Broken Groom: Used, Betrayed, Left in Ruins

After finishing work overseas, I rush to catch a flight home for my wedding. Unfortunately, the plane crashes. When Rachel Lindt hears the news, she frantically calls me over and over. I'm trapped beneath the wreckage, unable to move. The calls keep going to voicemail. "I don't care how much it costs. Find Sebastian no matter what." For a moment, I'm touched by how much she seems to love me. Then, I hear the rest of what she says. "Once you find him, transplant his heart into Cameron Zink. He doesn't have much time left." "But Ms. Lindt, Mr. Yarrow's leg is broken. He needs surgery immediately, or he'll be permanently disabled." Rachel replies coldly, "No. Cameron's surgery comes first. We can't delay it. Besides..." Her voice grows even colder as she continues, "It'll be easier to control him if he's disabled. When I bring my son home in the future, he won't dare say a word." Lying only a short distance away from my phone, I can't stop the tears that stream down my face. So the marriage I've looked forward to for ten years is nothing more than an act. And I'm nothing more than a tool. But later, because of this very tool, Rachel personally cuts Cameron's heart out. Chapter 1 Eventually the rescue team found me and carefully pulled me out of the wreckage. Every small movement tugged at my injuries, making it feel like I was being stabbed all over by knives. Still, none of that compared to the pain in my heart. When Rachel Lindt, my fiancee, saw that I was lying there motionless, she had even less qualms about speaking her mind. "I've already had the artificial heart brought here. After the surgery, just tell him that his heart ruptured due to the plane crash. I'm sure I don't need to tell you the rest?" The doctor was busy treating my wounds. The more he examined me, the more uncomfortable he became. Finally, he couldn't help but urge her, "Ms. Lindt, Mr. Yarrow's legs are broken. If he doesn't receive surgery soon, he'll become crippled for life. With how proud he is, he definitely won't be able to handle that well." However, Rachel didn't even pause to think before replying, "No, operate on Sebastian's heart first. We can't afford to delay Cameron's transplant. Besides…" Even through my shut eyes, I could still sense her icy gaze on me. "With me being an only child, I promised Cameron back then that our son would be the only heir to the Lindt family. This is a fact that will never change. "Sebastian getting to marry me is already the best outcome he could ask for. As long as he's willing to listen to me and treat my son as his own, I'll also treat him well." The doctor remained hesitant. "But what if Mr. Yarrow finds out that the boy is your biological son?" Rachel gently squeezed the only finger on my hand that wasn't injured, then slowly ran her thumb over it. "He's too innocent and naive," she replied. "If he hasn't realized it in the past five years, then he never will." Suddenly, she lowered her head to place a kiss on my forehead, and it took everything I had to stop myself from flinching away from her touch. She then said in a low voice, her tone as loving and gentle as a demon's caress, "Use the best materials possible and ensure that he doesn't feel any pain during the operation. He really can't tolerate pain well." Unable to bear looking at me any longer, the doctor quickly had the staff ready the operating room. "Ms. Lindt, if you never loved Mr. Yarrow, why agree to marry him? Wouldn't it be easier for you to just marry Mr. Zink? That way, nobody would need to get hurt…" Rachel's tone was cold and indifferent when she answered, "Only someone from the Yarrow family can be the husband of someone from the Lindt family." Pain lanced through my heart. All these years, I had thought that Rachel and I were mutually in love with each other. I had even once gloated to my friends about how I was able to find true love in a marriage alliance. Now, I knew that the so-called true love was simply her taking advantage of the Yarrow family's influence and my naivety! Rachel personally pushed me toward the operating room, all while constantly reminding the doctor that he had to ensure the operation's success and that I suffered as little as possible. The other doctors and nurses fervently commented on how lucky I was that the great CEO, Ms. Rachel Lindt, cared so much for me. As the doors to the operating room slowly closed, I overheard her making a call. "Make sure to destroy the plane's black box cleanly and send away everyone involved in this incident. Don't leave a single person behind. After today, that is just an ordinary plane crash, got it?" Chapter 2 I suddenly felt a terrible agony flare in my chest, the pain spreading throughout my entire body. What followed was