No Heart Left to Save Us

On the day of my mother's heart transplant surgery, my husband Ethan snatched away the heart meant to save her.

He gave it to his childhood sweetheart, Autumn. She wasn't even sick.

My mother died on the operating table, while he held Autumn in his arms, watching the sunset by the sea.

Autumn framed me for hurting her child, so Ethan threw me to the wolves.

I was torn apart, and I lost the baby because of it.

Later I learned he'd been hypnotized, with all his memories of loving me sealed away.

But so what? Who will pay for my child's life? For my mother's life?

Until he knelt before me, begging pathetically for mercy.

I only smiled faintly.

"Ethan, I'm already married to someone else."

Maya's POV

I waited anxiously outside the operating room. My mother was inside receiving a heart transplant.

An hour ago, the doctor had already sent someone to retrieve the transplant organ.

But that precious heart still hadn't arrived.

Suddenly, Ethan walked toward me, his presence ice cold.

"That heart was a successful match for Autumn. Her body is weak and can't wait any longer. Your mother's surgery will have to be postponed."

I froze instantly.

My mother's chest cavity was already open, all the medical staff were waiting for the heart to arrive. How could Ethan suddenly change his mind and give the only heart to his childhood sweetheart?!

My face turned deathly pale as I gripped Ethan's sleeve tightly. "My mom is lying on the operating table right now. If you take that heart away, you're condemning her to death! Ethan, that's my mother. You can't do this!"

Ethan's face showed no emotion, his tone indifferent. "Autumn is from a wealthy family, a rising star in academia. She's made many contributions to society. The heart will create more value in her body."

I stood there stunned, as if I hadn't understood, then let out bitter laughter as tears streamed down my face.

"You think Autumn's life is worth more than my mother's? Does that mean my mother deserves to die? You promised that as long as I didn't press charges against Autumn, you'd help me find a heart donor. How can you go back on your word!"

Half a month ago, Autumn had injured me.

I wanted to report it to the police, but Ethan stopped me.

I knew he was biased toward Autumn, but to save my mother, I had no choice but to agree to Ethan's conditions.

Now, with my mother on the brink of life and death inside the operating room, Ethan was going back on his word.

My whole body trembled with anxiety.

I dropped to my knees at Ethan's feet. "Ethan, I'm begging you. My dad died early, and my mom worked four jobs to raise me alone. I haven't even given her a good life yet. She can't die... Please..."

Ethan looked down at me kneeling and begging, frowning slightly.

"I did promise you, but now Autumn needs that heart too. I had to make a choice."

"Autumn and I have known each other for over twenty years. She's more important to me. I hope you'll be reasonable about this."

Those two short sentences left me both confused and heartbroken.

The Ethan of the past loved me more than anything, wanting to give me the whole world.

We first met by the roadside when some thugs were harassing me and Ethan came to my rescue.

After that, Ethan would occasionally appear at my food cart, patronizing my business. Later, Ethan confessed his feelings for me, saying he didn't mind my poor background and would take care of me forever.

But all of that changed after Ethan returned from his business trip abroad.

He seemed like a completely different person, extremely cold toward me.

I glared at Ethan with grief and anger. "When we got married, you clearly said you would cherish me and love me. Now you want to sacrifice my mother for someone else. Have you lost your memory and forgotten what you said?!"

Ethan frowned. "That's nonsense. How could I have lost my memory?"

With that, he stopped looking at me, turned coldly, and walked toward the exit. I froze for a moment, then chased after him.

Outside the hospital, medical personnel were placing the cooler containing the heart into a vehicle.

"Mr. Foster, the heart has been arranged. We'll head to Sacred Heart Hospital immediately," the driver said respectfully.

Ethan nodded slightly. Seeing this, I frantically rushed over to try to grab it.

I no longer cared about any dignity. I only knew that without this heart, my mother would die!

But how could I possibly overcome the group of medical staff and drivers around? Before I could even touch the cooler, I was forcefully pushed to the ground, my arms and thighs badly scraped and bleeding.

Ethan glanced at me and stepped into the vehicle.

The car started and slowly drove onto the road.

My eyes turned bloodshot as I struggled up from the ground and chased the car.

I grabbed onto the rear of the vehicle with both arms and was dragged for a distance before falling hard to the ground.

On the asphalt, a gruesome trail of blood was left behind.

But the pain in my body couldn't compare to even half the despair in my heart.

I cried out helplessly, painful tears soaking my collar.

My mother was still on the operating table, and I had no idea what to do.

Just then, a nurse came running over anxiously. "Ms. Carter, we sutured your mother's chest cavity as Mr. Foster requested, but something went wrong... You should go see her one last time."

I felt my entire world come crashing down.

