Her Vengeance, His Broken Heart

“They called me Liam Miller, the luckiest man in New York City. My son, Leo, was the center of my universe, and my wife, Sarah, seemed to worship us both. Our perfect life shattered one rainy day on the highway, a blinding flash of light, twisting metal, and then, nothing. I woke to the sterile whiteness of a hospital room, a rhythmic beep the only sound, Sarah by my side, her face pale, her grip tight. "Leo," I rasped, the word a physical wrench from my raw throat. "Where' s Leo? I need to see my son." Her face crumpled as she squeezed my hand, "There was an accident. He... he lost too much blood, honey. He died at the scene." The world spun into a gray vortex; panic choked me, then, mercifully, blackness. The next time I woke, I heard voices near the door-Sarah and the attending doctor. "Ms. Jenkins, your son could have been saved, but why did you...?" Sarah' s response was chilling, utterly devoid of emotion, "Liam Miller' s son, from the day he was born, was meant to save Alex' s daughter." Alex? The name struck me as foreign, out of place. "If he lived," Sarah continued, her voice like ice, "how could I legitimately take his organs? I' ve supported Liam and his son for years; now it' s their turn to repay me." The words struck harder than the truck, poisoning every memory, every cherished moment. The private island, the Fortress of Solitude – all a lie, a calculated investment, my son a resource, his life a debt she had come to collect. The grief didn't vanish; it transformed into a cold, hard resolve. My body was broken, but my mind had never been clearer. She wanted repayment? Fine. I would give her what she wanted.”