Chapter 2

The sour sensation in my heart faded away.

I looked up at Charlie and said, "I can go. But if I die on the streets outside, you're the murderer who signed my death sentence, Charlie!"

My voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to render him speechless.

Charlie stood rooted to the spot. A long time passed before he stammered, "D-Drop the act! So what if you donated a kidney to me? The Ashford family took you in for three years!

"You need to prepare some refreshments as soon as possible! I would have wasted my time taking care of you if you couldn't even carry out such a simple task!"

He looked like he had more to say, but I didn't want to listen to him anymore.

I turned around and headed downstairs, doing my best to ignore the way my body felt like it was burning.

In the past, right after we got married, Charlie would spend all day and night taking care of me whenever I fell sick. When I mumbled that I wanted hot chocolate with marshmallows in my sleep, he immediately went to buy it for me.

We didn't live in a villa. We only lived in a small house, but the sweetness of the hot chocolate spread through my entire heart.

Suddenly, I heard Savannah call out to me sweetly from behind me.

"Wendy!"

A few coins were thrown at me before I could turn around.

Savannah's grating laugh echoed in my ears. She didn't even bother hiding her glee.

"You didn't bring any money with you, Wendy. Are you planning to beg the bakery's owner to give you the cakes for free?"

It was obvious that she was mocking me.

I kept my back ramrod straight as I glanced at the scattered coins on the floor. I pretended that I didn't see them, stepping on them as I headed downstairs and made my way to the clinic.

I was shaking all over when the doctor applied ointment on my wound. My entire body was drenched with sweat.

The doctor shot a serious look at me after he looked at my medical report.

"The infection is quite serious, Ms. Lawrence. On top of that, you didn't receive any proper treatment or nutrition after your surgery. The spread of the renal mass on your kidney is quite severe. You have to be very careful in the future. Your very life might be at risk if your condition deteriorates."

I wasn't surprised by his words and just nodded calmly.

I didn't just sit around and fiddle with my thumbs after I left the clinic. Instead, I made my way to the closest post office.

I personally wrote about Charlie's years of misconduct in the letter. A faint sense of relief washed over me as I watched it be sent off to the Internal Revenue Bureau.

Just then, a newspaper brushed against my hand.

There was a photo that showed Joshua in his military uniform. He looked like he oozed authority.

"The youngest commander, Joshua Jetson, inspects Lunaria."

"Commander Jetson receives the latest report from Lunaria's cancer research institute."

A trace of hope sparked in my heart as I dug my fingers into the newspaper.

…

The sun was high in the sky when I returned home to retrieve my documents.

I had just stepped through the door when Charlie began to interrogate me immediately.

"Savannah was waiting for you all morning. Where are the cheesecakes?"

Savannah looked pale as she slumped against the couch. Her appearance tugged at one's heartstrings and made them want to take care of her.

I completely ignored Charlie as I circled him and headed toward the master bedroom to retrieve my documents.

Impatience flickered in his eyes. He grabbed me, causing me to stumble over my feet.

"Are you deaf? I'm talking to you!"