Suddenly, a woman’s sweet, breathy moans drifted from a room at the end of the hallway, making Sue’s scalp tingle.

Her body moved on its own, leading her toward the door. Through the small gap, she caught sight of two familiar figures tangled together, wild yet restrained.

“Irwin, I love it when you do this to me. Come on, I can take it.”

Ava twisted her waist seductively, desperate to hook Irwin in.

His breaths were ragged, heavy with restraint. With the last shred of his sanity, he forced himself to pull away.

“No… your heart won’t be able to handle it…”

“Oh? And Sue’s artificial heart can? Come on, Irwin, stop holding back. Whatever she can’t give you, I can.”

Irwin gritted his teeth, struggling against his own desire. “It’s different…”

“How is it different? Are you saying she knows your body better than I do?” Ava scoffed.

“No… I don’t love her. Whatever happens to her, I wouldn’t care. But you… I love you, Ava.”

Under Ava’s relentless teasing, Irwin finally caved, completely losing control.

Outside the door, Sue’s hand trembled as she recorded the scene with her phone.

‘I love you, Irwin.’

She had once said those words in the heat of the moment, believing he loved her just as fiercely.

But the deeper the love, the deeper the hate.

Right now, she wanted nothing more than to expose these two filthy traitors and destroy them.

But she didn’t.

She forced herself to keep watching.

‘Sue, this is the man you loved for five years. The same man who cheated on you… the same man who killed your mom!’

Numb and dazed, Sue turned and ran, but before she could get far, a sharp pain shot through her chest. Her legs gave out, and she tumbled down the stairs, landing right in front of the crowd.

“H-Help me… C-Call an ambulance…”

The searing pain blurred her vision, stealing her voice.

People gathered around, watching like it was some kind of show, yet not a single person moved to help.

Even Lucia scowled at her, snapping in disgust, “Oh, come on, Sue! Do you really have to ruin my birthday party? Who the hell wails about heart pain every damn day?!

“Stop acting. No one’s going to believe you!”

Hearing the commotion, Irwin rushed over, his neck still marked with obvious love bites.

Sue’s lips quivered. ‘Is he even worth crying over?’

“Help… me…”

Irwin’s expression remained calm as he performed some basic first aid and called for an ambulance.

When it finally arrived, he scooped Sue into his arms, about to carry her inside, but then…

“Ahhh!”

Suddenly, a sharp scream echoed behind them.

Ava clutched her chest, her face twisted in pain. “It hurts! My heart—it hurts so much!”

Irwin’s composure instantly cracked. Panic flooded his eyes as he turned to the doctor.

But… “Only one patient per ambulance,” the doctor stated.

Before everyone’s eyes, Irwin carried Sue out of the vehicle and placed her back on the ground.

Then he gently laid Ava inside.

“Sue, just hold on a little longer. Another ambulance is coming soon!”

With that, he jumped into the ambulance and left without looking back.

Sue stared at him, eyes bloodshot, watching the raw, genuine emotions in his gaze.

Soon, her world turned black.

When she woke up, she was in a hospital room. Alone.

A nurse came by to change her IV and sighed, speaking in a hushed voice.

“Ma’am, if you have time, you might want to check out the fifth floor.”

Sue’s hollow eyes stared ahead. A single tear slid down her cheek.

‘The fifth floor…’

That was where the VIP rooms were.

She didn’t even have to think about it—Irwin was with his beloved Ava right now.

He completely forgot about his actual wife.

The smell of cigarette smoke drifting in from outside was unbearable, so Sue headed up to the fifth floor.

But to her surprise, the entire floor was blocked off, and the bodyguards stopped her from going any further.

“I heard Mr. Bondi booked the whole floor just so his wife can recover in peace!”

“Wow, Sue’s so lucky! She has an amazing husband!”

Hearing the chatter around her, Sue suddenly laughed.

‘Lucky?’

She wished that luck was actually hers.

Irwin was out taking a walk with Ava, and Sue followed from a distance.

“Irwin, aren’t you going to check on Sue? And… if you leave her behind to take care of me, what will people think of her?” Ava asked, her face full of concern, but deep in her eyes was a flicker of satisfaction.

Irwin’s voice was firm. “Come on, don’t joke like that. You’re the only one I care about. What happens to others has nothing to do with me.”

“But Sue is still your wife.”

“I don’t love her. I love you.”

Irwin took Ava’s hand and coaxed her gently. “Be good, don’t bring her up again.”

Then, as if no one else existed, the two kissed.

Under the sleeves of her coat, Sue’s hands curled into fists, nails digging so deep into her palms that blood dripped onto the floor.

She wanted so badly to rush over and demand to know why these two were doing this to her.

But in the next second, she turned and fled in humiliation.

It was late at night when Irwin finally remembered to check on Sue.

