Chapter 3

By the time I woke up, the physics competition was long over.

I rushed home like a madman and demanded to know why Ken had given me spoiled milk.

Then I saw the comment he had just left under Victor’s post.

“Don’t worry, Victor. You’ll definitely place in the competition. I’ll be praying for you. I won’t let anyone get in your way.”

My phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a loud clatter.

The last bit of trust I still had in Ken was gone.

Victor didn’t place in that competition.

Ken glanced at me and let out a quiet sigh.

“What a shame. If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve had you tutor Victor first.”

I forced down my hatred and applied to live on campus.

After I moved into the dorms, Ken never texted me. The only time he reached out was when Victor got sick and missed school. Then he would ask me for updates.

I buried myself in practice problems and studied so hard it scared my classmates.

Then, on New Year’s Eve of senior year, Ken came looking for me for the first time in ages.

“Joe, you haven’t been home in so long. It’s New Year’s Eve. Come home with Dad, okay? I made your favorite beef stew.”

There was a pleading look in his eyes.

His nose was red from the cold, and he was holding a scarf he had knitted for me.

For a moment, my heart softened.

After we got home, he suddenly said he had forgotten to buy dinner rolls. Then he left me alone and went out to get some.

Not long after, my head grew heavy.

My body went weak, and I collapsed.

The door opened.

Several rough-looking men walked in.

“This the kid? He’s so skinny. How much can one kidney even sell for?”

Then I heard Ken’s anxious voice.

“Not just the kidney. There are corneas too. His heart. Whatever you want from him, take it!

“You promised me. I give him to you, and you won’t go after Victor!”

“Enough. We only need the kidney. Let’s check him first.”

My heart dropped straight into the pit of my stomach.

They were organ traffickers.

And my own father had brought them here.

I struggled with everything I had and screamed for help.

But the door had already been locked from the outside, and Ken was standing guard right beyond it.

My desperate cries were swallowed by the fireworks and New Year’s celebrations outside.

A few days earlier, Victor had mentioned that he felt like someone had been following him.

I hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

Now I understood.

Ken had sacrificed me to keep Victor safe.

A fierce will to survive surged through me. I grabbed the fork off the table and stabbed it at the man reaching for me.

“Ah!”

The man screamed, and the next second, we were fighting.

I fought for my life. Curses filled my ears, and I lost count of how many times they hit and kicked me.

Then the pain became too much.

Someone struck my ear hard, and everything rang.

When I woke up again, I couldn’t hear anything out of my left ear.

Pain throbbed on the lower left side of my abdomen. There was a freshly stitched wound there, and the hollow feeling under my skin told me everything.

I was missing a kidney.

They had stolen one of my kidneys.

Ken wiped my body down with a warm towel, guilt flickering in his eyes.

I didn’t even have the strength to be angry anymore.

“Why would you do this to me? Are we enemies?”

Ken was silent for a moment.

“Those traffickers had been following Victor for almost a month. The SATs are coming up. I couldn’t just stand by and watch them hurt him.

“I talked it over with them. They only took one kidney. I gave them extra cash. At least you’re still alive.”

My mind went blank.

I broke down and screamed, “But I’m your son! What does Victor have on you that makes you willing to go this far for him? I’m calling the police!”

He pinned me down impatiently.

“Don’t even think about calling the police. Otherwise, I’ll call those men back, and next time, you won’t make it out alive.”

I completely fell apart.

That New Year’s Eve, I ran out of the house and wandered around like I had no direction left, lost and desperate, until morning came.

The next morning, I made up my mind to end everything.

Then Victor appeared in front of me with a grave expression.

“Joe, I need to talk to you.”

I followed him into the villa and met his father, Steven Jasper, the wealthiest man in the city.

He was a middle-aged man who looked almost exactly like Victor. When he looked at me, there was pity in his eyes.

“Joe, nineteen years ago, your father switched you and Victor in the maternity ward. Our family’s butler saw it happen and switched you back in time. That was the only reason a disaster was avoided.”

Steven’s expression darkened.

“You’re about to take the SATs, so we didn’t want to pursue the matter anymore. But all these years, your father has been clinging to Victor like a ghost. Especially two days ago, when he was caught secretly watching Victor through a window. I can’t ignore this anymore.

“If he keeps harassing Victor, we’ll have no choice but to call the police.”

Victor folded his arms, looking as if he still couldn’t accept it.

“Joe, I had no idea your dad was that online uncle.

“So after all this time, he still doesn’t know the babies were switched back. He still thinks I’m his biological son.

“I never touched any of the things he gave me over the years. You can take them all. Just tell him to stop bothering me.

“You’re his real son.”