The asthma seized my mother, Julia Green, when she sent me back home.

In a panic, I dialed Jeremy Smith, imploring him to bring the life-saving medication. It was a mere ten-minute drive away. Yet, he refused.

Desperate, I tried to rush Julia to the hospital, only to be cut off by a speeding bus.

In that split second between life and death, it was Julia who, with a final act of love, shoved me to safety.

Grief and despair consumed me as I navigated Julia's funeral. Then, a delayed text message from Jeremy arrived.

It revealed that as Julia breathed her last, Jeremy was lost in the cosmos with his first love, Wendy Roberts, gazing at the stars.

His words stung. "Asthma attacks won't kill, but it would be a shame for my beloved Wendy to miss the stars tonight."

——

Little did Jeremy know that the phone hadn't disconnected.

His honeyed words to Wendy, a dagger to my heart, slipped through the line and into my ears.

While I was in the morgue, arranging Julia's final farewell, he was enthralled by the night sky with his first love.

A bitter smile twisted my lips as I texted Jeremy the words that severed our ties.

[Let's break up. Our engagement is canceled.]

Reflecting on my four years together with Jeremy, I saw the absurdity of my role.

I had stood by Jeremy's side from nothing.

I leveraged Julia's connections to help him rub shoulders with the elite.

For his sake, I had nearly drunk myself into a hospital bed with a bleeding stomach, all for a contract.

Yet, all my sacrifices paled compared to Wendy's simple plea, "Jeremy, I miss you."

I had given Jeremy everything, yet he deemed even a ten-minute drive a waste of his precious time. But at Wendy's beckoning, he would drive four hours without a second thought.

"Mom, you were wrong about him," I whispered.

Looking at Julia's crushed body, I found tears streaming down my face.

Today, as I cooked for Jeremy, my old injury flared up. I didn't want to disturb him at work, so I asked Julia to accompany me to the hospital for a check-up.

Little did I know our return journey would be marred by such tragedy.

Wracked with guilt and sorrow, I was suddenly reminded of the time Jeremy was gravely injured in a car accident. It was Julia, the attending physician, who had fought for hours to save his life.

But now, when Julia needed him, where was Jeremy?

The doctor at the hospital looked at me with a mix of pity and respect. "Ms. Green, this is the body donation agreement Dr. Green signed before her passing. We are deeply grateful for her selfless dedication..."

With a trembling right hand, I signed my name.

The scrawl was a mirror of my anguished soul.

As an exemplary doctor, Julia had devoted her life to medicine. Even in death, she sought to light the path for future generations.

I slammed my right hand against the wall as a self-punishment.

If only I hadn't injured my hand, perhaps today's tragedy could have been averted.

I could have carried on Julia's legacy and become the brilliant surgeon she had hoped for.

For days, I drifted in a fog.

The police, insurance agents, and Julia's friends and students had visited me.

Yet, Jeremy never appeared.

I locked myself away, consumed by grief. Staring at Julia's photo, I found my eyes swollen and raw.

Then, a dormant medical exchange group suddenly sprang to life.

I clicked on it. My eyes were drawn to photos of a body accompanied by cruel mockery.

[This is the ugliest body I've ever seen. The head is broken. It's revolting.]

Wendy had taken numerous photos, including some indecent, and shared them.

Her actions met with a few feeble condemnations, which were swiftly drowned out by ridicule.

Seeing a familiar birthmark in one of the photos, I trembled uncontrollably.

That was Julia!

Julia had given her youth and life to the medical field, only to be met with such disrespect.

I couldn't bear it and prepared to storm the school, demanding answers.

As I stepped into the harsh glare of the sun, its intensity nearly seared my already swollen eyes shut.

But the sight that awaited me was more scorching, more blinding.

Jeremy and Wendy were laughing and flirting, a stark contrast to my desolation.

Their joy halted abruptly when they saw me. Jeremy's smile froze on his face.

"How did come here? Are you spying on me?"

In a heartbeat, a thousand words choked in my throat.

I shoved Jeremy aside. "I'm here to see Mr. Davies."

My icy demeanor caught Jeremy off guard as he instinctively reached out to understand the sudden change.

But before he could, Wendy seized the moment, clutching at his arm. "Jeremy, my heart aches so. You promised to take me to the tulip garden to soothe my woes. Remember?"

Between me and Wendy, Jeremy, once again, chose the latter.

Tears cascaded down my cheeks as I realized the futility of my efforts, not just for myself but for Julia.

Seeking redress, I confronted James Davies, the dean of Medical University, and demanded severe consequences for the students who had dishonored the sanctity of the medical exchange group.

As a longtime friend of Julia, James was incensed upon seeing the disrespectful photos. He slammed his hand on the desk and promised he would deal with it.

Before I left, James pressed into my hands an unfinished manuscript of Julia's. He said, "Psychology was your mother's original dream, but life steered her towards surgery. These pages are for you, a token of her spirit. May they bring you comfort."

That very afternoon, the students who had tarnished Julia's name with their insults were expelled, except Wendy, whose fate was spared when Jeremy donated a laboratory to the college to salvage her reputation.

Later, as I made my way home, Jeremy and Wendy blocked my path on the bustling street.

Their presence was a mockery of my dignity. Jeremy's words were sharp and accusatory.

"Evelyn Green, you've overstepped. Wendy's jest was harmless, yet you've destroyed her life out of petty jealousy. Apologize to Wendy, now, and make a public confession online. Reflect on your actions!"

Wendy played the victim. "I sense your indifference towards me. You basked in wealth, but I didn't. My dreams took root in the realm of medicine. Why, then, have you shattered my aspirations, driving me to the brink of despair?"

She wept bitterly as she collapsed into Jeremy's arms.

What a scene straight out of a melodrama!

