My mom needed heart surgery.

There were only three surgeons on the planet capable of performing the operation.

My husband, Caleb Rhodes, was one of them.

People called him the miracle doctor.

Yet on the day of my mother's surgery, he walked out of the operating room and boarded a plane to care for his first love, Olivia Hayes—all because she had caught a cold.

At my lowest, my childhood friend Ryan Walker scoured the world for the best surgeon he could find and rushed him in to try to save my mom.

Still, it was too late.

The delay cost my mother her life; she died on the operating table.

Three years later, Ryan proposed to me.

I was ready to say yes.

Then I overheard him talking to my ex-husband.

"Emma's stubborn. If she ever finds out her mother was never actually sick, and that we killed her to save Olivia, she'll lose it."

A chill swept through me.

Ryan cut him off.

"Enough. Olivia's condition kept getting worse after everything that happened. Emma's mother was the only compatible heart donor we found. Was I supposed just to stand there and watch Olivia die?

"Besides, I've already given Emma a home and a future to make up for it. She should be satisfied."

That was the moment the truth crashed over me.

My mother had never been sick.

Every detail had been orchestrated.

They had murdered her to save another woman.

The Man Who Stole My Mother's Heart

I clung to the door handle until my knuckles blanched, nails biting into my skin. I barely noticed the pain. Silent tears traced cold paths down my cheeks, falling to the floor below.

I finally understood.

Ryan had never wanted me.

His proposal, his patience, the three years he spent pretending to love me, all of it had been for Olivia.

I was not his future. I was only his penance.

The voices inside continued.

Caleb spoke first, his voice heavy with something that almost sounded like regret.

"For Olivia, I killed Emma's mother with my own hands. I still cannot forget the hatred in her eyes when she looked at me. Now that you are giving Emma a wedding, I suppose that counts as my compensation to her."

Ryan let out a cold, humorless laugh. "If Olivia had been in love with me instead of you, do you honestly think I would have married Emma? You had better treat Olivia well. If you hurt her, I will not let you get away with it."

"You too," Caleb replied. "Treat her well."

"That's not something you need to worry about," Ryan said. "I've never loved Emma. The only woman I've ever loved is Olivia. I married Emma only to do a good deed."

Every drop of blood in my body seemed to freeze.

I ached to storm in, rip away their masks of kindness, and demand how they could commit something so unforgivable.

However, I could not move.

My feet felt nailed to the floor.

In the end, I ran.

I hated myself for it. I was too much of a coward even to confront them.

I wandered the streets alone.

Everywhere around me, people walked in pairs or groups.

Couples held hands. Families laughed together. Friends huddled beneath umbrellas.

Everyone seemed to belong somewhere.

I did not.

The sky darkened overhead. Then the rain came without warning.

Heavy drops pounded against my skin, sharp enough to hurt.

I curled up on a street corner, letting the rain soak me through while my tears blurred the world into streaks of light and shadow.

The city pulsed with noise and life, yet not a single corner welcomed me.

Then suddenly, warmth wrapped around me.

Strong arms pulled me into a familiar embrace.

The clean scent of cedar surrounded me.

It was Ryan.

"I called you so many times, but you never answered," he said. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

I stared ahead blankly and said nothing.

His voice softened. "Are you thinking about your mom again? Do not think about it anymore. You have me now. I am your family."

I leaned against his chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Each heartbeat pressed into me like a blunt knife, carving a deeper ache inside.

I thought, 'He's always so kind and dependable. How could this man be one of the people who killed my mother?'

When Caleb abandoned my mother to care for Olivia, Ryan seemed like a savior. He arrived with a doctor in tow, a supposed beacon of hope slicing through the shadows.

Now, I understood the truth.

That doctor never came to save her; he came to take her heart. This explains why my mother's funeral was so swift.

I had collapsed from shock that day.

By the time I woke up, her body had already been cremated.

They rushed it all to bury the truth beyond my reach.

…

Ryan carried me home.

He grabbed a towel and instinctively reached toward my hair to dry it.

Just before his fingers touched me, I turned my head away.

"I can do it myself."

Without waiting for a response, I walked upstairs.

Now that I knew the truth, I could not force myself to keep pretending. I couldn't bring myself to smile at him or pretend that nothing had occurred.

If I stayed near him for even a moment longer, I was afraid I might reach for his throat and never let go.

The Woman They Chose

As dawn crept in, the bedroom door opened almost soundlessly.

Ryan stepped inside and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, offering me the same effortless tenderness he had given me for the past three years.

"Today is your mom's memorial day. I already prepared everything."

His voice was low and gentle, his words wrapping around me like every peaceful morning he had ever given me.

I nodded but said nothing.

When we were about to leave, his phone rang.

The screen lit up. It was Olivia.

Just seeing her name felt like a blade cutting through me.

Ryan's eyes narrowed. Almost instantly, he let go of my hand. "Give me a minute."

He hurried out to the balcony.

…

Ten minutes later, he returned, panic etched across his face. "Emma, something urgent came up at work. I cannot go with you today."

He turned away without meeting my eyes.

I reached out and grabbed his sleeve. "Ryan, can you come with me today? Just today."

My voice barely rose above a whisper, but those words drained every bit of strength I had left.

Silently, I promised myself that if he stayed, if he chose me, I could believe last night's revelations were nothing but a bad dream.

He paused for one second.

