hadn’t been so desperate to find a donor back then, Lucas wouldn’t even
be alive today. But it’s ironic, isn’t it? The heart you saved now beats
for someone else.”
The world seemed to freeze.
I could hear the kettle boiling, my own breath breaking into ragged
pieces.
The spoon slipped from my grasp and clattered onto the table, the sound
ringing sharp in the silence.
Lucas frowned, his voice hard. “That’s enough. Stop acting out.”
“Acting out?” I laughed, though my voice trembled. “I spent five years
taking care of you—begging doctors, begging for a match, staying up
through endless nights to feed you medicine. And the first thing you did
when you got better was bring another woman into our home.”
Nova tilted her head, utterly unfazed.
“Women who feel too much are sick,” she said lazily. “You should be glad
you still have time to take care of him. Without you, his heart might
not even be beating right now.”
“Enough!”
My voice cracked, tears shining in my eyes.
“Stop talking about that heart! I already gave it back to him. But my
own heart—”
I pressed a trembling hand to my chest—
“—died a long time ago.”
The air froze.
Lucas’s face turned pale, his fists tightening at his sides, yet he said
nothing.