Last Call Before They Took My Heart

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When I was being mutilated by illegal organ traffickers, my husband was in the hospital, gently wiping down his childhood sweethearts body.

Right before I died, I dialed his number with my blood-covered hand.

The call went through, but he only let out a cold sneer.

Finally ready to admit you're wrong?!

"Just admit it, Clara! Your petty jealousy triggered Chloe's heart attack! I am so sick of your constant tantrums. Unless you die, I will never forgive you!"

The next second, he hung up.

In pure despair, I closed my eyes forever.

The next day, my husband was desperate to find a compatible heart for Chloe's transplant.

Luckily, he secured one.

On the third day, as a forensic pathologist, he received a dismembered, unidentified Jane Doe from the police. But no matter how hard he examined the body, he couldn't find her heart.

The day after I died, Ethan finally managed to buy a heart through his black-market connections.

He immediately scheduled the transplant surgery for Chloe.

At the same time, the police delivered a newly found, dismembered corpse to the morgue. It was handed over to Ethan.

Detective Carter said angrily, "The killer was a monster. How could anyone do something so brutal?"

Ethan didn't say a word. He just stared at the remains on the table.

Suddenly, he let out a soft frown, picked up a brain tissue sample, and began examining it closely.

When he finally stopped, Detective Carter quickly asked, "Did you find any clues?"

Ethan furrowed his brows. "Its been at least two days since she died, but there's still some unusual cellular activity in the brain."

"This means the victim was tortured brutally before her death. Also... her heart is missing from these remains."

Ethans eyes flickered as he spoke.

Detective Carter gasped and immediately turned to the officers behind him.

"Hurry! Search the entire city! This is a major clue. Even if you have to dig up the whole town, find that missing heart!"

"Dammit, the feds just launched a crackdown on organ trafficking, and these bastards still dare to do this? To murder someone so brutally... they have absolutely no respect for the law!"

Then, he looked at Ethan with concern.

"Ethan, I heard you and your wife had a fight?"

A look of pure disgust flashed across Ethan's cold face. "Don't bring her up. She made Chloe suffer so much. It's better if she just rots out there."

Hearing his words, my ghostly soul still felt a sharp, stabbing pain. He was still blaming Chloe's heart attack on me.

Detective Carter apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. It's just that two days ago, your neighbors saw a strange car entering the neighborhood on security footage. That was the exact night Clara walked out after your fight."

"Weve checked the surrounding areas. No one else is reported missing except your wife. Have you tried calling her to check in?"

After a brief silence, Ethan's frown relaxed, replaced by a mocking smirk.

"Clara is just petty. She can't stand me caring about anyone else. This isn't the first time shes thrown a tantrum. Every single time, she eventually crawls back and begs for my forgiveness. This time, she's just trying to show me some pathetic display of her resolve."

"Detective, your focus should be on this brutal murder. A trivial matter like Clara doesn't deserve your time."

Hearing this, Detective Carter swallowed his words. He shook his head, sighed, and went to deploy his team.

I let out a bitter, ghostly laugh. I used to think our past arguments would make him realize my frustration.

But now I saw the truth. To him, my pain was just a clown's performance.

Ethan buried himself in the autopsy room.

To reconstruct how my body had been dismembered and my organs harvested, Ethan worked for two days straight without sleep.

It wasn't until a pounding headache hit him that he finally stopped.

Just then, his phone rang.

It was the HR representative from my company.

"Hello, is this Ethan? Clara has been MIA for three days now. If she doesn't show up tomorrow, we'll have to terminate her employment."

Ethan sneered, "Shes always been irresponsible. On top of that, she has violent tendencies. Go ahead and fire her. It's for the best."

"Well, could you try to contact her for us? Her phone keeps going straight to voicemail..."

"Sorry, I don't have time. If she doesn't go to work, just fire her."

Ethan added coldly, "And make sure shes blacklisted. You wouldn't want someone like her threatening the safety of your company anyway."

"..."

The call disconnected.

Detective Carter walked over. "Ethan, you should go home and get some rest. And call your wife. You two are married. You need to communicate to make things last."

Ethan wanted to refuse, but the sharp pain in his temples made it impossible to continue working. He reluctantly agreed.

On the drive back, he opened his phone and glanced at his call logs.

At the very top was Chloe's number, saved under the contact name "My Sweetheart."

Looking at that name, I couldn't help but laugh at myself.

He claimed to be obsessed with autopsies, yet even at the precinct, his mind was entirely focused on Chloes recovery.

As for my last call, it was from three days ago.

That day, Ethan had brought Chloe to our house. He had called me in advance to ask when I would be home.

