Dead Five Years, The Heart He Stole

I've been dead for five years.

My husband's obsession, his so-called white moonlight, just had a heart attack. Suddenly, he remembered meDthe top cardiothoracic surgeon in the country.

To force me out of hiding for her surgery, he drove his car over my father's legs. He forced my mother to her knees in the dirt. He even locked my ten-year-old sister in a cage, letting wild dogs tear at her.

He sat there, smug and confident, waiting for me to crawl back and beg for his forgiveness. That was when his assistant finally brought him the news.

"Mr. Vaughan, Dr. Stella Channing has been dead for five years."

"That heart transplant you received five years ago when you were dying of heart failure? That was hers."

I never imagined my reunion with Felix Vaughan after five years would be this gruesome.

The hand I once swore to hold forever was now gripped tight on a steering wheel.

And under his tires lay my own father.

My father's leg was crushed beneath the wheels of that luxury car. His body shook with agony as he let out a piercing, jagged scream.

"Ahhh!"

"Help! Someone help me!"

My father was a combat veteran. He'd taken bullets on the battlefield without making a sound. But now, his shrieks were like serrated blades carving into my soul.

How much pain must he be in?

I lunged forward, desperate to pull him up and end his suffering.

But my hands passed straight through his broken body.

I froze, the cold reality hitting me again. I was dead.

I had been dead for five long years.

For half a decade, my spirit had been drifting, tethered to my family. I was forced to watch them suffer, unable to lift a finger to protect them.

A hollow, crushing ache exploded in my chest.

I knelt beside my father, tears streaming down my face.

I remembered how he used to carry me when I was little. He was so tall, so strongDmy ultimate protector.

Now, I couldn't protect him. Worse, he was being tortured like an animal all because of me.

All because of the only man I had ever loved.

Felix Vaughan.

Felix finally stepped out of the car. He adjusted his suit and pressed the tip of his expensive leather shoe against my father's face. Then, he spat on him.

"You old fossil, listen to me. Tell Stella to come out and face me right now."

"Otherwise, losing a leg will be the least of your worries."

The veins in my father's neck bulged from the pain. His voice was a raw, broken rasp. "I told you... Stella is dead! She's been gone for years!"

"How can you be this cruel? You killed my daughter, isn't that enough for you?"

"Do you really have to destroy our entire family to be satisfied?!"

My father's heartbroken questioning only seemed to provoke Felix further.

He raised his hand and delivered a brutal, stinging slap across my father's face.

"No!"

I threw myself at him, trying to stop the blow, but I felt nothing.

I had to watch my silver-haired father be humiliated in public by a man he once treated like a son.

My tears fell like rain.

I stared at Felix, my eyes burning with phantom blood.

I wanted to scream at him. Why? Why are you doing this to my father? Why are you doing this to me?

When we got married, my family's modest background was nothing compared to the wealthy Vaughan empire. Yet, my father loved Felix more than his own flesh and blood.

Every time Felix visited, my father would spend all day in the kitchen.

He memorized every single one of Felix's allergies and dislikes just to make sure he felt at home.

"Felix, try the brisket. I slow-cooked it just for you."

"Felix, you're family here. Don't you dare be polite."

"Go rest after dinner, son. Don't worry about the dishes."

The memories played back in vivid color. Five years of unconditional love and respect were being repaid with this monstrous cruelty.

"Old man, you think I'm stupid?"

"You think I'll fall for your lies?"

"Stella is dead? Ha! You'll be in the ground long before she ever is."

"She's just pathetic and jealous of what Quinn and I have!"

"I know her better than anyone. She's a gutter rat. A stray dog I decided to throw away."

"Now that Quinn is sick, she's hiding like a coward because she doesn't want to save her. What a low-life."

"Listen closely. Call that bitch of a daughter and tell her to get down here, kneel, and beg for my mercy. Maybe then I'll let your family of dogs live."

"But if anything happens to Quinn, I'll bury all of you with her!"

A tremor went through my spirit. The pain was uncontrollable.

So... Quinn Taylor was sick.

Of course. Why else would he bother looking for me?

The love between us had been incinerated five years ago.

Meeting Felix had felt like destiny back then.

He was my mother's student. He had been shattered after a brutal breakup when Quinn dumped him and moved abroad.

He had even tried to take his own life.

My mother, a devoted professor, knew I had studied psychology. She begged me to help reach him.

That was how I met Felix Vaughan.

The first time I saw him, he was wearing a crisp white shirt, sitting in an empty classroom staring out the window.

His eyes were like stagnant waterDdead, cold, and devoid of hope.

In ? moment, I knew I couldn't just walk away from him.

From that day on, I became his shadow. I learned him, listened to him, and stayed by his side.

During his darkest bouts of depression, I never left him for a second.

He went from resisting me to depending on me. Eventually, he would hide his face in my lap and sob until he couldn't breathe.

He told me he didn't want to die. He told me it hurt so much.

Watching his agony, I felt every bit of it.

I realized I loved him more than my own life.

By the end of a year of therapy, we were inseparable.

