He Traded Our Daughter's Heart

He personally signed the organ donation consent form, diverting the life-saving heart intended for his own daughter to his first love's son.

For seven years of marriage, I concealed my identity as the heiress to a multi-billion dollar empire, content to be the devoted wife who stood by him.

He climbed the ladder I built for him, becoming a world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, while I became a desperate housewife, unable to even protect my own daughter's life.

"Lily can hold on for another month with life support, but Leo has already been issued three critical condition notices!"

He shielded his first love behind him, his voice harsh and accusatory towards me.

He thought I would just kneel, begging him to change his mind.

But he didn't know that the prestigious medical group he prided himself on was merely a gift from my hand. The scalpel he wielded with such arrogance was a privilege I had bestowed upon him.

Since he mistook my silent endurance for weakness, and offered my daughter's life to appease the woman he idealized,

Then I would personally reclaim everything I gave him, tear down his facade, and ensure he and his 'true love' would be ruined, plunging into an abyss of despair!

When Lily's cardiac arrest alarm blared, Dr. Arthur Sterling was on stage, delivering his acceptance speech for the 'Medical Innovator of the Year' award.

I sat in the audience, clutching the critical condition notice the hospital had just sent, feeling utterly frozen.

"Dr. Sterling, congratulations on your 'Artificial Cardiopulmonary Circulation System' winning the Gold Award! Who would you most like to thank at this moment?" The host beamed.

Under the spotlight, Arthur in his tailored suit looked utterly charming and composed.

He didn't look at me in the audience. Instead, his gaze drifted to a corner in the second row.

Serena Thorne was sitting there.

His first love.

"The person I most want to thank is a woman who taught me the true weight of life. It's her resilience that gave me the courage to constantly push the limits of medicine."

The entire hall erupted in applause.

Serena's eyes welled up, and she covered her mouth, her gaze filled with tears of happiness.

Watching this scene, my stomach churned, a wave of nausea washing over me.

My phone vibrated. It was Dr. Evans, Lily's attending physician.

"Ms. Hayes, the donor heart has arrived at the hospital, but... Vice Director Sterling just used his top-level clearance to reallocate that heart to the patient in VIP Room 8!"

I abruptly stood up, my chair scraping harshly against the floor.

Heads turned from all around.

Ignoring their curious stares, I practically ran out, my high heels clicking furiously.

VIP Room 8.

That was Leo's room, Serena's son.

Half a month ago, Lily's match was successful. I was overjoyed, thinking my daughter was finally saved.

Arthur had hugged me, saying, "Evelyn, our daughter is saved. I'll personally perform her surgery."

But now, he had personally given away Lily's only hope for survival.

When I arrived at the hospital, Arthur was standing outside VIP Room 8.

He had taken off his award ceremony suit, changing into sterile scrubs, and was softly comforting a crying Serena.

"Don't worry, the donor heart is very healthy. The success rate of the surgery is over ninety percent. Leo will soon be able to run around like any normal child."

"Arthur, thank you... Without you, my son and I really wouldn't be able to live." Serena leaned into his embrace, sobbing uncontrollably.

I walked over, raised my hand, and slapped Arthur hard across the face.

*Smack!*

The crisp sound of the slap echoed through the hallway.

Arthur's head snapped to the side. Serena shrieked and immediately shielded him.

"Evelyn! What the hell are you doing?!" Arthur turned back, his eyes blazing with fury.

I stared at him, my voice trembling uncontrollably, "That heart was Lily's! How dare you give it to someone else!"

Arthur frowned, a flicker of discomfort in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by cold indifference.

"Evelyn, calm down. Leo has acute heart failure; he'll die if he doesn't get a transplant immediately. Lily's condition is relatively stable; she's supported by a bypass machine and can perfectly wait for the next donor."

Stable?

I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping my lips, tears splashing onto the back of my hand.

"She was in pain all night yesterday and couldn't sleep. This morning, she even coughed up blood! You call that stable?"

I grabbed the collar of his scrubs, my nails digging into his flesh.

"Arthur, Lily is your biological daughter! Are you really going to kill your own daughter for an outsider's child?!"

