C07
“So Faye’s preparing a gift for me? She always loves surprising me,” he thought, a soft smile
tugging at his lips.
He imagined her hiding just around the corner, secretly recording his reaction with her phone, waiting for him to unwrap the gift.
The thought of her sneaky, adorable way of peeking out from behind corners made
Theodore’s heart melt like butter on a hot day.
He realized now how harsh he’d been with her earlier, how late he was again, yet there she
was, not a hint of anger in her eyes.
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With a soft sigh, he motioned for the assistant to open the box, resolving that no matter
what was inside, he would act overly thrilled, making sure not to disappoint Faye.
O
KIKA
12:22 F, 31 Jan M
My Husband Stole My Heart and Killed My Mother
The moment the box was opened, Theodore’s eyes locked onto the contents and his face
drained of color.
There were no flowers, watches, ties, or anything that would have made a man smile. Instead, nestled inside was a silver metal object the size of a fist, its shape strange and unfamiliar, like a piece from a forgotten machine.
But as Theodore’s trembling fingers closed around it, a cold shiver ran down his spine as though he were holding the very essence of someone he cherished.
No one knew what that was better than he did. It was the very thing he had placed inside
Faye all those years ago.
As a personal touch, he had engraved a tiny symbol on it, a small Dmitri mark.
This was Faye’s artificial heart. The one meant to beat in her chest.
As he moved, a slip of paper fluttered out from a small crevice in the metal.
Theodore grabbed it quickly, his pulse quickening. It was Faye’s handwriting.
“Theodore, you are no longer in my heart.”
His mind exploded. He wasn’t mistaken; this was Faye’s artificial heart.
But why had it been removed ahead of time?
Where was Faye now?
Faye was frail, too delicate to be out working, let alone afford the exorbitant cost of an artificial heart replacement.
If she hadn’t replaced it, could it be that Faye… had already…
Theodore couldn’t bear to finish the thought. Just the mere possibility of it left him breathless, suffocating under the weight of it.
Even his assistant sensed something was wrong, but Rhea hadn’t noticed.
She didn’t recognize the artificial heart because she didn’t need one. Her eyes narrowed in disdain as she glanced at the object in Theodore’s hands, her voice dripping with contempt.
“Faye, really… how could she send you this junk?”
“She’s been married to you for years and I’m sure she’s been hiding some of the money she’s made. She couldn’t even send you something decent? She’s such a miser, probably wanted to hoard it all for herself.”
“We came here in the middle of the night to perform surgery for her and yet she’s nowh to be found. She’s spoiled, Uncle. Let her suffer. She deserves it. Why bother with this worthless junk?”
him.
Saying this, she slapped the artificial heart from Theodore’s hands and reached out to grab
But to her surprise, Theodore, who had always been gentle with her, shoved her away violently, his voice wild with panic.
“Shut up! Do you have any idea what that is? That’s Fave’s artificial heart! Without it she’ll
KIKA
12:22 F, 31 Jan M.
My Husband Stole My Heart and Killed My Mother
die!”
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“Shut up! Do you have any idea what that is? That’s Faye’s artificial heart! Without it, she’ll‘
He scrambled to retrieve the heart, his hands trembling.
Rhea froze, stunned by his outburst, then pouted, her voice defensive.
“I didn’t know! Why are you yelling at me? What if you’re mistaken?”
“I don’t believe Faye would kill herself. Maybe she’s faking it, trying to manipulate you
pitying her. She’s nothing but a hypocrite.”
into
“Uncle, I understand women like her. She’s probably jealous of all the things you’ve given me. This is just her way of trying to scare you. And honestly, she should feel lucky to have married you in the first place. How dare she ask for more? She doesn’t deserve it…”
Her words caused Theodore’s gaze to fall on the pink diamond necklace around her neck. Suddenly, his mind flashed back to the scene from that night at the old house.
Faye stood among the dresses Theodore had bought for Rhea, wearing nothing but a T–shirt
and jeans, enduring the mockery of everyone around her.
And what was he doing?
He was on the balcony with Rhea, laughing and enjoying her company.
Theodore’s heart ached uncontrollably. He had never given Faye anything.
But why was everyone so cruel to her? Why did even Rhea have to join in ridiculing her?
He had always thought of Rhea as a delicate, pure little flower, someone he wanted to
protect.
