My husband's childhood sweetheart was grappling with kidney failure and was hell-bent on making a pilgrimage to a secluded chapel in the highlands to seek divine intervention.

Late at night, he bailed on me, barely hanging on to life, just to snag some pain relievers for her menstrual cramps.

My stepbrother cautioned him, "Man, if you don't rush her to the hospital, she's gonna freeze to death out here."

But my husband just dismissed me with a flick of his hand, clearly annoyed.

"Why pit women against each other? Haven't you noticed how pale she is from the pain?"

Little did he know, while he was out scouring for his pal, I was ambushed and left with one kidney less and half my blood drained.

Without immediate medical attention, I was a goner.

***

My husband, James Moll, was fixated on his childhood sweetheart, Ella Eugen, who was desperate for some spiritual healing for her kidney failure. She insisted on visiting a remote chapel nestled in the mountains.

As dusk settled and we prepared to head back, she mysteriously disappeared.

Ignoring my protests, James left me to guard our gear while they went off to find her.

When they returned, I was leaning weakly against a tree by the campfire, barely conscious.

My stepbrother, Luke, was the first to sense something was off. He touched my forehead, concerned.

"James, Emma's shaking and burning up—she might have caught a chill. You're the doc, come take a look!"

James glanced over coldly and pulled Ella in closer.

"Did you miss how white Ella's gone from her cramps? Emma's all wrapped up. She can't be that cold."

"You're not playing sick just because I was taking care of Ella, are you? Trying to drum up sympathy with a sob story?"

I was not playing anything.

Previously, he took everyone to go look for Ella, leaving me here to guard our gears.

But after that, I was ambushed by some thugs who knocked me out, stole a kidney, and took half my blood.

They patched me up, threw a blanket over me, and left me in the cold.

The drugs hadn't worn off yet, and with all the blood I'd lost, my body fluctuated between hot and cold flashes. My forehead was slick with cold sweat, and my head felt like it was spinning.

Luke was by my side, calling out my name, each call more urgent than the last.

"James, no joke, Emma's really bad off—it looks like hypothermia. We need to get her to a hospital, now!"

Luke stripped off his jacket, added it to the blanket around me, and tried to lift me into the car.

But James stood in our way, frowning and gesturing dismissively.

"I gotta get Ella some painkillers first, find her a spot to freshen up."

"You can either wait here for us to come back or find your own way."

Stranded in the wild—where were we even supposed to find another car?

I could feel my body temperature dropping, the pain from the incision where they cut me open worsening, and my strength fading.

Luke tightened his hold on me, his jaw set in frustration.

"James, remember who your wife is!"

James scoffed, looking down at us smugly.

"Luke, cut the crap. I know what you're thinking."

"Just so we're clear—I'm sorting Ella out first. Hang tight if you can, or tough luck."

"We're out. This will give you two some space, stop the theatrics already."

I bit down hard, trying to keep conscious.

"James, I'm not faking. Someone... did this... to me."

I struggled to speak, my words tangled and faint.

James laughed like he'd heard the best joke ever.

"Someone hurt you? Out here? Come on, spill—who?"

"What, you gonna say a forest fairy did it?"

"Emma, if you're gonna spin tales, at least make them sound plausible. You think I'm a kid?"

I reached out, showing him my hand smeared with dark blood from the wound.

"I'm not lying, check it yourself. You're the doctor, you'd know."

"James, please, we need to get to a hospital. I don't wanna die. I haven't even had the chance to look after Grandpa."

James stared at the blood on my hands, then shook his head dismissively.

"Emma, the lengths you go to for a bit of drama!"

My consciousness was fading, but I managed to grab his sleeve, desperate.

"Save... me..."

"Ugh, James, my stomach's killing me. I forgot my pads and it's just awful!" Ella's voice overshadowed my plea.

Through blurred vision, I saw James let go of my hand, pick Ella up in his arms, and stride toward the car.

Luke tried to follow but got pushed aside by James. With me in his arms, he lost balance, and we both fell to the ground.

