A Love Gone Cold

After my husband got into a car accident, he started acting strange and unpredictable. I went to countless doctors, and every one of them told me the same thing—he couldn't be provoked, and I had to go along with whatever he wanted. When he said he didn't want me in the master bedroom, I moved my things into the guest room next door. When he said his childhood sweetheart had cancer and he wanted to spend her last days with her, I even brought her into our home. One night, when I went downstairs to get some medicine for my stomach, I heard Harvey's voice, his tone oh so tender. "Katie, you have to live on. If you don't, I'll die too." Katie's breathy, trembling voice followed. "Are you sure Jenna's willing to donate her bone marrow to me?" "Of course. Even if she had to die for me, she'd do it willingly." I froze in place. Tears streamed down my face. That's right. Five years ago, I had donated one of my kidneys to him. Back then, I loved him so much that I really would have died for him. But now, all I wanted was to leave. Chapter 1 I pressed a hand to my aching stomach while rummaging through the first-aid kit for something to ease the pain. Suddenly, someone yanked me back by the collar and forced me to turn around. Harvey Jackson frowned impatiently. "It's the middle of the night! What's with all the ruckus? You keep saying you want me to get better, but deep down you're just waiting for me to die so you can inherit the Jacksons' fortune and save your useless brother, aren't you?" My stomach ached even more, and I clung to his shirt. "Harvey, my stomach hurts," I choked out. He froze for a moment before prying my fingers off one by one. "Jenna, I'm the one who's sick. Drop the act. It won't work on me." My hand slipped down helplessly. Just then, Katie walked in with a hand over her belly. She wrapped her arms around Harvey's arm and said coyly, "Harvey, I'm hungry. Will you make me barbecued ribs?" I stood there in stunned silence. I even stopped feeling my stomachache. I just stared at Harvey. He used to love my barbecued ribs. Sometimes, he'd eat them for both lunch and dinner. I gave up my career just so I could take care of him. So… It was really for Katie all along? Harvey shuffled his feet uncomfortably under my gaze, then shoved me aside. "I'm hungry. Go make barbecued ribs." "I…" The words got stuck in my throat. In the end, I just pressed a hand to my stomach and went to the kitchen. From outside, laughter and playful voices drifted in. Harvey, who was once cold and distant, was now warm and lively with Katie. Over an hour later, I brought out a plate of barbecued ribs and set it on the table. Katie took one bite before rushing to the trash can and gagging violently. Her face turned pale. "Harvey, I should leave. If I stay any longer, I won't even last a month." Harvey shot me a vicious glare. He rushed over, scooped Katie into his arms, and tenderly wiped the corners of her lips. He even patted her back gently. When she finally calmed down, he stormed back, grabbed me by the neck, and shoved my head into a pot of soup. His voice was shrill. "Jenna, how disgusting can you get? You knew Katie was sick, and you still tried to torment her! Did I really fall in love with someone this evil?" The greasy broth burned as it flooded my mouth, nose, and eyes. I coughed and choked until Harvey finally let go. My hair clung to my face. Soup dripped down my body, leaving me a soaking, filthy mess. I didn't care about that. I shoved him away with all my strength and stumbled into the bathroom before rinsing my burning eyes under cold water. After a long while, I lifted my head and met the woman in the mirror with a bitter smile. 'Jenna, was it worth it?' I asked myself. Suddenly, the bathroom door rattled with heavy pounding. Supporting myself against the wall, I stepped out and saw a flicker of panic in Harvey's eyes. However, it was gone as quickly as it came. The barbecued ribs lay scattered on the floor. Sauce splattered everywhere. Harvey pinched me by the waist. His smile was cruel. "You're my wife. I got into that accident because of you. Cleaning this up shouldn't be a problem, right?" I nodded while ignoring the pain in my chest and stomach. I reached for the broom, but Harvey grabbed my wrist and laughed. "Jenna, don't waste food. Get on your knees and lick it clean." Chapter 2 I stared at him in shock. My throat hurt when I spoke. "Are… Are you telling me to lick it clean?" He smiled coldly. "Unless you want your brother's medical bills cut off." Tears streamed down my face as I dropped to my knees. I bent down and licked the sauce off the floor bit by bit. I picked up the ribs and shoved them into my mouth in a frenzy. By the end, I couldn't take it anymore. I ran into the bathroom and threw up. When I came out, Harvey held out a napkin. "Wash up and go to bed." He turned around and walked away without looking back. My grip on the napkin tightened until my knuckles ached. My stomach churned violently, and tears started falling. The next morning, I carried a lunchbox to the hospital. The boy on the bed lay still and quiet. An oxygen tube was connected to his nose. I couldn't stop myself from caressing his face. "Jordan, I miss you so much." He didn't move at all. When I was twenty, a gang of thugs cornered me in an alley. Sixteen-year-old Jordan shielded me from a broken bottle. He had