It was our seventh year of marriage when my husband, Joseph Lowe, brought my best friend, Teresa Shaw, to my ward.

And they were the picture of a perfect couple. I gave them my most genuine blessing. "You two make the perfect match."

Joseph tossed an agreement in my face.

An asset transfer.

He demanded that I give Teresa everything I had. I took the papers and signed my name without wasting a moment to think.

Teresa laughed happily, pleased with my obedience. She then hugged Joseph and said, "Thanks for taking care of Joseph for me, Selina. Oh, there's the divorce papers, too. How about…"

I noticed the look of impatience in Joseph's eyes, so I snatched the papers from Teresa's hand. "Yeah, I'll sign them all."

Nearing Death

Three years ago, Joseph had a heart attack during an extreme sports session, and he was knocked out right away.

The doctor said he needed a new and healthy heart, or he would never wake again. When they told me my heart was a match for Joseph, I signed the form of consent without batting an eye.

When I woke up, I realized I could never get used to Joseph's weak heart, and my condition was getting worse with every passing day.

And so I chose to leave him. I refused to weigh him down. He thought I left him because of his disease.

Our reunion happened when he barged into my ward, bringing my childhood friend with him. He stood before me and made me sign the asset transfer.

I met his sardonic gaze and hid my arm that was covered in track marks. The guy was adapting well. I had mixed feelings about that.

There was no regret from me. That was not what he was hoping for. I said calmly, "Well, you're rich now. You should be giving me money, not taking what little I have left."

Joseph snickered. He yanked off the couple's necklace we bought and stomped it underneath his foot. "I knew it. You're leaving me just for money. You ran off the moment I got hit with the heart attack. If Teresa hadn't donated her heart to me, I'd never have gotten this far!"

He kicked the necklace away. "I want you to lose everything you have."

The people around us gasped. The patients and nurses were giving me looks of mockery and disdain. I picked up the necklace and dusted it off.

The once-shining obsidian was now covered in grime. 'But I was the one who donated my heart to you,' I thought.

I said nothing about it. I was a dying woman, anyway. The hospital gave me a notice of critical condition earlier. Two weeks left.

I would not survive unless I had a new heart, but the surgery was far pricier than what I could afford.

I wanted to live for myself, for what remained of my life. So I put on the necklace, to everyone's disdain. I linked it to mine.

Teresa watched me make a fool out of myself, then she hugged Joseph tightly. She said, “Thanks for taking care of Joseph all these years. Now it’s my turn. How about you sign the divorce papers too?”

I snatched the papers from her hand and signed them all. My lack of hesitation only fueled Joseph’s scorn for me.

Teresa, however, smiled happily. “Oh, it reeks here, Joseph. I’d rather not stay.”

Joseph gave her a loving smile. “You and your fussiness. Let’s go shopping.” He put his arm around her and left the ward without sparing me a glance.

Not long after that, I got a call. It was Teresa. The woman Joseph held. The best friend I thought I had for more than twenty years.

"You should've stayed away, Selina. Shouldn't have come back. You can't take Joseph away from me. We're too in love."

I said nothing.

She continued, "Wake up. You lost your chance. You have nothing now! He hates gold diggers. You thought he was done for, didn't you? I bet you regret it now."

"Done?" I asked quietly.

Smugly, she said, "What? You think you—"

I hung up on her.

Time was not on my side anymore. I did not want to waste any more of that precious coin on people I did not care about.

I picked up a handful of colorful pills and gulped them all down, washing them down with nothing but water. The pills got stuck in my throat, and the pain made me frown.

It took me a while, but I swallowed them all. Then, my phone rang again. Joseph. I picked it up, and he went into a tirade. "What did you say to Teresa? She's crying her eyes out!"

Heartless

I smiled bitterly and told him, "I said nothing."

That made him angrier. "I doubt it! She's crying her heart out after she called you!" A moment of silence later, he jeered. "Evil witches like you will never know happiness. I have to thank you for dumping me. Wouldn't have run into a kind soul like Teresa otherwise."

I was going to say something, but then pain stabbed my chest. I clutched it tightly, but it did not help at all. The pain intensified until it was enough to knock me out.

'Not even meds help now?' I thought.

My lack of response only made Joseph more impatient. "I'm talking to you, Selina! You're rude! Selina? Selina!"

My prolonged silence caught his attention. I heard him calling my name before darkness claimed my consciousness.

…

I woke up to walls of white. Still in the hospital. With my hands on my side, I pushed myself up from the bed.

Joseph said coldly, "Someone's getting fussier. You used to be more extreme."

Like him, I loved extreme sports. I went surfing, parachuting, and racing with my friends all the time. That stopped since I exchanged hearts with Joseph.

My throat was parched, and I held myself up with all I had. I wanted to get some water, but Teresa was faster. She grabbed the glass and handed it to me, but the woman loosened her grip right before I could take it.

The glass fell and smashed into pieces. The scalding water splashed everywhere. Shocked, I clutched my chest.

Teresa held her scalded arm. Pale in the face, she shouted, "Selina, I know you hate me, but I just wanted to give you water! You didn't have to topple the glass!"