Serena trembled beside him, tears streaming down her face like a broken dam.

"Ms. Hayes, every fault is mine. I begged Arthur to save Leo... Leo is only seven years old, he hasn't even truly seen the world yet..."

She started to kneel.

Arthur pulled her back, protectively holding her behind him, then turned to glare at me, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Evelyn, that's enough! Serena is a single mother, struggling enough as it is. Why do you have to be so relentless? What happened to your kindness and generosity?"

Kindness and generosity.

I looked at the man I had loved for seven years and suddenly felt he was utterly foreign.

Seven years ago, he was a struggling medical student, and I was the heiress who hid my identity.

For his words, "I want to save lives," I willingly devoted myself to him, quietly paving the way for him using my family's connections.

His entry into the prestigious St. Mary's Medical Center, his access to those core research projects---all of it was funded and facilitated by me.

Yet, he believed it all came from his own hard work.

"Give Lily back her heart," I released him, my voice cold as ice.

"Impossible." Arthur adjusted his collar, resuming the air of a superior Vice Director.

"I am the hospital's Vice Director and a leading expert in cardiothoracic surgery. From a medical ethics standpoint, the patient with the more severe condition gets priority for the donor organ. I've already signed off on this, and I'm about to go into surgery."

He paused, a hint of condescension in his voice.

"Don't worry, I'll arrange the best conservative treatment for Lily. When the next donor becomes available, I'll personally perform her surgery."

"The next donor? Lily's blood type is Rh-negative! Do you have any idea how rare a match is? We waited three years for this heart!"

I shrieked.

Serena, hiding behind Arthur, softly sobbed, "Ms. Hayes, I'm so sorry... When Leo gets better, I'll make sure he works tirelessly to repay your kindness..."

Repay?

A 'repayment' bought with my daughter's life? I find it utterly repulsive!

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.

Arthur scoffed, "Who are you going to call now? Your socialite friends? Evelyn, this is a hospital, not a playground for your tantrums."

The call connected. I ignored him and spoke into the receiver.

"Activate top-level clearance. Lock down all operating rooms at St. Mary's Medical Center. Notify the legal department to revoke all of Dr. Sterling's medical privileges."

Arthur froze, then laughed as if he'd heard the most absurd joke.

"Evelyn, have you lost your mind? Who do you think you are? Even the Director wouldn't dare to use St. Mary's top-level clearance so casually, you---"

Before he could finish, the elevator doors dinged open at the end of the hallway.

A line of security personnel in sharp black suits streamed out, quickly securing the corridor.

Close behind them, Director Thompson of St. Mary's Medical Center hurried over, wiping sweat from his brow.

The Legal Director, Ms. Davis, followed.

Arthur stepped forward, his brows deeply furrowed, "Director, what brings you here? I'm about to perform an emergency transplant surgery, and the patient's family is causing a scene here. Could you ask security to escort her out?"

Director Thompson didn't even glance at him. He walked straight to me and bowed deeply.

"Chairwoman, I am so sorry. This is due to our management's oversight, allowing you to be distressed."

Chairwoman.

At that title, a dead silence fell over the corridor.

Arthur's expression froze. He looked at Director Thompson, then at me, as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Director, what did you call her? Her name is Evelyn Hayes, she's just a housewife..."

Ms. Davis stepped forward, cutting him off coldly.

"Dr. Sterling, Ms. Evelyn Hayes is the absolute controlling shareholder, holding eighty percent of St. Mary's Medical Group. This hospital is her private property."

Serena's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.

Arthur staggered back two steps in disbelief, pointing at me, his finger trembling.

"You... you're the Chairwoman of St. Mary's? How is that possible! You, who supposedly had to budget carefully for every handbag..."

I looked at his comical expression, finding it utterly sarcastic.

"If I hadn't been so 'careful,' how could I let you comfortably play the role of a self-made medical authority?"

I walked over, took a document from Marcus, and threw it squarely in Arthur's face.

"Arthur, you're suspended."

The papers scattered across the floor.

