Chapter 3 I Gave Her a New Heart

By the time the Carson Corporation went public, Irene's family had already gone bankrupt.

Vincent finally got his first love.

Turned out that it wasn't that he didn't love her; rather, he felt he had nothing to offer back then, so he dared not love her.

At that time, I was eight months pregnant when I rushed to the bathroom, vomiting until the room spun around me.

That night, I went into early labor.

When I awoke, Irene was cradling my newborn son, Frank, a smug smile playing on her lips. "Vincent said I should take care of the baby for now!" she declared triumphantly.

For Frank's sake, I couldn't leave. I begged her over and over again to give my child back to me.

Instead, she had me locked in the hospital and sedated for six months.

During that time, she comfortably settled into my home, assuming the role of Vincent's wife.

Later, many of my screenplay drafts were posted online under her name. She had stolen my account, and overnight, she became a celebrated genius screenwriter adored by the masses for her so-called talent.

As she grew busier, she finally returned Frank to me.

When he turned three, our villa caught fire.

Vincent was in his study, dead drunk. I dragged him from the flames, only to collapse from exhaustion. When I woke, my world had shifted beyond recognition.

Irene accused me of stealing her manuscript and setting the villa ablaze. She claimed that in her efforts to save Vincent, she inhaled so much smoke that her organs were permanently damaged.

Vincent disappeared for three days after the fire. When he returned, the first thing he did was have someone break my legs before dumping me into the basement.

That was where my memories cut off, and my heart no longer stirred.

Vincent was now the owner of an empire worth billions. He bought the building where he once proposed to me, only to gift it to Irene.

Now, here I was, in that building, sent to my death for the sake of another woman.

I no longer wanted a man who had sullied himself so thoroughly.

Both Irene and I were wheeled into the operating room. Irene looked smug, almost gleeful. "Do you see? Vincent still loves me the most!"

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "You're getting so proud over picking up someone's trash."

Just then, the system in my head shrieked a warning, "The doctor only has one dose of anesthesia! They're planning to cut you open alive!"

Given that this hospital was built after the Yatezes regained their power, it was no surprise that they were capable of anything.

"Block the pain sensors now!"

The system's voice trembled with panic. 'Host! Why aren't you escaping? What are you waiting for?'

'Soon…' I thought. 'I want to see Irene's heart.'

Irene quickly succumbed to the anesthesia, her body going limp. I watched closely as the doctor opened her chest and lifted out a healthy, strong, beating heart.

I stared in disbelief. Her heart was perfectly normal.

Irene may despise me, but she would never gamble with her own life like this. Heart transplants were dangerous, so why would she risk such a procedure just to swap hearts with me?

The heart was then placed into my chest.

As the final stitch was tied, the operating room doors shuddered under the weight of loud, desperate pounding.

Through my hazy consciousness, I thought I heard Frank's voice calling for me.

I laughed bitterly to myself. 'System, let's go.'

But my soul didn't leave this world immediately. Instead, I hovered above, watching as Frank burst into the room, Vincent right behind him.

"Frank! Three years ago, you interrupted the surgery, and this time, I won't let you interfere!" Vincent's voice was sharp, dripping with frustration.

I froze. 'Three years ago, Frank sabotaged Irene's heart transplant? He loves her so much—how could he possibly have done that?'

I looked down again and saw Frank rushing to my bedside. "Mom…"

For a moment, I thought I was hallucinating.

"Why are Mom's eyes closed?" His voice cracked.

The doctor, visibly shaking under Vincent's gaze, stammered, "I-It's the anesthesia…"

"You're lying! There's no needle here; there's no anesthesia at all!" Frank shouted.

Vincent rushed over, his face twisting in fury as he surveyed the scene. "What have you done?"

'I have only been following Irene's orders, ensuring Kelsey would suffer a bit as she had requested,' he thought.

After all, everyone knew Irene held Vincent's heart, so the doctor obeyed without question.

Besides, Vincent had given the command to perform the heart transplant. His treatment of his wife had always been cold and indifferent, so the doctor never imagined it would be a problem to help Irene.

But now, seeing Vincent's reaction, he began to wonder, 'Does he still care for his wife?'

Frank shook me gently. "Why isn't Mom moving?"

Sensing something was terribly wrong, Vincent reached out, placing his fingers under my nose, searching for the faintest breath. He stood there, motionless for what seemed like an eternity.

"What's wrong, Dad? Didn't you say if we made Irene happy, Mom would come back? Is she still not happy? Why isn't Mom waking up?"

Vincent remained frozen, his gaze fixed on me. His voice, hollow with disbelief, cracked as he whispered, "Kels?"

'How long has it been since I've heard him call me that? What on earth is going on in his mind?' I mused.

"Kels, wake up! Please, Kels, open your eyes!" His voice carried a desperation I had never heard before.

The doctor rushed over. "Mr. Carson, please calm down. Your wife just fainted from the pain. Look, she's still breathing…"

He reached under my nose to check again. "No breath? Oh no… Mrs. Carson… She's… dead?"

Vincent let out a guttural cry, his voice laden with disbelief. "Impossible! I gave her a new heart! How could she die?"