Found Again, I Played Docile, He Went Mad

Chapter 3 The Heart I Sacrificed

Dawn was already breaking by the time Elias finally stopped, clearly reluctant to let it end.

The pain of my mate's betrayal surged through our bond and crashed into my chest. My weakened artificial heart struggled to bear the burden, each throb bringing a crushing, twisting ache.

Forcing my unsteady body upright, I went to get the medicine I always kept nearby.

The instant the pills landed in my palm, someone rushed over, snatched them away, and threw them to the ground.

"Who told you that you could take medicine? If Vivian didn't approve of it, you're not allowed to touch anything!" Jack yelled.

Vivian shot me a vicious glare.

The pain in my chest worsened. I didn't waste energy arguing and bent down to pick up the scattered pills.

The next second, a foot stomped down and ground them under its heel.

The tablets crumbled into the dust, lodging deep in the cracks between the floorboards.

Jack's sharp voice echoed above me, "You shameless thief! Get out of my house!"

A harsh ringing filled my ears. My artificial heart had finally reached its breaking point.

Unable to hold myself up any longer, I collapsed onto the floor as memories came rushing back.

Jack had been diagnosed with heart disease when he was only three years old. For years, no matching donor heart had been found. So I secretly went through compatibility testing.

When I learned that my heart was a match, I gave him my healthy one without a second thought.

And I was left with an artificial heart in its place. I had spent over half a month hovering between life and death.

Yet on the very first day Jack was able to get out of bed, he didn't come to see me. Instead, he ran straight into Vivian's arms.

"Vivian, when are you going to be my mom? My mom is so annoying. If Dad smokes one extra cigarette, she nags him forever. If I play games for a while, she scolds him too. You're so much better. You buy me fried chicken and take me to amusement parks. Dad and I both like being with you."

I stood right outside the door and heard every word. It felt like my heart was being scorched alive.

Holding back my tears, I stepped forward. "Jack, I went under the knife for you and nearly lost my life. Is this how you treat me?"

Vivian quickly pulled him behind her. "Clara, he's just a kid. He doesn't know better. Why take it out on him? Why be so harsh?"

With Vivian backing him up, Jack only grew more fearless. He lifted his head and shouted at me.

"I'm sick of you! You're cold and never gentle! Why didn't you just die on the operating table? Dad has gotten Vivian pregnant anyway, I'll have a little brother or sister soon, so it doesn't matter if you're here or not."

His words hit me like a thunderbolt. I froze completely. Blood rushed to my head, darkness swallowed my vision, and I collapsed right there.

When I came to again, Elias was sitting by the bedside.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, "Since you already know, there's no point hiding it anymore. Vivian and I slept together. It happened the day your father was buried. I told you I was drunk and didn't hear your call, but the truth is Vivian wouldn't let me go. I didn't have time to pick up."

My head rang so loudly that everything else faded away.

That day came rushing back to me. Vivian had collapsed from grief at my father's funeral. Worried about her, I had asked Elias to take her home first.

Before the burial was even over, relatives had already begun fighting over the influence and resources my father had controlled as the Beta.

My mother and I ended up battered and bleeding while trying to protect what he had left behind.

Throughout it all, I called Elias again and again. Not once did he answer.

So while I was drowning in grief, helpless and alone, he had been wrapped up in Vivian's arms?

A sharp ache tore through my chest. Humiliation and fury crashed over me. I struck him again and again across the face.

He kept his head lowered and never tried to stop me, allowing me to vent every ounce of my anger.

But the second I moved toward Vivian, Elias seized my wrist and finally snapped.

"Clara, you're the Beta's daughter. You were loved by your parents, protected by me, and grew up wanting for nothing. But Vivian was adopted into your family. She's spent her entire life depending on others, with nowhere to belong and no one to lean on. She has nothing! Can't you be a little more understanding?"

The favoritism in his eyes crushed the last of my hope.

My voice turned raw, "Elias, let's sever our mate bond."

"No!" Elias wrapped his arms around me immediately, his voice softening at once, "I'm sorry. I spoke without thinking. Clara, I've only ever treated Vivian like a sister. She was terrified we'd throw her out after your father died, so she slipped me an aphrodisiac.

"I swear it happened only once. It will never happen again. Besides, Vivian was ambushed by Rogues during a trip not long ago. She miscarried. There won't be any illegitimate children.

"And what about Jack? He finally has a healthy heart. Are you really going to break up this family now?"

For a brief moment, I hesitated. No matter what had happened, Jack was still my son.

"I'll give you one last chance. But Vivian has to leave. You have to cut her off completely."

Elias fell silent for a moment before finally nodding through clenched teeth.

"Alright, I promise."