Chapter 2

I shuddered when I heard those heartbreaking words.

Back then, Sharon was the only one who said she believed in me. She told me not to do anything rash and encouraged me to try applying for the program again. Now, I realized that she was just trying to stop me from going after David.

Another guest chimed in, "Sharon, Kyle has such a terrible temper. He doesn't deserve you. David is the one for you. You've known each other since you were kids, and now he's become so successful. What are you waiting for?"

Sharon gave a vague reply. "David still has one semester left. We'll see."

She pulled out her phone. When she saw there were no missed calls, her face darkened. Turning to Adam, she asked, "Did you pass my message to Kyle? Why hasn't he called me yet?"

Before Adam could answer, Sharon's phone suddenly buzzed. Without even checking the caller, she picked it up with a confident smirk. "Kyle, you—"

But an unfamiliar man's voice came through, "Is this Ms. Sharon Griffin? We have some medical funds that need to be transferred to your account. Would you be able to receive them?"

Sharon frowned. "Who is this?"

The man explained gently, "Three years ago, you were in the late stages of kidney failure. Your husband, Mr. Walsh, sent 999 emails begging one of our medical specialists to operate on you.

"The doctor had already retired at the time, so Mr. Walsh flew out himself, spent his entire life savings, and knelt in the pouring rain for a day and a night, begging the doctor to treat you.

"We had never seen a man so devoted. Moved by his sincerity, the doctor made an exception and agreed to perform the surgery. He refused to accept payment at the time, so we put the money aside in a medical fund under Mr. Walsh's name.

"The fund has now reached the end of its holding period, and we wanted to return the money to Mr. Walsh, but we haven't been able to get in touch with him."

Three years ago, Sharon had suddenly fallen seriously ill. Her condition was so critical that even after a suitable kidney became available, no doctor in the country was willing to operate on her.

I did whatever it took to save her. I begged a doctor overseas to take her case, even spending hours on my knees in the rain, begging him to save her.

When Sharon finally came out of surgery, I cried tears of joy.

Back then, I never imagined that just a few months later, I'd face the greatest betrayal of my life.

The room fell silent as everyone took in what they'd just heard. After a long pause, someone finally spoke.

"We all thought Kyle had gone abroad on vacation and left you to fend for yourself. Who would've thought he'd go that far for you? Without that doctor, you might not have made it through the surgery."

Sharon gripped her phone so tightly that her fingers turned white. It took her a long moment to regain her composure before replying coldly, "I don't need the money. Donate it."

She hung up and scoffed. "Kyle was just trying to make himself look like a hero. David would never use something like this to make me feel that I owed him.

"When I was so sick I wanted to die, Kyle only helped me find a doctor. David was the one who actually risked his life to save me. His health was ruined because of that.

"And what did Kyle do? He's selfish and only thinks about himself. He even asked for a divorce over something so trivial!"

A wave of bitterness washed over me. I was the one who had donated my kidney to save her, not David.

I suffered from a congenital blood-clotting disorder, but I still risked my life to undergo the surgery for her.

When I woke up, I found Sharon fussing over David and thanking him over and over. No matter how many times I tried to explain, she thought I was trying to steal credit from him.

Later on, I did better than David on the first round of the PhD admissions process.

He immediately threatened to throw himself into a river. "Kyle, why am I always behind you? You're like a shadow hanging over my life! Now, I have to watch you go abroad while I'm stuck here in this broken body. I might as well just die!"

Those words made Sharon decide to help him take my place and study abroad. That was where the tragedy began.

The mood in the room grew heavy. Everyone raised their glasses, trying to lighten things up.

Someone picked up their phone and started scrolling through videos. They forgot to turn the volume down, and an electronic voice suddenly rang out, "Breaking news! The Behavioral Reform Center is under investigation amid allegations of abuse and criminal misconduct."