The Heart He Stole, the Life I Left Behind

The third year of my marriage to Ethan Carter. I found an organ donation agreement with a falsified name hidden in the secret compartment of his study. The recipient’s name had been changed from my mother’s to Lily Carter’s. Back then, my mother was on the verge of death from heart disease. After waiting so long, we had finally found a suitable donor heart. But one second before the surgery, we were told the donation had been canceled. My mother died in the end. When I was consumed by grief, Ethan was the one who helped me climb out of the darkness. I never expected that everything he had done was for his precious little sister, Lily. “My dearest Lily, I finally found a suitable heart for you. “It belongs to someone else, but as long as it keeps you alive, I’m willing to silence my conscience and do whatever it takes. “I’ll marry Ava Bennett and spend the rest of my life making up for my sins. You don’t need to blame yourself. Just live happily. “My dearest Lily, it’s been three years since I married Ava, but I still love you.” There were 999 letters kept with the agreement. Every word revealed the love Ethan had never been able to confess. So the marriage I had been so proud of was nothing but a complete, carefully planned lie. That was why I accepted the hospital’s offer to work overseas. “Ava, your international assignment has been approved. Your visa came through too. You’ll leave next Monday.” The hospital director sounded relieved over the phone. He had been encouraging us to work abroad for some time. I held my phone and listened quietly. I thanked him softly without much emotion. Then he asked, “But are you sure you don’t want to tell your husband?” “I’m sure.” My voice was calm. The director hesitated before saying, “You and your husband have always seemed very close. Is it really wise to keep something this important from him? Or… have you two been fighting lately?” Fighting? No. We had never fought. Ethan was gentle and considerate. He never raised his voice at me. He always gave in to me and tolerated my moods. He even made me believe that our love was unbreakable. But the donation agreement and those letters had destroyed everything I thought I knew. I took a deep breath and forced my voice to remain steady. “We haven’t been fighting. It’s just that… I’m getting a divorce.” There was silence on the other end. Then the director sighed quietly. “All right. I respect your decision. But I still want to say this—if there’s any chance of saving your marriage, try not to take things this far…” “Doctor, please.” I cut him off. I didn’t want to hear any more. “This is my decision. And I need you to keep it confidential. Don’t tell anyone, especially him.” After hanging up, I stood there in a daze. The light from my phone screen slowly faded, as if my entire world were sinking into darkness with it. At some point, tears blurred my vision. I sniffed hard and shoved the divorce papers I had crumpled in my fist into the very back of the closet. A soft touch brushed against my ankle. I looked down and saw Muffin scratching at my pant leg. She tilted her head up at me and meowed. “Muffin.” I crouched down and pulled her into my arms, burying my face in her soft fur. “Tell me… am I a complete failure?” She gently licked my cheek. The damp touch made my nose sting, and my tears began falling all over again. Muffin was a calico cat Ethan had brought home last year. At the time, we had been arguing about whether to have children. I wanted a baby. A child that belonged to both of us. But he had never been willing. In his gentle voice, he had persuaded me, “Ava, having a baby is so hard. I can’t bear to see you go through that. Besides, don’t we already have Muffin? She’s our baby, okay?” I had believed him like an idiot. I had even been moved to tears by his tenderness. Only now did I understand. He hadn’t been trying to spare me pain. He hadn’t been against having children. He simply didn’t want any woman but Lily to have his child. My heart throbbed again and again, as if someone were cutting it apart with a dull knife. All of Ethan’s tenderness and thoughtfulness had been nothing but a mask covering the truth. There had only ever been one person in his heart. Lily. When I thought of that agreement and those letters, my fingers tightened until they went white. My nails dug into my palms, but I couldn’t feel a thing. Muffin rubbed herself against my chest, trying to comfort me with her tiny body. I stroked her fur and whispered, “Muffin, Mommy will be leaving soon.” “Where are you going?”I had just imagined Ethan suddenly appearing in the doorway with a painting in his hands. I recognized the style immediately. It was Lily’s. There were dozens of her paintings scattered around the house. “I heard you saying something about leaving.” Ethan casually set the painting against the wall. He nodded with satisfaction, then turned and walked toward me. I hugged Muffin tighter and forced a smile. “I was just teasing her.” He raised an eyebrow, amusement and affection showing in his eyes. “You’re so childish.” Then he sat beside me and pulled me into his arms. “Lily’s newest painting. What do you think? Isn’t it beautiful?” My heart sank. My eyes darkened. “Yeah.” Lily’s mother and Ethan’s father had married after both of them had been widowed. Ethan and Lily were step-siblings with no blood relation. Everyone praised Ethan for being devoted to his little sister. Whenever Lily held an