Her Heartbeat in His Chest

It was the fifth anniversary of my death, coinciding with the day Estrella Cole, Skyler Thomas's childhood friend, had her leukemia relapse. He finally remembered me because I was the only compatible bone marrow donor.

"Izabella Bryant, you have one day to get to the hospital and donate your bone marrow."

"Don't forget, this is what you owe Estrella!"

"If you're late and something happens to her, don't blame me for cutting off your mother's medical funds."

On the other end of the line, my mother, her hair as white as snow, listened quietly. After a long pause, she finally replied:

"Izabella passed away five years ago, on the very day she donated her heart to you."

Five years later, Skyler Thomas walked into my mother's hospital room again. She lay on the bed, pain etched across her face, and struggled to ask, "Skyler, why can't you just leave us in peace?"

Skyler looked down at her with contempt. "Leave you in peace? Izabella did this to Estrella. How could I just let it go?"

"I told you, as soon as Izabella donates bone marrow to Estrella, we can move on."

"Is Izabella really so selfish, willing to watch Estrella suffer?"

My mother's eyes widened, her voice hoarse and pained: "I've already told you over the phone!"

"Izabella passed away! Five years ago!"

Skyler frowned and slapped my mother across the face. "Enough! Are you still trying to deceive me?"

"Izabella must have convinced you to say this, right? She’s still as crafty as ever."

"You have one day. Tell her to come see me, or else you'll regret it!"

My mother turned her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was not lying. I had already died, five years ago.

Back then, Skyler and I were just barely holding on to a semblance of a relationship. His heart condition was worsening, and when I visited him in the hospital, he simply said, "Take care of yourself, you still need to donate marrow to Estrella."

"This is your only chance to make things right."

I clutched the report in my hand, denying once more, "I wasn’t the one who hurt her."

"Enough!" Skyler's face was dark, his voice sharp. "Are you still refusing to take responsibility?"

I was taken aback. Skyler took a deep breath, rubbed his tired eyes, and softened his tone. "Alright, once Estrella gets better, you can apologize to her properly."

"We can still get back to where we were."

Everyone believed I had locked Estrella in an abandoned paint factory out of jealousy. They said I was the one who caused her leukemia, worsened by the chemicals and her genetic predisposition. They labeled me vicious, a lunatic, demanding I kneel and apologize to her.

Even Skyler, who had just proposed to me, looked at me with shock and thinly-veiled disgust, saying, "I never knew you were capable of this."

If my bone marrow wasn't a match for Estrella, he probably wouldn't want to see me ever again.

But only I knew the truth... I had never done such a thing.

I wanted to speak, but Skyler grew impatient once more. He said coldly, "If you have time, you should visit Estrella more often. I don't want to see you right now!"

I laughed at myself, took a step, and left the room.

As I walked out the door, I turned to look at Skyler one last time.

Tears began to fall unwittingly, soaking the report in my hands.

The report showing my heart was a match for Skyler.

I couldn't give Estrella my bone marrow, nor could I ever return to how things were with Skyler.

I wanted to trade my life for Skyler's survival.