The Day I Chose Myself, He Lost Everything

Joyce has spent years waiting for a donor match, but when the transplant finally becomes possible, she refuses it. Her life, she tells the doctor, no longer has a purpose. The reason lies in a marriage she once believed was destiny: five years ago, Leander married her as her family's company collapsed and her father took his own life after Virelle, the friend she treated as a sister, emptied their accounts and vanished.

A week ago, on their fifth anniversary, Joyce overheard Leander and Virelle on the yacht. He had hidden her all along, and their plans included a son. Then her mother died, and a call to Leander was answered by Virelle's breathless voice. Alone at the cemetery, Joyce collapsed.

Waking in the hospital, Joyce finally chooses herself and files for divorce. But the prenup can strip her of everything, and an email on Leander's forgotten account reveals an ultrasound and two tickets to the Persian Sea — for Virelle.