an aching emptiness. Was this what it felt like to have one's heart dug out? When the plane crashed, I was surprised to find that I had survived. As it turned out, this had all been arranged by Rachel. She hadn't let me die because she still had use for my heart and me. The anesthesia slowly took over, and I knew no more as I was finally dragged into the darkness. … When I woke up again, I was already in a hospital bed. Rachel was slumped beside my bed, asleep. One of her hands rested gently on the back of mine, the gesture protective. Sensing the slight movement of my hand, she jerked awake from her slumber and looked into my eyes with delighted surprise. "Honey, you're awake? Does it hurt anywhere? I'll summon the doctor right away to check on you." From how anxious and concerned she seemed, I could never have imagined that she didn't actually love me. Her hand was very obviously warm, yet when she touched me, I felt nothing but a chill sweep through my body. Gently extracting my hand from her grip, I replied hoarsely, "It really hurts. Rachel, when the plane crashed, I thought that I would never get to see you again. I was so, so scared. "Do you know what it's like to fall into the ocean and suffocate as you drown? All around you is nothing but pitch-black darkness and absolute silence, as though everything around you is dead…" Rachel's expression slowly became uncomfortable before she hurriedly stood up and rushed outside to call for a doctor. It seemed she had completely forgotten that there was a call button right there in the room. I stared silently at the phone she had accidentally left behind on the bedside table. In the past, I had never once looked through her phone as a gesture of respect and trust. Now, however, I decided to snoop through her phone like a spouse who suspected their partner of cheating. The password was a simple 1111. Before everything that happened, I might have simply assumed that she couldn't be bothered to think up a complicated password, but now, I knew that it was actually Cameron Zink's birthday. I checked her WhatsApp and saw that her most recent conversation was with someone whose name was a single ".". Rachel, who claimed that she never bothered giving nicknames to any of her contacts, had done so for the one man who held a place in her heart. Like the punctuation mark that was his nickname, Cameron Zink was the one she loved, period. I suddenly recalled that one time six years ago, Rachel had said she needed to head overseas for an acquisition deal. For an entire year, she disappeared, even refusing to let me fly over to her. On the surface, she claimed it was because she was worried that I would be too exhausted by the journey. Looking back on it now, I finally understood that that was the period she was pregnant and had to give birth! The chat history between the two was rather sparse, mostly just Cameron sending her photos of their son. Nonetheless, no matter what time he sent them, Rachel would always reply with utmost sincerity. From six years ago to now, not once had she ever not responded to any message from him. Compared to that, every time I sent her a message, she was always impatient. Sometimes, I would have to send over a dozen messages before she finally replied with one simple "OK" emoji. I used to comfort myself by saying that she was the CEO of her company and had to be extremely busy, so she wasn't replying to my messages because she was earning money. Only now did I understand that she just didn't have the time to respond to my messages specifically. Even the medical report showing that I couldn't produce viable sperm was fake, something she fabricated because she didn't want to have children with me. I didn't know when I started crying, but tears now blurred my vision. At last, my focus went to the background photo of her chat window with Cameron. A little boy stood between her and Cameron, with each of them pressing a kiss to his cheeks on either side. What a sweet and loving family of three. At that moment, the sound of footsteps coming closer echoed in the corridor, and I quickly placed Rachel's phone back in its original spot. The first thing Rachel saw when she entered the room was the tears in my eyes. Shocked, she hurried over to my bed. "Where does it hurt?" she asked. "Why are you crying? Doctor! Quick, take a look at him and find out what's wrong!" After the doctor had examined me, he instructed me not to get too agitated. "Mr. Yarrow, you're currently using an artificial heart. Besides that, both your legs were severely injured and suffered extensive nerve damage, so it's highly likely that you'll be crippled for life. The best thing for you right now is to keep your emotions calm and stable." There was a pained expression on Rachel's face as