Love Fades, Clean Break

I was heartlessly abandoned by my parents the day they discovered I was intersex. My childhood friend, Lucas, threatened to kill himself to convince his family to adopt me, promising to love me for a lifetime. As our wedding day approached, I accidentally stumbled upon him in an intimate moment with his first love: “You’ve taken such good care of yourself. So soft and delicate, with a faint floral scent. Not like my fiancée’s - hers is oddly shaped and utterly repulsive. “Thank goodness I have you, or I’d die of loneliness.” In an instant, my heart felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand knives, my body pierced by countless needles, the pain unbearable. People truly are fickle. I struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes as I turned to leave. What I didn’t know was that Chloe had seen me at the door, nor did I realize she had silently crept up behind me. “Ava… had enough of eavesdropping?” I heard a voice say. Just as I was about to turn around, she gave me a hard shove, and before I could react, I tumbled down the stairs. Chloe stood at the top of the stairs, coldly watching me, silently mouthing the words “Go die.” She then turned and went back into the room. “Lucas, I’m done in the bathroom. Shall we continue?” “What was that noise just now?” “It was nothing, just something falling. Don’t waste time, I can’t wait any longer.” I curled up on the floor, in excruciating pain, but instinctively still wanting to call out to him for help: “Lucas, it hurts so much, help me…” But the rhythmic sounds of passion told me he was too occupied. I involuntarily clenched my thighs together, a wave of self-loathing washing over me. He had always said I was special, that having me was a blessing he must have earned from several past lives. When I was at my lowest point, fighting for survival, it was Lucas who had threatened suicide to convince his family to adopt me. From that moment on, I had silently vowed that Lucas was my destiny. But now he was in the throes of passion with another woman. Slowly, the blood from my head stained a large area of the floor. My vision began to blur. I desperately looked towards Lucas’s direction, praying he would appear… Suddenly, Lucas rushed out of the room, but he was carrying a woman in his arms, frantically shouting: “Chloe, hang on a bit longer, I’m taking you to the hospital. “I’m sorry, Chloe, I shouldn’t have been so rough. Just hang in there.” He carried Chloe past me, and in his haste, he even stepped on my fingers. I inhaled sharply from the pain. He didn’t notice at all, his eyes focused solely on Chloe in his arms. I could no longer hold on and slowly closed my eyes. When I opened my eyes again, the first thing I saw was Lucas’s anxious gaze. Seeing me awake, he let out a sigh of relief. “Ava, are you alright? Why didn’t you call me when you fell? Do you know how worried I was about you?” I tried to raise my hand to touch my head but couldn’t lift it. “What’s wrong with my hand?” He quickly pressed my hand down. “Don’t move, your hand is fractured from the fall. It’s a comminuted fracture.” From the fall? I remember it was you who stepped on it. “Ava, I want to discuss something with you.” He took my other hand, his gaze full of sincerity. “On the way to bring you here, I saw Chloe. She’s very ill and needs a heart transplant. Could you…” His words hit me like a sledgehammer, crushing my heart. Lying to me was one thing, but now he wanted me to donate a heart to someone who had attempted to murder me. “Ava, don’t be afraid. Our company has just developed a new artificial heart. The technology is very advanced, it’s just like having a normal heart once it’s implanted.” The more he spoke, the more excited he became, his eyes filled with urgency. “Ava, Chloe doesn’t have much time left. I’ve already done the heart compatibility tests for you two, and you’re a match. The surgery can be done in three days. “Ava, you’re beautiful and kind-hearted, you’ll help her, right? “You should be the one who understands her the most, right? Because you also have an incurable condition…” They’ve already done the compatibility tests and scheduled the surgery. So is he here to inform me or to ask for my opinion? I let out a cold laugh and turned my head away. Seeing my silence, his face lit up with joy. “Ava, since you’re not saying anything, I’ll take that as a yes. “Rest well and take care of yourself these next few days. I have some work to do at the company, so I’ll go now.” My heart sank to the bottom. I struggled to reach for my phone on the side and sent a message to the Special Experimental Lab in Hong Kong: [Ryan, save a spot for me in this experiment. I’m not getting married anymore.] Three days is enough for me to rest. After three days, I’m leaving this place.