Theodore had been sending large sums of money to the families of those donors every month, ensuring their support. The only condition? Their hearts belonged to him alone, reserved for Rhea whenever she needed one.

And at the very bottom of the stack, I found the last consent form.

Mine.

But the intended recipient had changed. It was no longer my mother. It was Rhea.

Back then, Theodore had handed me stacks of documents, claiming they were routine procedures. Desperate to get my mother into surgery, I had signed them all without hesitation.

This consent form must have been mixed in with the rest. My mother’s had probably been destroyed long ago.

Theodore, you truly spared no effort for Rhea.

I printed out the divorce agreement and sank onto the sofa, staring into the endless stretch of night, sleep a distant, unattainable thing.

By morning, Theodore simply assumed I had woken up early. He suspected nothing.

Perhaps because he had seen me coughing up blood again the night before, he made breakfast himself, a table filled with carefully arranged, nutritious dishes, each one an illusion of tenderness.

When Theodore saw me sitting quietly, he watched me with concern.

“Faye, why aren’t you eating? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Nothing, I just miss my mother.”

He sighed, his gaze softening.

“Faye, it’s not just you. I still think about Mom all the time. She was such a kind and gentle person. It’s my fault I couldn’t save her back then. I can still remember her holding my hand, telling us to be happy together.”

If only my mother had the strength to raise her hand back then. She would have used it to strangle him.

His feigned sincerity left nothing but contempt in its wake.

I was about to bring up the divorce, but Theodore casually continued.

“Faye, you’ve been feeling down lately. Today happens to be Rhea’s birthday and she’s just returned to the country. The family is having a gathering at the old residence. Why don’t we go? Maybe it’ll cheer you up.”

“I know you’ve never wanted to see her because of Mom, but that’s all in the past now. Rhea never meant for things to turn out that way… We’re all family, after all. She’s always been sensitive. If we don’t go, I’m afraid she’ll be upset.”

So, this was his true purpose today. All those words, just so he could see the one he truly loved.

I cut him off, my tone cold.

“Do as you like.”

Theodore smiled, his voice dripping with satisfaction.

“I knew my Faye was the most understanding.”

When we arrived at the old residence, I saw Rhea, dressed like a princess, clinging to my mother-in-law’s arm, acting coy and delighted.

My mother-in-law chuckled, indulging Rhea as she fed her neat slices of fruit.

She truly doted on Rhea, offering attention in every way possible.

The moment Rhea saw me, she smirked, turning to my mother-in-law with a voice as sweet as honey but dripping with mockery.

“Grandmother, you’ve fed me so much, I’m going to get fat. Now that Auntie’s here, why don’t you give the rest to her? After all, she doesn’t have a mother.”

My mother-in-law’s eyes shifted toward me, scanning me with disdain as she took in my plain outfit.

"Why are you here, you sickly thing? Are you trying to bring your misfortune and poverty into our home?"

"Our family has been in medicine for generations, yet you walk around looking like a beggar. You've embarrassed my son enough already. You've been married for years, haven't given him a child and you don’t even have a brain. Did your dead mother never teach you any manners?"

Theodore wasn’t Rhea’s biological father’s younger brother; he was a child brought into the family by his stepmother.

Afraid that her stepson wouldn't be valued, his stepmother had always pushed him to marry someone of equal status, someone who could support him.

When Rhea’s father died in a car accident, Theodore rose through his own merits to become the revered "Golden Scalpel," earning the respect of the family patriarch, who then entrusted the entire family business to him.

Only then did my mother-in-law grudgingly allow Theodore to marry me.

Because my health wasn’t suitable for pregnancy, my mother-in-law’s desire for a grandchild grew into increasing dissatisfaction with me.

In the past, Theodore would at least defend me a little, but now, his gaze was consumed by Rhea, full of barely disguised longing.

Rhea bounced over to him, her movements playful and light, wrapping her arm around his with a pout.

"Uncle, did you bring me a gift?"

Theodore pinched her cheek, affection dripping from his voice.

"Of course."

Servants wheeled in racks upon racks of luxurious haute couture gowns, each matched with equally extravagant jewelry sets.

Twenty-eight is the number of Rhea’s birthdays.

Her eyes lit up as she planted a kiss on Theodore’s cheek.

"Wow, Uncle, you still love me the most! These are all limited editions! Uncle, you’ve really spoiled me. What if someone else gets jealous?"

It was only then that Theodore seemed to remember my presence. In the face of such opulence, my simple outfit felt like a cruel mockery.

In all these years, he had never once remembered my birthday, let alone gifted me anything as grand as a designer dress or exquisite jewelry.

He looked slightly uncomfortable, then reached for my hand as if to explain.

"Faye, don’t overthink this. I’m just her uncle; I only," Before he could finish, Rhea suddenly clutched her chest, a frown tugging at her brows.

"Uncle, my heart feels strange… I don’t know if my condition is acting up again…"

Theodore immediately let go of my hand and turned to her, his face tight with worry.

"Why is your chest feeling tight all of a sudden? Does it hurt? No, I need to check on you right away."

Without another word, he swept her into his arms, rushing upstairs in front of all the guests, his back to me.

The whispers around me were like daggers, their mocking glances cutting deeper than words.

"No wonder Theodore would rather buy Rhea all those gowns and jewels but won’t even get her a single thing. A woman of such low birth isn’t worthy of being the daughter-in-law of the Dmitri family, let alone deserving anything fine."