exhibition, he showed up no matter how busy he was. To make Lily happy, he secretly bought her paintings until the house was filled with them. At first, I had even teased him, saying, “There can’t be a better brother in the world than you.” Ethan finally noticed how quiet I was. He lowered his head and kissed my forehead. “Work has been crazy lately. I barely have time to come home. Once things settle down, I’ll take you to Bali, okay?” “Okay.” My reply was so soft it almost vanished into the air. Ethan kept saying he was busy with work. But two hours earlier, my best friend Claire had sent me a message. She had seen Ethan helping Lily try on rings at a jewelry store. In the photo, Ethan looked serious and gentle. Standing beside him, Lily looked less like his sister and more like his girlfriend. Claire had warned me in her message: “Lily may be Ethan’s sister, but they aren’t related by blood. You need to tell Ethan to be more careful. People are going to get the wrong idea.” Lily was getting married. Her fiancé was the son of the most powerful businessman in the city. Ethan had been busy preparing her wedding. I had once told him to keep his distance from Lily. He had laughed and accused me of imagining things. Their relationship was nothing but innocent sibling affection, he had said. I didn’t want to investigate this so-called “sibling affection” anymore. I was leaving soon anyway. This charade was almost over. “Ava, what’s wrong?” Ethan’s voice pulled me back to reality. I looked up and met his concerned gaze. He reached out to touch my forehead, his brows drawing together. “You don’t look well. Are you feeling sick? Should we go to the hospital?” “I’m fine. I’m probably just tired.” I avoided his eyes. He nodded, guilt flickering in his gaze. “I’ll take you to get checked out tomorrow. Don’t push yourself too hard.” “Okay. If I’m coming down with something, I might infect you. I’ll sleep in the guest room.” I picked up the blanket from the bed and left without looking at him. In the middle of the night, just as I was about to fall asleep, someone began pounding on the door. “Ava, what does this mean?” Ethan’s low voice came from outside. He slammed the two divorce agreements against the door. “You want a divorce?”I froze. Slowly, I lifted my head and met his dark, furious gaze. He pressed down on the divorce papers, his fingertips tense as if he were struggling to control his emotions. Thankfully, I hadn’t signed them yet. The signature lines were still blank. “This…” My mind raced. I quickly came up with an excuse. “They’re Claire’s. She’s a lawyer, remember? She prepared them for a client and left them here when she visited yesterday.” Ethan’s brows relaxed. He let out a breath. “You scared me. I thought you were asking me for a divorce.” He handed the papers to me. “Don’t leave things lying around like that next time. It could give someone the wrong idea.” I took them and smiled awkwardly, hiding the turmoil inside me. “Okay. I’ll be more careful.” Ethan pulled me into his arms. “Did I scare you? I was being ridiculous. Our relationship is so good. How could we ever get divorced?” I silently rested against his chest without answering. My hand tightened around the papers, my fingers trembling. The next morning, Ethan left early. He had promised to take me to the hospital, but he had forgotten. I wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t the first time. He was always like this. The promises he made were nothing but mist floating through the air, disappearing in an instant. I went into the kitchen and made myself a cup of tea. Muffin jumped onto the table and rubbed her head against my hand. I stroked her head and sighed. “Muffin, Mommy is going to send you to Aunt Claire’s.” I had two surgeries that day. The moment I changed out of my surgical scrubs, my phone began ringing nonstop. Ethan’s name flashed across the screen. “Hello?” “Ava, I’m at the mall. Come help me pick out a gift. Your birthday is next Monday.” His voice sounded cheerful. Next Monday was also the day I would be leaving. I couldn’t let him suspect anything, so I forced my exhausted body to go. By the time I reached the mall, it was completely dark outside. Ethan stood beside a row of bright red dresses, a gentle smile on his face. He picked one up and walked over. “Look at this one. It would suit you.” I reached out and touched the fabric. The glaring red made me frown. “I don’t like red.” In the past, I would have pretended to be happy. But now I didn’t want it. I actually preferred simple, elegant clothes. These bright styles were much more like Lily. Ethan paused, then smiled. “Red brings out your complexion. Just try it.” “No. I really don’t like it.” I tried to suppress my irritation, but impatience had already crept into my voice. He acted as if he hadn’t heard me. He lifted the dress and insisted on holding it against me. I finally snapped. “Ethan, I said I don’t like it!” He froze, the dress suspended in midair. He clearly hadn’t expected me to lose my temper. “How do you know you don’t like it if you won’t try it?” A clear voice suddenly rang out. “Ethan, that dress really is beautiful.” I looked up. Lily stood there with a sweet smile, intimately holding on to Ethan’s arm. The dress she was wearing was identical to the one in his hand. My heart dropped. It felt as if someone had driven a knife straight into my chest. Ethan looked down at Lily, his expression softening in the familiar way. “Lily, what are you doing