ManyWriters

It was common knowledge that Lucas Ryan had wed me solely out of resentment, unable to be with the woman he truly adored.
Throughout our five-year union, he played the role of the ideal spouse in public—a celebrated heart specialist admired by many. However, within the confines of our home, he was aloof and detached, frequently requesting a divorce.
Then Evelyn Snow, his first love, came back to the country due to health issues. Lucas dedicated himself to her care, rarely leaving her side. He even cautioned me repeatedly: "Eve's heart condition is fragile. If you dare appear and cause her stress, our marriage is over for good."
At last, during his hundredth plea for a divorce, I conceded.
What Lucas was unaware of, though, was that I was already expecting his child.
En route to the courthouse to complete the divorce proceedings, I was involved in a vehicular collision. My life and that of my unborn baby were extinguished in a moment.
Lucas didn't receive the divorce papers that day, but he did get word that Evelyn had found an ideal heart donor match.
Elated, he hurried back to the medical center and conducted the operation himself, extracting the heart from my lifeless form and implanting it into hers.
It wasn't until afterwards that he recalled our divorce—but by then, my phone would never ring again.

The Heart He Stole Twice

That evening, I found myself trapped by an intoxicated individual who refused to leave me be. It was Lucas who intervened, extracting me from the predicament.


My typically composed heart fluttered for the first time.


Yet I understood the reality. Lucas Ryan existed in a different sphere from mine. He was beyond my reach, and moreover, he was with Evelyn.


Thus, I suppressed my emotions deeply, satisfied to observe him from afar.


I believed it to be an unrealistic fantasy. Those like myself—who had struggled to rise above their circumstances—had no right to aspire to someone of his caliber.


I assumed that would be our sole encounter.


However, destiny had alternative plans.


Lucas and Evelyn eventually parted ways. The reason was unknown to me, and I felt it wasn't my place to inquire.


On a bright afternoon, I happened to be delivering bespoke cufflinks to one of Lucas's acquaintances. Lucas was present, standing near the window, illuminated by golden sunlight.


He turned his gaze towards me, his expression calm and detached, and posed a question that would alter everything: "Would you consider marrying me?"


"Is Claire still not responding to her phone?"


In the hospital chamber, Evelyn Snow's already pallid complexion grew even more wan. Her eyes reddened, and tears cascaded down her cheeks as she looked at Lucas Ryan, her voice quavering.


"Lucas, during your five-year marriage to her... did you truly never harbor any feelings for her? Not even once?"


Her voice cracked as she continued, her emotions unraveling.


"Is she genuinely missing, or are you deceiving me? Was this all a ruse because... you never actually intended to marry me? Because you never forgave my departure back then?"


As she finished speaking, Evelyn erupted into heart-rending sobs.


I stood quietly by the window, leaning against the frame, observing them. My emotions had strangely stabilized over the past few days. I wasn't even angry anymore. I had anticipated this.


I presumed Lucas would embrace her, comforting her as he always did.


And indeed, a moment later, he frowned, rose, and enveloped the trembling Evelyn in a reassuring hug.


"Claire consented to the divorce," he stated calmly, patting Evelyn's back as if to reassure her. "I'm unsure why she suddenly vanished, but don't fret. I'll proceed with the divorce."


Just as those words left his mouth, hurried footsteps resonated down the corridor.


Before Lucas could react, two uniformed police officers entered the room.


Lucas froze, his brow furrowing in bewilderment. "Officers, is there an issue?"


Before the police could respond, the door burst open once more.


Mason stumbled in, gasping for breath, his face ashen as he stammered, "Dr. Ryan... C-Claire... Claire is deceased."


Chapter 4