He cushioned my fall with his body, ensuring I wasn't hurt.

James started the engine and stomped on the accelerator, the vehicle leaving out of our sight so fast.

The blanket that was keeping me warm unraveled during the fall.

Struggling to sit up, Luke saw the blood soaked through the blanket and hurried to check me over.

"Emma, Emma, stay with me—don't go under. Wake up, wake up!"

With the last of my strength, I murmured, "Take me back to Grandpa."

My parents had long gone, but Grandpa raised me.

He had already buried younger persons once; the thought of having to do it again at his age was unbearable.

I had promised to take care of him in his old age, but now I was about to break that promise.

Grandpa, I'm so sorry.

My awareness began to drift, floating and then being pulled by a distant, mysterious force.

I died, but somehow, my spirit ended up shadowing James.

James was white-knuckling the steering wheel, his body tense, eyes glued to the road ahead, his brows furrowed, yet he was slowing down.

"James, what's the deal? Feeling wiped from driving at night?"

Ella was wrapped in James' jacket, her big eyes brimming with worry and trust.

James thumped the steering wheel once, then leaned back, trying to ease up.

"Maybe, I don't know... got this nagging feeling something's off."

Ella dropped her gaze, her face hidden in the shadowy car interior.

"James, I can hang tough, but maybe we should swing back for Emma. Just in case, you know?"

James glanced out the window, his lips pinched tight. After a brief pause, he scoffed coldly.

"Out here in the boonies, and she's feeding us a line. No way."

"What's the worst that could happen to her? Luke's still with her, that lapdog."

Luke is not a lapdog!

Grandpa chose to support Luke, an orphan, worried I'd be left without an ally after he passed.

Luke's always been grateful, treating both Grandpa and me like his own family.

James would often say he and Ella were nothing more than childhood buddies; if they'd wanted more, it would've happened already. He told me not to worry.

Luke and I were always straightforward with each other, and never crossed a line. It stung to think James suspected otherwise.

His own words rang true, "A filthy heart sees dirt everywhere."

"Forget about her. How's your belly? Still aching?"

James rarely showed me this kind of attention. I used to think it was just how he was, but clearly, he just didn't care enough.

Ella pouted, resting her head lightly against James' shoulder.

She coaxed his hand to rest on her stomach.

"James, warm me up a little? It really helps."

James tensed up for a second, then subtly shifted to accommodate her, his hand steady on her stomach.

The silence in the car was thick with unsaid things.

From above, I felt an inexplicable pang in my chest.

I had been in agony from my periods before, twisting in pain, hoping he would hold and comfort me.

But he had shoved me away, disgusted.

"It's just a woman thing! Other girls deal with it; why can't you?"

"Keep your distance. Don't get any blood on my pajamas—it's bad luck!"

He always accused me of being paranoid, but their actions clearly went beyond mere friendship.

The car soon reached the city.

James rushed into a pharmacy, thoroughly consulting with the pharmacist about which pain relievers worked best with minimal side effects.

Turns out he could be considerate and attentive—just not towards me.

Later, at the supermarket, they were all smiles in the feminine products aisle, chatting about which brand was better.

In all our years of marriage, James had never once shopped with me like that.

Whenever I went to buy my sanitary products, he'd steer clear of the aisle.

"That's women's business. Why should I hang around there? It's embarrassing!"

Watching them now, I regretted all the tears I'd secretly shed over him.

James even took Ella straight back to our place.

"James, you think Emma will mind us crashing here without her okay?"

He paused as he swapped his shoes, then casually fetched a pair of women's slippers for Ella.

"This is my house. She can suck it up! Hurry up and change. I'll whip up some ginger soup for you; the doc said it's good for you."

My heart had shattered too many times that day.

Now, all I wanted was to be far away from them. But fate's a funny thing—in life, I couldn't get away from him, and in death, I couldn't either. How ironic.

After cleaning up, Ella emerged in his white shirt, holding his jacket from earlier, looking tentative.

