My Husband and Father Plotted to Harvest My Heart

My name is Julia Crystal. The day I married Terrence Yeager, the sunlight was especially bright. I sat in the passenger seat, watching his focused profile as he drove, my fingertips still warm from the coffee he'd made for me that morning. We had planned to celebrate at a hot spring resort outside the city. He said he wanted to make up for me with a proper honeymoon. The screeching brakes shattered my eardrums, and I only managed to grab his arm. The violent impact knocked me unconscious instantly. When I opened my eyes again, it was the stark white ceiling of the hospital. The sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils, making me cough uncontrollably. "Julia, you're awake?" Terrence Yeager's voice was hoarse, and when he held my hand, his palm was soaked with sweat. I turned to look at him; the red veins in his eyes were clear, and blue stubble had started to grow on his chin. Standing beside me was my father, James Crystal. His brow was deeply furrowed, and his eyes were full of worry. "The doctor said..." My father paused, his voice choked with emotion, "They can't save your uterus." My whole body stiffened, as if someone had doused me with ice water. Terrence and I had still been hoping to have a child of our own. Tears welled up uncontrollably, and I bit my lip hard, trying desperately not to cry out loud. Terrence squeezed my hand tightly, his voice steady: "Julia, it's okay. We don't need a child. I only want you." My dad nodded as well, patting my shoulder. "Julia, I'm here. No matter what, I won't leave you—Terrence won't either." Their words were a soothing balm, calming me just a little. I gave a weak smile and nodded. The nurse came in to inform me that the surgery was scheduled for the afternoon and to prepare myself. Terrence Yeager and my dad stood by my bedside, talking to me nonstop, trying to distract me. Later, the nurse brought the preoperative checklist and asked them to sign it in the hallway. The ward door wasn't fully closed; it was left ajar. I had planned to close my eyes and rest for a bit, but the conversation outside the door chilled me to the bone. It was Terrence Yeager's voice, urgent: "Dad, during the surgery, can we just take the heart directly?" My breath caught in my throat. The heart? Were they talking about my heart? "Why the rush?" It was my dad's voice, quiet but clear: "The doctor has already arranged it. First, they'll perform the hysterectomy. They'll increase the anesthetic dosage during the operation, so she won't feel a thing when they take the heart." "Lillian can't wait any longer. The doctor said her heart might only last a month at most." Terrence Yeager's voice was thick with anxiety. Lillian Crystal, my adopted younger sister. She was born with a congenital heart defect and has depended on medication all these years. I never could have imagined they would set their sights on my heart. "I know," my dad sighed, "Julia's life has been hard, but Lillian has been my daughter for so many years—I can't just stand by and watch her die." "If it weren't for finding a matching heart for Lillian, I wouldn't have agreed to you marrying Julia." My father added. So, this marriage was a lie from the very beginning. Terrence Yeager married me not because he loved me, but because my heart matched Lillian Crystal's. I felt like my entire world came crashing down in an instant. Those tender promises, those caring looks — they were all lies. They only saw me as a vessel to provide a heart for Lillian. "What will happen to her after the surgery?" Terrence's voice carried a barely perceptible hesitation. "Without a heart, what else can be done?" My dad's tone was icy cold, "Just say it was a surgical accident, a fatal complication." "That's fine too—it'll save us trouble down the line." Terrence Yeager's voice had calmed, as if he were discussing something insignificant. I bit down hard on my own arm, stifling any sound. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, but it couldn't compare to the pain in my chest. It turned out, the two people I trusted most were conspiring together to take my life.