been in a coma ever since. It had been eight years, and there was still no sign of him waking up. My phone suddenly rang. I quickly picked up. Harvey's soft and gentle voice came through. "Jenna, I think I remember that I used to love you." Tears streamed down my face as I touched the diamond ring on my finger. Hope filled my heart. "Really?" "Yes. Come to Mount Prayer. I'll be waiting." Mount Prayer was the mountain we once hiked together. I had prayed then for Jordan to wake up soon and for Harvey to stay safe. Harvey's wish had been for him and me to never be apart. I knew it! He only said those things before because of the accident. His mind wasn't clear. He couldn't really mean them. I hailed a cab and headed straight for Mount Prayer. The sky was getting dark, and it looked like it might rain soon. Clenching my jaw, I started climbing the steps one at a time. Thirty minutes later, the storm broke. I was still halfway up when the rain poured down. The rain made it hard to even see what's ahead. Panicked, I tried to call Harvey. The signal wasn't stable. After a long while, Harvey finally picked up. Before I could say a word, he started yelling at me. "Jenna, you deserve to die! Katie gave you the money you asked for, and you still drove her to suicide? Why don't you just die already? I must have been blind to ever marry someone like you!" The call ended abruptly. The signal was gone. My mind went blank. Clutching the railing, I started back down step by step. Suddenly, my foot slipped on the moss. I tumbled down the stairs. When I woke up, Harvey was sitting by my bed. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me up. "Jenna, it's a shame you're not an actress. Are you trying to use this stunt to make me feel sorry for you? Forget it. The only way out is if you apologize to Katie right now." I chuckled bitterly. My voice was extremely hoarse. "Harvey, weren't you the one who told me to go to Mount Prayer?" "How dare you bring that up?" He went berserk and grabbed me by my neck. "Was that your excuse to torment Katie, or just another scheme to steal money?" I was confused and shook my head weakly. The taste of blood spread through my mouth. He lifted me off the bed by the throat, but froze when he saw the bruises on my body. His fingertips brushed over them gently. Then, he sneered. "Jenna, you'll stop at nothing to get what you want. You disgust me." He yanked my wrist and dragged me into the ward next door. His tone was harsh and commanding. "Apologize!" Katie had a bandage wrapped around her wrist. There were faint traces of blood seeping through. She smiled sweetly. "Let it go, Harvey. Jenna just wanted money for her brother's treatment. Anyone would've done the same. Don't be mad at her." I blinked in confusion. "Money? What money?" "Liar! Fraud!" Harvey suddenly snapped. He kicked his foot against my knee. "Get down and apologize!" I collapsed to the ground and crawled at his feet. Chapter 3 Pain spread from head to toe, and I broke out in a cold sweat. Harvey yanked me upright, then waved me off impatiently. "Get out, Jenna. You're pretentious." With a hand over my aching stomach, I fled in humiliation. Harvey, I didn't care if you were really sick or just pretending. I didn't want to be with you anymore! Back at home, I quickly packed my things. Over the past four years, I had gathered more than a few possessions. I accidentally knocked over a book. A piece of paper fluttered to the floor. It was a love letter Harvey had written to me when he was courting me. He had neat and vibrant handwriting. Then, he had only been eighteen. We were like a cliché TV drama. He was eighteen and reckless with his affection, while I fell for him helplessly. At twenty-three, he developed kidney failure. I secretly donated one of my kidneys to him. As a result, I became gravely ill. We were only a few wards apart in the hospital. The doctor asked if I wanted to see him one last time in case I didn't make it, but I refused. I loved him too much to let him see me in such a pitiful state. Later, I recovered. He found out the truth, and we patched things up. He practically glued himself to my side, guarding me and keeping me company. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. I laughed bitterly and burned every love letter along with our wedding photos. I let them all go up in flames. I felt cramps in my stomach. Curling up on the bed, I told myself, 'Just sleep. If you sleep, it won't hurt.' I was finally drifting off. Suddenly, a woman's giggle echoed from the master bedroom. I felt an ache in my chest. I got up to check and found what should have been locked in the safe scattered everywhere. Our family portrait was torn to pieces. Katie was now wearing the jewelry my parents left me, and Harvey was looking at her affectionately. When she saw me, she smirked and showed off. "Jenna, Harvey opened the safe so I could pick whatever I wanted. You don't mind, do you?" I held in the pain and took slow steps toward her. I reached for the necklace at her throat. My voice came out rough and hoarse. "Give me back my things." Before I could touch Katie, Harvey grabbed my wrist hard. "You're losing it over a dead woman's junk?" "Harvey," I said his name softly. A tear slid down my cheek. For a moment, his expression flickered, and he almost reached to wipe it away. I avoided his touch. "Let's get a divorce." His