Chapter 3

I reached for the medicine Dr. Wilson had prescribed me on the table and placed it under my tongue, but this time, it didn't work. If anything, the torturous pain only worsened.

Warmth drained from my limbs at an alarming rate, as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. I didn't even have the strength to answer him.

Wade gathered me into his arms. "Weren't you already cured? Why is this happening?"

Then, he called Dr. Wilson and pressed, "Why is Stella in pain?"

Dr. Wilson's voice came through the line. "Her condition has already stabilized, and she shouldn't be in pain anymore… Unless… She's faking it."

Wade fell silent. After hanging up, his phone rang.

I could see it vividly. It was a message from Cecilia.

He took one look at it and, without a second thought, rose to his feet. "I have to go."

"Wade!" I called out. Everything I wanted to say was bottlenecked in my chest.

I desperately wanted to ask him, "Why would you rather take a doctor's word over mine? Why are you utterly indifferent to my suffering? Why did you consistently choose Cecilia over me?" Yet, I lacked the energy to even open my mouth.

Wade spat out, "I'm sure you've heard what Dr. Wilson said. Drop the act, Stella. It's getting old." With that, he left.

I tumbled from the couch onto the floor. Tears mixed with hysterical laughter as I rolled on the ground, consumed by a pain worse than death.

Martha hurriedly called for an ambulance. I was rushed to the nearest hospital. Through a haze of fading consciousness, I thought I caught a glimpse of Wade, standing side by side with Cecilia.

Everything else faded away until only Cecilia's voice remained. "Darling, are you happy? I'm pregnant. I'm one month along. You're going to be a father!"

"I am." Wade's response was a crushing blow I couldn't survive. I closed my eyes, and my heart flatlined.

To my surprise, my eyes fluttered open again to the sharp, rhythmic beeping of the machines. I scanned the room. Wade was nowhere to be found; only Martha and the doctor stood by my bed.

Cecilia's voice—"You're going to be a father!"—replayed over and over in my head. So, I asked Martha, "Cecilia's pregnant, isn't she? Did you hear it? Be honest with me."

Martha nodded stiffly.

I began to tremble uncontrollably, a violent chill washing over me as if I were slipping into hypothermia. He only saw her as his younger sister? Yeah, right.

The doctor fumed, "Dry your tears. Another woman's pregnancy shouldn't concern you. Start worrying about yourself instead. You're in terrible shape."

My mind went completely blank. "What do you mean by that? Wasn't my heart transplant a complete success?"

The doctor shook his head. "Calm down. Let's discuss this calmly, or it'll only exacerbate your illness."

He spread the medical reports and X-rays out in front of me. "Although you have an incision on your chest, you don't seem to have undergone a heart transplant surgery. On top of that, you've been using high doses of painkillers recently. Right now, your heart is severely overloaded and running entirely on fumes.

"We recommend you stick to basic medication for the rest of the month… and use this time to visit the people you wish to see."

As I tried to process the doctor's words, a wave of helplessness washed over me, making me feel like I was drowning. "I've been played for a fool. Dr. Robert Wilson was hired by Wade. He's been lying to me this whole time!

"No… Wade lied to me; he told me the surgery was a success, but he actually led me straight to a dead end. He gave me hope, only to plunge me into utter despair! Why? Why would he do this to me?"

Blow after blow crashed down on me, completely tearing me apart until I coughed up another mouthful of blood.

Martha was scared out of her wits. She hurriedly supported me. "No, that can't be true... It can't be! Why would Mr. Cox want you dead? He searched high and low across the globe for a heart for you, and he even got himself tested as a match.

"If he had been compatible, he would've traded his life for yours without an ounce of hesitation. He would never let you come to harm. There has to be another explanation!"

The pain was so excruciating that I doubled over, rocking back and forth. Perhaps he had truly wanted me to live before, but the second Cecilia had returned, everything had changed.

The doctor held me down. "Control your emotions, or you'll die!" Then, he gave me an injection.

I seized my phone to call Wade. Even if I was going to die, I refused to die a fool.