Chapter 1

My intention in marrying Julian Thorne wasn't pure. Yes, I liked him, but more importantly, he was the world’s leading cardiothoracic surgeon.

So, I used every trick in the book to lure him, to make him forget Seraphina, the woman who truly held his heart, and willingly marry me.

After we got married, he was like a devout believer.

He held my hand and promised to personally perform my heart transplant surgery, to give me a second chance at life.

Just when I thought he had fallen in love with me, Seraphina got into a car accident.

He rushed off to operate on her, completely forgetting that today was the day he was supposed to perform my heart transplant.

I was already prepped, sedated, and had been lying on the operating table, waiting for him for what felt like forever.

The waiting room light outside the operating theater went out. I lay on the cold gurney, feeling the warmth of life draining from my fingertips, little by little.

The familiar, agonizing pain in my chest intensified, each breath feeling like glass shards scraping my windpipe. The head nurse walked over, her face etched with professional pity.

“Mrs. Thorne, Dr. Thorne had a more urgent emergency surgery come up. Your procedure will have to be postponed.”

I nodded, unable to utter a single word. The heart meant for me, chilling in its preservation box, had only a few hours of viability left. And my life? Only a few hours remained, too.

My phone vibrated. It was my brother, Liam. He immediately roared into the phone, “Chloe! Where is that bastard, Julian Thorne? I just got word, the donor family has signed, and the heart is on its way!”

I opened my mouth, but the sound that came out was hoarse and dry. “Liam, he… he went to save someone.”

A deathly silence hung on the line, then an even louder roar.

“Save someone? Who is he saving? That woman, Seraphina Dubois?! Does he have any idea how much money our family spent, how many connections we pulled to find that perfect match for this heart?! This is your life!”

Liam’s voice trembled with fury. I knew every word he said was true. To keep me alive, our family had poured almost everything we had into this.

Julian Thorne had said that with a perfectly matched heart, he was ninety-nine percent sure he could save me. I once thought he was the light in my life.

Now, I knew he was also the devil who personally pushed me into the abyss.

“Mrs. Thorne, do you need a sedative?” The head nurse looked at me with concern.

I shook my head, my vision starting to dim. The door to the operating room, usually a symbol of hope, now seemed like the entrance to hell—cold and despairing.

On the TV at the end of the hallway, an urgent news bulletin flashed.

“Renowned pianist Miss Seraphina Dubois was involved in a serious car accident this afternoon. Her condition is critical, and she has been rushed to Metropolitan Hospital for emergency surgery.

The lead surgeon is none other than her fiancé, the internationally acclaimed cardiothoracic specialist, Dr. Julian Thorne…”

Fiancé? The ink on my marriage certificate hadn't even dried. It turned out that in his heart, I didn’t even deserve the title of his wife.

A bitter, metallic taste filled my throat, and I violently coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining the pristine white sheet.

Liam burst into the room to this exact scene. His eyes were bloodshot, like a furious lion.

“Where is Julian Thorne?”

I weakly pointed to the television. Liam slammed his fist into the wall, plaster flaking down.

He stared at me, asking each word deliberately, “What did he say to you before he left?”

I recalled Julian’s departure. He’d received a call, his face instantly changed, and he’d grabbed his jacket, bolting out the door without even a backward glance.

Only a chilling sentence hung in the air from the doorway.

“Wait for me to come back.”