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.

‘Irwin, I don’t owe you anything. As for what you owe me—forget it.’

By the time Irwin got home, Sue had already collapsed on the floor from exhaustion.

The entire house was a mess. For a moment, Irwin thought they’d been robbed and was about to call the cops when Mavy’s name flashed on his screen.

“Dude, I think I fucked up.”

“You mean you got drunk last night, grabbed some random stranger, and spilled everything about what happened five years ago?”

“Y-Yeah… I-It was a blind spot for the security cameras. I-I- have no idea who that shit was!” Mavy sounded panicked.

If this got out, both of them were screwed.

Irwin frowned. “Check who was at the bar last night.”

“Will do, but the security system’s been down for repairs lately. No guarantees we’ll find anything.

“Irwin, we need to be prepared for the worst.”

Irwin cursed under his breath and threw his phone aside. A strange sense of unease settled in his chest.

The person in his arms stirred like she was having a bad dream.

“M-Mom… don’t…”

Sue jolted awake, tears pooling in her eyes. She stared at Irwin in a daze, only snapping back to reality when she felt the warmth of his body. Her expression immediately turned cold.

Her mom… She looked so tormented in the dream, her cries so gut-wrenching…

“Miss her?”

Irwin gazed at her with concern, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her eye.

Sue glanced at the calendar on the wall.

Two more days.

Just two more days, and she’d be free of this place.

But before that…

“Can you come with me to visit my mom’s grave?” she suddenly asked.

“Of course, but you need to take care of yourself first. Otherwise, she won’t be able to rest easy up there.”

Irwin then turned to head to the kitchen to make her breakfast.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Ava barged in, dragging a suitcase behind her.

“Irwin! Sue! My ex-husband’s been harassing me again! Can I crash at your place for a few days?”

She kicked off her shoes, shrugged off her coat, and made herself comfortable on the couch like she owned the place.

The next second, she caught a whiff of something delicious from the kitchen, her eyes lighting up as she rushed over.

“Irwin! This smells amazing! Ugh, Sue, I’m so jealous. You’re so lucky to have such a great husband.

“Not like my ex—fucking deadbeat loser.”

She whined about her ex, laughing and joking with Irwin as they fed each other bites of breakfast.

Standing at the top of the stairs, Sue watched them for a long moment.

And suddenly, she felt… out of place.

She turned around, locked herself in her room, and forced herself to focus on dry legal texts.

It was one of her ways to cope.

She got so lost in it that she didn’t realize how hungry she was until her stomach started aching.

She headed downstairs to eat—only to find that Irwin and Ava had already left.

The only thing left on the dining table was a bowl of cold soup and some half-eaten pastries.

But the chair was still warm.

Sue turned on the dash cam.

The screen filled with scenes so disgusting she almost laughed. Right outside their house, right under her nose.

“Do you fuck Sue this hard too?” Ava gasped, flushed.

Irwin panted. “She’s not half as fun as you in bed.”

Sue took a slow, deep breath and shut the dash cam off, her face expressionless.

She dumped the dirty dishes into the trash, made herself a quick bowl of instant baked mac, and headed back upstairs to pack.

Not that there was much to pack—just a few clothes and stacks of thick books.

Everything else Irwin bought for her—based on Ava’s taste—Sue donated.

Consider it her little contribution to society.

Irwin didn’t come home last night, but Sue’s Facebook feed was filled with him.

All from Ava’s posts.

Backlit photos of them watching the sea, the stars, the sunrise together.

It was captioned: [Every season is sweet with you. Here’s to forever!]

Ava even changed her profile picture to a photo of them holding hands.

On Irwin’s left hand, his ring finger bore a clear indent—a mark left by a ring that had been there for a long time.

One that had only recently been removed.

Sue silently liked all of Ava’s posts.

A second later, Ava messaged her.

[Sue, did you see my posts? That’s my new boyfriend. Don’t we look perfect together?]

[If we get married, you’d give us your blessing, right?]

Sue didn’t reply for a long time.

Ava then started to crack.

[Sue, you’re smart. You must’ve recognized that the guy in the photos is Irwin, right?]

[I’ll be honest. Irwin and I have been together for a year. He never loved you.]

[Forced love never works. Let him go. I’ll love him for you.]

Tears dripped onto Sue’s screen.

Her trembling fingers hovered over the keyboard, unable to type.

But Ava wasn’t done.

More photos flooded in—a hotel room. A car. A swimming pool.

Even her own bed.

Traces of their love stained every image.

Sue wiped her tears, hands shaking as she finally typed one line.

[Where is my mom’s heart?]

Ava replied instantly.

[You already know? Well, if you agree to divorce Irwin, I’ll tell you.]

Sue didn’t hesitate.

[Fine.]

[It’s in Irwin’s office. Behind the bookshelf, there’s a hidden space. You’ll find what you’re looking for there.]

Without a second thought, Sue hailed a cab straight to B. Global.

Just as Ava said, there was a secret basement behind the bookshelf in his office.

The moment Sue stepped in, a chilling air enveloped her.

Her skin prickled with goosebumps.

A giant whiteboard hung on the wall, filled with countless plans.

[Plan 1: Backup Heart Donor]

[Plan 2: Artificial Heart]

[Plan 3: Conservative Treatment]

Every single plan—a path Irwin paved for Ava’s survival.

Sue finally understood.

Five years ago, Irwin had already collected multiple backup hearts for Ava.

But he couldn’t wait for a donor to arrive by air.

So instead, he forcibly took Sue’s mom’s heart—and gave it to Ava.

For the past five years, Ava had gone through countless artificial hearts.

Each heart’s data, every rejection her body experienced—meticulously recorded.

All for the sake of giving Ava more time.

And her mom’s heart?

It had been preserved.

Sealed in this dark, hidden basement.

For five whole years!

A sharp pain stabbed through Sue’s chest.

Her legs buckled beneath her, sending her crashing to the floor.

Just then, her phone alarm rang.

It was a reminder—the countdown she had set. To leave.

Sue swallowed the lump in her throat, carefully cradled her mom’s heart, and made her way to the cemetery.

She buried it.

Kneeling before the tombstone, she gazed at her mom’s photo, eyes red and swollen.

Then, she kissed the tomb—three times.

Once upon a time, she didn’t like crowds.

Didn’t like socializing.

She shut herself away, buried in her studies.

Her life had been dull.