she took my hand in hers. "Honey, it'll be alright. No matter whether you'll be able to stand again, you'll always be the man I love most. I will only ever have you as my husband in this life." Chapter 3 I stared into Rachel's eyes, her gaze brimming with love and affection. For the first time ever, I realized that she had the talent to become an award-winning actress. When snooping through her phone earlier, I had seen her chat history with her assistant, saying how the wedding would proceed as usual. However, upon looking through all the details that she had personally approved, I discovered that the person she had planned on walking down the aisle with was Cameron all along. From the backdrop at the wedding venue to the decor and invitation cards, everything belonged to Cameron—including Rachel. Letting out a breath, I wiped away my tears and said, "My wounds hurt." Rachel was well aware that I had a very low tolerance for pain, so that one sentence was enough to dispel all of her suspicions. "Rach, can we postpone the wedding? Considering my current condition, I don't think I'll be able to recover in time." She furrowed her brow as though feeling conflicted. "But we've already informed everyone of the date. It's definitely too late to change it now, at the last minute. How about we think of another plan? Like maybe we can find someone else to complete the ceremony on your behalf?" It seemed like she had practiced saying this a million times. The words left her lips so naturally that I wouldn't have sensed anything amiss at all if I hadn't been aware of the truth. I nodded. "We'll do as you suggested." She spent most of the day with me, only leaving after receiving a phone call. "Sebastian, the company has an emergency meeting that requires me to be present." I didn't behave out of the ordinary at all, simply telling her to go ahead and pretending that I hadn't heard the sound of a child crying on the other end of the line. Once I was sure that she had left, I contacted an overseas hospital and had them reach out to organ donors who could provide me with a heart. After all, an artificial heart was still quite risky, so I had to switch to a real one as soon as possible. Besides that, I also planned on erasing all records of my existence here. Over the next few days, Rachel would keep me company at the hospital whenever she had free time. She attended to me with great care, and whenever I randomly said I wanted to eat certain food, she would head out to buy it for me, no matter how far away it was. When I complained about being bored in the room at night, she would wheel me out to look at the stars. During those moments, it occurred to me that if I hadn't been aware of all that she had done behind my back, I would've thought we were truly a loving couple. However, now that I knew the truth, I had no intention of continuing with this farce. That night, after she returned to the room, I suggested that we adopt a child from one of the Lindt family's branches. "I can't produce viable sperm, and now that I'm disabled, the Lindt family needs to pick someone to be their heir." She was so touched by my words that she was practically beside herself with joy, not even protesting when I said I wanted to be discharged from the hospital ahead of time. When we arrived at the Lindt residence, almost everyone was standing at the entrance to welcome me back. Tears shimmered in their eyes, and they looked at me with sympathy as I was carried out of the car. Marcus Lindt and Patricia Moore, Rachel's parents, hurriedly stepped forward to grab my hand. "Does it hurt, Sebastian?" Patricia asked. "I've already had your room remodeled into a medical treatment room," said Marcus, "so you can stay right here as you recover. Only by taking care of you myself can I feel at ease." I ignored the fake smiles on their faces, my gaze landing on the little boy sitting on the couch. "Who is he?" Crouching beside me, Rachel explained, "He's my father's cousin's grandson. His parents died last year in a car crash. If you like him, we could adopt him. What do you say?" I stared at the boy whose features were almost identical to Rachel's and smiled. "Rach, he looks so much like you. If you hadn't told me who he was, I would've thought he was your son." The smile on Rachel's face stiffened imperceptibly. "Don't joke about things like that. He has Lindt blood running through his veins, so it's only normal that we'd look alike." Patricia was quick to add, "Sebastian, we value and respect your opinion, so if you like the boy, we'll take him in." "Yes, we'll go with your decision." The others eagerly expressed their agreement, though they all had confident looks on their faces, as though they were sure that I would choose what they wanted. From that, I knew