The night before my wedding, my mom caught my fiancé cheating. She had a heart attack on the spot.

When I was alone and helpless, my childhood friend rushed back from Ohio to perform a heart transplant for my mom—by taking my heart and giving it to her.

I got an artificial heart instead.

When the surgery failed, my childhood friend stayed by my side through the darkest year of my life. Then he proposed.

I said yes.

But years later, I overheard him talking with his friend.

“The heart that was supposed to go to her mom—you gave it to her ex’s other woman? Weren’t you afraid Sue would find out?”

“I had no choice. Ava needed that heart.”

“And Sue?”

“As for her… I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her.”

At that moment, a chill spread through my body.

The salvation I once believed in—what a fucking joke.

I was never the one who was loved.

——

A sharp, suffocating pain spread from her chest. Sue clenched her mouth shut, but tears kept falling.

From the study, her husband Irwin Bondi’s voice carried over.

“Prepare a few more suitable heart donors, just in case.”

His friend, Mavy Blatt, scoffed. “Still looking? Didn’t you already give Sue’s heart to Ava back then?

“Damn, you’re heartless. That heart was supposed to save Sue’s mom, but you gave it to Ava instead. Sue’s mom died because of that, and now Sue has to live her whole life with an artificial heart!

“Aren’t you afraid she’ll find out one day?”

Irwin’s face darkened, his voice laced with a chilling edge.

“Ava is the one I love. No matter how many times I could do it, I’d still make the same choice. As for Sue… I’ll spend my whole life making it up to her.

“She can never know about this.”

His words hit Sue Goodmark like a sledgehammer. Her already fragile walls crumbled completely.

Her hands trembled. She couldn’t even hold onto the pastry she had brought.

It slipped from her grasp with a clutter, and the sound echoed in the quiet hallway.

When footsteps approached quickly, panic surged in Sue’s chest. She turned and fled to her room.

“Sue!”

Irwin chased after her, bursting into the bedroom. Seeing her curled up on the floor, face twisted in pain, he panicked. He scooped her up and laid her on the bed.

“Is it your chest again? Hold on, I’ll get your meds!”

Sue grabbed his wrist, her voice weak. “It won’t help…”

The artificial heart had too many flaws. Sudden chest pain, difficulty breathing, body convulsions—it could strike at any moment.

No amount of painkillers could fix it.

Every time, she had to endure it on her own.

Once the pain dulled slightly, Irwin hesitated before asking, “Sue… did you hear what Mavy and I were talking about?”

A storm raged inside her, but she kept her face blank.

“No. I was bringing you some pastries, but before I got to the door, my chest started hurting. I didn’t want you to worry, so I came back here instead.”

Irwin let out a breath of relief.

But then Sue asked, voice calm, “Is there something I’m not supposed to hear?”

“No, just some medical talk. It’s pretty gruesome. Didn’t want you losing sleep over it.”

She stared into his eyes and caught the flicker of guilt.

For years, she had trusted the sincerity in those eyes.

Now, she wished she never had.

Five years ago, she had a fiancé.

The night before their wedding, her mom walked in on him in bed with her best friend, Ava Allder.

Her mom was so furious that she had a heart attack.

But then her fiancé and Ava got married.

And every so-called friend and relative Sue had left took the chance to kick her while she was down.

At the lowest point in Sue’s life, it was Irwin, her childhood friend, who rushed back from Ohio overnight to personally perform surgery on her mom.

Even after her mom passed, during the darkest year of her life, he never once left her side.

So, when he proposed, she said yes.

She never imagined the truth would be this disgusting.

Her ex-fiancé and her now-husband—their hearts had never belonged to her. It was always Ava’s!

There was never any redemption. She was never the one they loved!

“Sue… why are you crying? Does it hurt?”

Irwin clumsily kissed away her tears, his voice soft as he comforted her.

“Sue, you need to rest well. In a couple of days, we’ll be replacing your artificial heart. You have to take care of yourself, or I’ll be heartbroken.”

Sue wiped her tears, pulled away from his embrace, and said flatly, “Okay, I’m going to take a shower.”

In the bathroom, in front of the mirror, she traced the ugly scar on her chest.

It shouldn’t have been this deep.

But Irwin had kept telling her he couldn’t find a suitable donor heart, so Sue had no choice but to keep relying on artificial ones to survive.

Artificial hearts were only temporary. Every so often, they had to be replaced.

For five years, she had endured the agony of having her chest cut open again and again.

And only now did she learn—Irwin had several donor hearts.

He just refused to use one on her. He was saving them for Ava.

‘Ha. What a joke.’

While he was in the shower, she unlocked his phone.

Of course. The passcode was Ava’s birthday.

Even his chat background was a picture of the two of them.

Expressionless, Sue opened their chat.

The screen was filled with explicit, flirty messages and photos.

Her eyes stung.

Her heart felt like it was being torn apart.

[See you at our usual place tonight, babe!]