She was standing silently by the window when he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“I’m sorry, Sue. Ava just got divorced. She has no one else to take care of her, and I couldn’t bear to leave her alone. You understand, right?”

Sue forced down the storm of emotions in her heart and answered with a quiet “Mm.”

Irwin let out a sigh of relief—until she suddenly asked, “Irwin, did my mom really die because of a failed surgery?”

She felt his body stiffen for a split second.

“Of course. Why are you asking this all of a sudden?” His tone turned cautious.

Sue lowered her gaze, her voice steady. “No reason. I was just wondering… Ava had a heart transplant too, but she survived. Why?”

“Sue, everyone’s body reacts differently. Your mom passed away simply because she couldn’t adapt to the surgery.”

Irwin lied without hesitation, even sounding a little annoyed. “Are you saying you think I deliberately caused her surgery to fail?”

Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket. After checking the message, his expression changed slightly.

“Sue, there’s something urgent at the company. I have to go back—”

“Go ahead.”

Sue was exhausted—too drained to expose his lies.

Every time Ava called, Irwin had a different excuse.

‘Yesterday, something happened at the hospital. Today, it’s the company. And tomorrow?’

“Before you go, sign this insurance contract. The old one expired.”

She pulled a document from the drawer, flipped to the last page, and handed it to him.

Irwin, impatient to leave, signed his name without even looking before rushing out the door.

If he had taken just one glance, he would have realized—this wasn’t an insurance contract.

It was a divorce agreement.

Sue had no interest in staying at the hospital and wallowing in misery. She changed her clothes and headed straight to the law firm, handing the divorce papers to the lawyer.

“Once the company seal is stamped, please send it to this address.”

After that, she made another stop—the bar where Irwin and his so-called friends always gathered.

It didn’t take long for her to spot Mavy—completely wasted.

‘Perfect.’

Sue waited patiently nearby, watching him for a while. The moment he was alone, she stepped in and blocked his way.

“Hey, you look just like… my friend’s wife…”

Mavy was so drunk he could barely string a sentence together.

Sue took a subtle step back and asked calmly, “How much do you know about the heart transplant surgery Irwin performed five years ago?”

“Irwin? Heart transplant… Oh! Hey, listen, I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell anyone, okay?

“That surgery five years ago? I was right there! Dang, you should’ve seen Sue’s mom’s face—God, she was in so much pain! Like, absolutely devastated!

“I even recorded it. Wanna see? Here, I’ll show you!”

Mavy fumbled with his phone, staggering as he opened his gallery. And just like that, the bloody, brutal video played out right before Sue’s eyes.

In the video, she lay unconscious on the operating table, her chest split wide open.

Her mom was on the side, screaming hysterically, thrashing against the people restraining her, desperate to reach Sue.

But all she could do was watch in horror as Irwin took Sue’s heart… and gave it to Ava.

Then, as if it was nothing, he placed an artificial heart into Sue’s chest.

The sight made her scalp prickle with chills. But what truly shattered her was the sound of her mom’s anguished cries.

“Auntie, don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Sue from now on. You can rest in peace.”

Her mom’s eyes widened in terror, watching as Irwin, holding a scalpel, slowly stepped closer.

Then—just like that—he cut her open and ripped her heart out.

She died right there on the operating table.

She didn’t even close her eyes. Her last moments were filled with nothing but worry and love for Sue.

Sue pressed a trembling hand over her mouth, her whole body shaking.

“No… Why?! I already gave her my heart! Irwin, why did you have to kill my mom too?!”

Her already pale face turned ghostly white. She bit her lip so hard it split open, blood trickling down her chin.

Mavy, however, just laughed and said, “Because if she stayed alive, people would find out that Irwin faked the surgery.”

The video kept playing, but Sue had seen enough.

She gritted her teeth, forced herself to endure the pain, and synced the video to her phone. Then she rushed home.

There was no way Irwin had covered his tracks completely.

She searched the study for hours before finally finding it—the surgery consent form she had unknowingly signed five years ago.

That was all Irwin had ever needed from her. Just a signed consent form.

And in return, she and her mom had become nothing more than stepping stones on the path to his and Ava’s happiness.

The night stretched on, and Sue sat there, broken.

Her fingers hovered over her phone, over the call button to the cops.

But every time she tried to press it, memories of Irwin flooded her mind.

How he’d drop everything—no matter how busy he was—just to take her on a trip around the world if she was feeling down.

How he’d filled the streets and parks within a ten-mile radius with roses just because she’d once said she liked them.

How he’d bought out every billboard in the city, playing his love confession for her on loop all night.

Before Ava came back…

Before the truth surfaced…

Everything had been so perfect.

So perfect that Sue couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Is this all just a nightmare?’

As the first light of dawn spilled through the window, she sat there, staring blankly at her phone.

And in the end… she gave up.

She didn’t call the cops.

She didn’t turn Irwin or Ava in.