"If not for his so-called uncle-niece relationship with Rhea, why would he have ever married her? I bet she used her mother’s death to manipulate him into this marriage. Shameless! She’d even step over her own mother’s corpse just to climb into high society."

The murmurs grew louder, their voices sharp as knives. My mother-in-law, clearly embarrassed, snapped at me.

"What are you still standing here for, disgracing us? Get upstairs this instant! Haven’t you humiliated us enough already?"

"My son was kind enough to agree to operate on your dead mother; it was her fortune to have that chance! If she was too useless to survive, how is that his fault? You should be grateful instead of trying to extort him. You’ll get what’s coming to you one day!"

I clenched my fists beneath my sleeves, forcing out a bitter smile.

Yes, meeting Theodore had already been the worst retribution I could ever receive.

Thinking of the divorce papers hidden in my bag, I didn’t argue. Without another word, I turned and made my way upstairs to find Theodore.

But as I reached the second-floor balcony, I was met with a sight that froze me in my tracks. There they were, Theodore and Rhea, wrapped in each other’s arms.

Rhea leaned against the railing, her hands twining around Theodore’s neck.

"Theodore, listen, does my heart still feel uneasy?"

"Rhea, we can’t…"

Theodore’s voice was tight with restraint, yet the way his tailored trousers clung to him left nothing to the imagination.

Rhea pressed her lips to his, her voice thick with seduction.

"Don’t you want me, Theodore? I know your heart belongs to me and mine is yours. Even if you married someone else to keep up appearances, your body still belongs to me. Let’s just indulge ourselves, just this once…"

Theodore couldn’t hold back any longer. Gripping the back of her head, he kissed her fiercely.

The sound of fabric tearing echoed in the air, followed by breathy moans too shameful to hear.

Listening to Theodore's unbearably sweet words, my tears burst forth uncontrollably. Covering my mouth, I bolted from the villa.

I didn’t know how long I had been sitting at the entrance when a bowl of scalding hot instant noodles splashed onto my chest. The pain seared through me, making me shudder.

Rhea had changed into new clothes and now she stood before me, a bottle of whiskey in hand.

"Faye, did you enjoy our little scene? Watching you run away, looking like a stray dog, was almost amusing."

So, she had seen me.

"I heard your body doesn’t handle the artificial heart well. Coughing up blood, chest pains, you must be in agony, huh? You can’t even enjoy a man’s love properly. But me? No matter how intense it gets, I can handle it. You’re just a cripple, but at least your heart was good for something. I owe you one. Thanks for the fun."

"You really thought you could marry my little uncle and steal his love from me? Keep dreaming. He only has me in his heart. You were nothing but a living organ container for me."

"Oh, and by the way, that wasn’t the first time your mother caught me with your fiancé. The old hag had the nerve to call me shameless. So, of course, I had to teach her a lesson. I tied her up and made sure she watched me with him right in front of her eyes. She was so furious, she had a heart attack."

"When you were about to give her a heart transplant, I faked chest pains. As I expected, your husband felt so guilty; he didn’t hesitate for a second; he gave me your heart instead."

"By the way, you were unconscious then, so you didn’t see your mother’s face. Her arms stretched out, her eyes wide with rage, as if she wanted to strangle us both. But too bad, she could only watch helplessly as her own anger drove her to her death. Serves her right! She insulted me, so I took her life in return!"

My eyes widened in disbelief.

I had never imagined that this was the true reason behind my mother’s death.

My body trembled, helpless against the shock. How could they be so shameless? How could they murder my mother and still talk about it with such righteous conviction?

I raised my hand, ready to strike, but before I could, Rhea dumped the whiskey over her head, letting out a dramatic scream.

The next instant, someone shoved me violently to the ground.

Theodore was there, holding Rhea protectively, his eyes blazing as he turned to roar at me, "Faye! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

With tears in her eyes, Rhea sobbed, "Uncle, I only wanted to bring her some food and drinks since she hadn’t eaten anything. But she accused me of causing her mother’s death, knocked over the food and even poured alcohol all over me. If you hadn’t come when you did, she might have killed me!"

"The noodles and whiskey were my idea," Rhea added, feigning distress. "I know they weren’t fancy, but it was from the heart. And now I’ve even burned myself with the hot water..."

Theodore’s expression darkened at once.

"Faye, your mother had a heart attack because she wasn’t strong enough to handle it. She shouldn’t have interfered with your love life. Before marriage, it’s normal for people to change their minds. Rhea was only being kind to you and instead of appreciating that, you’re blaming her for everything?"

I couldn’t believe the absurdity of his words.

"Theodore, tell me the truth. How did my mother really die? Did you really give my heart to her?"

Theodore’s face tightened with frustration.

"Of course. Didn’t I already explain? Your mother’s transplant was rejected. Heart transplants are risky. Don’t you get that? And now you’re turning Rhea into the villain. Apologize to her. Now."

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

Tears began to fall, the weight of it all crashing down on me.

This was the man I had loved for seven years. And yet, he wouldn’t even be honest with me.

In a haze of despair, I grabbed the whiskey bottle from the ground. I didn’t care that the mouth of the bottle had shattered; I poured the remaining liquor down my throat, the sharp glass cutting into my lips as I drank.

The moment the alcohol hit my stomach, a searing pain radiated through my chest and I stumbled, gasping for air.