Chapter 3

"You get angry when I agree, and you get angry when I don't. Josie, you're really strange."

I smirked and met Josie's furious gaze.

She looked ready to keep arguing, but a nurse knocked on the office door.

Alex was suddenly experiencing signs of organ rejection.

In an instant, Josie forgot all about our argument.

Panic flashed across her face. She shot me a warning look.

"You should think about it carefully. If you're donating reluctantly, Alex won't feel comfortable accepting it either."

I watched her hurry away and let out a self-mocking laugh.

Instead of following the commotion, I knocked on the dean's office door.

When the dean saw me, he slid a form across the desk.

"Mr. Shaw, you're still young. Are you certain you want to donate your body to our medical school and become a cadaver donor?"

The dean asked me several times.

I nodded. Ever since that day, I had already made up my mind.

Seeing how determined I was, the dean simply sighed and stopped trying to persuade me otherwise.

He told me that an awards ceremony would be held in three months and that the list of people who had volunteered to become cadaver donors would be announced then.

I didn't tell Josie about it. The hospital also promised to protect the donors' identities until that day.

Without the slightest hesitation, I wrote my name on the form.

I let out a long sigh. Soon, everything would be over.

After completing all the paperwork, I left the office.

I hadn't gone far when I saw my mother running toward me.

Before I could even process why she was there, she snatched the medical report from my hands. After skimming through it, she grabbed my arm.

"Since there's nothing wrong with your heart, tell the doctors to schedule the surgery immediately. Your brother can't wait another minute!"

I came back to my senses and forced a bitter smile.

Ever since I was young, my mother had devoted all her attention to my brother, Robert Shaw. To her, it was only natural for me to trade my life for his.

The report clearly showed that several of my organs were already failing, but my heart was still healthy.

That was the only thing she saw.

Suppressing the ache in my chest, I spoke calmly.

"Mom, I won't go back on my word, but they still need to finish the blood tests and organ matching–"

"You're brothers! What matching is there to do? Are you just trying to stall for time?"

My mother's shrill voice echoed through the hallway, drawing everyone's attention.

Even Josie, who had been in Alex's hospital room, stepped outside and looked at me in confusion.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing."

My casual dismissal only made Josie feel like I was treating her as an outsider.

"Why can't you say it in front of me? I only asked you to donate your sperm duct to Alex, and now you're shutting me out?"

I was already frustrated. Before I could respond, my mother cut in.

"I used to think you'd married such a wonderful woman. You even cut ties with me just to marry her.

"Looking at her now, she wasn't worth it after all."

My mother spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Josie's face instantly turned pale under the mockery.

"What do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean? My son is about to donate his heart to–"

I grabbed my mother's hand and spoke tiredly. "That's enough, Mom. I promised you. I won't change my mind. Let me take you home."

My mother was clearly reluctant to let it go, but she eventually turned around and left.

I was about to follow her when Josie grabbed my arm. Her expression darkened, and there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.