Chapter 4

Bowie's POV

I trembled violently as I sobbed, practically suffocating.

The ward fell silent in an instant.

Startled by my breakdown, Bruce shrank into Esther's arms and began coughing uncontrollably. "Mom! Is he backing out? Does he not want to give me his heart anymore?"

He continued, "It's all because of him! Ever since he came into our family, I've been sick nonstop, going from one surgery to another. Did he pass his illness on to me? That's right! He stole my cornbread, and now he wants to steal you both too!"

Steal?

I whipped my head up, screaming like someone who had lost all reason. My tears mingled with the bloodstains on my face as they trickled down. "Then who took my marrow from my spine? Who took my kidney? Who took away part of my liver?

"My body, my organs, my life—are they not worth a single thing? Ever since I got here, I've been losing everything, hurting nonstop! I never stole anything from you! I gave you everything I had!" I shouted.

Another slap landed, far heavier and far more ruthless than the last.

This time, it was Philip. He grabbed my hair with brute force, yanking me roughly off the floor.

"Bowie Easton! Your pathetic life wasn't worth a dime the second you were dumped at the orphanage gates!

"You were trash abandoned by your own parents! You're just a useless leech who would've starved, frozen to death, or died alone in that hellhole! It was our family who took pity on you and pulled you out of that garbage heap! We fed you and clothed you!

"From the day we brought you home, the sole purpose of your existence was to keep Bruce alive! Now that he needs your heart, this is your fate! This is what you owe our family!" he shouted.

I lay on the cold floor, the blood in my veins turning to ice.

So this was it.

It was simply because I owed them.

Then, I would give it all back.

I smiled faintly. Pushing myself off the floor, I wobbled onto my feet.

"Doctor, I give my full consent for the surgery. Can we do it now?" I asked.

Philip snorted coldly and said, "You should've given it just now. Hesitating like that only delays Bruce's treatment."

I was taken into the operating room. The anesthesia crept through the vein in the back of my hand, spreading slowly along my blood vessels into every limb and bone.

As the surgeons made their final preparations, I strained to turn my head toward the small observation window.

Behind the glass stood two blurred figures.

It was Esther and Philip.

They stood side by side, their eyes glued to Bruce, who lay on another operating table right beside mine.

Esther clasped her hands as if in deep prayer while Philip wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He looked grim.

From beginning to end, neither of them spared me a single glance.

Not even one.

The weight of the anesthesia grew heavier, and my consciousness began to fog.

The last image I saw was Esther leaning close to the observation window, nodding forcefully to the surgeons inside. Her lips seemed to form the word, "Please."

Then she turned away, walking with Philip. Their retreating figures merged completely with the figure walking away into the snowy night of my memory.

I closed my eyes, letting the darkness consume me whole.

I thought to myself, "Mom, Dad, I've given you everything you wanted—my bone marrow, my kidney, my liver and now my heart. I've paid you back in full. We're finally even. I don't owe you anything anymore."

…

Third-Person POV

No one knew how much time had passed before the doors swung open again.

Outside the operating room, Esther and Philip swarmed the lead surgeon, Henry Carter, the moment he stepped out.

Henry nodded lightly and said, "The surgery was a success. There's almost no tissue rejection at all. Such a high degree of compatibility is exceptionally rare for non-blood relatives. Usually, a perfect match like this only happens between close blood relatives."

The room plunged into a dead silence.

Philip's voice turned raspy. "Immediate family?"