I had bought him a luxury watch he had been eyeing for a long time. To surprise him, I lied and told him I was working late.

But the moment I unlocked the front door, I saw the two of them passionately kissing in the living room.

Their clothes were half-off, tangled up in each other.

Furious, I grabbed a heavy broom near the door and swung it at Chloe.

But before I could even touch her, she collapsed to the floor, gasping for air.

Ignoring my tears and questions, Ethan immediately called an ambulance and rushed her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a sudden heart attack.

That night, Ethan stormed back home to yell at me. He blamed me, saying that if I hadn't scared her, Chloe wouldn't have almost died.

But he was completely blind. I hadn't even touched his mistress. She had collapsed from the sheer excitement of their own cheap affair.

In a fit of rage, I walked out of the house. And I never made it back.

Ethans finger hovered over my name on his screen. Surprisingly, he tapped it.

I held my ghostly breath. Before I died, I had set up an emergency voice message on my phone and thrown it into the bushes with all my strength.

As long as the killers hadn't found and destroyed my phone, Ethan would know I was dead the moment he called.

But after a few seconds, he swiped his finger to cancel the call. He let out a cold smirk. "Playing hard to get again, Clara? Lets see how long you can hold out before you come crawling back to beg."

"But even if you get down on your knees and beg Chloe for forgiveness this time, I won't forgive you."

I smiled bitterly.

He had no idea that I was already dead.

Even if I wanted to apologize, I couldn't.

And why did he think his affair was so justified? He used my heart to save his mistress, yet he expected me to apologize to him indefinitely.

I had tolerated him for too long, letting him stomp all over my dignity without a shred of respect.

I screamed at him in rage, but he couldn't hear me.

Soon, Ethan arrived at the hospital. In the private suite, I saw a pale, fragile Chloe.

Seeing Ethan, her eyes lit up. She tried to reach out to him but accidentally tumbled from the bed, coughing violently.

Ethan rushed forward, catching her in his arms. He didn't care about the spit and grime on her hospital gown as he gently lifted her back onto the bed.

Watching this, a familiar ache pierced my dead heart.

During our marriage, Ethan barely let me touch him. I always thought he had a severe case of OCD and hated physical contact.

But now, looking at how he held her, I realized his OCD was selective. He just didn't want to touch me.

Ethan gently wiped Chloes mouth and said softly, "Im sorry, Chloe. A brutal murder case came up at the precinct, and I had to focus on the investigation."

Chloe sighed. "If even youthe legend of the forensics departmentfind it difficult, I can't imagine how horrific the case must be."

Hearing this, Ethan told her everything about the autopsy.

When he mentioned that the victims heart was missing, Chloe instinctively touched her own chest.

"Ethan... do you think... it could be the one inside me?"

Ethan froze for a second, then pulled her into a tight hug.

"Don't overthink it, Chloe. The world isn't that small. Besides, I obtained this heart through legitimate medical channels. It can't possibly belong to that victim."

Chloe nodded happily, believing his lies.

"Okay. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead. Ill believe anything you say."

Ethan smiled tenderly, nodding.

They stared into each other's eyes, dripping with affection.

Then, a shadow of worry crossed Chloes face.

Ethan asked, "What's wrong, Chloe?"

"Your wife is terrifying. We were just hugging after not seeing each other for so long, and she tried to kill me."

"Why did you even marry someone like her? Will she come back to hurt me again?"

Ethans face darkened with anger. "Shes just a petty, narrow-minded woman who can't stand me having any contact with you. But don't worry, it won't happen again. I won't let anyone hurt you."

Chloe's eyes lit up. "Ethan, does that mean..."

After a few seconds of silence, a look of resolve settled in Ethan's eyes. "Once she comes back, Im divorcing her."

"Really?!"

Ethan looked at Chloe with pure adoration and nodded.

Then, they leaned in for a deep kiss.

When they pulled apart, Ethan pulled out his phone, found my contact info, and deleted it without hesitation.

I stood there, dazed.

He was actually divorcing me for Chloe.

Our three-year marriage had officially come to an end.

But since I was already dead, he would probably be thrilled. At least he wouldn't have to go through the legal hassle of a divorce.

Suddenly, Ethan's phone rang.

He whispered a few comforting words to Chloe before stepping out of the room to answer it.

Detective Carters urgent voice came through the speaker.

"Ethan, have you heard from Clara yet?"

Hearing my name, Ethan frowned. "Detective, this is my personal life. I"

"Im not trying to meddle in your marriage, Ethan," Detective Carter interrupted, his voice grave. "We just got a lead on the victim's missing heart."

"And its highly likely connected to your wife, Clara."