Before I could defend myself, a stormy Joseph approached me and slapped me across the face. "What are you doing? She just wanted to give you water, and you scalded her? Are you even human?"

He then turned around and held Teresa's hand carefully. Gently, he asked, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Teresa fell into his arms. Tearfully, she replied, "I'm fine, Joseph. You shouldn't have hit her."

The storm on Joseph's face darkened. "I knew I shouldn't have saved her. I should've left her for dead!"

My already weak heart ached even more.

The nurse came in and told them I wasn't looking too good. I needed a family around.

Joseph said sarcastically, "Isn't looking too good? It's just low blood sugar. Just give her some IVs. We're not her family. Goodbye!"

Before he left, Joseph looked at me. I thought I heard the nurse say, "But her body is…"

The rest of it was covered by Teresa's laughter. He did not hear it at all.

After they were gone, the nurse came back looking stern. She warned me that my life would be shortened further if I kept going through these emotional rollercoasters.

I made up my mind. I would find a quiet spot overseas and wait until death came to me, but before that, I had to hand over my work.

Then, I ran into Joseph at the office. He came to talk about a deal. Teresa was clinging to him like a koala bear.

Everyone envied them.

"What a perfect couple."

"I envy them. Heard Joseph's nothing but kind to his girlfriend. He buys her all the cars she wants."

I froze, halfway through packing my stuff. Then, I thought about the Joseph I knew. He had bought a lot of stuff for me as well.

I told him not to, but he would pull me into his arms and told me I deserved the best.

Then, he was hurt, and his company ran into trouble. I spent all my savings and went above and beyond just to get him a healthy heart.

In the end, my heart was a match, and I signed the form of consent without any hesitation.

Yet now the woman he thought deserved the best wasn't me. It was Teresa.

Fake

I was still stuck in my thoughts, but then Joseph came closer and broke my reverie. He jeered, "What are you doing here?"

Teresa was holding his arm. With pity, she commented, "You're strong, Selina. Got back to work straight out of the hospital. Me? I can't even do a thing. Joseph wouldn't let me tire myself out."

He kissed her forehead. "She's not you. If not for her heartless behavior, I'd never have run into you. You're perfect."

The sight of them being so in love was making the track marks on my arm prick. I refused to watch this any further, so I went around, but Teresa stretched her leg, and I tripped.

"Oh, be careful, Selina."

I fell to the ground, my files sprawling everywhere.

Gasping, Teresa picked up the files. "What is this? Are you going overseas, Selina?"

It was a cheap house I got for myself. A cemetery sat right beside that place. I had enough savings to afford the down payment.

Joseph took the flyer. "No wonder you wanted money." His face fell, and he hurled the flyer back in my face. "Can't find a place to stay in the nation? You think you can spend my money on luxury overseas? As if!"

She spoke up. "You shouldn't have asked Joseph for travel money. You've leeched enough off him."

Me? Leeching off him? The best joke I'd heard my entire life.

They left, but before they did, Joseph told the boss he would end the partnership unless I went to his place and apologized to him myself.

Though I had no idea what I did wrong, I could not say no to my boss. Not when they were giving me quiet looks of pleas.

I had to go.

…

I stood before Joseph's house and rang the doorbell. The butler opened the door and led me into the living room. Teresa was lying in Joseph's embrace, simpering at him.

I went ahead and said quietly, "I'm sorry."

"Then, show me that you are," ordered Joseph arrogantly.

I clenched my fists. "What do you want me to do?"

Teresa smiled. "Well, I won't make this hard for you. It rained yesterday. See the marks on the windows? Wipe them clean. And Bailey needs the daily walk. Do it for me. Oh, and we haven't had anything to eat, so cook for us."

She laughed.

Joseph chuckled and scratched Teresa's nose lovingly. "Of course." Then, he turned to me. "She can't have anything spicy. Put even a single piece of chili in her food, and you're done for."

They left. The butler came and pointed at the room of tools. I clenched my fists again, but I loosened them up. I was powerless.

Joseph never let me cook. He told me my hands were perfect and that cooking was for servants.

Yet now he would make me cook just because Teresa wanted me to. While I was wiping the windows on the balcony, I heard them flirting in the room next door. Clearly.

The cloth was getting colder, and the chill was hurting my heart again. I pushed the pain down as hard as I could, but sweat poured down my forehead.

I cleaned until night had fallen. Only then did the two come out of their room.

When they came out, I was wiping the sweat off my necklace. That sight alone was a challenge for Teresa. She clenched her teeth and held back her fury.

"Oh, that's a lovely necklace, Selina. Can I have a look?"

No. I covered the necklace with my hand.

Joseph saw the necklace, and his eyes darted away. His mind was probably elsewhere.

Displeased by my action, Teresa darted ahead and yanked my hand away. The necklace was getting pulled off my neck. It was already not sturdy to begin with. Her pulling only made it snap, and it fell to the ground.

Diamonds and pearls rolled everywhere, covering every corner of the room.

That piqued Teresa's interest. An evil smile curved her lips. "I'm so sorry, Selina. I didn't mean to. That necklace must've meant a lot to you. I'll pick them up!"