Director Thompson announced emotionlessly, "Dr. Sterling, it has been verified that you severely violated protocol by privately altering the donor allocation system without the Ethics Committee's approval. Effective immediately, all your clinical duties are revoked, and you are subject to investigation."

Arthur's face instantly drained of color.

He lunged at me, but the security personnel quickly subdued him.

"Evelyn! You can't do this! Leo has already been anesthetized inside, he can't wait! You're committing murder!"

I looked down at him.

"Me, committing murder? Arthur, you were the first to sacrifice my daughter's life to appease your first love."

I turned to Director Thompson. "Where is the heart?"

"Ms. Hayes, the donor organ has been urgently intercepted and is currently preserved in a thermal container. Ms. Lily's operating room is prepared, and the top-tier specialist team from headquarters will arrive in five minutes."

I nodded, no longer looking at Arthur, and turned to walk towards Lily's room.

Behind me, Serena's heart-wrenching cries echoed.

"Arthur! Please save Leo! You promised me!"

Arthur struggled like a caged animal.

"Evelyn! Come at me! Don't touch the child!"

I paused, but didn't look back.

Come at you?

Don't worry, I will collect every single debt you owe Lily, with interest.

Lily's surgery lasted a full ten hours.

I sat outside the operating room, staring at the red light above the door, feeling completely drained.

My assistant, Marcus Hill, handed me a hot coffee.

"Ms. Hayes, Arthur and Serena caused a scene at the Medical Affairs Office and have now been escorted out by security. Serena fainted twice in the hospital lobby, attracting quite a few media outlets."

I took the coffee and scoffed.

"What else can she do besides cry?"

"Also," Marcus adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, "I've found something about what you asked me to investigate."

He handed me a tablet.

On the screen was Arthur's financial record for the past two years.

"Dr. Sterling has abused his position over the past few years, accepting tens of millions in kickbacks from pharmaceutical representatives. And..."

Marcus paused, his tone turning somewhat contemptuous.

"He not only bought Serena a lavish apartment worth three million dollars, but he also secretly transferred five million dollars from a medical trust fund specifically for Lily into Serena Thorne's account."

I stared at the damning transfer records, my fingernails digging into my palms.

Oh, Arthur, you truly are something.

You used the power I gave you to enrich yourself, and you used my daughter's life-saving money to support the woman you idealized.

"Call the police," my voice was icy.

"File charges against him for embezzlement and misappropriation of funds. Transfer all evidence to the Economic Crimes Unit."

"Yes," Marcus nodded, then hesitated slightly.

"However, Serena seems to have been prepared. She just posted a lengthy article on social media, and it's already trending."

I took the tablet and clicked on the trending topic.

The hashtag was glaring: #HeiressStealsHeart

I clicked it open to Serena's post.

Every word dripped with feigned sorrow.

*I am a desperate single mother. My son, Leo, is seven years old and suffers from severe heart failure. We finally found a matching donor heart, but just an hour before surgery, it was forcibly taken away by a powerful wealthy woman.*

*Because her daughter also needed a heart, she bribed hospital executives, brutally seizing my son's only chance at life.*

*My Leo is currently in the ICU, fighting for his life.*

*Can money truly allow one to do anything? Is the life of an ordinary person not a life?*

The post included a pitiful photo of Leo, covered in tubes, and another of her kneeling on the ground, weeping.

The comment section had been overrun by angry netizens.

*She's so wicked! Can money really let you steal someone else's heart?*

*This is practically murder! Investigate this hospital! Investigate this rich woman!*

*My heart goes out to this mother. That rich woman who stole the heart will surely get her karma!*

Some people had even doxxed my identity, and online abuse was rampant.

Marcus frowned, "Ms. Hayes, our PR department has already drafted a statement. Should we release it immediately?"

"Not yet."

I tossed the tablet aside, my eyes cold.

"Let her jump first. The further she falls, the more shattered she'll be."

Just then, the operating room door opened.

The lead surgeon walked out, took off his mask, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Ms. Hayes, the surgery was a complete success. Ms. Lily made it through."

At that moment, the tension I had held for ten long hours finally snapped, and tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

I covered my face, sobbing.

Lily was alive.

Now, it's time for those who wanted her dead to face their own hell.