My Husband Stole My Heart and Killed My Mother

Theodore had been sending large sums of money to the families of those donors every month, ensuring their support. The only condition? Their hearts belonged to him alone, reserved for Rhea whenever she needed one.

And at the very bottom of the stack, I found the last consent form.

Mine.

But the intended recipient had changed. It was no longer my mother. It was Rhea.

Back then, Theodore had handed me stacks of documents, claiming they were routine procedures. Desperate to get my mother into surgery, I had signed them all without hesitation.

This consent form must have been mixed in with the rest. My mother’s had probably been destroyed long ago.

Theodore, you truly spared no effort for Rhea.

I printed out the divorce agreement and sank onto the sofa, staring into the endless stretch of night, sleep a distant, unattainable thing.

By morning, Theodore simply assumed I had woken up early. He suspected nothing.

Perhaps because he had seen me coughing up blood again the night before, he made breakfast himself, a table filled with carefully arranged, nutritious dishes, each one an illusion of tenderness.

When Theodore saw me sitting quietly, he watched me with concern.

“Faye, why aren’t you eating? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Nothing, I just miss my mother.”

He sighed, his gaze softening.

“Faye, it’s not just you. I still think about Mom all the time. She was such a kind and gentle person. It’s my fault I couldn’t save her back then. I can still remember her holding my hand, telling us to be happy together.”

If only my mother had the strength to raise her hand back then. She would have used it to strangle him.

His feigned sincerity left nothing but contempt in its wake.

I was about to bring up the divorce, but Theodore casually continued.

“Faye, you’ve been feeling down lately. Today happens to be Rhea’s birthday and she’s just returned to the country. The family is having a gathering at the old residence. Why don’t we go? Maybe it’ll cheer you up.”

“I know you’ve never wanted to see her because of Mom, but that’s all in the past now. Rhea never meant for things to turn out that way… We’re all family, after all. She’s always been sensitive. If we don’t go, I’m afraid she’ll be upset.”

So, this was his true purpose today. All those words, just so he could see the one he truly loved.

I cut him off, my tone cold.

“Do as you like.”

Theodore smiled, his voice dripping with satisfaction.

“I knew my Faye was the most understanding.”

When we arrived at the old residence, I saw Rhea, dressed like a princess, clinging to my mother-in-law’s arm, acting coy and delighted.

My mother-in-law chuckled, indulging Rhea as she fed her neat slices of fruit.

She truly doted on Rhea, offering attention in every way possible.

The moment Rhea saw me, she smirked, turning to my mother-in-law with a voice as sweet as honey but dripping with mockery.

“Grandmother, you’ve fed me so much, I’m going to get fat. Now that Auntie’s here, why don’t you give the rest to her? After all, she doesn’t have a mother.”

My mother-in-law’s eyes shifted toward me, scanning me with disdain as she took in my plain outfit.

"Why are you here, you sickly thing? Are you trying to bring your misfortune and poverty into our home?"

"Our family has been in medicine for generations, yet you walk around looking like a beggar. You've embarrassed my son enough already. You've been married for years, haven't given him a child and you don’t even have a brain. Did your dead mother never teach you any manners?"

Theodore wasn’t Rhea’s biological father’s younger brother; he was a child brought into the family by his stepmother.

Afraid that her stepson wouldn't be valued, his stepmother had always pushed him to marry someone of equal status, someone who could support him.

When Rhea’s father died in a car accident, Theodore rose through his own merits to become the revered "Golden Scalpel," earning the respect of the family patriarch, who then entrusted the entire family business to him.

Only then did my mother-in-law grudgingly allow Theodore to marry me.