Heartbeats on the Line,The Bet That Broke Us

My fiancée made a bet with her childhood best friend and pulled the plug on my bedridden sister’s ventilator. They stood there laughing as they watched my sister struggle in bed, placing bets on how long she could hold out. My sister couldn't hold on. She fought for five minutes before finally suffocating to death. When she died, her eyes were wide open, and dried tears stained her face. I held my sister in my arms, crying uncontrollably as I called my fiancée to confront her. But she just sounded excited on the line. "So, how long did your sister last? If it's over five minutes, I win! You better not make me lose face!" I clenched my fists so hard that my fingernails dug deep into my palms. I wanted nothing more than to tear her apart right then and there. My sister was gone. Any love I had left for my fiancée died with her. Later, she would break down in tears and beg me to stay. What a joke. There was a human life between us. How could I ever look back? It took two whole days to finish laying my sister to rest. I used every ounce of my remaining sanity to thank the friends who came to pay their respects, but the moment everyone left, I completely collapsed. From start to finish, my fiancée didn't call me once. She was too busy throwing a massive celebration party at her luxury villa with her rich friends. A three-hundred-million-dollar deal had just been closed, securing her position at the top of the Vance Group. It was almost funny. I was the one who had worked myself to the bone to land that contract, yet all the credit went straight to her. Everyone praised her for being brilliant, saying she was amazing for managing to keep a lucky charm like me working for her. Right now, the villa was ablaze with light, bright as day. No one remembered that in a dark, quiet corner of the city, my sister had already drawn her last breath. The drinks were flowing. The room was drowning in luxury and debauchery, without a single trace of guilt or unease. My fiancée was holding up a glittering massive diamond ring, slipping it onto the ring finger of her childhood sweetheart, Julian. Julian held up his hand with a look of pure bliss, leaning in to press his lips against hers. The crowd cheered and whistled, shouting for them to kiss harder. I stood there watching, my eyes burning. Someone with sharp eyes finally spotted me by the entrance and called out awkwardly, "Hey... Sean!" The word nearly slipped out as "brother-in-law," but she choked it down at the last second. My fiancée’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and she turned to look at me with a detached expression. "Skipping the victory party? You're already getting arrogant just because of one deal?" Before I could even call her out for acting like a shameless couple with another man while being engaged to me, she put the blame on me first. Julian wrapped his arm around my fiancée’s waist, pulling her close. "Don't be too hard on Sean, Victoria. He comes from the wrong side of the tracks, so he can't really handle high-class settings. He's definitely not used to parties like this." Yes, I came from humble beginnings. So did my sister. Even if we were ordinary people, we weren't born to be their playthings. I let out a cold laugh. "Right, you're high class. You're the elite. Does being rich make you special? Is this what high society does—shamelessly making out in front of everyone without a shred of dignity?" Maybe because I had always been so calm and composed, Victoria’s face flickered with surprise before turning into deep disgust. "Sean, don't push it!" Julian immediately put on a wounded face. "Yeah, why are you being so hostile? Victoria and I weren't overthinking it. We just thought it was fun!" Fun? My fiancée kissing another man right in front of me was fun? Pulling the plug on my sister’s ventilator and letting her suffocate to death was fun? Reminded by his words, the trust-fund kids around them started chiming in. To them, was watching someone else's agony just as entertaining as crushing an ant? Pain surged through me, so overwhelming that I could barely keep my face straight. Julian looked totally smug, acting as if something had just crossed his mind. "Oh, by the way, Sean, how long did your sister last yesterday? We're all dying to know!" "Victoria really spared no expense just to make her sweetheart smile!" "Chloe had the best idea, though. Pulling the ventilator plug was brilliant! Talk about knowing how to party!" "I bet a sports car that she'd hold out for five minutes. She better not have disappointed me." "Relax, his sister didn't look sick at all. Didn't you see? Once the oxygen mask came off, that little girl was flailing her arms like crazy. She probably lasted at least half an hour." The image of my sister right before she died flashed in my mind. Those flailing arms, those pale hands with bulging veins—she was begging for help! Yet the people in this room hadn't cared at all. They had laughed and joked, watching her life slip away right before their eyes. Hatred burned deep in my chest. I wanted to drag every single one of them to hell with her. "How long did she last?" "Why don't we pull the plug on your paralyzed mother's ventilator and see how long she lasts?"I pointed straight at Julian, my voice cutting through the room. Julian's face drained of color. He grabbed Victoria's arm, terror written all over his face. "Victoria, did you hear that? You're actually going to marry someone this vicious? He said he wants to pull the plug on my mother!" "How could he curse my mom like that..." Victoria gently comforted Julian, then snapped her head toward me, glaring with fury. "What kind of man are you, Sean! You know damn well how much Julian's mother means to him!" "Did I give you too much leeway?!" My lips trembled, but I forced back every single tear. It was pathetic. Whose life wasn't precious? Who was supposed to be superior to whom? Julian's mother