On Valentine's Day, my mother-in-law had a heart attack and desperately needed her son, a cardiologist, to save her.

I stayed at the hospital, anxiously trying to reach my husband. When the call finally connected, it was answered by his first love. "Hello, Nora Jones, it's Valentine's Day today. Don't interrupt Nick and me on our date," she said.

"No, you must get Nick Smith to the hospital right away! His mother has had a heart attack and urgently needs treatment!"

Nick scoffed on the other end, "Nora, I'm warning you. If you keep using my mother's health to trick me into coming back, don't force me to file for divorce!"

After that, my calls went unanswered, and my messages received no reply.

He thought I was trying to manipulate him into spending Valentine's Day with me, but his mother was lying right beside me, writhing in pain, unable to speak. Yet she still managed to say, "Divorce him. He's not worthy of you..."

After cremating my mother-in-law, I sent Nick a message asking for a divorce.

His response was swift. "The divorce agreement is on the bedside table. I've already signed it."

1

Valentine's Day was supposed to be a romantic night. My mother-in-law even helped me get ready, insisting that Nick would come home to spend the evening with me.

She had just arrived from her hometown and had called Nick, though he didn't answer.

She smiled, "Well, he'll just have to see when he gets home tonight. He'll be so happy to have both his mother and wife here to celebrate with him."

But then, suddenly, she screamed from her room. I rushed in to find her clutching her chest, almost unconscious.

She had a heart condition.

She was holding a photo of her husband, tears streaming down her face.

Terrified, I hurriedly drove her to the hospital.

"Where's Doctor Nick? Where's Nick? Get him back here to save his mother!" the on-duty doctor shouted. That's when I found out that Nick, who was supposed to be on duty, had skipped his shift.

Nick had two phones—one for work and one personal.

They couldn't reach him on his work phone, so it was up to me to call his personal one.

Desperately, I dialed his number. When it finally connected, a girl answered, "Hello, Nora. Why are you calling? Don't you know it's Valentine's Day?"

If I remembered correctly, this girl was Nick's first love, his girlfriend in college, named Lea Best.

My heart sank, but I couldn't care it.

"Lea, where's Nick? Tell him his mother has had a heart attack and needs emergency care! He needs to come to the hospital now!"

Lea's voice was tinged with frustration, "Nora, you've gone too far. Even if Nick didn't come to be with you tonight, how could you use Auntie's life to trick us? Cursing her like that will only upset Nick."

"No, just let him answer the phone, I—"

There was a busy tone in the receiver.

I was furious. Even if there was no love left between Nick and me, how could he not trust me? How could he believe I would lie about his mother's life just to get him to come back?

I tried calling again, but the line was busy. My messages were ignored.

I could only borrow a nurse's phone, input the number and called Nick, "Nick! No matter what's between us, I wouldn't lie about this! Your mother is in critical condition. Come to the hospital now!"

Nick's voice on the other end was cold, "Nora, you really don't give up, do you? I'm warning you. If you keep using my mother to lie me and get me back, I'll file for divorce."

In the background, I could hear Lea crying, "Nick, I knew we shouldn't have met today. Your wife is even using Auntie's life to trick you. I shouldn't have come. You should go back to accompany her. It's OK to let me alone. And it's good to us. She won't lie to curse Auntie just to get you back..."

Nick comforted her, his voice tender.

"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. She's just crazy. Let's not bother with her."

My heart turned to ice.

To keep me from disturbing them, Nick turned off his phone, leaving me unable to reach him, no matter how many times I tried.

I had no idea where they were or how happy they might be together right now.

I could only sit at the hospital, feeling helpless and lost, waiting with my mother-in-law.

My mother-in-law had always been good to me.

After her husband died in an accident when Nick was only two, she raised him alone.

He was her only son, so she treated me like her own daughter.

She prepared all my favorite foods, went shopping with me, and treated me more like a friend than a daughter-in-law.

When we first got married, she often told Nick to treat me well.

And he did at first. But that kindness was fleeting.

After his first love in university returned, he had nothing but harsh words for me.

He would say his first love was gentle, considerate, and understanding, while I was just a nagging, worn-out housewife.

