Chapter 7

Dad looked at the phone. "A recording?"

I nodded. It was a complete recording of everything that had happened from the moment I walked through the door.

Even if Grandma did try to weaponize the internet against me, this recording would show everyone that she had staged the entire thing to manipulate public opinion. Once people realized they were being used as a weapon, they would not play along.

If anything, the backlash would land squarely on her.

Mom had left with Grandma that night, but the next morning, she was back, banging on the door. "Wade! Wade, open the door!"

Dad opened it. "Are you here to file the divorce papers?"

Mom blinked. "What divorce papers? You're still going on about something you said in the heat of the moment?"

His voice was flat. "I wasn't blowing off steam. I'm serious about the divorce."

She frowned. "Everything's perfectly fine. What are you going on about? I'm the one letting things go here, and you're still picking a fight with me?"

She started pushing her way inside, but Dad blocked her.

"Perfectly fine? Your family tried to carve out my son's kidney. That's what you call 'perfectly fine'? Your version of 'perfectly fine' is a happy family built on my son's sacrifice? Get out. Say whatever you want, but this marriage is over."

The door slammed shut. Mom muttered a few things on the other side, but eventually, she left.

Once the door was closed, Dad took a couple of deep breaths to steady himself. "This works out. While she's off throwing a tantrum, I'll have time to find a good lawyer."

Time moved quickly after that. My academic competition was coming up. A strong finish in this competition, combined with my grades, would be enough to secure me an early scholarship to a top university.

According to what the comments had revealed about the 'original storyline', I had won this competition and earned the scholarship in my previous life. My cousin, Troy Pritchard, who was in the same grade as me, was eaten up with jealousy over it and spent plenty of time talking behind my back.

It was also because of this scholarship that after I graduated and could not find a good job, Troy mocked me. He said all those years of studying had been a waste, that I had taken up a spot at a top university for nothing as I could not make a decent living.

They all knew perfectly well that the only reason I was in poor health was that I had donated a kidney to Uncle Oliver.

As for Mom, rather than saying a single word in my defense, she complained that I was an embarrassment and that I made her look bad in front of Grandma.

The thought made me clench my jaw. I was going to win this scholarship. I was going to build a future worth having, and every single one of them could choke on it.

The competition went well. My ranking was strong, and barring anything unexpected, the scholarship was mine.

Afterward, I passed Troy coming out of a teacher's office. His eyes were still red.

The moment he saw me, they burned even redder. "Cody, you wouldn't give my dad a kidney, and now, he's stuck in a hospital bed because of you. And you took my scholarship spot on top of it. You must be really pleased with yourself."

I smiled modestly. "I earned that spot on my own, so yes, I am."

Troy had nothing to say to that. He stormed off.

I had not missed the raw jealousy in his eyes.

In the original storyline, I had just donated a kidney to Uncle Oliver when the scholarship results came out. Troy was jealous, but making a move against me right after I had donated an organ to his father would have looked terrible.

This time, though, I had not donated, and Troy believed I had 'stolen' his scholarship spot. There was nothing holding him back. What would he do next?

I did not have to wonder for long.

The very next day, Grandma showed up at my school to cause a scene.

Right in the middle of the sports field, she appeared with a banner during lunch break. I had no idea how she had gotten past the front gate.

The banner read, 'Cody Hewitt refused to save his dying uncle and disrespected his own grandmother. Does a student like that deserve a scholarship?'

Half the school had stopped to stare, crowding around the banner and whispering to each other.

Grandma was elated. She pulled out a megaphone like a magician producing a rabbit and launched into a wailing monologue.

"My grandson has no heart! He's going to sit back and watch his own uncle die! I got down on my knees and begged him, and it still wasn't enough!

"And just because I borrowed a little money from his family, he turned his parents against each other and tried to take all of it for himself! How can someone be so cruel?"

The teacher on duty looked like his head was about to split open. "Ma'am, please calm down. This is a family matter and has nothing to do with academics. Could you please handle this at home?"

Grandma's eyes darted around. "Nothing to do with academics? How can a heartless person like him be given a scholarship to a top university? And forget about that for a second. Doesn't the school bear some responsibility here?

"That good-for-nothing grandson of mine is making his father file for divorce so he can snatch my daughter's money. He probably wants to spend it all on some girl at this school. How is that not the school's business?"

Then, Grandma's eyes lit up, as if she had just thought of something. "He doesn't come home until after 10:00 pm every night. He's definitely fooling around with one of the girls here. And you're giving a student like him a scholarship? What kind of school is this?"