—he brought you here and left this number.”

She handed me a folded piece of paper. My fingers shook as I opened it and stared at the digits scrawled there.

A stranger. I dialed before I could think. The line clicked, and a familiar male voice answered, low and steady.

“Hello?”

“Who is this?” I asked, my throat dry. “Why did you help me?”

There was a pause. Then a voice I hadn’t heard in years. “Katie… it’s Nick.”

I froze, the breath sucked out of me. Nick. My childhood friend. My first safe place before everything in my life turned to ruin. And now—Victor’s rival.

Memories flooded in unbidden: summer afternoons, laughter under the trees, his hand always extended toward me whenever I stumbled. And then the bitter years that followed, when Victor entered my life, and everything between Nick and me fractured.

“Nick…” I whispered.

“I heard about what happened,” he said simply. His tone was steady, almost too calm, but I could hear the undercurrent of anger. Not at me, never at me but at Victor. “So tell me, Katie. What do you say about marrying me?”

If this had been any other day, I would have laughed, stammered, told him not to joke about such things. But today when my body ached, my soul was shattered, and my heart was nothing but ashes—his words didn’t feel like a joke. They felt like salvation.

“Fine,” I said, surprising even myself with the sharpness of my voice. “Pick me up after five days.”

And I hung up.

The silence of the room pressed against me. My hands curled into fists.

Five days. That was all I needed. Five days to bury the last of this wretched marriage.

I started packing my things that very night. The clothes, the books, the little pieces of myself I had hidden in corners of the estate.

With each fold, each bag sealed, it felt like I was reclaiming pieces of me Victor had stolen.

Then came the memories. Photographs. Gifts. The wedding album. His letters. I gathered them all and one by one, I fed them to the fire. I watched his smile curl into ashes, his promises turn to smoke.

When I picked up my wedding ring, my hands shook. It was the last chain. I clenched it so tightly it dug into my palm before I finally walked toward the trash bin.

The door burst open. Victor.

“What’s happening here?” His eyes darted to the half-packed luggage, to the faint smoke curling from the fireplace. Then his gaze fell on the ring in my hand.

“Nothing,” I said coldly. “I just want to throw it away.”

His face twisted. “Are you insane? That’s our wedding ring. Why would you throw it away?”

“Because I don’t want it anymore,” I snapped. “Let’s divorce, Victor.”

His eyes widened. “Divorce me? Are you insane? What—do you think I’d agree? Where would you go if you left me, huh? What about your mother? Your kidney transplant? You can’t leave without me. You’re bankrupt!”

“And whose fault is that?” I shot back, my voice breaking with rage. “Felicia! You promised me that you would help me find her but what’s happening now?!”

His jaw tightened, but he reached for me desperately. “I’m sorry, okay? Is this about me not going to the hospital? About missing our anniversary? Don’t—don’t be like this, Katie.” He softened his tone, his eyes pleading. “Come on. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

“Promises,” I whispered bitterly. “You’ve always been good at those.”

We were cut off by another voice.

“Are you fighting… because of me?”

Victor stiffened. My head turned sharply toward the door.

Felicia.

She stood there, her hands trembling, her face pale. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “This is wrong. I should have—”

I laughed bitterly, the sound cold even to my own ears. “You dare bring her here?” I looked at Victor, disgust rolling through me. “You dare bring your mistress into my house?”

Victor reached out helplessly. “Katie, she’s not my mistress. Like I said, I’d find her for you. She’s here to apologize, Katie—”

But I didn’t wait for her excuses. Rage boiled through me, spilling past the grief that had been rotting inside me for years. My hands shook as I lunged forward, slamming Felicia back with all the fury I had held in.

“You!” My voice cracked like thunder. “You ruined everything! My father killed himself because of you! My mother wasted away because of what you did! And now you stand here—begging? Crying?!”

Felicia stumbled, her back hitting the dresser. My hand swung before I could stop it, the slap ringing out sharp.

She gasped, stumbling further until her knee struck the corner of the bed. She crumpled down, clutching her side.

A sharp cry escaped her lips. “Victor!” Her hands trembled as she held her stomach, and when she pulled them away, I saw it—red smearing across her palms.

My breath froze.

Victor’s roar shook the walls. “Katie!” He rushed forward, catching Felicia as she collapsed into his arms, her sobs echoing. “She’s bleeding!”

He turned to me then, his eyes blazing with fury I’d never seen before. His hand shot out, shoving me backward so hard I stumbled into the polished floor with a painful crack.

“You dare harm a pregnant woman?!” His voice was venom. “Are you insane?! She’s carrying a child—and you’d attack her?!”