I Once Loved You Deeply Novel by Lilith Grey _ Novel



I Once Loved You Deeply Novel by Lilith Grey _ Novel

I Once Loved You Deeply Chapter 01

Florence Finley had just been pulled back from the brink of death when she received her first wedding anniversary gift: her heart transplant had been canceled.
The decision was made by her husband, Carlton Sheridan, Washington, D.C.'s famed golden boy.
"Ms. Finley, Mr. Sheridan demanded that the donor heart intended for you be given to another patient. He claimed you were faking your condition, that you didn't deserve it... We're so sorry. We tried, but we couldn't stop him. Still, we'll keep trying to explain the situation to him."
Florence's heart dropped. Her limbs went cold.
"Forget it. I don't want the surgery anymore."
To her own surprise, her lips curved slightly—as if she were finally, mercifully, free.
"Without the surgery, I have about three months left, right? You don't have to tell Carlton my condition. Let him do what he wants. To me, living hurts more than dying anyway."
With that, Florence pulled out her IV and forced herself up to leave.
Behind her, the attending physician wanted to persuade her further, but hesitated—he couldn't bring himself to say another word.
Florence walked alone for three hours before finally making her way back to the villa. She hadn't even entered the room when she caught sight of Pauline Downey clinging to Carlton. He was stroking her back to comfort her, his gestures so tender they felt like a physical blow to Florence.
His voice reached Florence clearly. "Still not feeling well? Don't worry. I found a matching heart for you. I'll get you into surgery as soon as possible. You won't be in any danger."
Pauline looked up, her delicate face stained with tears, pitiful and fragile. "But... that heart was meant for Florence. She's been waiting over a year for it."
She buried her face in Carlton's chest. "Didn't she just have emergency resuscitation yesterday? What if something happens to her?"
Carlton let out a cold scoff. "Her heart condition is just a game to win my sympathy." He rubbed his cheek against Pauline's, his eyes soft with affection. "I already checked with the hospital. Her heart condition is manageable. It couldn't have deteriorated so severely in such a short time. She's just bluffing—it's always been her thing.
"Besides, she owes me a life anyway. What does it matter if I withhold this heart? She had no right to it in the first place."
He gently pinched Pauline's cheek. "I don't care if she dies. But I won't let anything happen to you."
Florence's world fell apart.
She could accept dying. It wasn't a big deal.
But hearing Carlton's cruel, hate-filled words—and watching him offer her matched heart to Pauline just to please her—felt like a sharp blade twisting in her chest. Tears fell as she trembled.
Florence wiped away her tears and walked into the villa with her head bowed, just as Carlton, arm around Pauline, headed out the door.
Carlton glanced at her, his deep voice cutting through the air. "I thought you were staying at the hospital to play sick. Don't think you can win my sympathy with such lame tricks. As for the heart—you never needed it that badly anyway. I'm sure you don't mind letting Paula have it."
Florence's heart clenched, her fingers twitching. "No."
Carlton didn't care about her opinion anyway. He snorted coldly, "Good. You know your place.
"Paula and I are going to a get-together. Come with us."
Under his gaze, Florence felt a wave of exhaustion. But after a moment's hesitation, she nodded and followed.
Carlton's close friends were waiting in a private room at the club. When they saw him walk in with Pauline in his arms, they laughed and teased him. Then their expressions shifted—mixed with mockery and something else—when they noticed Florence behind them.
"Took Carl long enough to finally bring his precious Ms. Downey to see us. She really is something special."
"Ms. Downey, we've heard so much about you. Nice to finally meet you. This calls for a drink."
One of Carlton's friends handed Pauline a glass. But Carlton took the glass and passed it to Florence instead, a faint smile on his lips. "My friends can't be disrespected, but Paula has a heart condition. She can't drink. You'll drink for her, Florence."
It was an order, leaving no room for refusal.
A wave of bitterness washed over Florence. She was such a fool—clinging to some naive hope that Carlton had brought her along out of some lingering guilt or pity. Turned out he just wanted her to drink for Pauline.
She murmured, "I have a heart condition, too. And I was just hospitalized yesterday. I'm still on medication. I can't drink..."
Carlton frowned, his gaze icy. "Florence, haven't you had enough of this act?"
Florence lowered her head.
She knew even if she died right now, Carlton would probably still think she was pretending.
Taking their cue from Carlton's disdain, his friends jumped at the chance to make life difficult for Florence. "Drink! At least a hundred shots of whiskey!"
"That's right! Drink to liven things up. If you don't, we'll take it as disrespect."
With a trembling hand, Florence took the glass. Shot after shot of high-proof whiskey burned down her throat. Instant spasms of pain seized her heart, and a searing heat crawled through her chest and stomach. Struggling to breathe, Florence turned white as a sheet, her entire body shaking under the agony.
But she endured it, gulping down the alcohol almost as if punishing herself.
Through it all, Carlton just stared at her, his gaze dark and unreadable.
Finally, gritting her teeth, Florence finished the hundredth shot. A flicker of something—distress, maybe—passed through Carlton's eyes. He opened his mouth as if to speak. Just then, Pauline stepped in front of him and shyly kissed his cheek. "I drew a card that said I have to kiss you."
Carlton's attention shifted completely. He immediately fixed his gaze on Pauline, his eyes now full of tenderness. "That's how you kiss," he said, gripping the nape of Pauline's neck and kissing her passionately in front of everyone.
The alcohol and her husband's blatant provocation made Florence's heart ache and her body convulse. She whispered, her voice barely audible, "Carlton..."
The next second, clutching her chest in agony, she fled the room, stumbling into the restroom and vomiting violently.
She kept vomiting until chunks of bright, glaring blood spilled forth. She pounded her chest helplessly, trying to ease the pain.
Numb, she tried to stand. But the excruciating agony was too much, and she passed out completely.

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