It's our pleasure to inform you you've been selected for the Madrid Summer Attorney Conference this year...

Vanessa didn't get past the first few lines of the letter she'd been waiting on. She'd grown up speaking some Spanish at home, but had never been fluent. This was an opportunity to go see the world and become more fluent in the language. It was a two-week opportunity coming up very quickly.

She had never flown on a plane before. It had been too risky with her heart condition. Now that she had a new heart, it was a new lease on life. She desperately wanted to travel. But with things heating up with Lin, and his new reliability on him for watching the girls complicated things.

Still, he wouldnt want her to miss out on this opportunity. She would take the letter tonight and tell him the news.

____

Lin stopped at the mailbox later that day and found an envelope from the New York Donors Association. It was an unwelcome reminder of what he had lost. Juliana had wanted to be an organ donor, but the thought of pieces of her walking around in other people's bodies was a bit much sometimes. Who knew who had one of her organs? He could pass someone on the street and have no idea.

He carefully opened the envelope and found a small pink envelope inside. Lin opened it and unfolded the handwritten note. A thank you from the receiver of her heart.

Dear Donor Family,

I know this is an odd letter to receive. You've lost a love one, but because of that I now have another chance at life. I received your loved one's heart last Fall. While I know it is no conciliation, I am grateful for the opportunity to live. I think of you often and will forever be indebted to you and your loved one.

The letter was not signed, as the whole process was meant to be anonymous. Lin closed the letter and stuffed it back in the small envelope. His wife's heart. He'd listened to her heartbeat many times, and now it was beating inside a stranger's chest. It didn't seem right. But it had been Juliana's wish.

Wanting to put it out of his mind, he stuffed it in his back pocket and headed upstairs. Vanessa was on the floor playing with Mariele, and she was giggling away.

The only light in his life right now was Vanessa. Of course he loved his girls, but this was a different kind of love. The kind that made him feel like a man; a human being. How he used to feel around Juliana - like his breath might leave him.

"What are you laughing at?" Lin called as he tossed his keys on the counter.

"Daddy!" Mariele shouted, standing up to go greet him. He relished his hugs from Mariele, as Elana had apparently gotten much too big and cool for that sort of thing. Lin picked her up as Vanessa walked over. He asked Mariele about her day. She was adjusting much better to going to school.

Vanessa walked to her purse and fished out a piece of paper. She opened it up and passed the paper to Lin. He started to read and his face immediately lit up.

"Vanessa, this is amazing!" he told her. "Congratulations!"

He opened his free arm and Vanessa walked into it, giving a half hug. She was relieved that he seemed excited for her. Part of her was anticipating him being upset about it.

"It's such a great opportunity," she beamed. "I've never even been out of the country."

"Really?" He asked, surprised. As much as she talked about the places she wanted to travel, he assumed she was a world traveller.

"Well I couldn't because..." she stopped herself, realizing she couldn't reveal the reason. "My parents were pretty poor. We really didn't have the money."

"Well it's all the more exciting then," he told her.

"You don't mind?" She checked. "I know I've been helping with the girls a lot."

"Of course not," he told her, setting Mariele down. "My parents are nearby. We'll make it work."

Relieved, she wrapped her arms around her waist and leaned in for a sweet kiss. Kissing Lin was one of her favorite things to do. She just wished she could relax around him more, but she was so afraid of him discovering her scar. Vanessa wasn't sure why she hadn't told him yet; it was just such a big deal to her. She didn't want Lin to think she was weak.

After a few more sweet, slow kisses, they parted and got into their evening routine. Lin was relieved that Vanessa seemed to like cooking. The girls had been subjected to a steady rotation of chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and frozen pizza since their mother had died. Vanessa made much more nutritious meals.

Lin changed into some sweats, tossing his jeans into the laundry basket, forgetting about the letter from the donor. He found Elana in her room, earbuds in and sketching on her arm with marker again. Sometimes he wondered if her skin would become permanently stained. As far as her moods, she wasn't in too bad shape. Lin went to the living room to spend time with Mari and Vanessa.

After getting dinner started, Vanessa wandered down the hall to get some laundry started. She took the darks from each of the girl's rooms and then went to the master bedroom. After loading up the basket, she hauled it to the washing machine.

Since become the caretaker to a couple girls, she'd learned to start checking the pockets of their clothes. As she dug through random pockets, she found a little piece of paper tucked in a pair of jeans. Her heart sunk as she saw some of the familiar handwriting peeking through.

She slowly unfolding it, hoping it wasn't what she thought.

Dear Donor Family,

I know this is an odd letter to receive.

Vanessa's heart sank and she tucked the letter in her own jeans. What were the chances? She'd received Juliana's heart? How in the hell could this happen. She felt a lump in her throat. How could Lin ever forgive her? How could she ever look at her and love her knowing that she had his wife's heart?

Lin appeared moments later. "Hey," he said, placing his hand on her hip. "We're gonna play a family game of Sorry. Wanna join?"

A family game. As if she deserved to be included. She felt disgusted with herself.

"Actually," she straightened her shirt and fought back her tears. "I forgot I have something tonight. I promised a friend I'd go to a talk with her."

"Oh," he said, surprised. Vanessa rarely seemed to have plans and she wasn't one to forget. Still, she seemed set on going. "Okay. Are you coming back tonight?"

The thought of laying next to him, her stolen heart beating next to his, felt completely disrespectful. "No, I need to go home. I...I have stuff to do."

"Okay," Lin said as he followed her down the hall. "Want me to walk you?"

"No, I'm fine," she insisted, sound stressed out. He wasn't sure what had changed between the kitchen and here. It was like a switch had been flipped.

"Are you sure?" he asked, worried about her.

"I'm fine," she said shortly. "Just...just let me know."

He could sense she didn't want a goodbye kiss. He found her purse for her and held it out. She wouldn't even look him in the eye. Not sure what he'd done, Lin stayed silent and let her go.

After the door had slammed, Mari came up to where he sat, dumbfounded, and took his hand.

"Daddy, what's wrong with Vanessa?" she asked, concerned.

Lin gave her hand a little squeeze. "I don't know, sweetheart," he told her. "I'm sure she'll be fine. Let's go play."

Mari happily ran over to the Sorry gameboard, ready to beat her dad. Lin began to settle in, not able to shake the feeling that something was very wrong