Attached was a picture of Ava sprawled on a bed, wearing black lace stockings.

Sue’s hands trembled as she scrolled.

When she heard movement outside, she calmly put the phone back in place.

Irwin glanced at his phone out of habit, and a flicker of lust appeared in his eyes.

“Sue, an emergency surgery just came up. I need to go to the hospital. You’ll have to sleep alone again tonight.”

For once, Sue didn’t just nod and let him go.

She looked at him, long and hard.

“Can’t you stay?” Her big, beautiful eyes shimmered with sadness. “You haven’t spent time with me in so long.”

Irwin’s heart clenched. He was about to come up with an excuse when he saw the light in her eyes dim.

“Forget it,” she murmured. “Saving lives is more important. Go ahead.”

Guilt flashed across his face. He cupped her cheeks and kissed her gently.

“Sue, you’re really such an understanding wife. I’ll bring you a gift when I get back, okay?”

Sue said nothing.

As soon as her husband left, she hailed a cab and followed him.

The hotel’s walls weren’t soundproofed.

Irwin and Ava were at it all night, and Sue stood outside, listening.

Like a pathetic coward spying on someone else’s happiness.

Pathetic.

And ridiculous.

Later, she wandered aimlessly through the streets. Passersby recognized her—Irwin’s wife, the B. Global’s CEO’s beloved woman.

They looked at her with envy.

“That’s Sue Bondi, right? The woman who got Irwin Bondi? Dang, she’s not even that pretty!”

“Hey, don’t be so harsh. I heard she had to get an artificial heart five years ago to save her mom. She’s been sick ever since. Of course, she looks a little worn out.”

“Yeah, she got dumped by his ex-fiancé, stabbed in the back by her best friend, lost her mom, ended up looking like this, and somehow, she still managed to marry a man like Mr. Bondi—a total wife-worshipper. I guess you could say her suffering finally paid off.”

‘Paid off?’

Sue’s phone rang again. It was a familiar number.

She picked it up, saying, “Professor, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll come see you in a week.”

Margie Hyndman, who had been bracing for another rejection, was overjoyed. “Really? You’re finally willing to leave that man of yours and join me as a lawyer for Doctors Without Borders? If you say yes, there’s no backing out!”

“Yeah, I won’t change my mind.”

Afraid she might, Margie immediately booked her a flight for a week later.

[Ticket’s booked. Everything’s ready for you. Don’t you dare chicken out this time!]

[I won’t.]

At that moment, a sleek Maybach pulled up beside her.

“Sue, the housekeeper said you left last night. Where did you go?”

Irwin’s concern seemed genuine. He even draped a coat over her shoulders.

Sue curled her lips slightly and answered calmly, “I missed my mom, so I went to see her.”

When he felt how cold her hands were, Irwin’s heart ached. “It’s my fault. I didn’t give you enough security. Next time, I’ll go with you.”

“There’s no need.”

‘You don’t deserve to.’

Her expression turned icy as she pulled her hand away, got into the car, and finally let her exhausted eyelids close.

By the time she woke up, she was already at his parents’ place.

Then, she remembered—it was Lucia’s birthday party today. The entire city’s elite had been invited.

Naturally, Ava, Lucia’s god-granddaughter, was on the guest list.

Sue watched as Lucia placed a pearl bracelet on Ava’s wrist, looking at her with a tenderness Sue had never seen before.

“Ava, this bracelet is a family heirloom. I’m giving it to you now. May it keep you safe and protected.”

Ava accepted it with a dazzling smile. “Oh, thank you, Grandma! I wish you health and happiness for many years to come!”

The old lady chuckled. “You sweet talker, always knowing the right thing to say! Not like Sue, who does nothing but make me mad all day!”

At the mention of Sue, Lucia’s mood soured instantly. Even Irwin wasn’t spared from her irritation.

“Look at you, idiot! You insisted on marrying that useless girl who can’t even eat, drink, or relieve herself without an artificial heart! Five years! She’s still not as useful as a damn hen that can lay eggs!

“If you hadn’t threatened to die, that lowly woman would never have stepped foot into my family!

“But Ava is different. She comes over every few days just to make me happy. I just wish it had been her that you married!”

The old lady kept going, spewing every cruel word she could think of, hurling them all at Sue.

Finally, Ava played peacemaker. “Grandma, don’t mention her on such a happy occasion. She’s bad luck.”

Lucia reluctantly let it go but still turned to Irwin, unwilling to drop the topic.

“Tell me the truth, Irwin. Who do you like more—Ava or Sue?”

In that moment, it felt like an invisible hand was squeezing Sue’s heart, suffocating her.

Holding her breath, she waited.

Irwin smiled.

“I only feel guilty toward Sue.”

That fragile hope inside her instantly shattered.

For some reason, she found it funny.

After a long pause, she gathered herself and slowly walked downstairs.

The party hall was filled with relatives and guests draped in jewels and luxury. These were high-society elites.

And then there was Ava, standing out in her globally limited-edition dress.