When I Die, I'll Donate My Heart to My Wife's First Love

I suddenly felt a tightness in my chest, unsure if it was the painkillers kicking in.

If only painkillers could heal a broken heart.

I couldn't help but wonder when exactly Ariana had started to drift away.

What had caused her change of heart?

Why was she the one who had made those vows, yet it was her who broke them first?

What had I done to deserve all of this?

Seeing my pale face, Ariana rushed over to support me.

"Arthur, what's wrong? It's really not what you think. Don't get lost in your own thoughts.

"Marvin and I are just good friends, nothing more," Ariana insisted.

4

I thought, "Marvin? Good friends?

Who gets married to their "good friend"?

Who kisses their "good friend" in a car?"

Not long ago, when I refused to agree to the divorce, Ariana had stormed off in a huff.

Worried about her, I checked her dashcam footage through an app on my phone.

What I saw shattered me. Ariana and Marvin were locked in a passionate kiss, lost in their own world.

They kissed for what felt like an eternity before she finally dropped him off at the hospital, reminding him to get some rest.

Maybe they had been involved long before Marvin's heart failure.

Otherwise, why would Ariana have grown increasingly distant after coming home?

She thought I was oblivious, but now, in this moment, she was still trying to cover her tracks.

Did she really believe her actions were seamless?

No matter how much I loved her, I could no longer trust her like before.

As Ariana frantically tried to explain herself, I pushed her hand away in disgust.

"Aren't we getting a divorce? Let's go; we don't want to keep anyone waiting."

Ariana hesitated, searching my eyes for something—anything—before her gaze fell flat, meeting only the emptiness within me.

On our way to the courthouse, I gazed out the window at the rapidly passing streets, nostalgia washing over me.

I remembered taking this same route with Ariana when we went to get our marriage license.

Back then, we had nothing, no house, no car, not even a penny to our names.

We had taken the bus to the City Hall.

But we were filled with hope for the future.

Now, we had everything but each other.

In an attempt to make amends, Ariana insisted I could propose any terms for our divorce.

I chuckled softly. "How about transferring all the assets to my name?"

Even though I was on the brink of being erased from existence, I didn't want her to use that money for Marvin.

If I had to go, I'd rather my money go to charity than line Marvin's pockets.

Ariana's expression soured at my request.

"Why? The money we've saved over the years isn't just from your efforts!"

I calmly explained, "Didn't you say this was just a temporary divorce? So, what's the worry? You don't trust me to hold onto it? Or maybe you never intended to remarry me at all."

Her face stiffened momentarily, but she quickly denied it.

"Who said that? Once this whole Marvin thing blows over, we'll definitely get back together."

"Then what's the issue? You should have nothing to worry about."

After a moment of awkward hesitation, she finally relented.

But deep down, I knew she wouldn't be around for a reconciliation.

Once the divorce paperwork was finalized, Ariana grabbed her suitcase and headed back to the hospital.

I, on the other hand, feeling unwell, returned home.

When I got back, the System reminded me with its usual monotone voice, "In approximately three days, you will be involved in a car accident because of Ariana, leading to your heart donation surgery."

I sighed, "So soon?"

The System said, "In three days, Ariana is set to marry Marvin. If she gets the right heart for donation then, she'll be overjoyed. But if she finds out that the donor was you and that the reason for the donation was because of the car accident caused by her, she'll be devastated.

"After all, to make someone fall hard, you first have to let them climb high enough."

The System's methods of torment were as sophisticated as ever.

5

When I got home, I lay on my bed for the entire afternoon, lost in thought.

By evening, I finally opened my phone and was startled to see a new message from Ariana: [Arthur, are you home? Let's have dinner together tonight.]

This was the same Ariana who wouldn't pick up my calls when I refused to agree to the divorce. Now, she was the one reaching out, wanting to share a meal.

It felt surreal, almost like a cruel joke. But as soon as I remembered that she was planning to marry Marvin less than a week after we signed the divorce papers, a wave of nausea washed over me.

I didn't want to see her, nor did I want to have dinner with her.

So, while my stomach wasn't feeling too terrible, I took all the things Ariana had left behind and packed them up. I headed downstairs and handed the box to the cleaning lady, hoping to rid myself of the last remnants of her presence.

Once that was done, I realized it was getting late.

I turned on my phone, planning to scroll through some videos to distract myself.

But as soon as I unlocked the screen, I noticed a friend request from someone I didn't recognize.

The request came through a phone number, which struck me as odd since my social circle was pretty small.

I couldn't recall giving my number to anyone.

Curiosity got the better of me, so I accepted the request. Almost instantly, I received a picture from the other end.