Maya's POV

My background was rough. My father died in an accident when I was one year old.

For the next dozen years, my mother worked four jobs day and night to support me.

I matured early and always felt sorry for my mother's exhaustion, saying that when I grew up I would definitely give her a good life.

But my mother just smiled and hugged me, saying that as long as I was healthy and safe, that was enough.

And now, standing in the morgue, the pale lights made me sway unsteadily.

My mother, who just yesterday was talking about going on a trip together after the surgery, now lay silently on the mortuary bed, covered with a white sheet.

I could no longer hold myself up and fell to my knees beside the bed.

"Mom... please open your eyes and look at me..."

I pressed myself tightly against the cold body, tears bursting forth. "You promised we'd go on a trip together. How can you leave me..."

I cried my heart out, as if trying to expel my entire heart.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. It was a text from Ethan.

"Autumn's surgery was very successful. I'll find another suitable heart for your mother. Just stay out of trouble."

As I read it, my vision suddenly blurred.

I knew Ethan was afraid I would hold a grudge and cause trouble for Autumn, so he was trying to placate me.

But Ethan didn't know yet that my mother was no longer in this world...

I looked at my mother's body, then at the message on my phone.

The grief and fury in my chest suddenly blazed up. If it weren't for Ethan and Autumn, my mother would never have died on that operating table! I had to get an explanation!

I shakily stood up and, in complete disarray, took a cab to Sacred Heart Hospital.

I didn't even need to ask to know which private room Autumn was in. Whatever Ethan had prepared for her would certainly be the best room on the top floor.

When I rushed to the top floor, Autumn had just finished surgery and was still unconscious in the ICU.

Ethan stood outside the ward, his gaze toward the room focused and affectionate.

That kind of look once belonged only to me, but now it completely belonged to another woman.

I felt a sharp pain in my chest. My mother's death and my husband's betrayal made me feel torn in half.

Ethan heard footsteps and looked at me. Seeing me like a madwoman with disheveled hair and messy clothes, disgust flashed in his eyes.

He said coldly, "Why aren't you at the hospital with your mother? What are you doing here?"

I didn't answer. I tried to rush forward and force my way into the ward, but Ethan violently pushed me to the ground.

His strength was too great. I had no chance to react before I crashed heavily to the floor, the intense pain making my vision go black.

But no physical pain could compare to my torn and shredded heart at this moment.

Ethan looked down at me from above, without a trace of pity in his eyes.

"I warned you, as long as you behave, I'll help you find another heart. If you insist on making trouble, don't blame me for being heartless."

That cold look in his eyes was like looking at trash.

I suddenly laughed, tears seeping from the corners of my eyes.

"Ethan, you're treating me like this for a woman who's a homewrecker... You're breaking your word. You'll definitely get what's coming to you!"

Ethan's expression darkened.

He said coldly, "The worst thing that ever happened to me was marrying you."

That single sentence made my already agonizing heart spasm with pain again.

After speaking, he called security to drag me to the stairwell like garbage, then stationed people outside the ward as if afraid I'd come back to cause trouble.

In the dim stairwell, my suppressed sobs echoed.

Suddenly, someone came down the stairs.

It was Autumn's female assistant, just as unreasonable and arrogant as Autumn herself.

The assistant twirled her hair and mocked coldly, "You're really shameless, actually following them here. Ethan doesn't even care if you live or die to save Autumn. Can't you see who he really loves?"

I clenched my teeth and snapped back, "Autumn wrecked someone else's marriage, and you as her assistant not only enable her, you help her cover it up. If I post what she's done online, let's see how you survive in academia."

The assistant's expression changed, but she quickly shifted the topic.

She pulled out her phone and shoved a photo in my face.

Under romantic, dim lighting, the floor was covered with rose petals. Ethan knelt on one knee before Autumn, reverently holding her hand.

"A month ago when Ethan went abroad on business, he actually took Autumn with him. He even proposed to her there."

"He said he'd get rid of you soon and be with Autumn."

"Autumn has better education and background than you. A woman like you who wants to climb the social ladder through marriage should stop dreaming."

I laughed. So Ethan had already planned to divorce me. No wonder he was so heartless.

I had foolishly thought Ethan would help me, but in the end I'd sacrificed my mother's life.

I finally understood everything.

I knew I wouldn't get any justice, and no one would care about my deceased mother.

I'd seen enough of the world's cruelty since childhood. I should have known that's just how things are.

But I wasn't willing to let my mother die in vain.

I decided to do two things. The first was divorce.

Maya's POV

I hired a lawyer to handle the divorce proceedings.

Then I went home and started packing.

My bedroom was full of gifts Ethan had given me, each one expensive and rare.

