My mother was in a car accident. Internal bleeding. They rushed her into surgery. I called my fiancé, Ian, a surgical prodigy, and begged him to operate on her himself. He promised he would. But as the operating room doors swung shut, he turned and walked into a different theater. I knelt on the cold linoleum of the hallway all night, praying for her to pull through. But the only thing that came back out was my mother’s body, covered by a white sheet. A raw, keening sound tore from my throat. I tried to rush to her, to see her one last time, but Ian’s star student, Serena, blocked my path, her grip like iron. Through a tear in the sheet, I saw it—an incision on my mother’s chest that should not have been there. And I knew, in that same moment, that Ian was in another room, transplanting a heart into Serena’s young son. The donor… was my mother. 1 My mother’s face was a pale, waxy grey beneath the sheet. The world swam in and out of focus, a dizzying blackness at the edge of my vision. I struggled against Serena’s hold, but her strength was inhuman. “Let me go! Get off me! I have to see my mom!” I screamed, my voice shredding. “She can’t be dead! Ian told me it was just a routine procedure to stop the bleeding! Why did she die on the table?” My grief echoed down the sterile hallway. Serena didn’t answer my questions. She just shot a look at the orderlies, a silent command to move the gurney faster. My legs gave out from under me. As I crumpled to the floor, my gaze fell on the gurney one last time. Through the blood-soaked sheet, I saw it—a long, brutal incision down the center of her chest, and beneath it, a sunken, hollow space. Her heart was gone. A phantom pain, sharp and searing, lanced through my own chest. It was the same agonizing cramp I’d felt hours earlier, while I was waiting outside the OR. My eyes widened in horror. I lunged forward, trying to rip the sheet away, to see the truth for myself. But before my fingers could touch the fabric, Serena grabbed me by the hair and dragged me back, shouting for security to restrain me. “Miss Hayes, I understand you’re grieving,” Serena said, her voice a cold, flat line. But her eyes held a glint of something else. Something cunning. “But the deceased should be treated with respect. Please don’t disturb the body.” I stared up at her, my own eyes burning red. “Something went wrong with the surgery! I am her next of kin, and I have a right to know what happened! Where is Ian?” A smirk played on her lips. “Dr. Vincent is busy saving lives. He doesn’t have time for you.” I watched, helpless, as they wheeled my mother’s body away. My hands shaking, I pulled out my phone and tried to call Ian. Ninety-nine times. He declined every single call. But his social media feed had a new post. A photo of him in his surgical scrubs, holding the hand of a small boy in a hospital bed. The caption read: A new life begins. Wishing you a long and healthy future. And there, on the chart visible in the corner of the photo, was the patient’s name: Leo. The procedure: Heart Transplant. Leo. Serena’s son, born with a congenital heart defect. The image of that horrific incision on my mother’s chest flashed in my mind. A monstrous truth began to dawn. Leo had been on the transplant list for ten years. How was it possible that a perfect donor match suddenly became available the very moment my mother was wheeled into surgery? With a guttural roar, I launched myself at Serena, my hands closing around her throat. “Where did your son’s heart come from?” I shrieked. “What did you do to my mother?” She clawed at my hands, gasping for air. A second later, I was thrown violently backward. Ian, fresh out of the operating room, shoved me away from her. My head cracked against the wall, and hot blood trickled down my temple, but he didn’t even glance at me. He was too busy fussing over Serena, gently brushing at the red marks on her neck, his eyes filled with a pained tenderness that was meant for me. “Susan! Are you insane?” he yelled. “Serena worked tirelessly to save your mother, and this is how you repay her?” Tears streamed down my face, mixing with the blood, staining the collar of my white blouse. My mom had spent all week sewing it for me by hand. I was supposed to wear it today, for the photo on our marriage license. The first time I ever wore it, and I had lost her forever. “You promised me, Ian!” I sobbed. “You promised you would do her surgery yourself! Why was Serena in that room?” “And don't you think it’s a little too convenient? My mother shouldn't have died! You let her die! You murdered her and you stole her heart for