Then, gently but firmly, he uncurled my fingers from his sleeve, one at a time. "Do not make this difficult. This is really urgent. I already arranged a driver to take you there. I will come back as soon as I can."

He walked out, never glancing back.

The door clicked shut behind him, sealing away the last flicker of hope I had.

My fingers stayed curled, frozen in the shape he had left them. I thought, 'Ryan, I gave you one last chance. You were the one who threw it away.'

I took out my phone and called my father, the richest man in the country. "I am ready to come home and take over the family business."

Shock and joy filled his voice from the other end. "You are really willing to give up everything there?"

I looked out the window at the pale gray sky. "Send someone to pick me up in three days."

…

The car rolled silently toward the cemetery.

My phone buzzed.

A photo came in from an unknown number.

In the picture, Olivia stood smiling at the center, radiant and carefree.

On her left stood my ex-husband, Caleb.

On her right stood Ryan, the man who had just left me behind.

Both men gazed at her with the unwavering devotion of loyal knights.

The tenderness in Ryan's eyes for Olivia was something he had never shown me.

No wonder I had always sensed his love was never truly mine. His heart had always belonged to someone else.

Olivia's message came right after the photo.

'Whether it was five years ago or now, you will never beat me. As long as I need them, they will drop everything and come to me.'

I did not reply.

I simply blocked her.

Ryan and I had grown up together.

However, after we started college, he went north while I went south.

In that new city, I met Olivia and Caleb.

After Caleb and I started dating, I was the one who excitedly introduced Ryan to Olivia, hoping the two of them might end up together.

Later, the four of us often spent time together.

Ryan and Caleb would both scold me whenever Olivia was upset.

A sudden gust of wind jolted me from my memories.

The car stopped.

I had arrived at the cemetery.

The Woman in My Home

I waited and waited, but Ryan never came to take me home.

The thought of going home filled me with dread, so I lingered. I dismissed the driver and wandered off alone, craving the distraction of unfamiliar streets.

As soon as I reached the mall entrance, there they were: Ryan and Olivia.

They looked inseparable, the picture of perfection.

Olivia caught sight of me, and a spark flickered in her eyes. She clung tighter to Ryan's arm and strode directly toward me.

Her voice was sweet, but her gaze was sharp enough to cut. "Emma, why are you here all by yourself? That must feel so lonely."

I mustered a brittle smile, though the act drained me. "Yes. My fiance is a little busy."

I met Ryan's eyes. "Since he is busy entertaining you, I am left on my own."

Tears welled up in Olivia's eyes. She released Ryan's arm as if my words had cut her to the core.

Ryan moved in front of her at once, shielding her like a knight.

When he looked at me, the warmth in his eyes was gone. All that remained was irritation. "Do you always have to be this cruel? I told you before. Olivia is like a sister to me."

Oddly enough, a strange calm settled over me.

Her voice trembled as she stepped forward, pretending she was about to apologize. "Ryan, do not blame Emma. This is my fault. I should apologize to her."

Ryan caught her arm immediately, his expression full of concern. "Olivia, none of this is your fault. You do not owe her an apology."

Then, he turned to me, his gaze dark and heavy. "Apologize to Olivia right now, or you are going to regret it."

I bit down on my anger so hard I tasted blood.

I wondered how I had managed to deceive myself for so long. Ryan's heart never belonged to me.

I replied, "Absolutely not. I did nothing wrong."

A muscle twitched in his jaw, his expression turning to ice.

Just then, two bodyguards stepped forward from behind him.

Before I could move, one of them struck the back of my knees.

Agony shot up my legs.

I collapsed onto my knees, landing at Olivia's feet.

Ryan looked down at me without a trace of emotion. "If you do not know how to apologize, I will teach you."

The man before me had helped murder my mother. Now, he forced me to kneel and beg forgiveness from the woman they destroyed her for. Humiliation scorched every inch of me.

I lifted my head and stared straight at him. "Ryan, if you humiliate me like this today, I will hate you for the rest of my life."

When our eyes met, something flickered across his face. His body tensed, just barely.

For a heartbeat, I thought he might help me up.

Then, Olivia let out a weak little cry and collapsed into his arms.

"Olivia!" Ryan's expression changed instantly. He swept her into his arms and rushed away without looking back.

The crowd's stares seared my skin.

I forced myself upright, my knees trembling so violently I could hardly stand.

…

Back home, I headed straight for Ryan's study.

I keyed in Olivia's birthday and heard the safe click open.

I braced myself for whatever I might uncover.

To my surprise, I felt nothing at all.

Inside, there were no treasures, just a single document.

I pulled it out.

Even after everything that had happened, seeing the proof with my own eyes still made my chest tighten, as if an old wound had been torn open again.

Ryan had forged my signature and signed the consent form on my behalf.

My hands trembled as I snapped photos of every page, my knuckles white from gripping the phone so tightly.

I told myself, 'Ryan, I would make you pay for this.'

…

The moment I stepped out of the study, I heard voices downstairs.

Olivia's weak, delicate voice floated up. "Ryan, maybe I should go home. Emma will be upset if I stay."

I walked down the stairs.

Olivia was curled up in Ryan's arms on the couch, looking pale and fragile.

Ryan looked up at me. The tenderness in his expression vanished the second his eyes met mine. "Perfect timing. Olivia is not well and needs rest. Starting today, she will be staying here."