mattered, but my sister didn't? She had been so young, like a fragile, pure white snowflake. Whenever I was exhausted to the bone, she would push through her own pain, forcing a weak smile just to cheer me up. Yet my brave, sweet sister had died because of their sick joke. "I'm vicious? Then what are the rest of you? Betting on my sister's life—you're all cold-blooded monsters!" Their smiles froze. None of them expected me to snap back like that. Losing face in front of her friends and the man she loved made Victoria lose all her patience. She wound up her arm and slapped me across the face with everything she had. A fiery pain exploded across my cheek, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. I held my cheek. I didn't cry, and I didn't hit back. I just stared at her with pure venom. Meeting my gaze, she raised her hand and struck me again, hard. "Don't you dare look at me like that! Don't forget, if it weren't for me, your sister would have died years ago!" A sharp ringing exploded inside my head. Warm blood trickled from my ear, dripping down my jawline and onto the floor. I grabbed the edge of the bar counter just to keep myself upright. "Guys like him just need a couple of slaps to fall in line." "Did he take the wrong meds today? He never dared talk to Victoria like that before." The voices around me drifted in and out, muffled and distant. They were right about one thing. I used to obey Victoria unconditionally. Back then, I was just a nobody at Vance Group, assigned to work under her while she was gaining experience at a subsidiary. I worked day and night, taking endless overtime just to earn enough money for my sister's medical treatments. It still wasn't enough. I broke down in tears of absolute despair in an empty stairwell, which happened to be when Victoria walked by. She offered me a shoulder to cry on, listened patiently to my troubles, and transferred a massive sum to cover my sister's bills. Her embrace had felt so warm and secure that I couldn't help falling for her. Under her gentle, sweet pursuit, I became her fiancé. I thought our suffering was finally over, only for fate to play a cruel trick on me. The moment Julian returned from abroad, all her tenderness shifted to him overnight. I was never the one she wanted. Years ago, she had been heartbroken over Julian and ran into me at my lowest point, feeling nothing more than a passing wave of pity. I had been foolish enough to mistake that pity for love. Deep down, everyone knew that to Victoria, I wasn't really a fiancé. I was just a capable subordinate. A useful tool who would jump into the fire whenever she snapped her fingers. Now that she had secured her place in the group, she had no use for me anymore. I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and let out a broken laugh. "Everything I owed you has been paid in full. We are done."I stumbled toward the door, but Victoria stepped in my way. "I won't stop you from leaving, but you terrified Julian. You're going to apologize to him." Her voice was cold, completely devoid of warmth. I squared my shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. "Are you fucking deaf? I said, apologize to Julian!" Victoria grabbed my arm and shoved me hard toward Julian. I forced a cold smile, speaking slowly, word by word. "He. Doesn't. Deserve. It." Julian's face instantly twisted into a pitiful, wronged expression, fueling Victoria's rage even further. She kicked me brutally behind the knees, forcing me down onto the floor. "Apologize! Are you fucking mute?!" My knees slammed into the hard tile. The sheer agony robbed me of my voice, which Victoria took as open defiance. "Smash!" A wine bottle shattered right over my head. Crimson wine and warm blood streamed down through my hair, pooling into a vivid red mess on the floor in front of me. I couldn't tell if what blurred my vision was blood or tears. All I knew was that it hurt. It hurt so damn much. From the top of my skull down to my chest. The pain made me dry-heave, but nothing came up. I could only press a trembling hand against my chest. Seeing the state I was in, a flicker of hesitation flashed across Victoria’s face. Then, her expression turned cold again. Breathing heavily, she tossed aside the broken bottle neck and pointed toward the door. "Get out! Get the fuck out!" "You and that sick sister of yours—never show your faces in front of me again!" "You don't even have to tell me. I saw through you a long time ago. Every single second I spent around you made me sick to my stomach." I forced myself up, dragging my injured leg as I limped toward the exit. I didn't look back once. "Sean!" Victoria's voice rang out from behind me. "You think leaving alone proves anything? Leaving your sister behind just so you have an excuse to crawl back later, right?" I paused for a second, but didn't bother to turn around. "Only someone like you would think of something so pathetic. Don't worry, I'm never coming back. And my sister... she's already gone." Victoria moved faster, cutting me off at the door and blocking my path with her arm. "Make yourself clear. What do you mean, 'she's gone'?" Julian covered his nose, looking at me with pure disgust as he pulled Victoria back. "Victoria, why do you care so much? It's just a manipulative trick." "Where else would his sister be besides your place? She's practically an invalid. Do you really believe she went out shopping at the mall?" He chuckled mockingly. Victoria was half-skeptical, glaring at me and pointing a threatening finger in my face. "Sean, you better not be playing games with me, or I'll make you regret it." As if trying to settle her own unease, Victoria pulled out her phone and dialed the family estate. "Go check where Sean's sister is. If she's still in the house, carry her out right now and dump her on the street." The other end of the line went dead silent for a moment before the housekeeper spoke, her voice choking up. "Ms. Vance... Mia passed away."