You Took My Kidney for Your First Love. Why Mourn Me Now? のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

When I opened my eyes again, my whole body felt strangely light. Every trace of pain was gone.For a moment, I thought I'd made it through the surgery.Then I heard Ella's young voice, choked with sobs."Mom, what's wrong? Wake up, Mom."I turned toward the sound.My six-year-old daughter was kneeling beside the clinic bed, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.On the bed in front of her lay my body, pale and completely still.That was when it hit me.Oh. I hadn't made it.I was dead.It made sense, really. We were broke, so I'd had the surgery at a small private clinic.Afterward, I hadn't been given antibiotics or even painkillers.Once the anesthesia wore off, the pain became unbearable. I could feel myself slipping away.Still, I accepted my death surprisingly quickly. I wasn't even that upset.Our family was drowning in debt and desperate for money. If my death could give Julian and Ella a secure future, maybe it was worth it.Just as I had that thought, a man in a white coat

"Please, Claire. Stop worrying and trust me this once," Julian nearly begged.Claire held firm. "But what if Diana asks you for a divorce? If I ruin your marriage, I'll never forgive myself.""That won't happen." Julian shook his head. "She loves me too much to leave."They looked like a pair of star-crossed lovers torn apart by cruel fate.With every word, the truth fell into place.After returning from abroad, Claire had learned that she had end-stage kidney disease. She needed a transplant to survive.Her blood type was rare, making a compatible kidney nearly impossible to find. Julian had searched tirelessly, but every lead had fallen through.Meanwhile, Claire grew weaker by the day.Then Julian secretly arranged compatibility tests for Claire and me. When the results showed that I was a match, he set his sights on my kidney.The failed investments, the debt collectors, the threats...None of it had been real.I smiled bitterly.Julian was right about one thing.I loved him deeply

Ella pulled away from Claire's hand and stared at her in confusion.She was too young to understand the situation, but even she could sense something was wrong when she saw Julian alone with Claire.She pointed at Claire and demanded, "Dad, who is she? Why are you with her?"Julian gave an awkward laugh. "She's a friend of mine.""Have you been with her this whole time?" Ella asked. "Do you really have to stay with a friend for that long?"Julian had no answer.Claire managed two unsteady steps before pausing to catch her breath. "Julian, maybe you should take Ella home first. Diana needs someone with her, too."Ella was too young to catch the implication in Claire's words.She quickly grabbed Julian's hand. "Dad, come home with me. You need to see Mom. Mom..."Before she could finish, Julian pulled his hand free. "I can't, Ella. My friend still needs me. Go home by yourself."I'll give you some money. You can buy your favorite ice cream and some snacks, okay?"As he had so many times

The side of the urn bearing my memorial photo faced Julian.He went rigid, his stunned gaze shifting to Ella.Ella barely reacted. She rose numbly and walked over as though she were accepting an ordinary delivery. Then she took the urn from the man."Thank you, sir," she rasped.The sight tore me apart.I couldn't imagine how my six-year-old daughter had managed to bring my body home. Then, after realizing Julian no longer loved her, she had somehow arranged my cremation and watched it happen.There was no pain left in her hoarse voice. She had hurt so much that she'd gone numb.But Julian didn't understand. He took her lack of tears as proof that she was lying.He strode toward her and snapped, "Ella Parker, what are you doing? When did you start behaving like this?"He pointed at the urn. "How could you say something like that about your own mother? Where is she?"Claire hid the smug glint in her eyes and feigned shock and distress. "Don't tell me something really happened to Diana."

Ella was only six.While other children her age were still cuddling in their parents' arms and enjoying all their love and attention, Ella had been forced to lay her mother to rest and walk away from her father, all in the span of two or three days.Her little world had come crashing down around her.I wanted to go to her, but my spirit was bound to Julian. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't leave his side.I had failed to protect Ella while I was alive. Even in death, I couldn't stay by her side.The person I had truly failed had never been Julian.It was Ella.Claire was rushed into surgery again, and Julian paced outside the operating room just as anxiously as before.But last time, he had been worried about Claire. This time, he was desperately trying to reach Ella.He called her over and over and sent apology after apology, but she never responded. Eventually, she blocked his number.Perhaps Julian believed that no matter what he'd done, he was still her father and didn't dese