that even if I disagreed, they would still think of ways to make me agree. Hence, I nodded. "I really like him." Everyone breathed a silent sigh of relief. Chapter 4 I excused myself, saying that I was tired and retreated upstairs. As I went past the stairwell, I heard two people talking. "Ms. Lindt actually did it! She's so amazing! And Sebastian didn't even realize anything was off!" "Right? Someone initially suggested that they 'adopt' him from an orphanage, but Ms. Lindt rejected that idea, and thank goodness she did! After all, the kid looks way too much like her. Nobody would believe it was a coincidence." "You should wait a little before going to clean Ms. Lindt's bedroom. Mr. Zink had been waiting for her in the room for a while, and Ms. Lindt wasn't even fully through the doorway when their clothes came flying out. Who knows how long they'll be at it?" There was a loud ringing in my ears as my mind went blank. Did Rachel love Cameron that much? I had only just come home, yet she already couldn't wait to jump into bed with him? I lifted my head to look beside me, which just so happened to be Rachel's room. I didn't know if it was my imagination, but I thought I could hear some faint giggling and moaning. Just the thought of what they were doing inside the room made my stomach churn. Nausea surged through me, and I retched loudly. All conversation in the stairwell abruptly stopped before two housekeepers appeared in my sight, their complexion deathly pale. "M-Mr. Yarrow, w-when did you get here?" I clutched at my chest. The surgical wound was hurting so badly that a cold sweat had broken out across my body. Upon hearing the commotion, Rachel rushed out of her room. Her collar was askew, so I immediately spotted the hickeys dotting her neck. Behind her, Cameron was even bolder, not even bothering to button up his shirt. When Rachel realized where I was staring, she hastily explained, "Cameron said he had a gift for you, but he brought it to my room instead." With that, she sped back into the room and emerged with a box that she stuffed into my hands. "Open it and see whether you like it." Before I was able to open the box, however, someone behind me snatched it from me. The little boy from earlier held onto it tightly, absolutely refusing to let go. "I won't give it to you! Daddy bought this!" A bubble of laughter burst from my lips before I could stop it. "Isn't your daddy dead? How did he buy this?" At five years old, the boy already understood a bit more about the world and how things worked. When he heard my questions, he instantly ran over to hug Cameron's leg. "He's my daddy. My daddy isn't dead." Rachel turned to shoot Cameron a pointed look, but when she looked back at me, her face had returned to its usual expression. "A five-year-old can't tell the difference, so it's not surprising he would call any man he sees 'Daddy.' When he was first brought here yesterday, he even called me 'Mommy.' It's pretty amusing." I played along. "It's as though fate brought you two together to be mother and son." "Fate brought you here to be his father, too. From now on, we're a family." The way she was so anxious to drag me into her trap was incredibly funny, and I couldn't stop myself from laughing. She might not know it yet, but to me, everything she said now just seemed full of holes. For the sake of getting together with Cameron publicly and getting him a heart, she had plotted for me to be caught in a plane crash. For the sake of making their child the official heir to the Lindt family, she had ruthlessly delayed the best treatment window for me, resulting in me still being unable to stand. Just how did I manage to dig out such a woman from the trash heap back then? "What are you laughing at?" I avoided her gaze and tapped the button to confirm the deletion of my identity records. Then, I turned to look at the child cuddled up in Cameron's embrace. "The family of three is reunited at last. I'm genuinely happy for you." It took Rachel a second to react before she smiled and said, "You mean you're happy for us." … That night, the Lindt family threw a grand party. On the surface, they claimed it was to celebrate my survival after my brush with death and to welcome Benjamin Lindt as the official heir to the family. However, the decorations in the living room, the cartoons and toys, the themed cake—they were all styled after a child's preferences. None of the guests who arrived even noticed me in my wheelchair. I let out a self-deprecating laugh and excused myself to the balcony for a breath of fresh air. From the outside, I watched as Rachel went around with Benjamin while socializing with the guests. Benjamin was afraid of all the unfamiliar faces and kept a tight grip on Cameron's hand. "Daddy, I'm hungry." Rachel