Lahat ng Kabanata ng Wrong Life Swap: Both Families Want Me Back: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 8

"We're truly sorry. You and Melody Foster both have a rare blood type, and your names and your mothers' names are so similar that the records were mixed up when your birth files were created. They still haven't been corrected. Would you mind letting your family know?"I hung up the phone. My adoptive parents were sitting across from me, staring at my medical report with grim expressions."So, um..."I barely got a word out before my adoptive father, Brent Fowler, slammed his fist on the table. "What? You want my daughter to give you a kidney?"The words died in my throat. Part of me wanted to test how much I actually mattered to them. After all, I'd been their daughter for 18 years."The doctor said donating one kidney won't affect life expectancy. The donor can still live a perfectly healthy life afterward."My adoptive mother, Karen Bradford, was so furious she started crying. "How can you be this selfish? Why should my daughter trade her health for your life? 18 years raising

I dragged my aching body down the street. Tears ran into the cuts on my face, and the sting made me shake all over. But I had nowhere to go. I didn't have any money on me, so I found a park bench and sat there the entire night.At 3:00 am, Karen called. "Get home now. We need to talk about your situation."A spark of hope flared in my chest. Had they changed their minds?If they were willing to help, then I'd tell them the truth and donate my kidney to Melody. And maybe, if I did that, I'd finally have what Melody had always had. Two families that loved me.I half-ran the whole way back. When I walked through the door, everyone was there, both sets of parents, along with a notary. Before I could say a word, Karen shoved a contract into my hands. "We had a lawyer draw this up. Sign it."The terms were laid out clearly. I would make no claim to any of Melody's organs. I would forfeit my right to any inheritance. My treatment costs would be split, with the Fowlers coverin

"Yeah." I kept my voice flat. I'd known this day would come sooner or later.Karen faltered, then her tone turned sharp. "What do you mean, 'yeah'? Did you know all along that Melody was the one who was sick and not you?"I didn't deny it. "Yeah. I've known for a while."Karen lost it immediately. "Then why didn't you tell us? You did this on purpose, didn't you?"I answered calmly. "That's a family matter. I'm not part of your family, so why would I tell you?"There had been countless nights over the past six months when I'd woken up in tears. But half a year on the road had toughened me up and given me perspective. I could say things like that now without flinching.Karen choked on her own words and couldn't respond. I let the silence sit for a moment. "Is there anything else? I have a bus to catch."Then I hung up.Six hours later, I got off and turned my phone back on. The screen was flooded with missed calls and messages. I called Mom back first."Melanie, what took y

Their faces went white, and they stammered over each other. "We don't know what that is. Stop trying to change the subject."I didn't press them. I just pulled up a video. "That's fine if you don't remember. We had the whole thing notarized on video, after all. Since there are so many people watching today, let's show everyone."I addressed the audience. "Six months ago, Melody and I both went in for medical exams. Melody's results came back clean, but mine showed kidney failure. "Later, the hospital realized they'd mixed up our records because our information was so similar. That's how all of this started."The notarized video played on screen, along with every line of the contract, right there for the entire audience to see. It showed how they'd kicked me back and forth between families like a piece of trash, how I was forbidden from making any claim on Melody's kidney, and how my treatment costs were capped at 100,000 dollars."Moms, we have signed that contract. No matter