Frozen Body, Broken Heart

"You don't have much time left, so bid goodbye to your family." The attending doctor's tone was gentle and filled with concern, but the words hit my heart like a huge rock.

Even though I had long guessed the outcome, the rims of my eyes still reddened when I received this "death sentence".

I was only 28. I had worked very hard to survive. However, unexpectedly, the donor heart I had been waiting for was snatched by my wife, who had it transplanted into Sean Morgan, a fake heir who was only suffering from a minor heart disease.

I arrived at Sean's ward in a daze and saw my parents, my wife, Winnie Lowe, and my daughter, Cynthia Morgan, all gathered around him, fussing over him.

Seeing me come in, Winnie, who was helping Sean drink water, immediately put down the glass and came over, asking, "What did the doctor say?"

I looked at her. She immediately avoided my eyes guiltily, stammering and explaining, "It was urgent. If we didn't give Sean a heart transplant, he would have died of pain."

My mom immediately said, "Winnie's right, Klose. Lives are at stake. You can't be so ignorant as to be mad at us over this, right?"

The words I was about to say lingered on my lips, and I said calmly, "I'm not mad. The doctor said there’d be good news in a week."

After a pause, I added, "Good news for all of us."

Winnie's beautiful eyes instantly filled with joy. "A suitable donor heart so soon? I knew the decision we made that day was the right one."

My dad also breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Sean is so lucky. If you hadn't given him the heart, he wouldn't have been able to survive a week."

My mom nodded repeatedly, gently stroked Sean's hair, and said, "Sean's luck has yet to come to an end. Unlike someone who could have continued to wait for a donor heart, but insisted on making a scene, humiliating the Morgans."

Even though I was already disappointed in them, my heart still ached. I clenched my fists, nearly gnashing my teeth to the point of shattering them. Only then could I calm the tears threatening to burst out of my eyes.

Winnie looked at me tenderly, but her words were icy. "You were indeed too impulsive that day. I think you should apologize to Sean."

I stared at her in disbelief, thinking, 'Sean stole my heart, yet you want me to apologize to him?'

My mom chimed in, "Yeah, he wouldn't have had a heart attack if it weren't for you bullying him that day. You should be thankful he's lying here safely now, or I would never acknowledge you as my son."

I recalled Sean standing in front of me that day, proudly showing off the marks on his neck, bragging about how passionately Winnie and he did it. I could not stop myself from punching him, yet they caught us.

Winnie angrily rushed forward and pushed me away. I was thrown to the ground, and my head was spinning as my mom rushed over to beat me. My dad just stood there indifferently as if he also thought I deserved a lesson.

I then had a heart attack, and I could barely breathe.

My mom nervously asked what was wrong, but Sean suddenly clutched his heart and said it hurt. She immediately threw me aside and ran over to him.

Everyone thought I was faking it and that his was the real deal.

With this in mind, I smiled bitterly and said flatly, "I'm sorry, it's my fault."

No one expected me to apologize so obediently.

Winnie looked at me with a hint of inquiry, a sense of unease growing in her heart.

Sean also frowned, his expression practically saying, "You're being pretentious."

My parents looked at me warily, as if afraid I would cause trouble again.

Only my daughter, Cynthia, threw herself into my arms and said, "Dad, that’s great. You finally admitted your mistake. Don't bully Uncle Sean anymore, or I'll dislike you like Grandpa and Grandma."

I looked down at her. I could tolerate my parents' and wife's indifference, misunderstanding, and favoritism, but the child I raised myself and poured all my love into also favored Sean. This was something I could not tolerate. However, I no longer had the energy to fight this. I gently stroked her face and answered with a smile, "I'll do whatever you say."

My mother nodded in satisfaction and said, "Well, it seems like you've finally learned your lesson, Klose."

Winnie breathed a sigh of relief and said, "My husband has finally come to his senses."

Seeing her feigned affection, I felt a wave of nausea.

Just then, Sean suddenly cried out in pain, and Winnie immediately rushed over.

Cynthia, who had been holding me, also let go and ran over, shouting, "Uncle Sean, where does it hurt? I'll blow on it to make it better."

My parents' eyes reddened with heartache.

Standing in the distance, I looked like a clown. I could no longer stand this atmosphere and left the ward, claiming to be tired.