"James, sorry about the mess. Should I take it home and wash it before giving it back?"

James casually took the jacket, heading towards the bathroom.

"The doc said no cold water for you now. I'll handle it. You just go and enjoy your ginger soup."

Look at that—he didn't mind the mess, remembered all the period dos and don'ts, but never cared to show me that concern.

When they finally settled on the sofa, Ella sipped her soup, looking up at James admiringly.

"James, you're incredible. If I ever snag a husband like you, I'd be the luckiest girl alive."

James' ears reddened, the air between them charged with an undefinable tension.

Right then, the phone rang, shattering the moment.

Ella snapped up from her phone and practically leaped into James' arms, ecstatic.

"James! You won't believe it, awesome news!"

"The hospital just called—they found a perfect kidney match for me, and they've even got my rare blood type ready. Surgery's set for tomorrow!"

"James, it's like our prayers up on that mountain really worked!"

James, caught up in the excitement, lifted her and spun around, laughing.

Ella had been struggling with kidney disease that worsened over the past few years, without a matching donor in sight.

Her blood type was exceedingly rare, complicating her chances for a timely surgery.

Recently, she'd heard rumors about a chapel deep in the mountains said to grant miracles to those who sought them.

James had reluctantly planned a trip to visit my grandpa with me, but that was cut short when Ella called, lost in the mountains.

That's why Luke and I ended up accompanying James on a rescue mission.

Unbeknownst to me, that trip would cost me my life.

While they celebrated, a sharp pain of doubt and suspicion stabbed at my heart.

How convenient it seemed—my kidney and blood were lost, and suddenly, the hospital had exactly what Ella needed.

I, too, had that rare blood type, but only a few close to me knew, including Grandpa and James.

I wondered if Luke had managed to get me to a hospital or if he had alerted the authorities.

Unable to stomach their sickly-sweet display, I retreated to my bedroom to brood.

Eventually, James wandered in alone.

He sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at our wedding photo on the nightstand.

When James was an unknown medical intern, I met him while I was delivering lunch to Grandpa at the hospital.

He seemed hesitant at the door, reluctant to seek surgical advice from Grandpa without a formal introduction.

I took him to Grandpa, and afterward, he thanked me by adding me on social media. Our conversations grew from there, and eventually, we ended up together.

Our marriage had its ups and downs, but things took a turn when his childhood sweetheart, Ella, moved back to town.

Absentmindedly fiddling with his wedding ring, James checked the time.

He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed my number.

—Beep, beep.

The call was cut after just two beeps.

A shadow passed over James' face, and he immediately tried again.

Still, no response.

Annoyed, he opened my chat and started venting into his phone.

"Emma, playing hard to get now? Dodging my calls—are you with your lover or what?"

"You better haul your ass back here within an hour, or we're through!"

He slammed his phone down on the bed, then lay back and stared up at the ceiling, deep in thought.

Suddenly, Ella burst through the bedroom door, her face clouded with worry.

"James, the hospital called again. There's an emergency patient who needs that kidney and blood urgently. They're asking me to wait."

James jumped to his feet and hurried to reassure her.

"No tears now, we'll head down and sort this out."

"We were first in line, after all."

As he was getting dressed, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, snorted dismissively, and answered.

"Now you remember you have a husband? Too little, too late."

"Emma, you'd better have a good reason for blowing off my calls."

He was gearing up to lecture me further when a male voice cut him off.

"James, you need to get to the hospital now. Emma's in emergency surgery, and we need you to sign off on it!"

Could it be that I wasn't completely gone? Was Luke still fighting to save me?

Hearing Luke's voice, James glanced at the phone, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Oh, playing house with your boy toy, huh?"

"Surgery? What kind—something kinky? Need me to book a room for you two?"

Without waiting for a reply, James hung up in a huff.

When Luke tried to reach out again, James blocked him.

"James, we need to go now, it's getting critical!" Ella urged.

James stuffed his phone into his bag and rushed out with Ella towards the hospital.