Chapter 2

Mom sent me a message. "I left some food in the fridge that I made this morning, so warm it and eat it; keep it low-fat and don't add any seasoning."

In that instant, my eyes welled up.

Mom had been leaving before sunrise to run her street stall ever since I was diagnosed with severe renal insufficiency, but she always made my breakfast according to my diet before she went. Dad worked during the day and delivered food at night, working nonstop to support us.

Jolene was beautiful and a talented dancer, but she hadn't touched her dance shoes in ten years because she had to donate a kidney to me.

There were quite a few times when I got up at night and caught Jolene on tiptoe, twirling gently in the living room, looking as graceful as a swan. She should have been soaring through the sky like one, not turning into an ugly duckling for my sake.

I slipped on a mask and grabbed a cab to the hospital.

Layla Warner, my attending doctor, asked solemnly, "Do you really want to forego the treatment, Ms. Lester?"

I signed the form without a second thought. "I'm 18 now, so I can decide for myself, Dr. Warner."

I couldn't help but tremble as I signed the final stroke. I wanted to live, just like everyone else. I couldn't just ask my entire family to sacrifice everything for my sake, though. Mom and Dad wouldn't have aged so quickly, and Jolene wouldn't have given up her dream if it weren't for me.

Dominic had also applied to a local university last year just so he could stick around and care for me, even though he could have had a much brighter prospect.

In that instant, tears dripped onto the paper and bled through my signature.

Dr. Warner felt sorry for me and added, "You have an excellent chance of making a full recovery once you get a kidney transplant, Ms. Lester."

I trembled as I said, "You said it yourself, Dr. Warner—it's only a strong chance. What should I do if I don't get any better? Do I really have to drag them down for the rest of their lives?"

Dr. Warner fell silent. She had witnessed countless cases of life and death, as well as families exhausting everything they had to save a loved one, only to end up with nothing. She put away the refusal-of-treatment form and said, "Your choice is a sensible one, but it is really cruel, Ms. Lester."

I was on the verge of tears, but I stubbornly held them back. I came from an ordinary family, so there was no way we could afford the burden of a condition like mine. I simply thought that rather than end up with nothing in the end, it would be better to give up on treatment early.

"It isn't cruel at all," I said as I held up my hand and started listing the benefits on my fingers for Dr. Warner.

"Mom's back acts up whenever it rains; without me around, that money raised for my surgery can go toward treating her. Dad's leg has been giving him trouble, so he can finally afford the surgery to fix it.

"Jolene can use the money raised for my surgery to pay for Briarlune Dance Academy, and Dominic can apply for grad school at Briarlune. They're such good, talented people. They shouldn't have to give up their futures because of me."

I couldn't help but burst into tears by the time I finished speaking.

Dr. Warner sighed.

I dropped to my knees and begged her, saying, "Please don't tell my parents about this, Dr. Warner."

Just then, the door swung open. "I brought over Jolene's test reports to see if she meets the requirements for the surgery, Dr. Warner."

Mom stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me on my knees.

I got to my feet and looked at Dr. Warner pleadingly, silently telling her not to say anything to Mom. I then turned to Mom and said, "I just came to ask Dr. Warner when the surgery will take place."

"You ungrateful brute!" Mom slapped me hard across the face, her bloodshot eyes brimming with tears.

"Jolene sacrificed her own dreams to donate her kidney to you, yet all you care about is when the surgery will happen! Have you ever cared about Jolene? Do you even know what our family has given up to pay for your surgery, Natalie?"

She trembled with rage. "You don't get it at all! How could I have given birth to such an ungrateful burden like you?"