Leo!” The raw hatred in my eyes must have startled him, because he flinched. “What are you talking about? Your mother had a splenectomy! What does that have to do with her heart? How dare you drag Leo into this!” Serena, now safely nestled in Ian’s arms, had shed her defiant sneer. Her face was a mask of tear-streaked vulnerability. “Dr. Vincent, she had lost too much blood. She was already gone by the time she reached the OR. I did everything I could, but I couldn’t save her. It’s all my fault.” She looked at me, her voice trembling. “If Susan won’t believe me, then… then I’ll pay for it with my own life.” 2 Ian pulled her closer, shielding her as if I were the monster. He turned his gaze on me, his eyes filled with disgust and accusation, as if I were a raving lunatic. “Susan, every surgery has risks. It would have been the same even if I had been the one operating! Your mother’s life mattered, but what about Leo’s? Does his life not matter? I only have two hands! I can’t be in two places at once! Besides, Leo’s transplant was a far more critical procedure. Your mother’s surgery was simple. Of course it had to make way for Leo’s!” A cold, bitter laugh escaped my lips. So, in the eyes of this supposedly noble doctor, some lives were worth more than others. A simple “make way” was all it took to sign my mother’s death warrant. I should have seen it. Serena had named her son Leo. Ian Leo. It was a shrine to her obsession, and even though the boy wasn't his, it was enough to buy Ian’s loyalty. “How could you say that?” I whispered, horrified. “She wasn’t just my mother, Ian, she was your benefactor! She paid for your entire education! And now her heart has been ripped out of her chest, and you stand there and defend this… this butchery? Or is there something else going on between you and your star student?” His face went rigid. He was an orphan. My mother had sponsored him from the time he was a child until he’d earned his doctorate. But he was deeply insecure about his past, and hated any mention of the charity that had saved him. At the same time, he had always shown a special, almost paternal indulgence towards Serena, who came from a similarly difficult background. “That’s enough, Susan! You’re hysterical! I won’t listen to this filth!” he snapped. “My relationship with Serena is purely professional! You have no right to slander us! If you keep this up, I’ll have you committed!” “Serena is a brilliant surgeon whom I trained myself! I trust her skills completely! What happened to your mother was a tragic accident! You need to accept it!” Hiding behind Ian, Serena shot me a look of pure, triumphant malice. “Susan, I am so, so sorry,” she said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. “But no matter what I did wrong, you can’t accuse me and Dr. Vincent of… that. I’ve told you, you’re mistaken. My conscience is clear, about your mother, and about my relationship with my mentor.” Blinded by rage, I lunged at her again. To protect Serena, Ian kicked me, hard, in the stomach. “I’ll say it one more time, Susan! No doctor would touch your mother’s heart without authorization! You’re the one who’s lost her mind!” A blinding, searing pain exploded in my abdomen. A warm gush of blood soaked through my jeans. The world tilted on its axis, and I collapsed into darkness. The last thing I heard was Ian’s voice, suddenly laced with panic. “Susan? Susan, what’s wrong?” When I woke up, I had miscarried. The baby I never even knew existed was gone. Maybe it didn’t want a father like him. Ian was at my bedside, his eyes filled with guilt. “Susan, how are you feeling? I’m so sorry. I… I didn’t know you were pregnant. Don’t be sad, we can have other children…” I shook my head, my voice a dead whisper. “No. We won’t.” I was done with him. I would make him and Serena pay for what they had done, in blood. But he didn’t understand. He just pulled out a death certificate and a pen, trying to press them into my hand. “Susan, I’ve had my team look into it. Leo’s transplant procedure was completely by the book. I trust Serena, but I’ll keep investigating, just to prove to you that you’re wrong. You have to let this go. People die, Susan. You have to wake up. Your mother wouldn’t want to see you like this, deluding yourself, turning into some crazy woman.” I shook my head violently, shoving his hand away. “You’re the one who’s deluded! I won’t sign it! This was murder! I demand an autopsy! I’m going to find out the truth!” He sighed, and in an instant, the guilt in his eyes hardened into something cruel. He grabbed my wrist, his grip like a vise. “If you won’t come