here?” I stared at them standing side by side. All the emotions I had been holding back exploded at once. I turned and walked away. I couldn’t stand to look at them for another second. “Ava!” Ethan’s voice came from behind me, but I didn’t stop. “Ethan, Ryan is too busy to help me choose a wedding dress. Will you help me?” Lily’s sweet, pleading voice reached my ears. A moment later, I heard Ethan’s footsteps stop. He never came after me. Ethan returned home that evening. He wore the same gentle, affectionate expression as always and held out a shopping bag. “I’m sorry, baby. I upset you today. I bought you some clothes. They’re all in styles you like.” Of course, the clothes inside were all in simple, muted colors. “I didn’t mean not to follow you and make you feel better. Lily’s getting married soon. As her brother, I need to pay more attention to her…” He was still explaining when his phone rang. He answered. It was Lily. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but I could see the tenderness and urgency in his eyes. After hanging up, Ethan turned to me. “Lily needs me. I have to go. Leave the clothes here and get some sleep.” The moment the door closed, I stared at the clothes in the bag and couldn’t help laughing. Ethan had pretended to be devoted for so many years without ever slipping up. He deserved an Oscar. I stood and threw every piece of clothing into the trash.I stood in front of the mirror, placing each piece of jewelry into a cardboard box. My movements were mechanical and numb. These were all gifts Ethan had given me over the past three years—some for birthdays, some simply to commemorate a special occasion. Now I didn’t want to keep a single one. The clothes in my closet were bright, stylish, and fashionable. Most of them had been chosen by Ethan himself. I pulled them down one by one, folded them into neat piles, and packed them into another box. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I realized something. I had started to look more and more like Lily. The packed boxes sat by the door. I called the housekeepers over and told them they could dispose of everything however they wanted. My gaze shifted to Muffin curled up on the sofa, sleeping lazily. I walked over and gently lifted her into my arms, stroking her soft fur. “Muffin, I need to send you away too.” My voice was so quiet it was almost inaudible. I was about to leave when the door opened. Ethan stood in the doorway with his usual warm smile. “Ava, where are you going?” He noticed Muffin in my arms and the boxes of pet supplies. Confusion filled his eyes. “You’re giving her away?” I nodded calmly. “I’m too busy to take care of her. And you never cared much about this cat you bought on a whim anyway, did you?” Over the past year, the number of times Ethan had fed Muffin could be counted on one hand. He froze, apparently at a loss for words. After a few seconds, he forced a smile. “Maybe it’s better to give her away. Cats carry a lot of bacteria. It’s not good for you either.” I didn’t answer. I carried Muffin past him and left. After arranging for Claire to take care of Muffin, I headed home. As I passed a coffee shop, a familiar figure caught my eye. It was Lily. She was holding a coffee and about to walk inside. When she looked up and saw me, disdain flashed across her face. “It’s been three years. I thought you’d have enough self-awareness to leave by now. Don’t even think about taking my brother’s love away from me.” I stopped and looked at her coldly. “Yes, it’s been three years. And you two look less and less like siblings. Does your fiancé know?” Her face changed. The coffee cup nearly slipped from her hand. “What are you talking about?” “Am I?” I let out a cold laugh. “Then tell me—are you really going to claim that what you feel for Ethan is nothing but sibling affection?” Her face flushed red with anger. “Ava Bennett, who do you think you are? You’re cursed. You brought misfortune to both your parents. Your mother died because of you. If it weren’t for my brother, no one would ever have married you…” “Shut up!” I roared and cut her off. Rage drowned out my reason. I shoved her. She stumbled backward, completely unprepared. Clutching her chest, she fell to the ground and began gasping in pain. Then I heard hurried footsteps. I turned around. Ethan was running toward us. The moment he saw Lily on the ground, his expression changed dramatically. He rushed over, helped her up, then scooped her into his arms and ran toward the hospital. “Ava, are you insane? Don’t you know she has a heart condition?” I stood where I was. The cold wind cut across my face, but I couldn’t feel the chill. Ethan’s figure carrying Lily away gradually blurred before my eyes. Two days later, I finished packing all my belongings. With my passport and plane ticket in hand, I walked out of the house without looking back. Lily wasn’t seriously ill, but she stayed in the hospital for two days anyway. Ethan remained by her side the entire time. It wasn’t until Monday night that Ethan finally remembered it was my birthday. He checked his phone again and again. I hadn’t contacted him in two whole days. A sudden panic seized him. A vague sense of unease began spreading through his chest. He had his assistant buy a cake and a bouquet of flowers and deliver them to the house. Not long afterward, his assistant called. “Mr. Carter, there’s no one home.” The assistant sounded cautious. “There’s a piece of paper on the table. It’s… a divorce agreement.”