Once I jokingly asked Ethan to give me the stars from the sky. The next day, Ethan bought me a diamond necklace worth tens of millions of dollars.

He said that although he couldn't pluck stars from the sky, he could give me the world's most expensive jewelry.

Now looking at that diamond necklace, my eyes stung.

I opened my phone and pulled up a photo. It was a picture I'd taken with Ethan at our front door when he left for his trip abroad a month ago.

In that photo, Ethan still looked at me with tender eyes.

I couldn't understand why going abroad once had turned him into a completely different person.

But at this point, I didn't care anymore.

The harm Ethan had caused me was real. No reason could whitewash it.

I stayed home alone for three days.

During those three days, Ethan never came home once.

I knew he'd been at the hospital watching over Autumn the whole time.

After Autumn woke up, she'd been active on social media. From her account, I could clearly see how carefully Ethan had been caring for Autumn these past days.

Every day he personally made nutritious meals for Autumn, told her bedtime stories, even childishly wrote prayer cards for her.

I saw all of this, but my riddled heart no longer felt pain.

Besides divorce, I had a second thing to do: revenge.

I saved all the photos Autumn had posted as evidence for future retaliation.

On the day of my mother's burial, I wore all black.

I had no family or friends left, so I handled her funeral arrangements alone.

After returning from the cemetery, I found the handmade doll my mother had sewn for me.

When I was little, our family was poor. I always envied other children who had toys. My mother felt bad for me but couldn't spare the money, so she made me a little doll herself.

Over a dozen years had passed, and this doll had always been with me.

"Mom, treat this as me, keeping you company down there."

With tears streaming down, I walked to the fireplace, lit the flames, and gently placed the handmade doll into the roaring fire.

But I didn't expect Ethan to suddenly come home.

As soon as Ethan entered, he saw me dressed in black with the doll burning in the fireplace.

Ethan's expression changed immediately. "What the hell are you doing? Autumn's health suddenly worsened. Are you making evil dolls to curse her?!"

I hadn't expected Ethan to think this way. Before I could explain, Ethan had already strode over and knocked the doll out of the fire, stomping hard on it.

"No!"

Seeing my mother's keepsake being trampled, I frantically threw myself forward, using my hands to shield it.

But my desperation only seemed to confirm Ethan's suspicion in his eyes.

Ethan's face darkened, apparently convinced I was doing something malicious.

He pressed his shoe down on my fingers and ground them hard.

I cried out in pain but didn't dare move my hand, afraid my mother's memento would be destroyed.

Seeing me trembling all over from pain, Ethan finally slowly withdrew his foot.

He went upstairs, grabbed a few changes of clothes, and was about to leave again.

But just as he reached the door, I called out to him. "Ethan, I'm not like you people. I never do such despicable things. Don't throw dirty water on me."

My eyes were empty but revealed a stubborn strength.

Ethan stared at me for a few seconds without speaking, then turned and left.

I laughed self-deprecatingly. No matter how much I explained, it was useless because Ethan simply didn't believe me.

I clutched the burned and trampled doll tightly to my chest, tears slowly falling.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit me.

I covered my mouth tightly, forcing down the urge to retch.

I suddenly remembered that my period hadn't come this month.

Maya's POV

I stood outside the gynecology office with the test results, completely stunned.

I was pregnant. One month along.

Counting back, it must have been the night before Ethan left for abroad.

Ethan used to be very clingy with me, especially when it came to sex.

That night he said he'd be away on business for at least half a month, so he kept taking me again and again. Several condoms broke and I didn't even notice.

I leaned against the wall to steady myself. I didn't know why fate kept playing such cruel jokes on me.

I had already decided to divorce Ethan. What was I supposed to do about this child?

I walked out of the hospital in a daze. Later I learned that Autumn's assistant had come to visit Autumn and happened to overhear the doctor talking to me.

That assistant rushed to tip off Autumn.

The next day, Ethan brought Autumn home to move in.

Ethan supported Autumn with one hand and carried her luggage with the other. As soon as they entered, he spoke coldly to me. "The master bedroom is bigger. Move out and give it to Autumn."

I felt nothing inside hearing this. I didn't respond, just went upstairs, simply packed my things, and moved into the guest room.

I'd already given up on Ethan. I wanted to stay as far from him as possible, so moving to the guest room suited me fine.

Seeing me so cooperative, not making a fuss, he seemed to expect me to cry and argue like before. Watching my silence, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

I didn't come down for dinner that night either. Being pregnant had actually made my appetite smaller, so I only came down late at night planning to grab something light.

But as soon as I reached the stairs, I ran into Autumn who was just heading up.

Autumn glanced at my stomach, jealousy and hatred flashing in her eyes.