I fell for him, and he finally stepped out of the shadow of his ex.

After he graduated, our marriage felt like the natural, happy ending to a long journey.

Felix was sensitive and sometimes spoiled.

But I believed he was good at heart. I chose to endure his occasional anxiety and his sharp temper because I loved him.

After his outbursts, he would always hold me, crying, kissing my neck, and whispering apologies.

"I'm so sorry, Stella. I know I messed up."

"I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"Please forgive me. I can't lose you..."

Every time, I would rub his back and soothe him with soft words.

His friends always said he had found the most patient, gentle wife in the world.

And he would proudly wrap his arm around me in front of everyone.

"Damn right! My wife loves me to my core. You guys are just jealous!"

I would just look at him and smile, basking in the warmth of his affection.

I thought our lives would stay that wayDsimple, steady, and full of love.

Until our seventh year of marriage, when Quinn Taylor returned to the States.

Her return was a bolt of lightning that split my stable world wide open.

The day she landed, Felix dropped everything. He blew off our anniversary dinner.

He raced to the airport just because she sent him a single text.

I remember it clearly. It was Valentine's Day.

I had booked the best restaurant and prepared a special gift. I waited there all night.

Instead of my husband, I got a viral notification on my phone.

"Billionaire Heir Felix Vaughan Spotted in Tearful Reunion with Mystery Woman at JFK."

In the video, Quinn was clinging to him.

Felix's face was wet with tears.

I heard him shouting his confession, his voice breaking with desperation.

"Quinn, why did you wait so long to come back?"

"Why did you leave me back then?"

"Do you have any idea how much I missed you? I dreamed about you every single night!"

"How could you be so heartless? How could you just abandon me..."

"I hate you! I hate you!"

"But I hate myself more because I haven't stopped loving you for even a second..."

Every word Felix spoke was like a brand of red-hot iron searing my heart.

The seven years of marriage I thought were blissful? The life everyone envied?

It was all a lie.

Those seven years of my devotion, my care, my soul...

They didn't even weigh as much as the one year he spent with her.

While I was loving him with everything I had, he was spending every minute burning for Quinn.

His first love. His childhood sweetheart. His ultimate obsession.

Compared to her, I was nothing.

In that restaurant surrounded by roses, I gripped my phone until my knuckles turned white.

The tears finally broke.

After that night, our relationship hit rock bottom.

He never explained the airport video or the headlines.

And I was too terrified to ask. I was afraid that if I spoke the words, he would take the opportunity to end us for good.

I hated my weakness. I hated that I still loved him so much that I couldn't bring myself to sign divorce papers.

But my silence only emboldened him.

He started seeing Quinn openly.

One day he was helping her find an apartment. The next, he was setting her up with a job. He was with her almost every day of the week.

At first, he offered pathetic excuses when I asked where he'd been.

"Stella, Quinn just got back. She has no place to stay. I have to help her."

"She has no family left here. I'm the only friend she's got."

"You need to be more understanding."

But soon, the excuses turned into irritation, then into pure malice.

"Stella, are you done yet?"

"Questions, questions! You just don't trust me, do you?!"

"Don't project your filthy thoughts onto me and Quinn. You make me sick."

"I'm warning youDsay one more word and you can get the hell out!"

Because I was afraid of losing him, I swallowed my pride. I swallowed the insults.

I hoped my endurance would eventually bring him back to his senses. I hoped he would remember the life we built.

But the more I retreated, the more Quinn pushed.

The explosion finally happened on my birthday.

I had prepared a full dinner, hoping we could finally talk things through.

Felix never came home. Instead, Quinn sent me a video.

In the video, Quinn was wearing my favorite silk robe, curled up in Felix's arms while he slept.

Every ounce of my suppressed rage ignited at that moment.

I drove to her place like a madwoman and pounded on the door. The moment she opened it, I swung and slapped her across the face with everything I had.

"You bitch! You absolute snake! How dare you lay a hand on my husband!"

Quinn wiped the blood from her lip and laughed. It was a cold, triumphant sound. "How dare I? Stella, you should ask your husband why he's so eager to please me."

"He's the one crawling to me. He can't get enough."

"Don't blame me because you've spent seven years being less than a dog in his eyes!"

Her words were like needles stabbing into my brain.

I lost it. I tackled her, pinned her to the floor, and wrapped my hands around her throat.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you home-wrecking bitch!"

SuddenlyDBAM!

A heavy object slammed into the back of my head.

Pain exploded behind my eyes, and the world tilted as I collapsed to the floor.

I looked up through blurred vision and saw Felix. He wasn't looking at me. He was rushing to Quinn's side.

"Quinn! Quinn, baby, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Quinn, who had just been mocking me, was now a trembling victim. She huddled in Felix's arms, her eyes red and tearful.

"Felix... Felix, hold me. I'm so scared. She tried to kill me."

Right before I blacked out, Felix finally looked at me. His eyes were filled with nothing but pure, unadulterated hatred.

"Stella! You're a disgusting piece of trash. If anything happens to Quinn, I'm divorcing you immediately!"

