Chapter 1

“Mr. Lehman, you should still wait for a new kidney…”

When I heard the doctor’s advice, I slowly shook my head.

I no longer saw the point in waiting.

Everything I had once fought for had become nothing more than fleeting memories.

Right after I finished the discharge procedures, my phone rang.

“Zane, go to South City and buy some chicken soup.

“Declan just woke up. He wants to drink some soup now.”

Before I said anything, Dad hung up.

If this had happened in the past, I would have argued with him.

But I would not do that anymore.

I entered Declan’s ward with a bowl of chicken soup.

Mom sat by the bed and carefully coaxed Declan to have some water. Dad stared at him as if he were worried that Declan was uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, I, their biological son, was the eyesore in this ward.

In the end, it was Declan who realized my presence first.

“Zane, you’re here…”

When Dad heard Declan’s voice, he raised his head, fiercely glared at me, and quickly grabbed the chicken soup I was holding.

“You took so long. Do you mean for Declan to starve?”

Mom unpacked the chicken soup while she grumbled at me.

“Zane, why are you so useless?

“The soup has spilled out. How can Declan still eat it?”

While Mom was speaking, she disposed of the chicken soup.

Even though I had decided not to care about this anymore, my heart clenched. I was having trouble breathing.

My face turned paler. Even so, no one cared.

“Oh yeah, Mom and I have talked about it. We decided to give your shares to Declan as compensation.”

After Dad spoke, they passed me a waiver of inheritance.

“If it weren’t for you, would Declan need to suffer like this?

“If you want to redeem yourself, sign it now!”

I looked at the waiver form and chuckled.

“Sure. I’ll do as you say!”

I signed the form with a flick of my wrist and handed the signed waiver to Dad.

When Dad saw my signature, his dark expression relaxed slightly.

“Since I’ve already given up my wealth and shares, I’ll also give him the company and the property that I’ve invested in for years!”

Dad and Mom broke into big smiles at that.

Mom, who usually hated to even touch me, held my hands.

“Zane, you’re finally being considerate!

“When Declan is discharged, we’ll live well as a family.”

I felt the warmth of Mom’s palms and the irony of the situation.

It was only when I gave in to Declan that I could see her smile.

I was a little curious. If they found out that everything Declan did was just an act, how would they react?

Would they regret treating me like that?

When Declan saw Mom holding my hands, he felt threatened. He immediately coughed lightly.

My parents immediately went back to the hospital bed.

When night fell, I went back home, feeling tired.

Before I could even grab a glass of water, I heard the voice of my wife, Yelena Quinn.

“When Declan recovers and is discharged, I’m going to bring him home and take care of him.”