Chapter 3

"Michael, can you go grab us some coffee from that nearby cafe? You know it's my absolute favorite. I'll take care of Wendy, don't worry," Rachel said with a playful smile.

Michael didn't even ask what I thought. He just flashed me a big grin and agreed.

"Wendy, see that? Michael's always put me first, you know? Ever wondered why he's been so nice to you these past three years?" Rachel said, smirking.

She poked right where my heart was, her eyes shining with triumph.

"Because this heart of yours? It's going to belong to me someday!" she said.

My suspicions were confirmed, and for a moment, my face went ghostly pale.

I clenched my fists so tightly they trembled, my whole body shaking. "Your brother took Lucas's heart; wasn't that enough? Now you want to take mine, too?" I said through gritted teeth.

A flicker of panic flashed across Rachel's face, but she quickly straightened up, defiant. She replied, "Who are you gonna blame? Blame your brother for dying young. Blame your parents for not living long enough."

My blood was boiling with rage; I couldn't hold back anymore. I raised my hand and gave her two hard slaps across the face.

I put everything I had into those slaps, and afterward, I slumped back onto the hospital bed, completely spent.

"Damn you, Wendy. You're nothing but my spare heart; how dare you lay a hand on me?" Rachel shouted, her voice trembling with fury.

She raised her hand, eyes burning with hatred, like she was about to rip me to shreds.

But then she suddenly froze, clutching her chest as she collapsed to the floor.

"Wendy, what did you do to Rachel?" Michael yelled.

He rushed in and threw the steaming coffee right at me.

Then he carefully held Rachel in his arms.

He looked at me, his eyes filled with anger.

"Rachel was just trying to take care of you, and this is what you do to her? Don't you know her heart's not been well lately?" he snapped.

The scorching coffee seared my skin, leaving it red, but I bit back a cry and glared at him.

I said coldly, "She called my parents and my brother short-lived. So tell me, shouldn't you finally explain why my brother's body rejected the heart after that transplant?"

Michael automatically held Rachel tight, a flash of panic crossing his eyes.

He said, forcing himself to sound calm, "Heart transplants are never a sure thing. It was your brother's own body that couldn't handle it.

"Rachel's got nothing to do with any of this. How could you hurt her like that? Apologize to her, right now."

Rachel clutched her chest, her voice frail and full of pity. She said, "Don't blame Wendy, okay? Her brother's gone, but mine survived. Of course, she's hurting. I totally get it. I'm not mad at her at all.

"Since Wendy hates me so much, maybe I should just stop coming around. I really don't want to put you in a tough spot."

The burn on my skin stung and throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the raw, bleeding pain in my heart.

Michael didn't even spare me a glance. He carried Rachel bridal style, kicked the hospital room door open, and rushed out to find a doctor.

I closed my eyes, and a single tear slid down my cheek.

Got a message from my lawyer, the divorce papers were done.

From this moment on, our three years together were over for good.

That night, I printed out the divorce papers and checked myself out of the hospital.

Back home, I spotted the birthday present Michael had given me just yesterday.

It was a set of jewelry from last year's collection, already out of style and forgotten.

Rachel had just posted on her social media. Tonight was her wedding anniversary with Ethan.

In the photo, she stood in the center like a princess adored by everyone, with Ethan and Michael flanking her on either side, looking like her loyal knights.

The gossip sites were all saying Rachel was living the dream; she had a young, successful husband and a childhood sweetheart who loved her more than anything.

She was wearing that one-of-a-kind gemstone necklace Michael had spent the last six months desperately trying to track down.

There was literally only one in the entire world.

Maybe, to Michael, Rachel was as irreplaceable as that necklace.

And at their wedding anniversary party, Michael announced he was gifting Rachel a whopping thirty percent of the Grant Group's shares.

He also declared that ninety percent of the Grant Group's orders would go to the Summers Group first, all just to boost Rachel's standing in the Sawyer family.

Ever since the Summers Group took over the Larson Group, they hadn't gotten stronger; if anything, they'd been going downhill.

Ethan's mom was starting to resent Rachel, thinking she wasn't contributing to the family business at all.

So Michael's actions, spending a fortune just to make Rachel smile, weren't exactly what he was doing?

But at the same time, I realized something was off.

With how badly the Summers Group was run, how the hell did they ever manage to swallow up my parents' company?

But after all these years, there was no way to look into it anymore.

Just like with Lucas's heart transplant, there was no way to prove anything now.