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed.

Quinn was in the same hospital. The doctors told me I had a severe concussion from the blow to my head and asked if I wanted to file a police report.

I stayed silent for a long time before shaking my head.

I spent two weeks in that bed before Felix finally showed up.

The first words out of his mouth shattered whatever was left of my heart.

"Stella, we're getting a divorce."

My dry lips trembled, but no sound came out.

Felix looked at me with such profound disgust.

"I can't believe you did that to Quinn. You actually sent her our private photos to harass her?"

"I've known you for ten years, Stella. I had no idea you were such a bottom-feeding loser."

"I can't spend another day with you. You're repulsive."

I realized then that Quinn had flipped the script. She had blamed me for all the toxic things she had done herself.

And Felix didn't doubt her for a second.

Ten years of knowing him. Seven years of marriage.

I had given him my heart and soul. I never expected him to love me as much as I loved him, but I at least expected basic trust.

Under his venomous gaze, I slowly closed my eyes.

I only said one word.

"Fine."

But before we could sign the papers, disaster struck.

Felix was diagnosed with a critical, end-stage heart condition.

He had complained of chest pains before, but he'd always refused to see a doctor. Now, it had progressed to total failure.

When my colleague called me with the news, I went numb.

By the time I reached the ICU, Felix was already in a coma.

It happened so fast. No one was ready.

Quinn was standing outside the room. When she saw me, she just shrugged.

"You're here? Great, I'm leaving."

"I stayed around to get some of his money, but look at him now. He's basically a corpse. I'm not wasting my life in a waiting room."

"What a waste of my damn time. I didn't get a cent out of this."

With that, she turned on her heels and walked away.

I shook my head, wondering what Felix would think if he could hear the woman he adored talking like that.

Both of Felix's parents were dead, so I set aside our bitterness and stayed by his side.

His condition worsened every day. Finally, the doctors issued a terminal notice.

I sat there looking at the man I'd loved for a decade. I stared at his pale, lifeless face all night without blinking.

At dawn, I called my old mentor.

"Professor, I need a favor."

"I want to use my heart to save someone."

The sound of footsteps snapped me back to the present.

I woke from the memory to see the monster Felix had become.

My mother was sitting by my father's hospital bed, looking like she had aged twenty years in a week. When she saw Felix, she broke down.

"Felix, why? Why are you doing this?"

"What did our family ever do to you? Why are you torturing us?"

"My husband and I treated you like our own son!"

Felix just gave a cold, hollow laugh.

"Like a son? I don't have parents like you. You raised a selfish, manipulative daughter. You should be ashamed."

"Now, old woman, has Stella come to her senses yet? Tell her to get here now!"

My mother couldn't take it anymore. She lunged forward, grabbing his collar and screaming, "Stella is dead! She's dead! She died for you! How can you stand there and ask for her?!"

"You want to see her? Then go to hell!"

Felix's bodyguards immediately swarmed her, violently pinning her to the floor.

I screamed and tried to shove them off her, but my hands were just air.

I had to watch my motherDa respected professor, a kind soulDbe shoved into the dirt and stepped on by her own former student.

A bodyguard pressed his boot into her neck. Her tears soaked the hospital floor.

They mixed with my own invisible tears.

"Stop it! Please stop!"

"Let her go! Don't do this to her!"

I fell to my knees at Felix's feet, howling in despair. "I beg you! Please let her go! I'm begging you!"

But no one heard me. I was just a ripple in the air, ignored by everyone.

Felix looked down at my mother and smiled.

"You old bat, I see you and your pathetic daughter won't learn until things get bloody."

"Do you know where your youngest daughter is right now?"

"Take a look."

He pulled out his phone and played a video.

In the video, my ten-year-old sister, Piper, was locked in a metal dog cage. Two massive, growling hunting dogs were circling her.

A voice off-camera gave a command, and one of the dogs lunged, sinking its teeth into Piper's leg.

Her high-pitched, agonizing scream echoed through the hospital room.

"NO!!!"

"No! Piper! My baby!"

"Felix, please! I'm begging you, have mercy on my daughter!"

"Please!"

My mother slammed her head against the floor in a desperate plea until she finally fainted from the sheer horror of it.

I stared at Felix, unable to believe this was the same man.

He used to hold Piper's hand and take her to the carnival. She adored him. She looked up to him. And now he was doing this to her?

Felix kicked my mother's unconscious form with the toe of his shoe and scoffed.

"Useless."

Suddenly, the door burst open. One of his subordinates ran in, looking pale and out of breath.

"Mr. Vaughan! Sir, we found something. We have the results of the investigation!"

Felix's eyes lit up. "You found that bitch Stella? Where is she hiding? Did she flee the country?"

The man shook his head, his face ghostly white.

"Mr. Vaughan... you need to sit down for this."

Felix frowned. "Just tell me. Is she dead or something?"

The man swallowed hard and nodded slowly under Felix's shocked gaze.

"Yes, sir. Dr. Channing is dead."

"She's been dead for five years."

"The heart you received five years ago... it was hers."