Chapter 3

Austin's POV

I started clearing away all traces of my existence from the Prescott residence, but honestly, there wasn't much to pack.

I had once filled the garden with baby's breath because they were Clara's late father's favorite flower. To give her a true sense of belonging at home, I had spent a whole month at a pottery studio making us a matching pair of couple's mugs.

Now, I ripped out every last flower by the roots and threw them into the trash can. The matching mugs were carelessly tossed into a cardboard box of discarded junk.

When Clara returned that evening and saw the nearly empty closet, she frowned. Her hand paused halfway through removing her hair tie.

"Where's all your stuff?"

I didn't even look up as I packed the last of my books and replied in a flat voice, "They were getting old and taking up space, so I threw them out."

Clara walked over and carefully studied my expression. There were no hysterical outbursts or tearful confrontations.

Assuming I had finally stopped throwing petty tantrums over Edward, she seemed relieved and smiled in satisfaction. Then, she took out a black card and held it out to me.

"I'm glad you've finally come to your senses, Austin. Use this card to buy anything you want. Ed's mental state is a little unstable again today. I'm going to stay with him tonight. You should get some rest."

Instead of accepting the card, I said, "It's fine. I don't need anything."

Clara didn't think much of it. She casually left the card on the table and turned toward the door. I had always been obedient, after all.

To be honest, I had never spent Clara's money. The only time I had ever used her card was to buy her a birthday gift.

When the cashier handed me the receipt to sign, I held the pen and froze for a long time, completely at a loss. In the end, I could feel my heart racing with a secret, overwhelming sense of joy as I signed her name on the flimsy piece of paper.

For a man who had grown up unloved, that moment had felt magical. It felt as if by signing her name, I finally had a family.

But now, as I looked at the card on the table, I only found my past self pathetic and ridiculous.

Watching Clara leave, I quietly whispered to myself, "Goodbye."

…

I went to the hospital alone the next morning.

As Dr. Raymond Powell scanned through my charts, his brow was furrowed in a tight frown.

"Your heart rejection has reached critical levels, Austin. If we don't perform a second heart transplant at once, you have… three months at most to live."

"Is there a matching donor?" I asked.

He sighed and shook his head. "There are no suitable donors in Crisea right now, and even if there are, you don't have the time to wait."

After a long hesitation, he took a file out of his desk drawer.

"Austin, there's a highly experimental clinical trial for a new bioengineered heart abroad. It's still in phase two, and the mortality rate is incredibly high.

"But if you're willing to volunteer and take the risk, all expenses will be covered by the research institute, regardless of whether you live or die. Right now, it's your only chance of surviving."

As I stared at the agreement, the tenderness in Clara's eyes whenever she looked at Edward flashed through my mind, followed by her cold, indifferent expression when she took away the medication that kept me alive.

I picked up the pen and signed my name without a moment's hesitation.