froze briefly before lowering her voice to rebuke him. "Your daddy has gone off to rest. You've mistaken the wrong person for your daddy." Chapter 5 Seeing that Benjamin was about to speak up again, Rachel clamped a hand over his mouth. "Sorry for that, everyone. He's just a kid, so he thinks every man around that age is his daddy." The guests laughed in amusement, going along with her words. However, I could hear as they whispered to each other about how her years-long love affair with Cameron was finally about to end in marriage. A sudden wave of exhaustion swept over me. As it turned out, I was the only one unaware. Everyone else already knew that they were about to get married. Like a fool, I had been hoping for a future that was never mine to begin with. While I was lost in thought, my wheelchair suddenly jerked. Cameron, upon seeing that one time hadn't been enough to push me over, shoved my wheelchair again. I crashed to the floor hard, the wound on my chest tearing open again. Within seconds, blood was seeping through the bandages. Cameron's hand flew up to clutch at his own chest. "My chest suddenly hurts so badly when I see you in such a pitiful state. Why is that?" I stared at his chest as though I could see right through the layers of his suit to the heart beating inside—my heart. He stood before me and gazed down at me with a victorious smirk. "Your heart is mine now, and my son is about to become the heir to the Lindt family as well. Sebastian Yarrow, even after all these years, you still can't win against me." His smug attitude was just as irritating as it was when we were in university. Back then, I still had Rachel on my side. She would defend me and tell me that it was okay even if I failed to get a scholarship, that I would always be her number one in her heart. Yet, that same person who once placed me in the most special place in her heart had also tossed me out long ago. I had no idea when it started, but Rachel began to neglect me more and more. In the past, she couldn't help but want to spend every hour of the day with me. Eventually, though, she wouldn't voluntarily contact me even when I had to go on a business trip for over two weeks. I had simply assumed that that was how love went, that what would truly support us and hold us together till the end was a sense of kinship and our children. However, she had personally severed those ties with her own hands. The fury blazing in me finally reached its peak when I spotted Rachel in the living room, patiently wiping Benjamin's mouth to clean it. I asked Cameron, "My heart beats in your body now. I wonder whether the love she'll show you in the future is for you as a person or your heart. What do you think?" His eyes widened at my words before turning bright with explosive rage. "Go to hell, Sebastian Yarrow!" Lifting his leg, he aimed a vicious kick at my chest, only to suddenly turn directions at the very last moment. In the next second, he tipped over and fell back, crashing to the floor with a loud thud. I raised my head, only to lock eyes with Rachel's cold gaze. She kicked me aside like I was nothing but a piece of trash before hurrying over to crouch beside Cameron. With careful movements, she helped him sit up. "Cameron, what happened?" Cameron clutched at his chest where blood was also seeping through his clothes. He said ruefully, "Mr. Yarrow said that I was being too nice to Ben, which would make him misunderstand my identity. "But I just really like children. I don't have any other intentions. I'm sorry, Rach. What happened tonight is my fault. I shouldn't have come." He struggled to stand, yet the movements tugged at his wound, the resulting agony causing him to double over. "It hurts!" Rachel immediately ordered for him to be brought to my room and even called away the doctor who had been preparing to tend to me. The doctor frowned. "Ms. Lindt, Mr. Yarrow has lost way too much blood and is in life-threatening danger." Yet, Rachel simply screamed at him, "As long as his heart still beats, he won't die!" All the strength seemed to have been sucked out of me with those words. My heart spasmed in my chest, but that was impossible, as I no longer had it. The guests slowly dispersed like a receding tide, not a single one forgetting to curse at me when walking by, telling me that I deserved it. I stared at the empty living room, feeling as though my body had been submerged in icy waters. Several minutes later, I made a phone call. After leaving the Lindt residence, I didn't look back as I boarded a plane out of the country. All of this should've ended long ago. Nonetheless, I wasn't one to let myself be walked all over. In the early hours of the morning, a new topic trended on Twitter. "Sebastian Yarrow Dies at Sea After Plane Crash!"