A Wife, A Placeholder, A Lie

The frantic beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound as my son, Leo, struggled for every breath. Anaphylactic shock, the doctors said. A severe, unexpected allergic reaction. My world reeled as the nurse cried, "We need O-negative blood, now! The blood bank is running low." Just as despair threatened to swallow me, my friend Chloe stepped forward. "I'm O-negative. Take my blood. Take as much as you need."

Relief washed over me, a gratitude so immense it felt like pain. Hours later, with Leo sleeping peacefully thanks to Chloe' s heroic act, Liam, my husband, praised her as a "selfless…