She slowly approached me, saying in a low voice, "Ethan letting you stay in the house is his mercy, but you'd better know your place and get lost. Otherwise I'll make sure Ethan doesn't help you find a heart, and let her die in the hospital!"

The mention of my mother made me grit my teeth, nausea rising in my stomach.

Looking at that arrogant face before me reminded me of my mother lying helpless on the operating table. I couldn't take it anymore and slapped Autumn across the face.

The crisp slap stunned Autumn.

"You dare hit me!"

"I hit you alright. If you dare disrespect my mother again, next time it won't just be a slap."

I threw out those words and stepped down the stairs.

Autumn couldn't take it and suddenly rushed forward to push me.

Fortunately I grabbed the railing and didn't fall.

Autumn tried to attack again but lost her balance and tumbled down the stairs herself.

Her wails echoed through the living room. I frowned. Just then Ethan came out of his room and immediately changed expression at the scene.

He rushed downstairs to help Autumn up. Her ankle was twisted, and she curled up against him crying pitifully. " Maya pushed me... It hurts so much!"

Ethan's face darkened. He strode upstairs and gripped my arm tightly, demanding, "How can you be so vicious? First you curse Autumn with a doll, now you dare push her!"

"I've lived my life with integrity. I don't do such things. But what goes around comes around."

The hatred in my words flowed out without reservation. Ethan narrowed his eyes and looked at me coldly, seeming very displeased with my hateful attitude.

Ethan gripped my arm forcefully and said coldly, "Autumn has no quarrel with you. She wouldn't falsely accuse you. Since you hurt her, you should experience the same."

With that, Ethan pushed me down the stairs.

The world spun as excruciating pain crushed every inch of my body.

Finally my head slammed hard into the floor, blood streaming down my face.

Ethan looked down at me collapsed like garbage on the ground, without a trace of pity in his eyes. He went downstairs, picked up Autumn, and returned to the room, completely ignoring me.

After a while, I managed to drag myself up through sheer willpower.

But as soon as I stood up, I discovered with horror that blood was flowing down the inside of my leg.

Maya's POV

I froze, panic rising inside me.

I had just lost my mother. I couldn't bear to lose my child too.

I staggered toward the door, wanting to hail a cab to the hospital, but it had started raining outside without me noticing.

Torrential rain. Taxis were few and far between.

I endured the severe pain in my lower abdomen and walked forward in the rain, hoping to find a taxi on the road.

The rain was heavy, the wind was cold. I could feel blood continuously flowing between my legs, but I didn't dare stop.

I don't know how long I walked before my vision kept going black and I collapsed on the ground, losing consciousness.

...

I dreamed of my wedding day with Ethan.

Ethan wore a suit and tie, carefully placing the wedding ring on my finger. At that moment his eyes held tears as he said deeply that I was the love of his life.

The next second, the scene changed to Ethan returning from his business trip abroad. That was the first time I'd seen Ethan so cold, looking at me as if I were a complete stranger.

I jolted awake to find myself in a hospital room.

"You're awake? I'll go get the doctor for you." The nurse was about to leave when I quickly stopped her.

"Why am I in the hospital? My... my child..."

I instinctively touched my abdomen. The nurse sighed and said, "You collapsed on the roadside last night. Someone brought you to the hospital. The doctor performed emergency treatment, but the child couldn't be saved."

A part of my heart collapsed completely. I sat there dazed, unable to react.

Only after several seconds did I break down into hysterical crying.

Why did all my loved ones leave me one by one? Why was fate treating me this way?!

My heart-wrenching wails filled the hospital room. Even passersby who didn't know what was happening inside couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

I stayed in the hospital for three days.

During those three days, no one came looking for me. Following Autumn's social media account, I discovered Ethan had taken Autumn to a private island resort.

I looked at the photos Autumn posted, each one showing their extravagant, loving state.

Ethan feeding Autumn fruit, kneeling by the bed to apply body lotion for her, climbing trees to pick flowers for her... Every single image declared how much Ethan cherished Autumn.

My eyes burned red with hatred.

Thinking that my mother and child had both died because of these two, yet they were living so happily, the fury in my heart blazed even hotter.

I had originally planned to carefully plot my revenge, but now, I really couldn't hold back anymore.

All the anger I'd been holding in finally exploded.

I was discharged from the hospital and went home, standing before the mansion.

Cold wind blew across my face, stinging sharply, but my expression remained blank.

My eyes were ice cold.

"Ethan, this is what you owe me."

I took out the gasoline I'd prepared and poured bucket after bucket into the house.

Then I struck a lighter and threw it in without a moment's hesitation.

BOOM.

Roaring flames instantly surged up, consuming the mansion.

Expressionless, I dragged my luggage and turned to leave.