Chapter 3

I pulled out the heirloom pendant from inside my shirt, the stone still warm from the heat of my body.

Poppy didn't know that my engagement to her was nothing more than a deal. Her parents never considered me their future son-in-law.

They paid me a monthly salary to look after her because they knew nothing about my past and thought I was a bastard who wasn't even worthy of marrying Poppy. The moment she no longer needed me, I would be kicked out without a second thought.

Naturally, they had no intention of handing the heirloom pendant over to me.

It was Poppy who defied them, demanded that they give it to her, and put it on me herself.

I would always remember her gentle whisper. "Milo, you are my fiance. You should have what's rightfully yours."

Now, she wanted to take back the heirloom pendant meant for her fiance, along with the special affection she had once shown me.

Without hesitation, I passed it to Trevor. "It belongs with its rightful owner. No need to return it to me."

Poppy frowned. "This is just a loan. What are you implying? Are you saying you don't want to be my fiance anymore?"

Trevor sneered. "What else could it be? He's just playing the victim again to win your sympathy. It's just like when we were kids. To spite us, he refused to get into the car and insisted on walking home barefoot, acting as if we'd mistreated him."

Poppy seemed to recall something. Her expression darkened, and she looked somewhat displeased.

But that wasn't the truth.

Following Trevor's return, he often brought up the hardships he'd endured, usually in tears. "I'd get up before sunrise to feed the pigs. Then, during winter, I would climb the mountain barefoot to collect firewood. I only had one meal most days, and half the time, there was nothing to go with it."

My parents were upset to learn that their biological son had suffered all these years while an outsider like me had lived comfortably, so they made me experience what Trevor had been through.

From that day onward, I'd be forced to wake up at sunrise to pull weeds and walk home barefoot in the dead of winter. I was left to survive on scraps while the whole family feasted on delicacies. Even the servants ate better food than I did.

And if I begged them not to treat me like this, they told me my experiences were nothing compared to Trevor's, who had it harder than me.

But I didn't cause his hardships. After all, I was just an orphan they had taken in.

It didn't take long for people to hear about the abuse. My parents pinned all the blame on me to protect their reputation. They painted me as a bitter kid who couldn't stand Trevor's return and had gone out of my way to humiliate them.

I became the bad kid everyone loved to hate, and all the other kids in our circle turned against me.

Despite our long-standing friendship, Poppy also betrayed me. She soon started dating Trevor.

I told her the truth out of fear that she would hate me. But regardless of what I told her or how much evidence I showed her, she stopped believing me and even began to despise me.

I said nothing as I met Poppy's questioning gaze and simply shook my head. Since I was leaving anyway, I let the misunderstanding stand.

I turned to leave, but Poppy grabbed my arm and let out a resigned sigh. "Come along with us to dinner. Get in the car."

I nodded. This would be my last meal with them before I left.

I got into the backseat and stayed silent for the entire drive as Poppy chatted and laughed with Trevor about the happy times they'd shared.

The car pulled up at Poppy's house, and it wasn't until we walked into the living room that I realized my parents were there too.

It finally dawned on me why Poppy had invited me when a kidney donation consent form was placed in front of me.

Trevor had been diagnosed with uremia and needed a kidney transplant.