Cliffside Farewell

My boyfriend slipped into a coma after being poisoned. The doctor claimed only the heart’s blood of his lover could serve as the antidote’s catalyst. His sister grabbed my shoulders hard. “You love my brother, don’t you? Save him quickly!” I took the blade and drove it just beside my heart; blood gushed into a porcelain bowl. Agony wracked my whole body, yet he did nothing to stop me—not even a single glance my way. When he woke, he murmured, “You’ve suffered so much for me,” though a glint of satisfaction hid deep in his eyes. I knew the poison was fake, the doctor a hired actor, and the supposed antidote nothing but pre-prepared vitamins. All he’d wanted was a show of me willing to die for him. I finished my performance and handed him the bowl of blood, silently counting down the days in my head: Only three more days, and I’d be free of him forever.