Jeremy had never played such a gallant knight to defend me in our four years together.

Had this been before, my heart would have shattered. But now, I was beyond pain.

Even amidst the profound agony, Jeremy's actions failed to elicit any further pain in me; I was already numb to it all.

"Move aside. I'll go home," I demanded.

"Don't presume our engagement grants you immunity. With a word, I can strip you of everything." Jeremy threatened me.

What did I have left to lose?

My heart was already broken alongside Julia's.

I pushed past Wendy, intent on leaving, but Jeremy's grip on my injured right hand halted me.

"I demand you apologize to Wendy!" he bellowed.

The pain was so excruciating that my bag slipped from my grasp. The contents, including Julia's precious manuscripts, were scattered by the wind.

These pages, her unfulfilled dreams, were all that mattered now.

I chased after the scattered pages.

The cacophony of car horns jolted me back to reality. I collapsed on the ground.

The echoes of Julia's tragic end resounded in my ears. My eyes widened in terror.

I crumpled to the ground, my body trembling. My strength sapped so that I even failed to rise from the ground.

"Jeremy, could you...could you help me gather these pages? They are Julia's..." I pleaded. "First, apologize to Wendy," he yelled.

Wendy set her foot on one of the manuscripts and ground it into the pavement. "What's so precious about a few sheets of paper?"

With a surge of urgency, I darted forward, snatching the manuscript from beneath Wendy's feet.

In her spite, she stomped down, her high heel crushing my already injured wrist.

"Enough is enough," Jeremy chided.

His tone was seemingly directed at Wendy, yet his gaze remained condescending, fixed upon me.

He seemed to believe that he could revert to his old ways, that a mere flicker of interest would beckon me back.

I gazed at the manuscripts, now scattered and soiled by the wind into the murky sewers. The cacophony of the bustling street only served to snap the last thread of my sanity.

The last taut string in my mind completely broke at this moment.

Julia's fragmented visage at her tragic demise flashed before my eyes.

Enraged, I hurled my bag at Jeremy.

"Leave me be! We are done, and you should never dare to show your face to me again!"

Each encounter with Jeremy resurrected the past.

A constant thought of my perceived role in Julia's death haunted me.

"How long will you persist in this charade? There's nothing untoward between Wendy and me. She battles depression. Is it wrong for a friend to show concern?" Jeremy defended.

Depression?

I knew Julia's struggle with asthma, so the medications were always within reach at home and in the car.

That fateful day, amidst her attack, I frantically searched the car, only to find a box of fluoxetine.

In my dazed state, I hadn't questioned it.

I assumed it was a mere mix-up. But now, the truth dawned. Wendy had something with it.

"Has Wendy ever sat in the passenger seat of my car?" I demanded.

"Why raise such a trivial matter? Wendy admired the color of your car. She was out of sorts that day, so I offered her a ride. Why make a mountain out of a molehill?" Jeremy retorted.

It was Wendy, her presence in my car, that she had replaced the life-saving asthma medication with fluoxetine.

It was this so-called petty act that had cost Julia her life.

Struggling to my feet, I struck Wendy with a resounding slap.

"Evelyn, are you out of your mind?" Jeremy bellowed, pushing me away.

My lower back collided with the guardrail, the pain searing, rendering me immobile.

Realizing his overstep, Jeremy reached to assist, but Wendy interjected first.

"Since I'm Jeremy's first love, you've made it your mission to torment me. Fine. If my existence is so unbearable, I'll kill myself before your eyes!"

Sobbing, Wendy fled. Jeremy was in pursuit without hesitation.

Leaning against the guardrail, I found my body drenched in sweat.

A passerby, unable to bear my distress, transported me to the hospital.

The physician attended to my right hand and delivered the news that both shocked and burdened me: I was pregnant.

"Your recent stress, coupled with the blow to your abdomen, has put you in a precarious state. There're signs of miscarriage. Hospitalization for observation is advised," the doctor cautioned.

Once, the prospect of a child with Jeremy had filled me with hope.

Now, joy eluded me.

I had lost my father early, and Julia's busy work had left me clinging to Jeremy, yearning for a family.

I had endured his indifference and neglect because of my longing for familial love. But I couldn't subject my child to such a life.

I knew all too well the ache of being unloved.

"Please arrange for an abortion." I looked up and implored the doctor.

As I prepared to abort the child and cut all ties to Jeremy, he appeared, a rare gesture of his own accord.

He presented me with a bouquet, his first in four years.

"Today, I was rash. But you pushed Wendy too far. She's unwell..."

His words trailed off because my icy demeanor silenced him.

At this very moment, the fragile figure resting upon the sterile hospital bed with an IV drip was none other than myself.

"Let's put this behind us. Never mention it again. Our wedding approaches, so you must learn to be a fitting wife," he continued.

For years, I had molded myself to his desires.

I denied myself sweets and snacks, maintaining a strict weight of 104 pounds.

I had suppressed my jealousy and aided him in managing his scandals.

My kindness was as natural as breathing. Yet, now, with my love extinguished, even a single word felt like a monumental effort.

"I've ordered a million-dollar wedding dress for you, and the bouquet will be crafted from your favorite tulips..." Jeremy revealed.

His words reminded me of his knowledge of my preferences and his indifference to them.

He had never taken me to the tulip garden but had whisked Wendy there to soothe her woes.

He knew of my dream for a grand wedding and universal blessings, yet he feared upsetting Wendy and denied me that dream.

Love, a wedding, and tulips, once coveted, now felt trivial. Their allure faded.

I closed my eyes wearily. "Leave. I need rest."

Before Jeremy could respond, a text message on my phone popped up.

[Ms. Green, please come to the Medical University immediately. Wendy threatens to desecrate your mother's body.]