Todos los capítulos de Signed My Heart Away on Our Anniversary: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

The living room was bathed in cold white light, making Rebecca Leavitt's profile look almost unreal, as delicate and flawless as a marble statue.I sat curled in my wheelchair and watched the woman I'd loved for ten years.I'd been diagnosed with congenital dilated cardiomyopathy five years ago. Since then, my heart had swollen far beyond its normal size, stretched so dangerously that it could fail at any moment.The doctors had given me two choices—get a heart transplant, or wait for the day my heart would inevitably fail.The transplant alone would cost one million dollars, not including the treatment and medication I'd need afterward. Our entire family had pooled everything we had, draining every available bank account, and we'd still managed to come up with only 300,000 dollars.When Rebecca married me, I hadn't gotten sick yet.Back then, I was the youngest lead designer at an architectural firm, while she taught dance at the art college next door.She'd designed her own

The following day, an unexpected visitor showed up at the dance studio. He was a man in his 40s, dressed in a suit and carrying a fruit basket."I'm Ethan Carter. I was one of the sponsors behind the mall opening yesterday." He handed Rebecca a business card. "Ms. Leavitt, you were very impressive yesterday. I wanted to talk to you about a long-term opportunity."Rebecca was helping me take my medication. Her hand jerked, spilling water all over my clothes."Mr. Carter, how did you find me here?" she asked."I asked one of your coworkers."Ethan smiled as his gaze swept over the worn-down studio, moved to my wheelchair, and finally settled on Rebecca."This place has seen better days, but someone with your talent shouldn't be stuck somewhere like this."He told us he owned three performing arts schools in the area and was looking for a principal instructor."The base salary is 20,000 dollars a month. Commission would be on top of that."The pill bottle slipped from Rebecca's h

The consultation Ethan arranged was set for next Wednesday, and the day before, Rebecca took me shopping for something new to wear."You can't show up looking like you haven't bought clothes in ten years," she said as she moved through the racks.I picked out a gray sweater, but she took one look at it and shook her head. "It's too old-fashioned."Instead, she chose a pale blue button-down and a pair of beige chinos. "This will make you look healthier," she said before asking a sales associate to help me try it on.The man in the mirror was so thin that his face looked almost hollow, but if I looked closely enough, I could still see traces of the man I'd once been.Rebecca stood behind me with one hand resting on my shoulder. As she looked at my reflection, her eyes reddened."You used to look good in everything."Three years ago, I could still put on a suit and tie, walk into a project review, and present my designs with confidence. Now, I needed someone else to help me get dre

The next morning, Rebecca's eyes were swollen from crying.She had made breakfast anyway, setting out scrambled eggs and milk with care. "Come eat," she said hoarsely.We sat across from each other at the table, but neither of us touched the food.After a long silence, Rebecca said, "I thought about it all night. I'm going to turn Mr. Carter down."I looked up at her. "I'll find another way to get the money." She forced a smile. "Worst case, I'll sell the studio and borrow whatever I can from my parents—""Your parents both had surgery last year. What money do they have left to lend you?" I retorted.She fell silent."Rebecca, stop pretending there's still an easy way out of this." I set down my fork. "We've run out of options.""No, we haven't!" she insisted, suddenly agitated. "I called the Red Cross. There are financial assistance programs we can apply for, and we could start a crowdfunding campaign. A lot of people raise money for medical bills online now.""And then w

I arrived at the hospital on Friday exactly as scheduled.The organ donation coordinator was a young man with black-framed glasses. He asked one final time, "Mr. Zander, are you sure? According to our policy, you still have 24 hours to change your mind.""I don't need more time. I'll sign," I said.Once the paperwork was complete, they took me through the final round of testing, including bloodwork, an EKG, and a CT scan. The last step was a psychological evaluation.The doctor asked, "Is there anything you still wish you'd had the chance to do?"I thought about it before answering, "No.""Is there anything you'd like to say to your family?""I hope they'll be happy."The doctor studied me for a long moment, then sighed. "Mr. Zander, you're a good man."A good man?No. I was just a coward. A coward who was afraid to keep going.After the evaluation, I was admitted to a private room overlooking the hospital lawn, where several patients were sitting outside enjoying the sunl