Lea could comfort him when he was stressed, while I only burdened him with endless complaints about trivial matters at home.

Nick despised me.

Even though he was the one who pursued me, who had initially drawn close to me.

When I discovered Lea's presence, of course, I argued and fought.

But all Nick ever said was, "Can't you be more understanding?" and "There's nothing between us."

Until I found photos of them in a hotel on his phone.

I never told my mother-in-law about any of this. Her heart was weak, and I was afraid it would upset her too much and harm her health.

I thought that if I kept enduring, maybe Nick would eventually come to his senses.

But he didn't. He didn't even care about his own mother's safety.

My heart ached.

When I looked into the room, I saw my mother-in-law struggling to keep her eyes open, trying to say something, her eyes filled with pain.

A nurse came out, "Are you the patient's family? She wants to speak with you. Please, come in quickly!"

I rushed to her side, clutching her hand tightly.

My mother-in-law asked me where Nick was.

I forced a smile, "He's on his way, Mom. He'll be here soon to save you. Don't be afraid."

She tried to return my smile, her voice choked with emotion, "Silly girl, I'm not blind. I know everything he's done to you. It's all his fault. You should divorce him. He's not worthy of you..."

I started to cry, that horrible sense of dread hitting me full force.

"It's okay, Mom. Just hold on a little longer. He's almost here!"

She shook her head and began to speak her final wishes, "When I'm gone, give my diary in the drawer to Nick. After I'm cremated, take my ashes and travel. Help me see the beautiful landscapes that our family has guarded all these years—"

It'll be okay. Everything will be okay.

I cried with her, unwilling to just watch her leave like this.

I frantically called every one of Nick's friends, but none of them knew where he was.

I won't give up.

Finally, I called the police station, "Hello, my husband, Nick Smith, is missing. It's urgent, really urgent! Please, can you help me find him? I'm begging you, please..."

Nick was found.

The police had summoned him to the station to take me home, reprimanding me for filing a false report.

Lea accompanied him.

I barely wasted a second. I grabbed Nick, insisting he follow me.

Annoyed by my persistence, he shook me off, his expression exasperated. "Enough, Nora. I thought you were insane before, but today you've outdone yourself. You dragged me to the police station. Are you not embarrassed enough?"

I scrambled to grab him again. "No, it's not like that. Your mother is really in the hospital. She's in critical condition..."

"I said enough!" He raised his hand and slapped me, shouting, "My mom went back to her hometown. If she were here, she would have called me. I haven't received any call today, and you're still trying to deceive me, aren't you? Are you trying to pull me away from Lea?"

The slap stung, the worst pain I've ever felt.

I looked into his eyes. He wasn't lying. He hadn't received a call. But his mother had indeed called.

Nick had been with Lea all day, and she had answered his phone for him. Lea must know the truth.

I looked at Lea, but she simply walked over, hooking her arm through Nick's. "Nick, don't be angry. Let's just go back and enjoy the holiday, okay?"

No, they couldn't leave.

I rushed forward and clung to Nick's leg.

"No, you can't leave today. Come with me to the hospital. Please, trust me. I'm not lying. You can call the hospital and ask them yourself!"

Nick didn't want to hear me out. He shouted at me, "Let go!"

I refused to release my grip, so he started yanking at my clothes. In the chaos, Lea's high heel struck me hard.

It was right on my nose.

The pain was so intense that I let go involuntarily, tasting blood in my mouth.

Lea whined, "Nick, look, my shoes are dirty now. And it's Valentine's Day today! What bad luck!"

"No worries. I'll take you to buy new ones right away!"

Her voice was sickly sweet. "Nick, you're the best!"

As they prepared to leave, I clutched my nose, only for Nick to shove me away. His face twisted in disgust. "Get lost."

Blood dripped onto the ground, and I felt a cold shiver run through my body.

But a feeling of helplessness overwhelmed me as I watched them walk away.

Then my phone rang. It was the hospital calling.

"Mrs. Smith, please come back quickly. The patient's condition is deteriorating fast. She doesn't have much time left. We've done everything we can. Please, hurry!"