back to reality on your own,” he said, his voice dangerously low, “then I’ll have to help you.” 3 I felt the bones in my wrist crack under the pressure, but he didn’t let go. He forced my hand down, scribbling a signature onto the form. “You’re a murderer, Ian! Both of you! You’ll burn for this!” I shrieked. “You say I’m lying, that I’m crazy? Then have the guts to come with me. Let’s go lift that sheet together and see what’s underneath!” His patience finally snapped. He threw a folder onto my face. “Susan, I have been trying to be gentle with you, for the sake of your mother, for the sake of our baby, but you refuse to listen! Open your eyes and read! That is the official organ donation consent form for Leo’s donor! See for yourself if the name on it is your mother’s!” I snatched the paper, my eyes scanning the page over and over. The donor’s name was not my mother’s. But it was impossible. I couldn't have been wrong. The image of her empty, blood-filled chest was burned into my mind. It had haunted me even in my unconscious state. “No… it can’t be…” The door opened and Serena walked in. She knelt dramatically by my bedside. “Susan, you can blame me all you want, but my child is innocent! You have the legal documents right in front of you. Why won’t you believe it? You were almost a mother yourself! My Leo is only ten years old! How can you be so cruel as to use him as an excuse to slander me?” Ian pulled her to her feet. “She’s a madwoman, Serena. Don’t waste your breath trying to explain.” I ignored them, grabbing Ian’s arm, my grip desperate. “You say I’m lying? Then come with me. Let’s go look at my mother’s body. Right now.” He hesitated. He sat on the edge of my bed and gently touched my swollen wrist, a flicker of remorse in his eyes. His touch was soft, but his next words plunged me into an abyss of ice. “Susan, you can’t see her anymore.” “I’ve already signed the papers. I had her sent for cremation.” My head spun, a roar filling my ears. The pain in my chest was so intense I couldn’t breathe. “You bastard!” I gasped. “That’s my mother! You had no right to make that decision!” Ian was silent. It was Serena who spoke, her voice laced with a sickening innocence. “Susan, I was the one who suggested it. I was worried you were too emotionally unstable to face the body. I only asked Dr. Vincent to sign because I was thinking of you. Was that so wrong?” I whipped my head around to face her, wanting to tear her apart. I lunged forward and slapped her across the face with all my strength. A red handprint instantly bloomed on her cheek. “Who gave you the right to touch my mother?” I screamed. “Who the hell do you think you are?” Ian pulled Serena behind him, and then, without a word, he slapped me back, hard. I clutched my stinging cheek, staring at him in disbelief. The man who had once knelt before my mother and sworn to love and protect me for the rest of his life, had just struck me for her killer. “Susan! Serena was only trying to help you! How can you be so ungrateful?” he snarled. “Apologize to her. Right now. If you don’t, this wedding is off. It’s not like we ever made it to the courthouse anyway.” Tears blurred my vision. A desolate, arctic wind swept through my heart. This was the man my mother had sacrificed for, scrimping and saving for years, never buying herself a new dress so that he could have the best education. This was the man I had given my entire heart to, my complete and utter trust. I was a blind fool. And my foolishness had cost my mother her life. I looked at Ian, all the warmth draining from my eyes. “You don’t have to threaten me with marriage. I will not marry my mother’s murderer.” “And you don’t get to call this off, Ian. I’m ending it. We’re done.” I ripped the engagement ring—the one he had so carefully chosen for me—off my finger and threw it straight at his face. When it clattered to the floor, I stomped on it, again and again. He stared at me, dumbfounded, as if he couldn't comprehend that the woman who had followed him so devotedly for years could be capable of such finality. He reached for my hand, but I shoved him away. Ignoring the pain in my body, I ran. All I wanted was to get my mother’s ashes and take her home. I walked all the way home from the crematorium, clutching the urn, feeling the warmth of her remains slowly turn to a chilling cold. My tears had run dry. But when I opened the front door to our apartment, a fresh wave of rage seized me, so violent it made my entire body tremble.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "394182", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel