She Took Half My Life For A Dream

I was born with a weak heart. When I was nineteen, I got a heart transplant that allowed me to survive. Soon after, I met my wife-to-be, Vivian Cosby.

Three years after we got married, I found a note in her phone that was not deleted. The date was marked as the day we met.

The text simply read, [I found him. His name is Quinn Waverly. The heart is with him.]

When I looked through the notes further, I saw a man’s photo, captioned with a name. [Randall]

There was another line of text in her notes. It read, [Randall, through your heart in his chest, I will show you the world.]

I finally understood.

The first time we met, she had not been taken aback because it was love at first sight, it was simply shock.

The tears she shed when she proposed were not because of me.

In the night, she would always lay her head on my chest. However, she was not listening for my heartbeat, but his.

Tonight, she came home very late. As usual, she held me tightly and buried her face in my chest.

“Your heartbeat always makes me calm.”

I did not open my eyes, nor did I ask about Randall.

This was the first time I realized that one could hear a heart beat so loudly that it echoed, even through so many layers of skin and muscle.

Randall…

The person who had donated her heart to me years ago was named Randall Summers. That was too much of a coincidence.

After Vivian fell asleep, I unlocked my phone and searched for the names Randall Summers and Vivian Cosby.

After a few minutes of looking through the results, I finally found it.

There was an article on a local car accident five years ago. The victim was named Randall Summers.

The crash was a very severe one, and Randall had almost died on the spot. His parents had chosen to donate his organs.

I was the recipient of his heart.

I kept looking and managed to find more information about Randall.

He had been engaged at the time of his death. As for his fiancee? Her name was Vivian Cosby.

My Vivian Cosby.

I regarded Vivian’s familiar face as she slept beside me. Suddenly, I did not know how to face this reality.

It took me almost all night to process this truth.

When I woke up, I found Vivian lying atop my chest.

Her eyes were shut, and her breathing was even.

This was her habit. Every morning, no matter what time it was, she liked to put her head on my chest and listen to my heartbeat.

“What time is it?” I asked softly.

Vivian ignored me. It was only after she spent another half minute listening that she slowly lifted her head.

“It’s 8 a.m.”

I got up and went to freshen up in the bathroom.

When I got out, Vivian was gone.

On the bedside table was