expression darkened instantly. He seized me by the neck. "Jenna, no matter how much time has passed, you're still as pretentious as ever." I smiled bitterly. I reached again for what Katie was holding, but Harvey hurled me to the ground. He toyed with a bracelet in his hand before lifting it to the window. "You want it? Go get it yourself." I stumbled outside and searched in the bushes until exhaustion left me trembling, but I couldn't find it. From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the ring still on my finger. My eyes welled with tears. In the next second, I slid it off. Numbly, I dug into the dirt and buried the ring. It was the thing I had once treasured most. I stayed crouched there until my legs went numb before staggering back inside. I crashed into Harvey's chest. He caught my wrist. His expression was solemn yet strange. "Jenna, what kind of person are you really?" I shook my head and avoided his touch. He recoiled as if I were something filthy before letting out a bitter, disdainful chuckle. The car accident had turned Harvey into someone else. Most of the time, he hated me enough to wish I would die right in front of him. But sometimes, glimpses of the old tenderness still broke through. After all these years, I couldn't even tell if he was acting or being genuine. It didn't matter anymore. Soon, I'd be leaving with my brother anyway. Chapter 4 I didn't sleep well that night. Tossing and turning, I woke up over and over, with sweat all over my forehead. My mind was in chaos. I even called the hospital, and only after they assured me everything was fine did I try to sleep again. My heart kept pounding like something bad was about to happen. I stayed awake the entire night. The first thing I did after sunrise was to find a lawyer to draft the divorce papers. Just as all the paperwork was nearly ready, the hospital called. The voice on the other end sounded solemn. "Ms. Salsbury, your brother just passed away. We're so sorry for your loss." I froze on the spot, then ran as fast as I could to the hospital. It was too late. Jordan lay there with a thin white sheet over him. There was no sign of life. I threw myself over him, shaking his body and sobbing hysterically. "Jordan, wake up! Look at me! Please, look at me…!" "Ms. Salsbury, my condolences," a doctor said while patting my shoulder. "How did this happen? He's been fine all these years. How could this happen so suddenly?" I grabbed the doctor's arm like a madwoman, desperate for an answer. The doctor sighed. "His time had come. There was nothing more we could do." Jordan's body was cold. I held his hands and tried to breathe against them, praying some of my heat would seep in. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice outside. "Harvey, when will the bone marrow transplant be done? Jenna seems to be in a really bad mood lately." My whole body went rigid. Harvey's tone was laid-back. "What's the rush? You donated a kidney to me five years ago. Can your body handle another operation now?" Tears streamed down my face. My heart ached so badly I could hardly breathe. Their footsteps faded down the hall. After sorting out Jordan's funeral, I carried his urn through the corridor. Passing one of the wards, I accidentally overheard an argument. Harvey's voice was raised. "Did you pull out Jordan's trach tube?" "Yeah. Hasn't Jenna been clinging to you all these years just for your money to treat that half-dead brother of hers? I removed the obstacle for you. What's wrong with that?" "Don't ever do something like that again!" I gasped for air. My eyes were bloodshot, and I pushed the door open. "Katie, how could you do that?!" Katie clearly hadn't expected me to overhear them. She shrugged. "Being loved means you can get away with anything, right?" For a moment, Harvey looked flustered. He crossed the room in a few big strides, grabbed my shoulders, and tried to soothe me. "Jenna, Jordan's death is a relief for you, too." I laughed bitterly as tears streamed down my cheeks. I couldn't resist slapping him hard across the face. "Harvey, I truly regret saving you five years ago." He stared at me for a few seconds before gripping my wrist tightly. "You're still lying to me? Jenna, do you even have a conscience?" I kept saying I wasn't lying while he dragged me straight to the hematology department. "Carry out the bone marrow transplant now." "No! I'll die!" I struggled with everything I had. As Harvey shut the door, I screamed with all my strength, "Harvey, you'll regret this. You will regret this!" The door still closed slowly. Four hours later, the doctor came out with a grim expression. He said softly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson. Due to complications from her previous illness, Ms. Salsbury didn't make it." "What do you mean?" Harvey froze. "Please accept our condolences." The doctor patted Harvey's shoulder and handed him two documents. "These were entrusted to you by Ms. Salsbury before her final breath." Harvey's fingers trembled as he quickly flipped to the last page of the first document. Clear as day were the words 'Divorce Agreement.' Tears streamed down his face as he turned to the second document. It was a copy of the kidney donation consent form I had signed five years ago. At the back was a slip of paper. My handwriting was messy and uneven. "Harvey, if there's a next life, let's never meet again."